Finish at Phoenix and travel to Truth or Consequences, NM

We finished the project at Phoenix Christian with the installation of a little more wiring, a set of security cameras and a welding project.

On a warm, sunny afternoon Billie spent some time repainting some game squares which we never did figure out how they were used.

Then we started mounting and wiring security lights to the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms.

Do you see the deck on the left of the above picture?  That is where all of the wiring had to be run since the attic was all of 2 feet tall and this was the entrance to the wiring space.  There was about 14 inches under the deck and it had rained a week before we did the wiring. Fun!

To connect all of the wiring to the control box we had to pull the wire under the class room and we weren't even going to try to go under there.  With the two of us and a long piece of PVC we were able to drag all of the wires across and pass them through the floor just above where Billie was sitting.

Then we went to the pre-school.  This wiring had to go through the attic and there was one way in.

 

Again, the space in the attic was too short to get into so again I had to use my capable right hand woman (love the sound) to help me pull the wires all the way to the center of the attic.

Then we got a call that someone had broken into the area behind the church by tearing out a couple of bars in the fence.  You can bet that they won't tear these bars out!

We did have a bit of trouble with the wire feeder on the welder.  Too bad it was a red one instead of blue.

The final project was to extend the gate used by the school busses.  It seems that the bus drivers couldn't get the 8 foot wide bus through a 16 foot gate so we made it 22 feet.

And here we are in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.  If we would stay here long enough we could harvest the pecans off of the little tree on our site.

Of course, since it was still a week until Christmas we had to, once again, set up our home to prepare for the anniversary of the blessed event.

This is the church we are looking for here.

Since the students are all out for Christmas it is a perfect time to do some wiring in the computer lab.  In fact, that is why we have come here a little early at the request of the Sower coordinator.

But it has been a bit cooler here than it was at Phoenix!  More later.

 

Ready to start another project in Phoenix

Thanksgiving is over and tomorrow it will be time to start the December project.  Most of our time last month was getting ready (cleaning, painting, putting up signs) for the New Student Open House.

 

You know how it is when you are working in a building that is "old" and has been "added to" several times.  "I think the wiring goes through this light junction box".  RIGHT!  This job is going to require a trip or two to the attic.

 



At the end of the project it started raining and didn't quit for 3 days.  (But it never rains in Phoenix).  We never did see what the total was but just outside our house the area suddenly became PC Lake (Phoenix Christian for those a little slower on the uptake).

We did have several guests who were quite pleased with the whole event. 

 

 

We must leave and return to the complex through this 20 foot long, 8 foot high gate.  Sometimes Billie uses it for her daily workout.

After the workout it is time to set the table for the Thanksgiving feast.  We are so blessed in this nation with super abundance.

The table is set, including the grilled salmon, and it is time to dig in.

 

A neat tradition was started at Phoenix Christian in 2006.  All of the graduates are invited to come and participate in a game of touch football the day after Thanksgiving.  These guys played for around five hours.

The day after thanksgiving it is time to set up the decorations to celebrate the birth of our Savior and King Jesus Christ.

Who says there isn't enough room in a motor home for a Christmas tree?

Of course the nose of the house is always the perfect place for a wreath.

This is a very interesting project that is going on here as well.  There is a group of contractors busy installing a whole bunch of solar panels.  When they are complete the school will have a very large car port which doubles as a school lighting project.  There will even be a lot of electricity left over to go back to the city grid.

 

 

We have begun work at Phoenix Christian

After the long trip from the farm in Kansas to Phoenix with a stop in Aurora to see the kids and grandkids, we have begun the project here at Phoenix Christian School.  It is right smack in the middle of Phoenix which is still experiencing some higher than usual temperatures.



We have a great view from our front door.  This is the sign we see every time we go out the front door.

 

We are parked between the track and the street.  Not a tree in sight!

 

Football is over and it is time to begin soccer practice.  They are not sure that they will have enough players to have a soccer team but they are busy practicing anyway. 

 



Coming up on November 19 is an open house to greet prospective students and their parents.  That means that the projects we need to complete post haste are things to spiff up the place.  One of those projects is to put up numerous new signs.  They have procured the lettering and now each one must have holes drilled in them so they can be hung.  The first problem is that the wiring to the drill press is so old and brittle that it breaks when it is bent.  Solution,  rewire the drill press.

 

Since our arrival we have to clean the windows so we can see through them.  Some people go to extreme lengths to make sure the windows are clean.

That same (special) somebody is also cleaning columns in the cafeteria (after her husband painted the trim around the bottom).

Here with us are the McGhees, Tina and Jerry.  Tina is making sure that we can see out of the windows of the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, Jerry is slicking up the slides on the playground.

Emergency!  The sink in the cafeteria started to drip sometime in the morning.  By noon it was filling the catch bucket every 15 minutes.  After deconstructing the whole thing we found holes rusted through the steel stand pipes that feed the sink.

After cutting away all of the steel pipes and remaking them from rigid copper we are finally ready to start putting it back together.

Over the 4 day weekend which included Veterans Day, we decided to take one of the things off of Billie's bucket list, see the big hole in the ground called the Grand Canyon.  There are some pretty big holes along the way there. Here is a scene from a rest stop.

There is also some very beautiful scenery on the way.  We took a side trip through Sedona and drove up the Red Rock Canyon.

I am sure that this used to be much larger but the power of water has reduced it to this monolith.

Some of the formations are breathtaking indeed!

And because the road through the canyon is a lot of this, the driver doesn't get to see much of it.

 

We decided to go to Williams and spend the night then see the canyon on the following day.  When we got to Williams we are not to sure but we think the train was about to be held up. 

 

The town was decorated and ready to start their Polar Express runs and they were all prepared for the children all dressed in their PJs. 

 

Meanwhile, down town, some of the locals are trying to hit on my best girl.

The next day we proceeded to the Grand Canyon and it is grand indeed.  The force of time and the Colorado River are phenomenal. 

Look!  Tourists!

See that little patch of green down there in the middle of the picture?  That is the force which made this big hole.  Boy, I got in a lot of trouble for making a lot smaller messes than this.

On the rim of the canyon there is still the definite evidence of God's handiwork.

If you have a few hours and a lot of stamina, you can take the path in this picture and WALK to the bottom of the canyon.  RIGHT!

There are a few furry creatures there---

---and a few more signs of God's beauty.

And even a mama elk who plays peekaboo.