ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Ironworker Henry Cuffe, who works for Turner Construction, does a safety check in the crow's nest atop a crane high above Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. The crane, at work on a 12-story building, is one of many towering over the landscape in the booming area, home to Amazon.com.

The crane's operator, Tom Logan, sits 256 feet above the ground, lifting steel, and laughs. "People pay millions to live in the buildings I build to get this view," he says, "and I get it every day by just coming to work."

Cuffe is Logan's eyes and ears on the ground, because Logan often works in the blind. Logan can see the roof of the building, but not the ground, which is where the materials are that he lifts. Cuffe translates signals to Logan and phones him to tell him what's going on down below. Cuffe also is responsible for crane maintenance.

On some days, Logan is in the crane's cab for 14 or 15 hours. He and Cuffe have been doing their jobs for about 15 years, and both love what they do.

"I'm not afraid of heights, but you can't get me into a boat to save your life," says Cuffe.

And Logan adds: "It's really cool to go back around town and look at some of the buildings I've worked on that are going to be here for a long time."

Read the original Seattle Times article here.