Quote: When I was a young buck a year out of h.s. I took a job with a roofing / sheet metal company, where part of my job was playing "gofer" for the lead man on roof repair jobs.We were working on one of the old Catholic churches in D.C.; three stories out of the ground with a slate roof & built-in copper guttering. Lead man sent me down to the truck for something; I got it and climbed back up, as far as those gutters, and told Mr. Lead Man he could slide down to me & get it, but no way was I about to step off that ladder onto that slate roof; not for no amount of nuthin'. He made fun of me, knowing I was spooked, but I didn't much care. Slate roofs are nice, until a shingle breaks or otherwise comes loose; at which point anyone stepping on it is subject to taking an unexpected trip to the dirt. If a bad slate isn't visibly broken or loose, you might not know it's bad 'til you step on it. Safety harnesses weren't required back then, and most guys didn't bother with them. Nothing to hold on to up there, and nothing to stop you if you lose your footing, except the Great Spirit.