DAY TWO

Morning came way too early, though nearly everyone slept well last night.  Pancakes and sausage for breakfast put most of us in good moods as we moved into work mode.  We have now gotten to be much more cordial with the other group that is here.  It's composed of Californians from Santa Barbara, Nebraskans from a little town near Sidney, a smattering of Kansans, and folks from Denver.  Their work is in the Texas City area, so our paths cross only at breakfast and dinner.  When breakfast is over, the cooks set out peanut butter, jelly, luncheon meat (turkey mainly), bags of chips, fruit, cookies, yogurt, and other delicacies.  Everyone packs a lunch, which are then placed in coolers that go with us to the work sites.  In addition, each group takes a liquid cooler as well to dispense water to individual water bottles at the sites.  Then we're off.


Today, our group made great headway on the sheetrock at the house (about 3/4 of which is done) and will complete the changes in the electric box and wiring sometime tomorrow morning (that time of day being the only time to crawl around in the attic).  Taping and floating won't begin in earnest until tomorrow, but C.A. served today as the harbinger of mud and spackle.  Our folks had enough tools for most of our tasks, so there was very little down time.  We fell into natural teams today:  Charlie G, Harold, and Jim were one sheetrocking team; Kelly, Joan, and Sharon a sheetrock measuring/cutting team; Charlie H and Brian as a sheetrock hanging team; Jim and Ron as the master electricians (with Charlie H and me as morning attic gofers); Carl and I were a measuring/cutting/hanging sheetrock team; C.A. was a one-woman screw-head spackler and sometime sheetrocker hanger.  We all pretty much did what we saw needed to be done.  Those of us returning from the work site in Harold's vehicle enjoyed a preprandial libation and appetizer at a local eatery.  The remainder of our group, Shiela and Beth, spent the whole day cooking---a variation on King Ranch chicken for dinner.  Wonderful.

We met for Bible study and discussion at 8:00 at which we shared concerns about the day and concerns for others, and were joined by a good-natured and somewhat bemused friend from the other group who had innocently come in to check his email.  It's been a good day, and the rhythm of the work, the meals, and our rest is has now taken over.  Once again, the pictures tell the story of the day!