Shortly after Cathy’s return to Jacksonville, we said goodbye to some of our long time drop-in’s and welcomed a host of new volunteers for a new Nomads project at Faith. The number of projects underway spanned the campus and the parsonage, making it a challenge to keep up with everything that was going on. And in the middle, we celebrated another birthday.
Dropping In
The week before the start of the formal project had us tidying up a number of projects that had begun in December. The office addition construction was complete, but there was clean-up and some small fixes to take care of while Jim was away. But now the closet is ready for use and, to the delight of the church secretaries, the cat litter box is ensconced the in the bathroom, now dubbed the “cathouse”.
The week before the start of the formal project had us tidying up a number of projects that had begun in December. The office addition construction was complete, but there was clean-up and some small fixes to take care of while Jim was away. But now the closet is ready for use and, to the delight of the church secretaries, the cat litter box is ensconced the in the bathroom, now dubbed the “cathouse”.
With Sandy’s and Barb’s efforts to make it happen, the walkway between Asbury and the guesthouse finally received its last brush of stain, as did the steeple deck. The color of the stain for the former was far more popular than that of the latter, so we made an effort to use the last of it on the least visible wood on the property – the rails on the bridge over the creek behind the campground. Having used that up, going forward a more palatable color was chosen for the rest of the campus. Also, in preparation for more staining going forward, all the remaining decks were bleached.
There were a number of electrical projects underway with Ron here– including stabilizing the electrical tower on the top of Wesley and removing the rope installed as a temporary counterweight in December. Herb continued his work powerwashing, moving from decks to sidewalks. By week’s end, we were sad to say goodbye to Barb and Mike who had been such an integral part of the team for almost 3 months. They were moving on to a project in Dundee, so we wished them well and looked to see them again somewhere down the road.
There were a number of electrical projects underway with Ron here– including stabilizing the electrical tower on the top of Wesley and removing the rope installed as a temporary counterweight in December. Herb continued his work powerwashing, moving from decks to sidewalks. By week’s end, we were sad to say goodbye to Barb and Mike who had been such an integral part of the team for almost 3 months. They were moving on to a project in Dundee, so we wished them well and looked to see them again somewhere down the road.
Project Work
As the formal project started up, Cathy spent her time with 5 other team members at the parsonage. Cutting back vegetation, repairing siding, powerwashing and cleaning the exterior, along with some other small repairs kept the team busy through the first project week. And there was actually a fair amount of painting that got done as well.
Meanwhile, Dave was moving between teams at the church. Helping the new Nomads understand the work to be done, researching and ordering parts, and making many supply runs. This enabled the teams to repair several roof leaks that were continuing to elude previous repair attempts, to replace some deteriorated siding on the Asbury building, to continue solving electrical issues around campus and at the food bank, UCOM, and to diagnose a problem with one of the Air Conditioners on the top of the Wesley Hall. By week’s end, the team was feeling pretty good about what they were able to achieve.
As the formal project started up, Cathy spent her time with 5 other team members at the parsonage. Cutting back vegetation, repairing siding, powerwashing and cleaning the exterior, along with some other small repairs kept the team busy through the first project week. And there was actually a fair amount of painting that got done as well.
Meanwhile, Dave was moving between teams at the church. Helping the new Nomads understand the work to be done, researching and ordering parts, and making many supply runs. This enabled the teams to repair several roof leaks that were continuing to elude previous repair attempts, to replace some deteriorated siding on the Asbury building, to continue solving electrical issues around campus and at the food bank, UCOM, and to diagnose a problem with one of the Air Conditioners on the top of the Wesley Hall. By week’s end, the team was feeling pretty good about what they were able to achieve.
Boat Stuff
Oh yes. We do own a boat. Since the hurricane had damaged some of the supports for the boat cover (but not the boat cover itself), we spent some time devising a new structure for the area aft of the mast. Using a combination of the bimini bows and larger PVC, we thought we could make it strong enough to survive the next storm.
Oh yes. We do own a boat. Since the hurricane had damaged some of the supports for the boat cover (but not the boat cover itself), we spent some time devising a new structure for the area aft of the mast. Using a combination of the bimini bows and larger PVC, we thought we could make it strong enough to survive the next storm.
Also, as we look ahead to splashing the boat in the Spring, Dave knew our flares had expired. Taking advantage of a good Black Friday sale, he took the plunge and bought a new SOS Distress signal light, which has USCG approval to replace flares. With batteries installed, it will be a permanent replacement for the flares required for visual signals by the Coast Guard.
Finally, Cathy was initially puzzled to find the bag containing our Type 5 PFD’s had split open – until she looked a little closer. The moisture in the boat had activated Dave’s automatic sensor and deployed his life jacket. As a result, we needed to “re-arm” it with a new CO2 cartridge. With the PFD re-armed and a spare in place, we are now in compliance again with our PFD’s.
Finally, Cathy was initially puzzled to find the bag containing our Type 5 PFD’s had split open – until she looked a little closer. The moisture in the boat had activated Dave’s automatic sensor and deployed his life jacket. As a result, we needed to “re-arm” it with a new CO2 cartridge. With the PFD re-armed and a spare in place, we are now in compliance again with our PFD’s.
Parting Shot
Cathy saw this sign on the way to the parsonage one morning. The grammar police must not have noticed it.
Cathy saw this sign on the way to the parsonage one morning. The grammar police must not have noticed it.