Clear Aperture

I moved along the base of the zinc drainpipe, keeping my profile low against the morning crosswind. Near the corner of the gravel roof, a rusted steel hinge plate lay half-embedded in dried tar. Durable hardware. I braced my boots against the masonry ledge and levered the flat metal plate upright with both hands, wedging it firmly into a weathered mortar seam. It locked into a rigid vertical shield. Leaning behind the steel plate, I used its round screw hole as a steady sightline across the rooftops below. Perimeter stable. Observation underway.