What could go wrong? A Jersey guy, a ladder, and one big flag

It's not often that I bring out the ladder and climb up on the roof between our outside storage shed and our garage. But when I do, it's to make sure that a large American flag is in a prominent place to be seen from the road.

When flying the flag turns into a rooftop adventure

I posted some of the pics to Instagram on Monday and man did I hear it from my colleagues.

Apparently, unless you are a professional roofer, there is an age cut-off where heading up the ladder to the roof is, well, frowned upon.

The funny thing is, I don't like heights but choose to climb to the top because I don't want to hire someone to for what should be a 15-minute job of hanging the flag. Of course, the first trip up the ladder came right after Jodi said, "wait for me, I'll be right back."

I went up anyway to get the job done.

The ladder lesson I learned the hard way

So, what do you think happened?

The first thing is I learned that there are certain parts of the outside concrete that are not secure enough for a ladder. After the ladder slid a few inches on me as I got on the flat portion of the roof, I had to pull it up and re-deploy to a gravel areas that was much more secure.

Then because I didn't have a spotter on the ground making sure the flag was straight, it was crooked. So, back up I went.

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Why the right gear matters

Some made fun of my equipment, specifically the use of knee pads, but once you've been on a hot black roof in the summer trying to adjust the flag after a steady wind, you figure out the right equipment matters.

What's a project around the house you insist on doing?

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The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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