Pink Flamingo at the Jacksonville Zoo While we said goodbye to several team members at the end of our last project, the work continued with a smaller team of volunteers. We also took some more time away from work with a visit to the zoo, and some visits from friends and family.
Mission Room 2 after completion Faith Projects
While work was finishing up on the Peeler building Mission rooms and the building’s exterior, we were now able to turn our attention to other projects that had been on hold. There were some problems in the church’s internet that were puzzling. The sound board in the sanctuary was having multiple problems, and the well for the Burmese garden needed more attention.
While work was finishing up on the Peeler building Mission rooms and the building’s exterior, we were now able to turn our attention to other projects that had been on hold. There were some problems in the church’s internet that were puzzling. The sound board in the sanctuary was having multiple problems, and the well for the Burmese garden needed more attention.
Some rotten siding at the back of Peeler Peeler
The finishing touches on the Mission rooms were almost complete, when it became necessary to take a step back. While Joe was repairing some rotten siding at the rear of the building, it became apparent that the rot was more extensive than originalyl thought. Because of all of the obstacles outside, it made
more sense to remove the paneling inside the room to gain access to the studs in question. That meant taking up the carpet that had just been laid, and then replacing, sealing and painting the paneling after the repair was complete. Despite the interruptions, Pat and Fred finished the room, and the time came to thoroughly clean and then set up the common spaces that had been covered in sawdust and plaster dust for several months. Meanwhile, Sandy had been painting the rear porch (under that roof that Joe had replaced), and helped with the inside cleanup as well. The results look great. Oh, and that siding repair, it looks pretty good too.
The finishing touches on the Mission rooms were almost complete, when it became necessary to take a step back. While Joe was repairing some rotten siding at the rear of the building, it became apparent that the rot was more extensive than originalyl thought. Because of all of the obstacles outside, it made
more sense to remove the paneling inside the room to gain access to the studs in question. That meant taking up the carpet that had just been laid, and then replacing, sealing and painting the paneling after the repair was complete. Despite the interruptions, Pat and Fred finished the room, and the time came to thoroughly clean and then set up the common spaces that had been covered in sawdust and plaster dust for several months. Meanwhile, Sandy had been painting the rear porch (under that roof that Joe had replaced), and helped with the inside cleanup as well. The results look great. Oh, and that siding repair, it looks pretty good too.
Painted rear porch on Peeler - now the main entrance to the Mission rooms Staying Connected
All that activity in Peeler had created some problems with the internet on campus. One afternoon, Dave was asked to look into an outage that he discovered affected half of the buildings on campus. Since he had some redundancy built into the network, he made a temporary change to fix the problem, but was scratching his head about what had caused it. Since the first stop on the line in question was Peeler, we traced the cable to look for problems and tested the connectivity. Nothing was getting through, but it wasn’t clear where the break occurred. We decided to replace the line, and in the process, discovered what had happened. In the midst of the siding repairs, the building had shifted enough that the cable severed as it entered the building. Sure enough, with the new cable in place service was restored.
Until it disappeared again.
Several years ago, Cathy had taken on the task of putting the clips on the ends of the ethernet cable. However, some of her early work was a little . . . shaky. In the process of moving the Peeler router to a shelf in the new common room, one of these connections stopped working. After Cathy put a new end on the cable, we were back in business. Her skills have improved greatly with practice.
All that activity in Peeler had created some problems with the internet on campus. One afternoon, Dave was asked to look into an outage that he discovered affected half of the buildings on campus. Since he had some redundancy built into the network, he made a temporary change to fix the problem, but was scratching his head about what had caused it. Since the first stop on the line in question was Peeler, we traced the cable to look for problems and tested the connectivity. Nothing was getting through, but it wasn’t clear where the break occurred. We decided to replace the line, and in the process, discovered what had happened. In the midst of the siding repairs, the building had shifted enough that the cable severed as it entered the building. Sure enough, with the new cable in place service was restored.
Until it disappeared again.
Several years ago, Cathy had taken on the task of putting the clips on the ends of the ethernet cable. However, some of her early work was a little . . . shaky. In the process of moving the Peeler router to a shelf in the new common room, one of these connections stopped working. After Cathy put a new end on the cable, we were back in business. Her skills have improved greatly with practice.
New sound board for sanctuary Hey, What’s That Sound?
Sunday services were becoming a game of chance for the small crew that operated the sound system and managed the internet livestream. Volume settings would not hold from week to week, static was creeping in, and wireless mikes were not reliable alternatives. Sometimes the internet broadcast was the problem. Sometimes it was the live service. The stress in the sound booth was significant. We had been asked to help, and were willing, but this was not our area of expertise.
Our first approach was to try to test the cables from the sound board to the mikes and speakers. When we determined that the tester wasn’t working, our attention turned to the soundboard. In our limited time as livestream broadcasters back in 2020, we had avoided touching this piece of equipment, since it seemed incredibly easy to make things worse. Also, there would be limited time to prototype a new solution. Whatever we did had to be working next Sunday.
Sunday services were becoming a game of chance for the small crew that operated the sound system and managed the internet livestream. Volume settings would not hold from week to week, static was creeping in, and wireless mikes were not reliable alternatives. Sometimes the internet broadcast was the problem. Sometimes it was the live service. The stress in the sound booth was significant. We had been asked to help, and were willing, but this was not our area of expertise.
Our first approach was to try to test the cables from the sound board to the mikes and speakers. When we determined that the tester wasn’t working, our attention turned to the soundboard. In our limited time as livestream broadcasters back in 2020, we had avoided touching this piece of equipment, since it seemed incredibly easy to make things worse. Also, there would be limited time to prototype a new solution. Whatever we did had to be working next Sunday.
So, we pulled a spare soundboard out of storage and gingerly moved the cables from the old one to the new. Pulpit mike. House speaker. FM radio transmission. Wireless mike. Livestream output. Computer input for playing CD’s and Videos. In all there were 13 inputs and 3 outputs. When we met with Mark and Nelson on Wednesday, we were not sure what their reaction would be. Fortunately, the testing went well with only a few changes to make it all work. Our only assignment was to test the floor jacks in front of the choir to find one(s) that would work for a speaker placed there. AND to print up a sign in English, Spanish and Arabic to leave the soundboard settings alone. (Luckily, Pastor Jacob reviewed our Arabic to say that it made sense.) Sunday’s service showed a huge improvement. The livestream volume was much better and the static problems in the sanctuary were gone. Whew!
Fred and Dave moving a possible tank for the well And more
More projects were underway as well. Joe fashioned a new breezeway support pole and repaired half a dozen more. When a soft spot was found in the caretaker’s house floor, Joe opened it up, replaced the rotten boards and restored it to firm footing. The well for the Burmese garden needed to have a new roof structure put in place, which we built one morning from scrap lumber and an old shed roof.
As they say, It’s always something. We’re just grateful for the extra help to take care of it all.
More projects were underway as well. Joe fashioned a new breezeway support pole and repaired half a dozen more. When a soft spot was found in the caretaker’s house floor, Joe opened it up, replaced the rotten boards and restored it to firm footing. The well for the Burmese garden needed to have a new roof structure put in place, which we built one morning from scrap lumber and an old shed roof.
As they say, It’s always something. We’re just grateful for the extra help to take care of it all.
Dave's favorite place in the RV RV Stuff
Dave likes his theater seat recliner a lot. It is his favorite seat. So, on the colder nights, it was disappointing that it would no longer heat up as it once did. Contacting Lippert, we were told that it needed a new heating pad, which we were sent for free under warranty. However, we then had to remove the chair and install it. The only tricky part of this was running the replacement wire under the fabric so it could connect with the wiring harness. After a few misses, we made it through and the chair’s heat was restored. Just in time for the next chilly night.
And you may remember a problem we had with a drawer which had the bottom separate one day back in the summer. Apparently our repair wasn’t all that it should be. Being here at Faith, we had access to more clamps and a staple gun to make a better repair. We glued the edge that was separating and clamped it for 24 hours before putting into service. Cathy also removed some of the heavier items. We’ll see how long it lasts this time.
Dave likes his theater seat recliner a lot. It is his favorite seat. So, on the colder nights, it was disappointing that it would no longer heat up as it once did. Contacting Lippert, we were told that it needed a new heating pad, which we were sent for free under warranty. However, we then had to remove the chair and install it. The only tricky part of this was running the replacement wire under the fabric so it could connect with the wiring harness. After a few misses, we made it through and the chair’s heat was restored. Just in time for the next chilly night.
And you may remember a problem we had with a drawer which had the bottom separate one day back in the summer. Apparently our repair wasn’t all that it should be. Being here at Faith, we had access to more clamps and a staple gun to make a better repair. We glued the edge that was separating and clamped it for 24 hours before putting into service. Cathy also removed some of the heavier items. We’ll see how long it lasts this time.
Dave says goodbye to Adam Hellos and Goodbyes
It’s that time of year for comings and goings. After enjoying time with Adam as he stayed and worked with us for a couple of months, we said goodbye as he headed out to join the “Skoolie Swarm” in Melrose in late February. A few days later, we got to see Bonnie and her family as they passed through en route to Orlando. The next weekend, we were visited by Jim and Joanne, former Nomads who came to visit for an evening. The next day, anticipating the imminent departure of more of our volunteers, we hosted a cookout to say goodbye.
It’s that time of year for comings and goings. After enjoying time with Adam as he stayed and worked with us for a couple of months, we said goodbye as he headed out to join the “Skoolie Swarm” in Melrose in late February. A few days later, we got to see Bonnie and her family as they passed through en route to Orlando. The next weekend, we were visited by Jim and Joanne, former Nomads who came to visit for an evening. The next day, anticipating the imminent departure of more of our volunteers, we hosted a cookout to say goodbye.
Barry, Jim and Joanne
Bongo at the Jacksonville Zoo We’re Going to the Zoo
We took a Saturday to join Evalyn and Pat on our first visit to the Jacksonville Zoo. It was a busy Saturday, but we walked through almost every exhibit – from anacondas to zebras. A beautiful day.
We took a Saturday to join Evalyn and Pat on our first visit to the Jacksonville Zoo. It was a busy Saturday, but we walked through almost every exhibit – from anacondas to zebras. A beautiful day.
