I’m sorry it’s taken so long to check in from Port Arthur. We have very limited internet access here as one finds neither wireless access nor internet cafes in Port Arthur. Our hosts at St. John’s UMC have graciously allowed us to use their computers to access the internet each evening but in order to minimize the time we spend monopolizing their computers, I need to write and download information and photos to my jump drive, then upload on their computers, etc. Last night, I couldn't get the system to work. So, it’s taken a while to update the blog!
While my Saturday flight was cancelled and I was rerouted through Chicago (arriving 5 hours later than planned), everyone else arrived in good stead and pretty much according to schedule on Sunday. I was relieved to see everyone when we gathered at the car rental center at the airport.
St. John’s Methodist is our home away from home in Port Arthur. Until Thursday evening, we’re the only group staying here, so we have the run of the facility, including the kitchen, fellowship hall, lounge (with one channel courtesy of rabbit ears – remember rabbit ears?) and sleeping quarters. It’s really a nice set-up, with everything on the ground level except the sleeping accommodations which are located in four rooms on the second floor. They have beds for 25, including cots with mattresses and bunk beds. Perry & Casey chose cots in one room while Max, Karen and I chose bunks in the one with immediate access to the upstairs restrooms. The younger folks sleep on the top bunks and use the bottom bunks for their belongings while yours truly does just the opposite.
In back of the church is a shower house with two shower stalls on each of two sides. Alan, the Methodist project director and the person we see most frequently at the church, planned and constructed this shower house, one of 37 showers he’s built along the Gulf Coast! It’s quite an efficient system and works well for us all. There’s nothing like a hot shower at the end of a long work day.
Work! There is that! We are working on Mary’s house, the home in which she has lived for 42 years, the home in which she raised her children and in which she hopes to live again with her son and grandchildren. For the time being, they are living in two FEMA trailers in the backyard.
Initially, we thought we would be installing a new floor, finishing the bathroom and doing some painting but it quickly became clear that we needed to do much more. We painted the bathroom and began to measure and cut sub-flooring for the kitchen but as we worked, we realized that there was damp and moldy drywall (sheetrock) in both the kitchen and dining room that needed to be removed and replaced.
Monday, we removed the sheetrock from the kitchen. By 11 AM Tuesday, we had gutted the dining room from floor to ceiling. The ceiling tiles had been attached by someone who seemed to have enjoyed playing with a staple gun as much as my family believes I enjoy working with tape! There were staples EVERYWHERE! We removed them all, along with everything down to the original walls – strong, solid pine that has withstood even the ravages of termites who found that house to be as delectable as a Vegas buffet!
Tuesday afternoon, we had our first adventure in dry walling with the indispensable help of Karen, the only one in our group who had done this work before.
Today, we put up sheetrock in the kitchen, began taping and mudding the dining room and gutted one of the bedrooms. Tomorrow, our goal is to sheetrock the bedroom, leaving the mudding for another crew.
Karen's previous experience with sheetrock has been critical to our success. She's a great teacher and a pro at measuring and cutting the stuff so it fits in oddly configured spaces!
Max, of course, has been a most amiable and capable worker. His determination ensured our success in gutting and in getting those first panels of sheetrock up on the ceiling. In part, he used his head for the latter, leaving an indelible impression on Mary’s new ceiling! It will soon be covered with texture coating and paint but we’ll always know that Max left his mark on the place!
Perry and Casey are a joy to have around. It’s a delight to be in the company of a married couple who truly love and appreciate one another. They’re also a lot of fun! Naturally, Perry claims that he’s along for comic relief but he does a lot more than that. Casey is a dynamite painter, hauler and cleaner-upper.
Our group may be small but we get things done and have a great time in the process. We are joined on-site by Leon and Ruth, a retired UCC couple from Iowa who are making their way to Florida after their week of service here.
Mary, our homeowner, is about the cutest little lady we’ve ever met and we are determined to do our best so that she can return to the house that she’s called home since 1965.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Pastor Sue
While my Saturday flight was cancelled and I was rerouted through Chicago (arriving 5 hours later than planned), everyone else arrived in good stead and pretty much according to schedule on Sunday. I was relieved to see everyone when we gathered at the car rental center at the airport.
St. John’s Methodist is our home away from home in Port Arthur. Until Thursday evening, we’re the only group staying here, so we have the run of the facility, including the kitchen, fellowship hall, lounge (with one channel courtesy of rabbit ears – remember rabbit ears?) and sleeping quarters. It’s really a nice set-up, with everything on the ground level except the sleeping accommodations which are located in four rooms on the second floor. They have beds for 25, including cots with mattresses and bunk beds. Perry & Casey chose cots in one room while Max, Karen and I chose bunks in the one with immediate access to the upstairs restrooms. The younger folks sleep on the top bunks and use the bottom bunks for their belongings while yours truly does just the opposite.
In back of the church is a shower house with two shower stalls on each of two sides. Alan, the Methodist project director and the person we see most frequently at the church, planned and constructed this shower house, one of 37 showers he’s built along the Gulf Coast! It’s quite an efficient system and works well for us all. There’s nothing like a hot shower at the end of a long work day.
Work! There is that! We are working on Mary’s house, the home in which she has lived for 42 years, the home in which she raised her children and in which she hopes to live again with her son and grandchildren. For the time being, they are living in two FEMA trailers in the backyard.
Initially, we thought we would be installing a new floor, finishing the bathroom and doing some painting but it quickly became clear that we needed to do much more. We painted the bathroom and began to measure and cut sub-flooring for the kitchen but as we worked, we realized that there was damp and moldy drywall (sheetrock) in both the kitchen and dining room that needed to be removed and replaced.
Monday, we removed the sheetrock from the kitchen. By 11 AM Tuesday, we had gutted the dining room from floor to ceiling. The ceiling tiles had been attached by someone who seemed to have enjoyed playing with a staple gun as much as my family believes I enjoy working with tape! There were staples EVERYWHERE! We removed them all, along with everything down to the original walls – strong, solid pine that has withstood even the ravages of termites who found that house to be as delectable as a Vegas buffet!
Tuesday afternoon, we had our first adventure in dry walling with the indispensable help of Karen, the only one in our group who had done this work before.
Today, we put up sheetrock in the kitchen, began taping and mudding the dining room and gutted one of the bedrooms. Tomorrow, our goal is to sheetrock the bedroom, leaving the mudding for another crew.
Karen's previous experience with sheetrock has been critical to our success. She's a great teacher and a pro at measuring and cutting the stuff so it fits in oddly configured spaces!
Max, of course, has been a most amiable and capable worker. His determination ensured our success in gutting and in getting those first panels of sheetrock up on the ceiling. In part, he used his head for the latter, leaving an indelible impression on Mary’s new ceiling! It will soon be covered with texture coating and paint but we’ll always know that Max left his mark on the place!
Perry and Casey are a joy to have around. It’s a delight to be in the company of a married couple who truly love and appreciate one another. They’re also a lot of fun! Naturally, Perry claims that he’s along for comic relief but he does a lot more than that. Casey is a dynamite painter, hauler and cleaner-upper.
Our group may be small but we get things done and have a great time in the process. We are joined on-site by Leon and Ruth, a retired UCC couple from Iowa who are making their way to Florida after their week of service here.
Mary, our homeowner, is about the cutest little lady we’ve ever met and we are determined to do our best so that she can return to the house that she’s called home since 1965.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Pastor Sue
1 comment:
Hi LoLers!!! Sounds fun, worthwhile, and fulfilling! Keep us updated out here in blogland. :)
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