This pair of Sandhill cranes were a fixture wherever we were at Residing Hope. With the completion of the 2nd of the two planned “Day of Hope” open houses, we completed our work at Residing Hope and prepared to head back north to Jacksonville. Pat and Fred would be heading north as well.
A damaged column by the Education building. Repairs and more
After successfully replacing some rotting columns on the Wellness Center in early March, Dave and Fred thought they were done with that task. Until the Education building came to their attention. There were 3 more columns needing to be replaced. The difficulty on 2 of the 3 was that they were much taller, and had a railing attached that would need some adjustment to fit on the new, slightly bigger columns.
After successfully replacing some rotting columns on the Wellness Center in early March, Dave and Fred thought they were done with that task. Until the Education building came to their attention. There were 3 more columns needing to be replaced. The difficulty on 2 of the 3 was that they were much taller, and had a railing attached that would need some adjustment to fit on the new, slightly bigger columns.
New columns in place. Next step: re-attach those railings. The columns went in pretty smoothly, although working with a 10ft column 3 feet up on a brick landing was tricky. Once they were worked into place, the problem of the railing took a few tries to get a solution that would put the railing at the right angle to attach securely to the column and the brick stairs.
With the columns in place, the guys turned back to another task that was taking them into many buildings on campus. They were cleaning out the dryer vents for each of the residences, using a “chimney sweep” style pole system that pulled out the lint accumulated over time. It reminded Dave of our days back in Spencerport, cleaning the chimney attached to our wood stove.
With the columns in place, the guys turned back to another task that was taking them into many buildings on campus. They were cleaning out the dryer vents for each of the residences, using a “chimney sweep” style pole system that pulled out the lint accumulated over time. It reminded Dave of our days back in Spencerport, cleaning the chimney attached to our wood stove.
This dresser needed all 3 drawers made to put it back in service. With the dryer vents in good order, the final week was spent on more furniture repairs. Five desks and 2 dressers needed drawers or slide-outs to make them complete. Making 5 slide-outs and 4 drawers was only part of the challenge. On our last full day of work, Pat and Cathy scrambled to stain and varnish each piece as they came off the “assembly line”. Cathy even slipped away during the Day of Hope activities to put one last coat of varnish on. And the slides needed to be installed after the stain and varnish were applied. With the team effort, we did succeed in in getting all the pieces done and in place before heading out the next day.
Pat working on more Spanish moss. So, what were Pat and Cathy doing while the guys roamed the campus? Well, there was more Spanish moss to remove, which was keeping Pat busy. And Cathy was following behind on the column installations, caulking, priming and painting. This was mostly uneventful work, except for the day that she dumped a nearly full gallon of paint on to a cement porch floor. With lots of help and lots of water, we managed to mostly remove all evidence. Whew!
But the temperatures were starting to soar. With the Nomads team leaving on March 5th, we were asked to pick up where they left off in cutting in the paint on the walls in a residence that was currently unoccupied. All the walls were to be painted one of the agency’s standard colors (to make touch-ups easier in the future). However, we could add value by getting the corners, nooks and crannies painted. This would prepare the walls for the maintenance staff to come in later with rollers to finish the rest. With 8 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a common area, laundry, kitchen and office, there was more than enough work for us to complete. Pat, Cathy and Sandy worked their way through all but 2 of the rooms over the course of 2 ½ weeks. Luckily, they came to a stopping point just in time to help Dave and Fred finish those furniture repairs.
But the temperatures were starting to soar. With the Nomads team leaving on March 5th, we were asked to pick up where they left off in cutting in the paint on the walls in a residence that was currently unoccupied. All the walls were to be painted one of the agency’s standard colors (to make touch-ups easier in the future). However, we could add value by getting the corners, nooks and crannies painted. This would prepare the walls for the maintenance staff to come in later with rollers to finish the rest. With 8 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, a common area, laundry, kitchen and office, there was more than enough work for us to complete. Pat, Cathy and Sandy worked their way through all but 2 of the rooms over the course of 2 ½ weeks. Luckily, they came to a stopping point just in time to help Dave and Fred finish those furniture repairs.
Day of Hope Round 2 - Information booths Our last day was spent directing visitors on the Day of Hope open house. With a couple hundred guests, but much fewer volunteers, we were able to make more of a contribution this time around.
Van Stuff
The van has a fair amount of battery capacity in its house bank, which easily stays charged when the van is plugged into shore power. However, the van’s engine batteries do not get recharged even though the van is plugged in. Dave has been continually monitoring the engine batteries, especially after they were replaced, to discover they are slowly draining. This runs the risk that too much time without a charge could result in them being fully drained, damaging the new batteries.
So, he purchased a small battery charger to bring them back up to a full charge every week or so. But, it would be better if we could reduce or eliminate the power drain. One possibility that came to light were several settings in the on-screen infotainment system (called SYNC) that were taking power even when the vehicle is idle. We made several adjustments to that and hope they will help the batteries last longer on a charge.
The van has a fair amount of battery capacity in its house bank, which easily stays charged when the van is plugged into shore power. However, the van’s engine batteries do not get recharged even though the van is plugged in. Dave has been continually monitoring the engine batteries, especially after they were replaced, to discover they are slowly draining. This runs the risk that too much time without a charge could result in them being fully drained, damaging the new batteries.
So, he purchased a small battery charger to bring them back up to a full charge every week or so. But, it would be better if we could reduce or eliminate the power drain. One possibility that came to light were several settings in the on-screen infotainment system (called SYNC) that were taking power even when the vehicle is idle. We made several adjustments to that and hope they will help the batteries last longer on a charge.
Green Springs Park near Residing Hope Spring to Spring
The bike trail running by the entrance to Residing Hope is part of a much larger Florida Coast to Coast trail. However, our section was called the Spring to Spring trail, since it connected several of the natural springs in the area. We had managed to bike around 20 miles of it, visiting 2 of the nearby springs – Green Springs and Gemini Springs. The more famous Blue Springs was a bit further away, so we didn’t make it there by bike this trip.
The bike trail running by the entrance to Residing Hope is part of a much larger Florida Coast to Coast trail. However, our section was called the Spring to Spring trail, since it connected several of the natural springs in the area. We had managed to bike around 20 miles of it, visiting 2 of the nearby springs – Green Springs and Gemini Springs. The more famous Blue Springs was a bit further away, so we didn’t make it there by bike this trip.
DeBary Hall The springs were also a reason why this area was originally developed in the mid 19th century. Steamboats made their way down the St. John’s from Jacksonville to Lake Monroe, and disembarking guests would stay in one of a few hotels, including one originally located at what is now Residing Hope. That one was replaced years ago with other buildings, but an historic inn from that time, called DeBary Hall, is still standing, offering tours of its restored inn and grounds.
All aboard the Barbara Lee for a cruise on Lake Monroe. While the steamboats were replaced by the railroads over 100 years ago, we still had and opportunity to take a ride on the river in a different style of paddlewheel – a diesel-powered sternwheeler. We joined Pat, Fred, and Sandy for an dinner cruise on a balmy evening shortly before we were to head out from Enterprise. It was a delightful cruise, with good company, good food, and beautiful views of sunset over the river.
