Jim Hagedon
Romance is alive and well in Unit 21! When Brian Stocks wanted to pop the question to Cathy Lauer, he wanted to do it in a big way! And he wanted to make sure he did it right. Since they both like to hike and enjoy the view from their back yard, he decided a 20-foot sign on the hill behind their Ocotillo Canyon home would get Cathy’s attention and an affirmative response.
Then came the hard part. An old bed sheet ripped into thirds served as the canvas. But how to fasten the sections together? Brian decided the only sure way was to use Cathy’s sewing machine.
“I thought I should be able to figure out how to thread and use it,” Brian said, “but my logic left me with a mound of knotted thread.” Brian couldn’t find Cathy’s sewing machine manual, so he downloaded one off the Internet and successfully stitched the sections together with three sleeves for the supporting posts.
Brian then hiked 300 feet to the hill behind the house carrying the sign, three sections of rebar for supporting posts and a three-pound hammer. The resulting sign was impressive to say the least!
“When Cathy came home and was in the kitchen, I remarked how great the sunset was. She gave a cursory glance and went back to work.” Brian recalled. “I knew I had to step up my game, so I said I had seen some orange-vested workers out back and they had pounded stakes in the ground. That got her attention!”
Did the sign work? The wedding is planned for October!