Well, this is another fine mess you got us into!

Larry was having difficulties with the mixer today and asked the Russian if he greased the discharge door. The blank stare came across his face, and again Larry asked if the door was greased today. The Russian smiles and looks around to me, as if I understood and could translate.

Larry is now pointing at the mixer and making the arm gesture of a gate opening. The Russian just smiled. Now Larry was getting upset and hollered at him to get the grease gun and grease the bearing, as if raising his voice would drive the point home. Again nothing happened. Larry looks at the interpreter and asks if he is on break. At that point, the Russian takes off his hat and shows him that he is the truck driver! Larry says "they all look alike" (they all wear government issued winter fatigues). With that Larry gave up and went to the next task.

As for the rest of the day, we poured more concrete - and I mean WE poured concrete. Since we can’t communicate with the Russians very well we hoped by demonstrating they would catch on. So all the managers, Larry and I poured 15 yards of concrete. It was a comedy of errors to say the least. We have to double batch concrete into the truck to get a full load.

As we finished the first batch, the truck driver drove away just as the new plant operator was about to dump the second batch. I looked out…no truck. We ran to the field got the driver and sent him back. This was the same person Larry chewed on earlier. When we looked around for the Russian concrete finishers, none were around. Yep - break time. These sorts of things continued through out the pour.

Laurel and Hardy would have been proud of us.