Mostly NOMADS Trash Day

Yesterday was another slow day for us on the job site at our NOMADS project house.  We had the usual devotions, singing and prayer at our daily meeting, then went over to our assignment.  The electrical inspector had not been there yet so we were left with a few odds and ends to do.

We split up into two groups.  Norm and Pat stayed upstairs and worked on putting some green sheet rock in the upstairs bathroom.  The rest of us put up a three sheets in the downstairs bathroom temporarily.

Around break time at 10:00

Alan showed up with a 16' trailer which we loaded up with debris from our last three weeks.

When we were done, it was almost full.  And the side of the house had no more rubble.  It looked pretty nice.

We worked some more upstairs and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

We ate outside in front of the house since it was such a nice day.

After lunch we went back upstairs and worked a little bit on some odds and ends.  Shortly after 2:00 PM Waylon showed up with a new air conditioner.

He is quite an interesting guy.  He has been working Disaster Relief things here since shortly after Hurricane Ike.

He and his boss have worked on 300 homes since that time and have been working this particular house for over a year.  Waylon shared a bit of his story and how he has been getting things right with God over the last few months.  He has found his niche here in Galveston with the air conditioning business and is making quite a difference.

We are a little concerned about our progress the last few days.  Can you imagine people in and out of your house for over a year?  We are working as fast as we can but we are dependent on the electricity getting checked out.  Once that is OK we can kick it into gear and put up the rest of the sheet rock and make some real progress.

Right now, we may not be able to finish before the project gets closed down the first week in April -- another 10 days.  We will see.  We hate to leave it this way.  Not sure what happens to the two remaining houses if they are not finished.  Maybe the committee who oversees the repair work will contract the rest of the work out.

It was another beautiful day in Galveston.  Can't have too many of those.  And my back is getting better, so I'm grateful for that.  I used some ice/cold and heat treatment all day along with a back wrap brace thing and my back did good.

We are getting excited about the weekend.  We fly out of Houston on Friday for Detroit and will see Adam and Meghan this weekend.  Kelly is going to go with us so that will be fun.

We also called the Tiffin factory at Red Bay to make sure they had us on the calendar for the week of April 5.  We are getting new pull-down shades and most of our dual paned windows replaced.  They confirmed the parts are on order and we should be ready to go when we get there.

Hope your weekend is going well.  Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.

2nd Monday Morning NOMADS

First of all, I apologize for hosing up the video.  You can try in now and you should be able to view it.  Click this

If it doesn't work, email me, leave a comment, etc.

The day started out well with our 7:30 Monday morning meeting.  Joe led devotions and we sang a couple of songs.  It was enough time to wake up and down another cup of coffee.

Then we were off to our work sites.  Today Jerry & Kit Bertelsen joined our project team crew.

They are new to NOMADS and did great on their first day.  The main characteristics of successful NOMADS are:  being positive people, friendly, willing to learn and try new things, teachable...I am sure there are more, but you get the idea.

We finished putting up most of the insulation.  We actually ran out and need a couple more 8' strips which will do later in the week.

About mid-morning we saw a group of folks come by on their Segway's.  Those are such strange looking machines.

But they look like fun!  They must rent them near our work project because we saw another group go by in the afternoon.

Shortly after that, the guy from McCoys Building Supply showed up with 70 sheets of sheetrock.

Thankfully, he was able to hoist it up on his forklift to where we could just reach over the railing and carry them in.

They were HEAVY.  Especially since they were taped together two at a time.  We stacked them in a back bedroom out of the way.

By then, it was time for lunch.  We went a couple of blocks and set up like we did one time last week.  The sun was shining brightly.  Their are a lot more people on the beach too.

Since it is Spring Break for a lot of people, they are taking advantage of the good weather in Galveston.

After lunch we began putting up the sheet rock in the front bedroom.  We made good progress and only have a little more to do in that room.

We have to be careful and leave one side of the wall open so that the electrical inspector can see the wiring and give approval.  So we will sheetrock the ceiling and the walls after the inspection.

The inspection is going to happen after the wiring and work is completed downstairs on the first floor.  A  volunteer team from San Antonio arrived today with 10 members and two electricians.  That will help greatly!

We finished up at 4:00 after a busy day.

Back at the RV, we watch some TV, did some reading and went to bed after a good day!

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Jamming and Fish

Yesterday we had a little different NOMADS team meeting.  We had some instruments to accompany our singing.  After we got warmed up it was fine.  Dotty was on the keyboard, Ron played trombone and Tom was on the guitar.  They 'jammed' for a bit as we all arrived for our 7:30 AM meeting.

Here's a little video of 'Do Lord'.  We also sang "Our God is an Awesome God!" which really was inspirational.  I am a little hesitant to show this video (which I am just learning how to do...) but here goes. All 27 seconds...

It really doesn't do it justice because it sounds a little painful when it really wasn't.  A couple of songs later (Our God is an Awesome God) it was quite inspirational.  Maybe it was a little rough because it is 7:30 AM and we needed to get warmed up?

Ron also had a solo which was great.  I really love singing with this group of NOMADs.  Maybe it is the size of the group or something else but it is wonderful to be belting out some great hymns.  Singing some of these songs brings back wonderful memories.  Nothing like singing some great songs to get you going for the day!

We were reminded the group made a dinner reservation for 6:00 PM at the Fisherman's Wharf.  That meant we were going to have to quit a few minutes early to get back to our RVs, get cleaned up and make it to the restaurant on time.  But nobody minded the prospect of quitting a little early.

After our meeting we went on to our assignment

and finished up putting up Tyvek on the inside of the exterior walls between the studs.

Once that was done, we put up fiberglass insulation.  Most of it went ok but it is a nasty job.  We had to cut a lot of pieces and if any of that touches exposed skin, it can cause irritation or worse.

At lunch time, we decided to go a couple of blocks and sit on the boardwalk at the beach.  It was bright and sunny and great.

We brought our packed lunches, chatted and ate.  I even had time to follow Tom's lead and caught a brief siesta.

We were able to get about 2/3 of the area done with the fiberglass before we left for the weekend.  We cleaned up the area and went back to get cleaned up.

The Fisherman's Wharf is right on the water.  We made sure to make reservations early in the week so we could get the upstairs window seating and a view of the harbor.

Oops.  We didn't plan on the fog.  It was thick so all we could see was the ship nearby.

We had great fish dinners.  Pam went for the catfish and I had a shrimp combo.

Yum!  Afterwards, I took a few shots of the restaurant

and we headed back to the church RV campground.

I put in a couple more hours of online work and we hit the rack.  It has been a great week and a long, but fun day.  We are really enjoying the work, the group and our time here in Galveston.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles today.

Back in the saddle

Yesterday we worked at our first NOMADS project since November.  It felt good to get on site and get back to work.

Before we arrived at our project house, we began the day with a NOMADS team meeting.  We had  devotions in our meeting room at Island Community Church where we are staying here in Galveston.

One thing I love about NOMADS is that we sing.  Whomever has the devotions for the day gets to pick a couple of songs and we sing a couple of verses.  They are usually familiar songs and I really like it.

Yesterday we sang one of my all time favorites, "Great is Thy Faithfulness".  I can still her George Beverly Shay (who sang with Billy Graham during his crusades) belting that one out with his strong, deep voice.

After devotions we split up into two groups and went to our assigned homes.

We had four couples at our assigned house project.

The owner is living there and we are working on the dining room, kitchen and laundry room.

New ceiling tile is being installed in the dining room ceiling.

Howard and Daniel surveyed the situation and then started putting the tile in place, securing it each piece with a staple gun.

In the kitchen, the floor was redone and new trim and caulking was put down around the walls.

In the laundry room, we finished laying the tile, did a lot of caulking and painting the trim.

Pam did a lot of cutting on Joe & Francis' new chop saw.

It was a tiring day but it felt good to get some exercise and get back into home repairs.

Looking forward to your comments~ Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

(Stay tuned for big news  :)  I'll wait to get more details before I share it with you.....

Church, Wash NOMADS Team Meeting

We went to the Moody Memorial United Methodist Church on Sunday with most of the other NOMADs.  Some indicated they were Presbyterian and I think they went to a Presbyterian church in town.  

We arrived early enough to go to there Sunday School class.  The class was on "Science and Faith".  Today's subject was on Quantum Mechanics or some such thing.  I got lost really early on the point of the discussion.  It may have been the idea that our world and we-- are not random?  God created it all with a plan.  

The church has a big pipe organ and some very beautiful stained glass windows.

After church, we returned to the Roadrunner for lunch. I was craving an omelet so I made one and Pam had tortellini leftovers.  Then she went to a laundromat and did the wash.  I went to the easy chair and took a nap while the golf was on.  It was a blustry coolish day so going for a walk or bike ride will have to wait.

Our weekly NOMADS team meeting started at 6:00 PM.  Those are always fun because we get to hear a little bit about everyone and where they are from.  We meet in the basement of the Island Community Church.  It was started a couple of years ago, then Hurricane Ike hit and they have quite a bit left to complete the building.  But it suits our needs well.

We have a big group this time - 18 folks.  Last week the group finished up two houses.  This week we are going to be working on two more. 

We are glad to be here and are looking forward to some good work.  Hope you have a good week, too.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles.

White Dove of the Desert - San Xavier Mission

Yesterday we took a ride out to the San Xavier Mission del Bac. It is about 10 miles from downtown Tucson and one of the most picturesque museums we have seen. The white painted adobe really contrasts with the desert scenes.

It is located on the Tohono O'odham (formerly Papago) Indian reservation.

Inside, it is very ornate and full of intricate colors. The mission was founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1699 and continues to be run by Franciscan priests.

The outside white paint make the mission and church visible for miles. The moorish design is distinctive. No records exist which explain the architecture and history of its construction.

The Jesuits originally ran the mission but the Franciscans took over after Charles III of Spain banned the Jesuits from the Americas in 1767.

There is a small chapel on the mission grounds and a number of other rooms. Nearby is a hill which provides a good vantage point for some pictures of the mission.

The mission was protected from Indian raids by the Presido which was established in nearby Tucson in 1775.

Outside on the mission grounds, native Indians cook Indian fry bread for tourists.

A few hundred yards away, we stopped by the mission cemetery which holds hundreds.

Our bright sunny days are being replaced by some cloudy and rainy weather, but the temperature is in the 60's.

We moved way up the list to #3 and I'll be doing my next post from a full hookup site here in the campground.

Meghan has had a couple of posts to her blog in recent days, so please take a look and remember her and here family in your prayers. Also, Kelly has some ideas on her blog post: The Heart Project, that explain how you can join with us in sending a note to Meghan and her family.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Tuesday in Galveston on our NOMADS project

After our daily early morning NOMADS devotions and a short meeting, Pam and I went back to the coach. Next thing I knew she walked over to the fence behind us and was saying good morning to a couple of horses. She had a horse of her own when grew up on a farm in east Tennessee and is completely at home with animals.

Nice way to start the day.

We are closing in on completing the Ward house. Pam did some trim work and caulking. Nancy and Maryetta put another coat of paint on the living room. Harry helped me get the angles and corner tile pieces cut out and helped me lay some down.

I worked in the bathroom all day. I completed that, put the toilet back together, reinstalled the trim I had carefully removed last week, and caulked the edges. We have a couple of dripping leaks we will take care of and should be finished today with that house.

After work we went to Walmart for a couple of things and returned to the Roadrunner. It was a beautiful evening. We took a walk on the beach which is about two blocks away from us.

The tide was out and a number of people drove their cars right up near the water. The mosquitos were out so we didn't stay long.

We went for a short walk and enjoyed the sights.

On the way back I caught a picture of the sun going down.

We had enchiladas for dinner, then had some of the NOMADs over for a quick tour of the Roadrunner.

After everyone left we went over to John and Maryetta's 2008 Winnebago Tour for a few minutes. They have been full-timers for three years and we got to see their new custom made desk. They took out a sofa and had a work area built in its place. Very nicely done.

I didn't have my camera but maybe I can get a picture today. After that we went back home and talked some before we went to bed. We find we get tired after a full day of working on the houses. It is great though. Lots of satisfaction and some great exercise.

Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles. Hope you will stop by again soon. Or tomorrow :)