Last day of 2018!

At last a few clear days ahead!

The fall began with another SOWER group.  Here we are just finishing putting a new awning on the camp trailer.

They also replaced the fence which is around the air conditioners for the lodge---

---repaired the patio roof on the directors house---

---Then took over a project started by the Campers On Mission---

---which included adding a water filter to the directors house---

---replace the windows in the directors house.

Before we could add the filter to the house we had to find and uncover the water lines, cut them and splice in new lines---

---mount the filter and run piping---

---then close the huge hole we had created.

Meanwhile the ladies folded a lot of laundry they and Billie had washed and dried.

In December we had a new SOWER crew and unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of them working, although I assure you they did.  They repaired the washers and dryers in the laundry building, installed two washers and dryers in the girls staff house, scrapped and painted the walls of the auditorium (after removing, straightening and painting the guards which protect the windows from things like basket balls.  The also helped to get ready for the Christmas Banquet and were able to enjoy it with the rest of the staff. 

 With the days getting shorter and cooler, the tree frogs are looking for a place with some warmth. 

Speaking of heat, we had no heat in the East room of the cafeteria.  After several hours of rewiring and checking, Rod and I were able to get these two heaters up and going.

 Other things that took my time during this period, beside PT, the shed at our house needed a gutter---

 ---so after purchasing same---

  ---along with a downspout, the water now flows in a nice stream away from the house.

It seems that everything sitting on piers sinks and shifts and that was the problem with this door.  The cabin shifted and with the screen door sticking badly, when it was used it broke.

 

I removed the old door and upon measuring, found that the new door was nearly 1/4 inch larger then the opening.  A little trimming with the planer---

---installing the new door was a snap.

I got a note from the laundry lady (Billie) that she had no light in the storage room next to the laundry.  After taking the old fixture down, rewiring it for LED and reinstalling it, she now has MUCH light in the small room.

  Another emergency came up at one of the staff houses.  This pile of fittings sprung a leak and was spraying water around.  since there was nearly no room to get in and repair the leak, I cut all of the fittings out and replaced them as trying to repair one leak usually only causes the leak to move to another joint.  Now all joints can be soldered at the same time.

  The valve in the left side of the picture was replaced because it was leaking badly.  Again, the solder joints near the valve had to be replaced which meant replacing all of the piping to the corner for the same reason as the above.

 Nothing is unbreakable.here.  This simple post driver was being used along with a sledge hammer and the handle on the right side just fell off. Find a few steel rods and apply a few welds and it is ready for the next use.

 While updating fire extinguishers we decided we need them on all of the mowers.  I installed them but won't guarantee they will stay there when the mowers are being bounced through some of the areas here.

While replacing the extinguishers at the lodge, we found that the outside fire boxes had rusted and the hinges no longer worked, They were replaced with new boxes and extinguishers.

  

During the holidays, while we have no one at the camp it was decided to clean and resurface the area of the Dragon (that is the dishwasher).  We are in the middle of that now.  News for 2019.

 

 Meanwhile, the season of the Lord's birth is on us and we found a nativity we could place in the front of our house.

Inside we are cozy and warm and ready for His presence.

As the future moves on ABC has started a campaign to build a new worship center.  The old center can hold a couple hundred but during the summer we may have 600 to seat.  This new worship center will seat over 1,000.

Fall 2018

Here it is October already and we haven't updated a post in a while.  Let's get started.

While clearing and leveling some trails on the camp I noticed I had picked up some hitchhikers.

Then the neighbor's tree across the road decided to fall across Academy Road which is the road in front of our house.  In fact, the gravel just right of the man standing in the road is our driveway.  if you look closely you will see what looks like a crooked tree or post by the drive.  That WAS the 150,000 volt power line that carries the power to this area, including the camp.

 This is one of the branches I cut from the tree that the power line fell into.  It was a three phase line and unfortunately did not take all three phases out at the same time.  The result was the loss of a single phase and at the camp the loss of a couple of large three phase motors, including the pump motor for the pool.  By the time we found a replacement three days later the pool was a lovely shade of green. To make things a bit worse, there were 500 kids there for summer camp. 

 I thought this would be a fitting transition.

 The clutch on the Grasshopper mower locked up and wiped out the bracket which keeps it from rotating.  We replaced the clutch---

 ---and after a bit of torch, hammer and welding we had a renewed bracket.

Oh yes, at the same time a bolt fell out of the manifold of another mower and the resulting vibration broke the manifold.  Again, with a little preheat and some cast welding rod I was able to put it back into production.

Do you remember the ramp we built for one of the cooks when her husband was sick?  He unfortunately passed away two weeks later and we dismantled the ramp  and were able to shift it to a house with a young boy in a wheel chair.

The husband was away working much of the time and his wife had to disassemble the chair, carry and the boy to the car and transport him to doctor visits.

Now with the ramp, he cam roll himself to the car and ---

 ---with the modification of the gate, the dogs are kept in the yard.

 In July Billie and I made our first major journey to Denver for our grandson's wedding.  On the way back we stopped at the farm I grew up on and noticed termite damage on the front of the garage.  After tearing away all of the damaged material---

 ---and assisted by my brother---

 ---we replaced the plywood---

 ---and all of the bad siding---

 ---and with a coat of primer and paint, the garage is ready for another 40 year.

Tadaa!

 Another chore we accomplished while there was to power wash the 150 year old house. 

 Then it was time for another knee replacement.  This is one week after the surgery---

 ---then back to the same therapist that helped me with the other knee a year earlier. 

 Then it was back to work.  We were rebuilding one of the mower decks when we found seven cracks in the frame.  To stop the cracks from migrating I drilled a hole in each end of the crack---

 ---ground off all of the paint---

 ---then welded each crack closed.

 There is a group of four or five men from Virginia who try to come to the camp once a year for one large project.  This year it was to remove the old leaky windows from three rooms---

 ---lay block in the empty space---

---adding necessary openings for additional air conditioning.  I truly hope they finish all of the block work before their week is up as I am the only one here who has ever laid block.