With no December project at Faith UMC this year, we had a more flexible schedule and a more fluid group of volunteers. It also gave us time to prepare for the start of the official project in January. And in between, we found time for Christmas shopping and festivities.   
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“Contain”-ment
The work on the new storage containers continued throughout the month, even though the work force was coming and going. Cathy and Dave finished patching and painting the roofs of both containers so that the water no longer ran down the walls inside. However, they wouldn’t be completely dry until the ends of each were enclosed. Don was the architect of this process, cutting the framing 2 x 4’s and the T1-11 sheathing to size, with help from Cathy, Karen and Dave. Bobbi primed the boards before they were installed. With some caulk around the edge, the containers were now protected from the elements and would (hopefully) remain dry inside.   

 With the assurance that the containers would be dry, we started installing the floor. Since the containers were originally refrigerated, the floors had some closely-spaced stainless steel ridges that would support the floor for most of the length. However there was a 2 foot gap on each end that needed some framing. Don fabricated the frames for each end out of 2 x 4’s. The boards were screwed into short pieces of wood that slid between the metal ridges. Over the holidays, Karen stained the boards that we laid down. Now we had a process to repeat in the other container once the official project starts.   

 One problem with our enclosing the ends of the containers was that they were not so easy to enter any more. The huge doors on the opposite end were heavy and difficult to open. The solution was going to be a door cut halfway down one side to enter from the outside. Then, an interior passageway would be cut between the 2. Our first attempts at the passageway cut were problematic, but another Nomad from the Pd 1 project who arrived early managed to put the right tool to work and cut through both containers neatly.   

 Looking further ahead to our 2nd project in 2019, Dave and Morris worked with the Beyond90 organization to understand the renovations required to their first house that will eventually be rented to new immigrants who are beyond their first 90 days and the support of World Relief. Dave also helped Pastor Rigo patch the roof of a recently donated fifth wheel that would house his wife’s mother and father when they return to the area.

No trip to Faith is complete without some plumbing work. This time, we started with a project to install a backflow preventer at the parsonage on its irrigation system.  We are nothing if not flexible.

New Cushions
The foam in the seat cushions had been flipped and rotated, but the undeniable conclusion was that we needed to replace it. We have our preferred seats in the RV, and Dave’s end of the settee was getting pretty bad. Cathy’s wasn’t great. (Perhaps that sends a message about how much time we sit on them. Hmm . . .) On our trip to visit Wendy’s family in Bradenton, we stopped by Philmore Upholstery Supply in Pinellas Park. We had last visited them in 2012, when Cathy was replacing the cushions on Orion Jr, and had been pleased with the prices, quality and service. We weren’t disappointed this time either.

Since we hadn’t been sure we could make the stop, we just arrived unannounced, with the old cushion in tow. The new owner helped guide us through the choices of foam, and custom cut our 2 cushions, covering them in Dacron for a softer feel. We were back under way in short order and our first time sitting on the cushions back in the RV told us we had made the right choice. They are on-line, and if you’re in need of foam for cushions or other upholstery supplies, you should check them out.

Christmas Before, During and After
December started with Christmas preparations at Faith. After helping decorate the sanctuary for the season, we enjoyed several celebrations for Christmas with the UMW, the Seekers Sunday School class and a church-wide potluck for Pastor Appreciation Sunday. We welcomed a visit from Miami and Shelley as they passed through on their way to be with family, and also said goodbye to Nomads who were on their way back home for the same reason.   
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Our visits with family began the 2nd weekend as we drove to Bradenton to see Wendy and Dave, Janelle, Mike and Jack (Cathy’s birthday buddy). On Sunday, we joined Dave and Wendy at church. After service, we “refreshed” ourselves with Christmas cookies before joining Wendy and 13 pre-schoolers for a Christmas craft session. Not quite the same as our work with teens over the summer, but we managed to make the transition and the kids seemed to have a good time. The ladies had a cookie exchange in the afternoon, while the 2 Daves went to see what a snow tubing run in Florida looked like.    

We headed north on the 20th in a pouring rain, which followed us off and on over the next 10 days. Our first few days were spent in Winston-Salem with Cathy’s mom and sister. To catch up with Cathy’s sister Grace, we passed through Raleigh to join them for church on Christmas morning and brunch afterward. On Christmas Eve, we picked up Droz for the trip to Whitehall to visit with Dave’s mom, sister Diane and friend Pam. We managed to break up the trip with a late lunch at the Shady Maple Smorgasbord, the “largest buffet in the US”, which was a hit with Droz. Christmas Eve services at St. John’s UCC have become a tradition over the last few years, and they were followed by a low key Christmas day with the 6 of us. By Friday, we were driving south (again in the rain) for a slow trip to Richmond to return Droz home, and then finally to lay our heads down at our daughter’s house in Jarratt.   

After a wonderful celebration with the kids and grandkids hosted by Bonnie and Troy, we made a slow trip south the next morning. Very slow, since we started by heading east to Poquoson to visit Steve and Linda. On New Year’s Eve, we had a great visit with George and Gail in Leland NC before pressing on to bring in the New Year in Manning SC. By New Year’s afternoon, we were back in Faith – and back in shorts, ready to roll up our sleeves for the project that would start in less than a week.

Parting Shot
Our first visit to the new Georgia Welcome Center on I-95 allowed Cathy to meet Forest Gump.
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Despite our motivation to get to Jacksonville and reunite with the folks at Faith UMC, we were forced to make a slow trip south, arriving the day before Thanksgiving. After enjoying the holiday together, we started digging into the list of potential projects and sifting out what was highest priority. It didn’t take much discussion to understand that getting the containers finished was at the top of the list.

Taking the Scenic Route​

When we bought our new truck, we asked about any break-in periods for the engine. There weren’t any – except we couldn’t tow anything for the first 500 miles. No problem, we would be over that before we needed to head south. However, in reading through the owner’s manual, Dave discovered another restriction. The transmission required that we not exceed 50 mph in the first 500 miles of towing. That meant taking I95 south would be a problem.   

 So, we made our way south by way of back roads – mostly US 301 – through NC, SC, GA. We even discovered another GA Welcome Center on 301. While sipping our complementary diet Coke, we chatted with our host about the benefits of traveling this “road less traveled”. Pulling the rig meant we weren’t free to explore much, but we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Claxton Fruitcake company, and a good meal of BBQ at the Rusty Pig a few miles down the road. Slowing down wasn’t such a bad thing.

 Spending more time in the truck – or more specifically, getting in and out of the truck reinforced our desire to install running boards. Covering the gap between the cab and the ground was a bit of a gymnastic event. Through his research, Dave was certain we could install these ourselves. After reviewing several after-market alternatives, he finally came back around to the ones sold by the Ram dealer. They were good quality. We would not have to drill any holes. And the price was competitive. We even got them to give us a discount.   

​ Using the wisdom and experience of youtube, it took us a couple of hours (including time taken to talk about the job with various people passing by) to install the steps on the truck. It was as easy as the videos made it sound, they look great and, most important, getting in and out of the truck is so much easier.   

Faith Work

Shortly after we left Faith in the spring, the contractor finally positioned the 2 containers that would replace the storage rooms destroyed in June of 2017 by tree limbs falling on them. The work that had been initially planned for last winter had been delayed, and the time to get these containers in working order was long overdue. Working with the other volunteers who had arrived just before and after us, the work was finally getting under way.   

Although the wiring had been mostly done in the spring, there was still some work to getting the lights to light inside the trailer. Through an unusually wet summer and fall, it was obvious that one of the containers had some leaks, so we needed to do some patch work on the roof. Also, the gap between the containers needed to be bridged to eliminate water accumulation in the gap and down the inner walls. Back in the temporary storage location of all the supplies, we needed to measure and inventory the major items that had to be moved in. Then all of them needed to be plotted on a chart to ensure they would fit.   

 By month’s end, the work was well underway. Although we had people coming and going between now and the start of January’s project, we were feeling good that we would have enough progress that the project team arriving then would be able to hit the ground running.

Holidays

We did make it for Thanksgiving and enjoyed the day with a church dinner. Jahaziel was trying out his new camera and made a video of the day. (See here.) Although it’s hard to hear some of the people speaking, it is a touching picture of some people reflecting on what they are thankful for.

 The following Saturday, we took a short drive downtown to see Jacksonville’s holiday boat parade on the St. John’s River. They had some pretty elaborately decorated boats that passed us by on a mild night that were fun to watch.

​ “Your grandson needs to be picked up from school.” With no vehicle, surrounded by 2 dozen volunteers hard at work stabilizing, painting and repairing the CCC-built cabins, and simultaneously working the phones with the car salesman and the insurance agents, this phone call certainly added complexity to an already crazy day. We were in the middle of Cabin Work Week, an exhilarating and exhausting week of work, fun, and fellowship. Balancing our chaotic personal life with the demands of the project was a challenge, but one that seemed so worthwhile. That’s how the month began. But by mid-November, the project was behind us, we had our new truck, and we were seriously motivated to finish up at Pocahontas. It was not just wet, but cold – and getting colder. It was time to move south. 

Cabin Work Week

It was hard to keep up with the work. With three primary worksites for the Cabin Work Week teams, re-visiting each site showed dramatic changes from the last trip. The three cabins sit in the Swift Creek Camp section of Pocahontas State Park. The Dining Hall, frequently used for weddings and other events, is ringed by 5 buildings that were in varying states of disrepair. We were working on the 3 that were in worst shape.    Check out the video of the project here. 

 The Craft Cabin mostly needed work on it windows and screens. There were more than a dozen of them. All needed some attention. Many needed to be rebuilt. And since these were not built by machines back in the 30’s, no 2 were exactly alike. That made the careful job of re-installing them painful, since each one had to be fitted into its correct slot. (Too bad they weren’t labeled as they were removed, Brian.) With the windows repaired, painted, panes installed, glazed and re-hung, the crew moved on to the screens. One amazing find was an original screen made of copper, installed with copper nails. Even though the work on this cabin’s windows was completed by mid-week, the work was far from done. The worst of the screens and windows from the other cabins made their way back to be repaired and re-installed.   

The 3-Bedroom Cabin was suffering from damage to the siding, where water had been wicking up into the boards from the bottom and rotting the siding. Before the crew arrived, the ground around the cabin had been graded to route water away from the foundation and minimize the ongoing erosion and water damage. Once the crew arrived, much of the front siding needed to be completely replaced, siding along the eave of the front porch needed to be replaced to eliminate both water and animal intrusion, and the roof needed a few repairs. By the end of the 2nd day, this team was installing the last of the new siding and tacking down the last of the shingles. They were ready to hand it over to the painters who spent the rest of the week scraping, priming, and painting to renew the look of the building.  

 By far the worst was the Nurse’s cabin, whose roof had been damaged more than a decade ago, and the repair had done a poor job of keeping water out of the room below. By week’s end, the roof looked new again, and the siding was going back on the outside.   

 Despite all the hard work, the team had a great time together. Each evening, some activity gave the volunteers the opportunity to gather and enjoy some of what the park had to offer – canoeing, hiking, campfire, etc. -- and share experiences from the day. Aaron Paula Thompson, the CCC Museum curator joined us each day to share some of the history of the park, when it was being built back in the 30’s. Cathy got back on the tractor, and managed to make the hay ride less eventful than her last one, but she wasn’t quite so lucky when briefly driving the van shuttle.   

When we gathered for the potluck on Saturday, what had been a group of strangers had transformed into friends. Rich, the project leader who had inspected each cabin and developed a detailed list of work, supplies, teams, etc. was also rewarded on Sunday as new volunteer of the year, for all he had done to make the project such a success. And there is already a 2019 Cabin Work Week – actually 2 weeks – on the calendar for next fall.   

Our New Ride

Shopping for a truck while you’re standing in a parking lot on work breaks is an interesting process, but you do what you have to do. It took some doing, but we managed to find a 4x2 Ram 2500 longbed truck that would fit more comfortably under the cab of our RV. After a marathon session with the dealer to work through the actual purchase, we drove away on our own wheels for the first time in over 2 weeks. A fellow camp host had taken us back to our old truck to strip everything we could out of it. That included the hitch, which we now had to install in the bed of the new truck.

 One of the options on the new truck was a 5th wheel prep package, which proved to be worth every penny we paid for it. The truck had the four holes pre-drilled and configured with pucks that would receive a set of bed rails made specifically for Ram trucks. These rails could be installed by simply dropping them into the holes and turning 4 arms to lock the 4 legs into the truck bed. We could adjust the fit to ensure it was tight by pulling a clevis pin, spinning the arms a turn or half-turn and then re-installing the pin. It was pretty straightforward. The harder part of the installation was getting our old hitch to line up on the bed rails.    

 When we first tried to make the connection, the pins that connect the hitch to the rails wouldn’t pass through the holes far enough to allow the clevis pin to secure them. After several attempts, we decided the pins were too short. That started a lot of research to find new pins. But no one seemed to have any longer pins. Dave was becoming convinced that the problem was that the hitch had too much tension. With the help of Dick and Joe and the right tools, he was able to release the tension and the pins fit just fine. No wonder we couldn’t find longer ones.   

​ As you may recall from our last entry, our big concern before we bought the truck was whether it would allow the RV to ride level. To figure that out, we had to try hooking it up to the truck for the first time. Given the slope of our site and the height of the new truck, we had to raise the RV up almost as high as it would go before it was high enough for the hitch pin to meet the hitch. Dave had to get accustomed to the differences presented by the new truck and his view of the back, but the RV hooked up easily. Success! The RV is not as level as before, but with some adjustments in the hitch and hitch pin, we feel confident we can make that happen.  

Finishing Up

Although we had our new truck now, we still had a few things to do to be able to leave for Jacksonville. Not the least of which was to sell our old truck, which had sat on the Ford Dealer's lot since the day it died in mid-October. While we waited for the buyers to beat down our door, Cathy made one more trip to NC and Dave worked with the November park host to continue to finish up the exterior work on the 3 CCC cabins from Cabin Work Week.

By the end of our 2nd week, Cathy was back and we had disposed of the truck. It was a good thing, too. We had had more than enough nights of hard frosts and chilly days. Saying goodbyes and thanks to the park staff and fellow volunteers, we headed out Sunday before Thanksgiving. We planned to share our Thanksgiving meal with our friends at Faith in Jacksonville.  

 As we pulled into Pocahontas State Park at the beginning of October, we thought we knew how the month would go. We would finish painting Hotel Pocahontas, then help with Park after Dark and then Cabin Work Week as the month ended. Well, that was the plan at least. And reality was about to hit us square in the face. By week’s end, we were on our way to NC to support Cathy’s sister and mom after the sudden loss of Carolyn’s husband, Clint. Cathy stayed, but Dave returned to Pocahontas to honor our commitment there. That was just the beginning of an eventful month.   

Holding the Fort​

With Cathy away in NC, David tackled a number of projects that were on our plate. More windows were finished and the railing on the front steps repaired at Hotel Pocahontas. But the weather and other priorities meant that was as far as he could get. For the big Park after Dark festival and Cabin Work Week, we would need several working generators. He began testing and servicing the ones that had been sitting idle for months. Over time, he managed to get 3 working reliably, although one had an unusual shut-off feature.
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 Our golf cart needed a little work done, since the flashing light had stopped working and we were missing a “slow-moving vehicle” sign. Using parts from an old golf cart that would be going to salvage, he replaced the light and added the sign to make us now legal again, and more importantly, safer. Besides helping with concerts or moving a stranded camper to a new site, he spent the rest of his time getting ready for Park After Dark and Cabin Work Week.

 Last year’s hay wagon rides at the event suffered from long lines that ran long past closing time. The solution was going to be a 3rd wagon. Dick, a Friends of Pocahontas member, lived nearby and had volunteered to modify his trailer to become the new hay wagon. Dave and he began the work early one morning to transform his trailer. By sunset, the work was mostly done. Brackets had been mounted to the trailer support the uprights, the cross-pieces installed and a channel was routed out to hold the LED lights along the side. All that was left was to install a step on the back and install the lights. A shorter second day finished it off and it was good to go.

​ There were also less strenuous activities – meetings about both Park After Dark and Cabin Work Week, phone calls and the laborious task of sorting and distributing Park After Dark flyers to local schools. For a number of reasons, Dave was the only one available to do this work, and his efforts were limited not just due to lack of resources, but the schools he was attempting to visit began closing early in advance of Michael’s arrival.   

Michael arrived with lots of wind and rain. That meant widespread flooding and downed limbs and trees. The normally routine sound of acorns dropping on the RV roof became incessant during the height of the storm and one unusually loud thump had Dave trying to look at the roof in the middle of the wind and rain. He quickly abandoned that idea. But what he found the next day meant that he would have to take some time from Park activities to work on repairing the RV.   

Did you hear something?

That “thump” Dave heard was not just a big acorn, but a 4 foot branch that had impaled itself into the roof, creating a 2-in hole. Dave put a temporary patch over the hole with a plastic bag to create some height covered by duct tape. A couple of days later, Tom from Trailer Time RV Service, was on site to fix the hole. After cleaning, filling and patching the hole, he cleaned the rest of the roof and applied a Di-Cor Roof-guard for UV protection. While he was up there, Dave had him replace the vent hatch from our bathroom, which had been deteriorating pretty rapidly. A side benefit of his cleaning the roof, was that Dave and Adam were able to clean the sides of the RV as well, something that was long overdue.

 One of the reasons we had so many acorns falling on the roof in the first place was that we had taken a site in the older section of the campground for the first time. This area is more wooded and the sites are not always as level as the new section. However, there is one significant advantage with the site that we took. With a little help from a new Wifi antenna, we can pick up wifi from the camp store. It is has been a tremendous help as we have been collaborating on Cabin Work Week and Park After Dark. Oh yes, and searching for a new vehicle. More about that later.

We Won!

​After 2 weeks, Dave came to pick up Cathy from NC in time for us both to join the closing session of the Preservation Virginia Annual Conference. After submitting the Cabin Work Week project to them as part of their “Preservation Pitch” program, we were anxious to see how the voting went. We were thrilled to hear that the project won the $2,000 grant. In a facebook live event, the winner was announced from the conference in Danville. We accepted it along with the park’s CCC Museum curator, Aaron Paula Thompson. It was a tribute to how much support these CCC-built structures at the park have.   
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 Back at the park, we worked with the project coordinator, volunteer Rich Buhrman, to assemble purchased supplies close to the job site, and to help another volunteer, Paula Labieniec, to pressure-wash the buildings that would be part of the project work the next week. Although we wouldn’t be there for the arrival of participants and the kick-off meeting, we assembled welcome packets for the office to distribute to them upon arrival.   

It’s Spooky
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Park After Dark is a festival put on by the Friends of Pocahontas for the community around the park. Growing every year, a couple of thousand people attend. There are hayrides, face painting, Trunk or Treat, Crafts, Story Telling, Raptor encounters, and much more. It takes over 100 volunteers to pull it off. It was a family affair for us. Adam was in charge of the face painting. Droz floated between assignments and we drove a haywagon. Bonnie, Troy and family camped in the park for the weekend and the kids were dressed and ready to go when the festival opened.   

 Even though there were more people than last year, there were shorter lines and less crowds due to some improvements. We added an extra hour, another haywagon and tripled the number of face painters. By all measures, it was a huge success and a lot of fun. The only down side was an “incident” when Cathy was driving the haywagon. No injuries. And once the tire was changed, it was back in service for the rest of the night. Cathy decided to step away from the tractor though for the rest of the night.

Saying Goodbye

The family gathered for the celebration of life for Cathy’s brother-in-law, Clint, on the last Sunday in October. It was a beautiful tribute to an amazing man. Clint was a talented engineer, a respected and admired leader, a loving husband, brother, and uncle, and a tirelessly effective servant of those in need. In a service that filled every seat of a sizable sanctuary, we felt the impact of a life well-lived, and a challenge to pick up the torch he set down way too early. An inspiration to all of us.

 We cut our time in Pennsylvania short so we could head south to help Bonnie and Troy replace the deck on the back of their house. That would use up the rest of our time off before heading back to Pocahontas for the next Park Host stint at the beginning of October. Heading out in the rain, we made our way through Virginia for a brief stay at Pocahontas before continuing the final hour south to Jarratt. Seventy miles and one flat tire later, we were set up in their driveway ready to begin work.

All Hands on Deck​

More than twelve years ago we had built Bonnie and Troy’s rear deck in just 2 days. The intervening decade had not been kind. The deck was sagging and it needed to be replaced. The original construction was a marathon that none of us were anxious to repeat. So, when our daughter called to schedule some time to demolish and replace the deck, we were perfectly fine with taking more time. Plenty more time.   

 We spent the morning of our first day finishing the demolition of the old deck. With the space cleared, the work began to mark the location of the new deck and the support pilings. With help of some heavy equipment, nine holes were dug, filled with cement blocks and concrete. The soggy ground was made muddier overnight by more rain, but we continued to build up the structure, cutting 3 heavy 6x 6 posts out of each 10ft board. Once the posts were placed in each hole, then plumbed and lined up, we filled the holes with gravel to set them in place.

The next step was to assemble 2 – 2” x 10” x 12’ boards into a support beam, one for each set of 3 posts. Carrying just one of these boards was an effort for 2 of us. Carrying the assembled pair required three. By day’s end, these beams were in place, and we had begun construction of the frame that would support the deck boards. This deck was not going to sag.  

The next morning, we dug 3 more holes for the posts that would line the outer edge and placed some taller 6 x 6 posts in them that would eventually support the hand rail. With the frame built, the joists were placed and hung on the frame. (Luckily Adam was there to help place the bigger posts.) The design of the decking was going to include a “picture frame” effect of 3 boards around the perimeter, so extra cross-pieces were needed in the outermost joist cavities. With these in place, the picture frame could be cut to fit around each post. The deck boards were then cut to fit inside it. Although we were making a lot of progress, it became clear that another day would make a difference, so we contacted the park to delay our arrival until October 2nd. 

Our final day, we helped cut the final deck boards, cut another 2 x 10 for each side of the frame and then began fashioning the stringers for the steps (8ft wide). More digging was needed for the outer posts on the steps and then the stringers could be hung and leveled. That was as far as we could take it, but we are anxious to see the pictures of the finished project.  ​

Food and Family
We enjoyed our time with Bonnie’s family, getting to spend time with Troy and Taylor. One night we were joined by Serenity and Alexis as well, when Christina met us in Emporia. The 4 kids had fun at the big blue chair outside IHOP and wanted to explore the race cars in the parking lot as well.  
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Our big surprise for Bonnie, Troy and Adam was a well-traveled Savoia rum cake that we had carried back from Rochester. It might have disappeared in one sitting, if we hadn’t made the decision to save some for Adam’s arrival on Saturday. As he headed back to Richmond, he took one piece with him for Droz and some Byrne dairy chocolate milk. All good stuff that’s hard to come by down here in the south.

 Although the heat followed us from Virginia to Pennsylvania, it took only a couple of days for it to start to feel like fall. And, despite the storms moving through the mid-Atlantic, our travels had us avoiding most of the rain as we visited with family and friends and did some sightseeing on our own.

Central PA Local Flavor
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Our plan for the month of September was to park the RV in a campground, which we would use as a hub for some trips without it. We found Christmas Pines in Auburn, PA, about 45 minutes west of Allentown, which allowed us to pay for just the weekends.  In return, we could leave the RV unoccupied in our spot for free during the week. (We opted to stay plugged in for $2/day.) That gave us freedom to come and go per our plan. While in the area, we explored a bit, taking in a local winery, distillery and brewery, and a chocolate factory.   

 Snaking our way up a winding mountain road back into the woods, we made our way to the appropriately-named Lost Trout Winery. Surrounded by tie-dye T-shirts and psychedelic album covers, we stepped back in time a few decades as we entered the tasting room. We could taste any of the more than 20 offerings, which was a bit overwhelming. We left with a bottle of “Dark and Disturbing”, which says a lot about the atmosphere of the winery. Legal moonshine distilleries are on the rise, and we found one in the nearby small town of Schuylkill Haven. Their array of flavors led us to choose a jar (these come in jars not bottles) of Chocolate moonshine. We were given the idea of soaking cherries in it for an ice cream topping. That we could do.   

 Further up the road was Pottsville, where the country’s oldest brewery sits – Yuengling. At the original brewery building downtown, we were given an entertaining and informative tour. This original historic structure still operates as an active brewery, canning and packaging the signature Yuengling lager. We were allowed frighteningly close to all of the brewing, filling and packaging activities, and treated to a sample at the end of the tour. Unfortunately, since we aren’t beer drinkers, that part of the tour was lost on us.   

 And then there’s that sorta famous chocolate place, which offers tours. In this case, you’re just taking a ride through a display. The chocolate making has moved out of the building. But you can bet we ate the sample at the end of this tour. We did decline to take home the World’s Largest Hershey bar.   
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Rochester and Back​

As we made our way into Rochester, we realized we had a few minutes extra before we needed to meet up with our friends. So we drove straight north, past 104, past Seabreeze, past Don’s Original to the Irondequoit Bay inlet from Lake Ontario. On this late summer day, there were beachgoers sunning themselves, and the sailboats were coming back in from a day sail on the lake. As a cormorant sunned itself on a nearby rock, Dave reminisced about coming here as a child to his grandparents’ friend’s place on the shore.  

While our primary reason for coming to Rochester was to see our dentist, we managed to squeeze in a bit more. Our friends Ralph and Joanne from S/V Whitebird hosted us for lunch and we revisited our first year cruising to the Bahamas together. We spent a few nights with our friend Carol, who took us to see a Cirque performance at the Rochester Fringe Festival.  

New York has its share of wineries, and we couldn’t pass through Finger Lakes Country without stopping by a few. In Rochester, we stopped at A Gust of Sun winery in Spencerport, followed by the Blue Barn Cidery where were tasted a “flight” of their offerings as well. Making our way back down by Seneca Lake, we stopped into a couple of wineries and a cheese tasting shop before leaving the Finger Lakes and the wineries behind.   

Visiting Family​

It had been several months since we had visited Dave’s mom and sister who live near Allentown PA. So, we took several days to catch up with them as well. On our way back to the RV, we swung by the Hershey RV Show to checkout the latest offerings from the manufacturers and vendors. Not too much that excited us this year.

Preservation Pitch Entry in Top 3​

While standing in Wegman’s, Dave got the notice that the our pitch to save the CCC Cabins at Pocahontas was accepted by Preservation Virginia as one of the top 3 pitches to be considered for a $2,000 grant. Internet voting will take place here through October 1st. The winner will be announced at their annual conference on October 19th. If it’s not too late, we welcome your vote.   

Parting Shot

After 30 years, Cathy’s engagement ring had become so thin, that it wasn’t safe to wear it any more. We found a jeweler in Whitehall who reset the ring so it will last more than 30 more years. Not so sure about the finger that wears it. But it is lovely.

 Clearing trails, staining, repairing wooden screens, planning for Cabin Work Week --- our tasks for the end of the month were varied and interesting. The work time was broken up by some fun time with the kids and grandkids as the summer drew to a close.

Fixing Up Hotel Pocahontas

One of the tasks on our list when we first arrived 2 months ago was to finish staining “Hotel Pocahontas”, a 2-bedroom furnished cabin, frequently used by state park officials when in the area. With all the work with the teens and trails, we didn’t get to start work on this in earnest until the YCC ended. It had been pressure-washed by a previous park host, who had also started staining the front, but there was a lot more to do.   

 As we inspected the work, we realized the rear deck had a hole in one board and a few others needed replacing. Also, several of the wooden screens had either rot on one or more sides or a hole in the screen or both. And many of the window sills had holes that needed filling. So, where to begin?.    

With 15 screens on the building needing painting in addition to the repairs, we decided to start on these with Brian. We helped him dismantle and repair the damaged screens, and then painted all of them in the process. We even got some help on this task from Troy and Taylor who helped by taping the undamaged screens to keep them from getting paint on them. Even rehanging the screens was not incident-free. Despite Cathy’s efforts to track which screen came from which window, this turned out to be only a guide, not a guarantee. We swapped screens between windows and changed hardware before getting all but 3 windows fitted with a snug screen. At that point, we had to trim the wood to finalize the fit. Apparently the thickness of the paint was just enough to make them too big. In the process, Dave discovered a missing board that was required to secure one screen. With Bob’s help in the wood shop, he cut a board to fit that did the trick.

We then turned our attention to the deck repairs, which proceeded quickly once the materials arrived. The next day, Dave mixed and applied wood putty to the various holes in the window sills. In one case, he had to re-build on end of the sill. With the repairs behind us, we continued with the staining work. It was obvious we couldn’t finish before we left, but we managed to put a dent in the work that we turned over to Brian and the next Park Host.  Dave did give Brian a deadline to finish the rest of the work – Sept. 30th.   

Why? Because we return October 1st!

Cabin Work Week
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At the end of October, 15 RV’s will be gathering to begin work to stabilize the group cabins originally built by the CCC in the 30’s. These cabins are unique within the Virginia State Park system and are in serious need of repair, with repairs needed to roofs and foundations just to keep them from beiing lost forever. However, the work to stabilize them will take many more years and more funding than is currently budgeted for the initial project.   

 Recognizing this, we spent time developing a fundraising video for this effort that the Friends of Pocahontas will use to help identify the need and seek ongoing funds for the materials that will make the repairs possible. You can check it out here: Cabin Work Week Fundraising. In addition, we submitted a “Preservation Pitch” to a competition sponsored by Preservation Virginia that might result in a $2000 grant if we are successful.

There will be more work weeks scheduled in future years, as well as local volunteers continuing the work throughout the year. We are optimistic that this project will be a successful one in keeping this part of history for future generations.

What Else?​

Early one muggy Monday morning, we arrived as requested at the pool. Despite the heat, we weren’t there for a swim though. The pool had closed for the season the day before to allow work to begin on the restoration of the pool house. To allow the contractor to start the next day, the fixtures inside the pool house needed to be removed and stored elsewhere. So we helped remove, move, and stack whatever we could. By the afternoon, our attention had turned to removing almost 2 dozen light fixtures that would be re-deployed elsewhere at the park. The next day, the contractor began on schedule. We’ll be interested to see the new building when it opens next year.

 And there’s always trail work. As the park prepares to open some new hiking trails, we continued the work started during the YCC weeks, cleaning up the trails rough cut by the heavy equipment. One Saturday, we joined a group of 3 dozen volunteers, sponsored by REI to cover ¼ mile of the new trail. We knew 2 of the volunteers pretty well – Adam and Droz. By early afternoon, the trail had been cleared of roots, smoothed and packed down, and the creek crossing had been “armored” with some seriously heavy stones. And the trail was one step closer to opening up to the public.   

Special Guests

Campfires, bike rides, and canoe trips. When we have that combination of activities, there must be a few grandkids nearby. We had the treat of a few days visit from Troy and Taylor and split our time between projects and some fun time. The kids were eager to help as well. And it gave us an excuse to enjoy one of the nicest days of the summer out on the water with the 2 of them. Later that week, Adam, Droz and his girlfriend Trinity joined us for an afternoon of bike riding. A last hurrah before we headed out and summer drew to a close.   

 The final 2 weeks of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) at Pocahontas were productive and rewarding. Although Cathy was sidelined for much of it, Dave helped guide their efforts and built a relationship with many of the kids. Shortly after they graduated, Bonnie and Troy and the kids arrived for a few days of camping as their summer draws to a close.

YCC

Although the rain did its best to slow them down, this year’s YCC crew completed some big projects in their last 2 weeks. They cut a new section of trail and helped “armor” it, i.e., laying down 50-75lb stones where the trail crossed creek beds. They tore down 140ft section of fence and replaced it with a new split rail version. And in between, they removed invasive species, cleaned dining halls, and rose to any challenge given. On their field trip to nearby High Bridge and Twin Lakes State Parks, they enjoyed themselves biking and swimming in some well-deserved downtime. Graduation was a celebration of all they had accomplished. This year’s crew had bonded much more into a team than we had seen before.

 Dave also got the chance to operate a new “toy”. The Canycom machine moved the heavy stone down to their final location before the crew had to carry them to put them in place. He certainly had the easier part of the job.   

And then what?

As we freed up from the YCC, we started turning our attention to closing the funding gap for the CCC Cabin Week in October – November. We wrote and delivered letters to local businesses, e-mailed groups and businesses, and began to understand other venues like Gofundme and Kickstarter.   

 Cathy took on a sewing task, making 30 glasses cases for the new safety glasses set aside for volunteers at the park. We shoveled more gravel to remediate some low spots at a campsite, and attended our first Park After Dark planning meeting in preparation for this fun event in October. There’s always something to dig into.

Downtime?

We took some time for a goodbye dinner with Jayden before he headed north to his mom’s. And that weekend, Droz joined us for a couple of nights while his dad delivered Jayden. In return for a bed, we got the benefit of Droz’s culinary skills while he made his first pound cake. Not too bad for his first one. We look forward to the next one.

Bonnie and Troy arrived with their camper that weekend as well. We spent several days working in the morning and swimming in the afternoon or vice versa. Although the thunderstorms made it a challenge, we managed to get in at least one campfire complete with s’mores and a new treat of strawberries covered with marshmallow fluff cooked over the fire. The dutch oven dinner of chicken and roasted vegetables was yummy too.

 It’s been a fun summer, but we only have a couple more weeks before school starts and we will need to pull out for the month of September.   

​“When it rains at a Virginia State Park, what is there to do?” That was the Pocahontas State Park posting that scrolled across Cathy’s Facebook timeline on July 21st. Appropriate, but without the tips from the post, we were able to find plenty to do before, during and after the rain that accumulated in inches over the last 2 weeks of July.

Woodworking

The siding had deteriorated so badly that the insulation showed through and what remained flaked off easily in your hand. This was the condition of the bathroom building near the amphitheater at Pocahontas SP. We learned of the project just before our arrival, but it appeared that, despite the severe need for repair, the project might have to be put on hold. The problem? The rough cut cedar panels that made up the exterior siding were either not available or extremely expensive.

Dave took the supply problem on as a challenge. The possible alternative, Okoume, was more thoroughly researched for its similarity to cedar, availability and pricing. He found that the panels were similar enough to the cedar for look and wear, were available locally and could be special ordered through Lowes. Once given the go ahead, he placed an order on Friday and the panels arrived on Monday. The work that had been put on hold suddenly had a green light – and a deadline. The amphitheater was needed by a group Friday evening. Whatever progress we made, the bathroom had to be presentable and usable by Friday at 3pm.

We met Brian (who had initially assessed the damage and prepared the material estimates) Monday morning to start the demolition. The initial plan was to simply replace the lower 2 feet of the two worst sides. The worst of the existing “battens” (1” x 3” boards sitting in vertical strips every 8”) would be replaced along with the baseboard. But we had been warned by the maintenance crew to be wary. Once we explosed the under layers, we would likely find rot. And we did. Some had wicked up from the cement slab, but much worse was the lingering problems from the old skylights, now replaced, that had let moisture into the walls from above.   

 We needed to regroup. How much more material did we need? When could we get it in? What could the budget afford? Could we make enough progress for Friday? Dave worked with park staff to work through the issues and we got the green light to replace all the particle board sheathing, the cedar siding, the battens and the baseboard on the 2 problem sides. We had a lot more work to do, and still the same deadline. Although we were given some alternative stopping points if we couldn’t get it all done by Friday.

Over the next few days, the three of us worked to first demolish the rotten boards, explosing the studs and insulation. Then we fitted new plywood, vapor barrier, cedar siding. First on one side and then the other. We were pestered by some red wasps, who were unhappy with our work around their nest. The rain held off, but the heat and humidity were pretty wearying. Dave had to make 3 different runs to pick up wood for the job. We also had to rip the 20 - 1” x 6” boards into the 40 - 1” x 3” boards we needed for battens. But by Thursday, we were starting to see the light.  

 We decided to stain the battens before installing them, so Cathy began this work in earnest on Thursday. It also made it easier to roll the stain on the cedar before the battens were installed. By Friday morning, the baseboards were on both sides, and the battens started going up. By 3pm, we had them all installed, and all of our work debris cleaned up. There was still some caulking to do, and some staining on the other sides, but we were pleased with the work and so was the park staff. Brian’s expertise and time was invaluable in allowing us to get it done and have it look so good.

Youth Conservation Corps – Reprise
Breaking away for a morning during the bathroom work, we worked with the the various staff and volunteers who would be involved in YCC this year. A lot had been learned in the intervening year, and we took from the meeting a different understanding of our role in this year’s activities. Only time would tell whether this year would be an improvement on last year.

On our first full day of work, we woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Not a good omen. Our task for the day was marking the park’s boundary by painting yellow rings on trees. The leaders formed 4 teams and we made our way out along Woodpecker Road, a highway that passes through the southern section of the park. Our goal was to mark both sides of the highway before day’s end. Despite the heat, humidity and intermittent showers, the kids did great. They finished marking the highway, and along the way, picked up 12 full bags of trash. Of course, the yellow paint did get all over a few of them, and, to a certain extent, the truck bed. By day’s end, at least the truck bed was clean.

The next 2 days were spent at Henricus Historical Park, on the James River southeast of Pocahontas. A palisades fence in the recreated Indian village needed some repair work, and there was lots of weeding, trimming and removal of invasive species throughout the rest of the historic colonial village as well. We were only needed on the 2nd day, which also happened to be the day of the artillery demonstration. The kids dug into the work and made a real difference. We explored a little, and plan to return when we are not working to see more of this interesting park. Dave helped “supervise” the kids rebuilding the fence, while Cathy worked with the kids clearing growth and weeding. This would end up being a fateful decision.

 Friday of the first week started with a couple hours of archery before the kids headed to the park’s maintenance area to do a clean-up. They collected debris, picked up trash, corralled dozens of pallets for resale, removed trees. It was not without incident. We discovered a copperhead snake, 3 infestations of yellow jackets and another of red wasps. The latter was discovered because of a sting on guess who?

Let’s just say that it was not a good day for Cathy. In the morning she discovered that she had not one, but 2 tick bites from the prior day’s work at Henricus. Apparently, her attempt to wash off poison ivy had also washed off her insect repellent. The next insult was a sharp pain in her side while pulling a root up near the wood shop. That’s right. The red wasp was unhappy about her working so close to the nest in the side of the building. But the final insult was seeing the beginning signs of poison ivy on her arms. It was this that sidelined her for days as her lower arms became covered in the insidious rash.

On Monday, David helped with one of the youth teams as they did cleaning during the early morning rain. But the big task for the week began in the afternoon, as the kids began building a new hiking trail north of Swift Creek Lake. By month-end, with only 1 ½ days of trail work under their belt, they were making good progress. The park management was pleased enough with the overall trajectory of the program that they rewarded the kids with a lunch out at nearby Mexican restaurant. David, at least, got to join them while Cathy nursed her poison ivy back at the RV. That’ll teach you to be careless around the nasty vine.

Waterlogged

 As the rains came down, we continued to work on the drainage at our campsite. We had ample opportunity to study the problem. It became apparent that we needed to dig a trench or swale off one corner to drain the low spot there collecting much of the water. Dave and I started the trench. Adam and Droz widened it. And Taylor and Troy put their efforts in as well to finish it off. The next rain proved their efforts useful as the water flowed into the ditch and away from the campsite.

The rain also highlighted problems with our uniforms. Specifically, our shoes. Working briefly in the rain the first day of YCC caused Dave to study the soles of his work boots. With holes in each, it became obvious the source of his wet socks was the large holes in the soles of each shoe. He rushed out to replace them. Cathy was a little slow to discover the leaks in her boots which were less dramatic, but no less soggy. So another trip garnered her some new, dry footwear as well.   ​

Family Weekend

On Jayden’s birthday weekend, Adam’s and Bonnie’s families gathered to camp with us at the park. The rain let up enough to give us a nice weekend together, with lots of campfires, pool time, s’mores, dutch oven delights and just time together. On Sunday afternoon, the 2 of us joined Jayden for a party at Adam’s complete with half a dozen homemade birthday pies.   

 There’s never a shortage of work to do at Pocahontas State Park. Its 8000 acres are heavily used, and so it is a never-ending challenge to keep it up. That said, we started plugging away at our assigned tasks (and some that we found on our own) to do our part and earn our keep as soon as we arrived. The withering heat during the first week made it a challenge, but we managed to pace ourselves. And in between, we got some visits from family for some fun time.

Making It Work​

Our jobs at the park take many forms. Sometime it is grunt work hauling and digging and trimming. Sometimes, it’s time spent with the patrons at concerts, hay rides or campfires. Sometimes, it’s work on projects we identify. No matter which form it takes, we find it makes the days go quickly. Our first 2 weeks certainly did.   

 The park has new electric golf carts for each of the hosts, and one of them had not been retrofitted with a rear view mirror. With a little guidance from maintenance, we fashioned a bracket from a scrap piece of metal, borrowed a mirror from another vehicle no longer in service and solved the problem of the rear view mirror. Another issue arising from the new carts is the fact that the park host has no structure to house the battery charger. Since these can’t get wet, we fashioned a cloth-covered frame using wood scraps and some material left over from our boat cover. It was designed to give the charger room to breathe, but keep it dry. However, Dave had been puzzling over the charger’s output all week. He saw no indication it was charging the cart. Sure enough, the cart's low battery light came on one morning. With some consultation with the other hosts nearby, he determined that switching chargers with their cart allowed each of them to charge successfully. And, luckily our new charger still fit in the cover. Good design.

When we chose our site, it hadn’t rained in quite a while. However, there were ruts in the site from previous RV’s, indicating a pretty soggy area. That was confirmed by one of our first assignments to address the drainage on site 96. Hmm… what’s our site number? We retracted the slide and dug out the top layer of eroded dirt (a grueling job), and then hauled several gator loads of gravel to fill in the top layer. When a torrential rain arrived the following Friday, we found ourselves in a bit of a lake. While the work we had done was good, it was far from sufficient. Dave dug a little more out to create a channel for the water to flow, but we will be coming back to this if time permits.   

 We took some time to re-familiarize ourselves with the tractor and hay wagon. Making circuits around the CCC field, we started with just the tractor and then between hay rides one night, took the wagon as well. The training paid off as you’ll see later.

And one morning, we got trained by our grandson, Droz, in boundary marking. The park marks trees on its boundaries with yellow stripes or metal signs. We had a rough start finding a good stretch to mark, but once we got started, we got the hang of it quickly. We had a good teacher.  

 So, we also helped with some fun events, making it to a few hay rides, and a campfire program, but the most unique event we assisted with was a concert by a Fleetwood Mac tribute band called Rumours. We helped put on wristbands on patrons for an hour before enjoying a few sets in the amphitheater. It didn’t take long before there were lots of people dancing all around us. We had to make it an early night because the next morning we would be up early to help with Teen Volunteer Week.

Twenty Teens​

“Please, no more stiltgrass. I’m having nightmares about it.” Nothing brings drama to the table like teenagers. Teen Volunteer Week began with 21 youth and a shifting number of adult volunteers who would guide them, many for their first time working in a park. From 9 to 2 each day, we would work on a project, then follow that with 2 hours of something fun. The youth weeded the CCC Museum garden, removed invasive species (lots of Japanese stiltgrass), cleared trails, repaired a walkway and even trailblazed a mile of a new mountain biking trail. The afternoons were spent tie-dying T-shirts, learning archery, canoeing, swimming at the pool, and fishing.

For those of us planning each day, the biggest challenge was getting the group moved around in the park. This played out on Thursday as Dave put his hay wagon training to work, pulling the group a few miles to the site of the new trail and then on to the pool and back to maintenance on the highway. It went well, although the climb up a particularly steep hill had us sweating a bit. (The older truck required a change to the wheels to move to 4-wheel drive. Luckily, the park staff with us knew how to do this before the next hill.)

Over the course of the week, we got to know the kids, (which included Droz and Jayden) and enjoyed working with them as they learned how to make a difference a litte bit at a time.

Family Time

On July 5th, we had a belated holiday celebration with Bonnie, Taylor and Troy arriving from Emporia and Droz and Jayden coming to spend the night. After some pool time, we had a picnic that included (of course) a campfire with s’mores.