FEW BUT MIGHTY

 Last Friday Scott became the proud owner of this new trailer. It is a lot bigger then his Airstream trailer.
 Jim and Karen had to leave because of a death in the family, so our team for this week was a little small with just 5 of us working.

We started at the house we had been working at last week. Deane and Scott started putting up the drywall in the garage.

 Larry was finishing the windows and Linda and I worked on mudding.

 Before break Mary called and asked us to go to this house and paint.

The rooms had been primed but they all needed two coats of paint by Tuesday.

 We painted and painted.

 And painted some more.

 Even Larry was painting.

 Jordon, a high school student who is helping out this summer, painted.

 I did the cutting in  in all the rooms and any brush work needed. by Tuesday afternoon we had the house well painted.

 Now we have been assigned to help get this house finished. The owner is living in a FEMA trailer behind the house and it has to be moved by July 1st.

 Scott and Deane fixed a step, so we could enter safely.

 No steps to the upstairs.  Scott and Deane put flooring on the top platform.

 Larry worked on putting in the stairs.

 By Thursday the stringers were in and steps and risers ready to be installed next week.

 Pete,on the left, is our construction supervisor, and Stacy, the home owner, came by and discussed all the work they needed us to complete and how they wanted it to be done.

 This door opening needed to be moved over by 4 inches before the door could be installed. Mary (in yellow) is our daily contact person and makes sure we have all the supplies we need each day.

 Scott and Deane worked on moving the opening.

 The door was hung by the end of the day Thursday.

 Linda and I stained all the wood for the trim and frame around windows, doors, and floor, our biggest problem was where to put it all.

 We also stained three doors. We have a lot more to do at this home next week but our team will have a few more hands.

WHY NOT MINOT

 We arrived in North Dakota on Friday June 13. the winds tried to keep us in Montana, but Larry fought them all the way and after a tiring 200 mile drive of gusty SSE winds we made it to Minot.

 This area is growing by leaps and bounds from oil and fracking.

 Minot is also called the Magic City for when the railroad arrived here the city seemed to just spring up over night.

 St. Mark's Lutheran Church is providing the parking for the NOMADS.

We are parked behind the church.

 In 2011 the Souris River, that winds through the city, flooded from all the rain and snow melt off that occurred in the area. Plus the dams needed to be opened north of here, that just added to the already overflowing river. NOMADS have been working here for three years. The team had been here for four weeks when we arrived. They got one house ready to be painted and now were working on this home. The river is just a block behind this house.

 Our team this week. On the back row, left side are Linda and Deane, this is there first NOMADS project and will be here for 9 weeks. Gary and Avis, sitting on the left, have been the leaders here for the five weeks, and this is there third year rebuilding in Minot. Scott in the middle is not really that tall, He will be here for the whole 13 weeks and worked here some last year. Karen and Jim have been working with NOMADS a long time. Larry and Dottie on the right. We will be here for four weeks and are the leaders when Avis and Gary leave.

 Jim built a knee wall at the top of the stairs.

 Scott gave him a helping hand.

 Larry leveled the floor and filled in the space between the floor and wall so that carpeting could be installed.

 Avis was our leader for hanging drywall. The owners of the house had started this project and the rooms had many challenges.

 Deane helped hang the drywall and put in many missing screws in the pieces already installed.

 Linda mudded all the screw holes.

 Scott cutting out the drywall for the window.

 Avis and Scott installed all the corner bead. There sure were a lot of corners..

 Linda cleaned up the drywall around the windows.

 Karen foamed in around the windows.

 Then the construction consultant came and said all the windows had to be taken out and reinstalled properly. Jim and Deane worked on them.

 Karen covered the floors with red paper so the room could be mudded.

 Gary wanted to have this house mudded before he left at the end of the week. A huge goal!

 He is an expert mudder, so he gave us a lesson on mudding. Here he shows us how to use a banjo to apply the tape. I became his "apprentice" assistant. He did get all of the house mudded with at least one coat by the end of the day on Thursday.

We always looked forward to break and lunch time.

We went together for dinner one evening at Pizza Ranch and then had lunch at Burger King on Thursday.Avis and Gary left on Friday and we will now be the teams leaders for the next three weeks.