Forever July's Japings...

**wyntrout** · 07-02-2021, 02:48 PM

Between cloudbursts I got my flag pole finalized with the finial on top and the roof vent rubber bootie on the bottom. The new USA flag is getting washed with the longest downpour now. Maybe some pix tomorrow, but could be like today! The next 8 days could be like this and then there's Hurricane, or Tropical Storm Elsa around Wednesday!

**Bawanna** · 07-02-2021, 03:48 PM

They make a fancy chrome base for the bottom, I cut a hole in an old VW hub cap, made a snug fit. Polished it up and used that. Looks pretty sharp. I'll snap a picture too when I find the time.
It's nice here now, mid 70's and dry, sure nice compared to last week 100+ day after day, we just don't get that hot around here, some on the east side get that warm but very unusual for us.

**wyntrout** · 07-02-2021, 10:57 PM

I didn't want to pay $40 for the base cover they offered, so I walked through Lowe's looking for ideas. I saw the rubber grommet thingy used for roof vents and it fit the PVC sleeve pretty tightly, so I figured it would work on the base tube. I coated it with silicone spray to help preserve it a bit and I waxed the finial ball before installing it.
I just need to find some decent lights that work dusk to dawn and replace the security light on the corner eave near the flag pole. It will be on at night, so don't need motion activation. L.E.D. bulbs, of course... cheaper to operate.

**getsome** · 07-02-2021, 11:27 PM

Thank you Wyn and Bawanna for going to the extra effort to fly Old Glory……My flag is up on my covered porch all the time and I leave the light on all night…….When we first moved in to this house I noticed the across the street neighbor had a 30 foot flag pole in his front yard with 3 spot lights he ran at night to illuminate the Stars and Strips which I thought was a little different until I finally met Bob and found out that he put up the pole and flew the flag 24X7 to honor his son who didn’t come home from Iraq…….It’s a big full size 4x6 flag and sometimes at night when it’s windy I can hear it flapping and snapping and it makes me sleep real good, it sounds like freedom

**wyntrout** · 07-02-2021, 11:49 PM

I should have gotten the 30 foot pole. The 4x6 flag hit the corner of the porch's roof and I had to drop back to a 3x5-footer, but one with sewn stripes and embroidered stars. The pole sizes aren't interchangeable... different diameters and I already made the base to fit the smaller tube.

I thought that the 25-footer would clear the roof, but it didn't. The 3x5 is fine, or I could fly the flags below the roof line, but they wouldn't catch the wind as well there.

I used to fly the flag from the giant oak that we just had cut down. There was a flat surface on a trimmed branch area that I fastened the canopy base using 3-inch 3/8" lag bolts and fitted 1" conduit pipe to hold the flag at an angle parallel to the street... worked great. I even put a green light behind it for one Veteran's Day when that was suggested.

Since we had that oak cut down, I decided to go ahead and get the flag pole that I had been wanting. The Flag has always been important to me, but nowadays even more.

Hopefully, it will be drier for a while with some wind tomorrow and I can get some pictures and a video. The POW/MIA flag is 3-ply and heavier, so it holds more rain and needs more wind in any case. I love to see our flag flying in the wind... at night, too.