Winning entries

I stopped by the church construction late Saturday to find that the new planting bed near the entry to the parking lot had been finished. Timing is everything!

It was quiet on the grounds, but there were signs of progress all over the place as I've documented in the photos below. Outside doors were framed and painted. And inside work was moving along on the drywall.

Work party alert: Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (and some new photos)

Erik is organizing a second landscaping work party to get the remaining trees and shrubs we've purchased into the ground out just south of the entrance to the parking lot. Some of the smaller plants, in particular, are beginning to look quite stressed.

On Saturday, we'll need folks with shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows and the like. They will create a planting mound, move the plants behind the church building around to it and tuck them into the ground.

Don't worry if you haven't checked in with Erik, just show up. There'll be work to do. One other project is a big pile of branches due south of the classroom wing and nearly on school district property. They need to be cut up and loaded in a truck or trailer for disposal. Talk to Warren if you are interested in working on this project.

If it is as warm as the last work party was, it would be a good idea to bring a water bottle, which you can fill in the office mobile.

Meanwhile, the new lawn keeps getting greener and brown spots keep getting smaller thanks to Larry G's crew of Bram, Dan, Dave F, Dave McC, Deb, Judy, Larry D, Linda, Lee, Lori, Paul, Phyllis and Susan. They've been watering three times a days and chasing the dry patches around the yard.

Inside, installation of insulation plus taping, mudding and sealing the drywall goes on apace.



Good news. Warren got the fire sprinkler installers to redo the sanctuary so the pipes are nearly flush with the ceiling instead of hanging down nearly a foot. It's still not pretty, but that's the price we sometimes pay for safety. We ought to be able to camouflage the plumbing with a new paint job, something we were going to need anyway given all the changes to the walls, the wiring and the ceiling.

A quick Sunday peek inside

Sue stopped by the building project on Sunday afternoon and grabbed a shot of the back of the fellowship area, which now has drywall covering that pink and yellow insulation. Down the hall, the walls have been sealed covering the "mud" that covered the joints.

She also took several photos of the condition of the sanctuary at this point.

Grass IS greener

Just a couple of quick shots of the ever-lengthening lawn. Tom and Linda Avery were just finishing up the Saturday evening shift of watering chores.

Greening up all over

By Thursday evening, painting of the new building's exterior had been completed, except for some final touches on the doors, especially the one in front. The slide show walks you around the building. Note that at least one window in the clerestory opens, and that Larry, Bram and Dick have planted azaleas on the east side of the sanctuary wing.

There are a couple of photos to prove that the grass has started to grow.

There is a series of photos showing the installation of drywall throughout the entry/fellowship area and in the clerestory.

Three photos show the problematic installation of fire sprinklers in the sanctuary. At the present, they are very intrusive. Whether the installation itself can be changed or whether they can be camouflaged successfully, is being discussed.

The final series of photos shows the newly painted classroom wing with masking materials still on most of the windows and doors.

A "less brown" kind of green

Sue was busy with her camera on Wednesday, catching several exterior shots with the newly painted siding, the recently planted lawn and a rhody in full bloom.

Inside, work continued to install drywall on the front wall and to tape up interior windows before the walls get painted with a sealer coat.

In the men's restroom, there's another fine mess of vent pipes.

Getting its colors done

Painting has begun on the outside of the new building. Three different colors are being used, starting on the bottom with sort of a soft charcoal gray, moving up to a much lighter gray/green on the upper walls and with a creamy tone on the clerestory and the "bay" windows and front facade.

Also, the watering program on the new lawn is well under way. Larry and a huge crew of helpers -- 14 at last count -- are turning the sprinklers -- more than 20 of them on about 9 hose lines -- on and off three times a day.

Inside, work continues on the drywall and the insulation.