MAKING PROGRESS

 Larry and Mark took out this outside door, reframed it and put on plywood.

 This is the room they do the stain glass in. They wanted the door removed so they could put in more shelves.

 After some cement board was put on Mark put on the first layer of stucco.

 Barry put on the next layer.

 Barry and Mary framing the inside and putting on cement board.

 Larry and Mark looking at the finished wall.

 Larry and Mark replaced the rotten fascia boards. Debbie, Mary and I scraped the peeling paint off the other boards and then we painted them all.

 Larry and Mark worked hard to remove this window.

 They had it framed in and plywood put on by the end of the day. Mary, Debbie and I always helped clean up.

 Putting on the cement board and then Barry stucco it.

 By the end of the week Larry and Mark removed this window and air conditioner.

 Thursday was cold, 60's and breezy, as you can tell by Larry's jacket.

Done by the end of the day.

 Mary, Debbie, and I painted all of the rooms at the parsonage when we weren't helping at the fellowship hall.

 The walls are cement. The electric has to be three feet off the floor now after the hurricane. The holes made when moving the electric and remodeling were filled in by Lonnie, the pastor's brother-in-law. Sanding the walls caused a lot of dust.

 Thursday afternoon our last area to paint was the hallway.

 While Debbie and I painted the hallway, Mary painted the trim boards.

 The hurricane monument is next to the church.

Tuesday evening Ron and Carol, members from the church who have lived here for 50 years, treated us to pizza and a video about the hurricane of 35. It was a huge hurricane that destroyed this section of the Keys along with the railroad. The stories the survivors told were so sad. 700 people died, many of them World War I veterans who were working on the railroad bridges.

Thursday evening we went to the Green Turtle Inn for dinner. It was built in 1928 and nearly blown away in 1935. It has been rebuilt several times.

ISLAMORADA

 Saturday, January 6, we came to Islamorada in the Keys to work at Matecumbe UMC

 Our rigs are parked between the church and the fellowship building. Route 1 is right behind us and there is nonstop traffic all day and night. A little noisy for sleeping. 

 The Fellowship hall. They have a stained glass mission and have classes here on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 A tree fell on this corner of the roof

 and it needs to be repaired.

 Down the street towards the ocean is the parsonage. It flooded with four feet of water running through it. Some friends, family and church members have been working on it, and we will be giving a helping hand.

 This is our team, Mark and Debbie, our leaders Mary and Barry, and Larry and Dottie.  This is where we have our morning devotions and lunch.

 Monday morning we all went to work on the fellowship roof. It has been leaking so we are going to take the roofing off and re roof it.

 Mary, Debbie and I were given the job of taking the roofing screws out.

 Mark and Larry worked on fixing the side of the roof the had been damaged.

 Even with Barry's help we didn't make much progress getting the screws out of the roof on Monday. Monday afternoon Barry got the official news that we needed a permit to do the roofing so we stopped working.

 Larry and Mark were allowed to fix the damage. So the cut out out the damaged wood and replaced a section to make the repair.

 Fixed the side.

 Found a piece of roofing to replace the damaged piece.

 By Wednesday the damaged roof was looking good.

 The girls went over to the parsonage, since we couldn't continue working on the roof. Debbie and Mary grouted the tile in this room and I washed it off.

 Then on Tuesday and Wednesday we painted most of the ceilings. Of course they needed two coats. It is a big house for the Keys with four bedrooms and a large living room.

 They have been giving us lunch everyday. On Tuesday we shared a luncheon for the group who does the lovely stained glass work.

 It was nice talking to the locals and hearing their stories.

 Thursday we didn't have the permit in our hands yet but it was close enough that we could finish taking the roofing off.

 Barry had gotten a tool that took it off  without having to take each roofing screw out by hand, still hot hard work.

 Mark and Larry took out the rotten boards.

 By the end of the day on Thursday the roofing is off and this section of the roof repaired.

 We walked over to Lor-e-lie  for dinner

 and  watched the sunset. A nice relaxing way to celebrate a week of hard work.

FINISHING UP

 We worked on unit 35 on Monday. Steve, another volunteer from church, came and power washed  the house and the driveway. Betsy and I painted the house and at the end of the day Gary and Paul came over and lent a hand with painting.

Larry helped to  install new window in unit 37.

 Yes, Gary you need to demolish this bathroom.

Don and Lou gave a hand.

 Tub out and walls down to the studs.

 Oh no the bathroom behind it wasn't to be done, but the tile and the drywall cracked since the walls of the bathrooms were against each other. So another room to renovate.

 Gary and Don made a trip to the dumpster to put in the debris from the bathrooms

 Larry helped Lane ( an maintenance employee) to remove all the water, sewer and electric lines behind another building they are renovating.

Thursday we finished up the painting at the homes we painted. Carol brought another member from out church, Theresa, to help.  They painted the window sills green at unit 35.

 Larry painted the shutters for 57 and 58.

 Danny helped and then gave me a hand painting the white around the screen porches on the back of 57 and 58.

 Larry hung the shutters. By the end of Thursday we had this house completely painted inside and out.

 Betsy and I vacuumed  the windows of all the little pieces that were left from when the windows were installed in unit 37.

 A group of  11 men from PA had come for a week to volunteer.  They left on Wednesday so Betsy and I cleaned their rooms. Betsy cleaned the bathrooms and I washed all the sheets and towels.  There are very nice rooms for the volunteers to stay in.

 This was our break room, every morning they had a little treat for us.

 Tuesday Les and Maryann had us to their home for a delicious lunch. Jack and Bunny are their neighbors and they joined us. They all are retired missionaries from inland Africa. This a house the SOWERS built a few years ago. Les is at the end of the table and his wife is on his right. Bunny is next with Jack next to me. It was nice getting to know them a little more. Jack sings in the choir and  leads a Sunday school class at our church.

 Thursday evening we ended our project with a meal at an Italian restaurant. Larry, Gary, Danny, Lou, Elaine, Jacque and Betsy.

Our church volunteers, Steve, Paul , Don and their wives. It was a different project and we were blessed with all the volunteers from the church, The African Inland Mission retirement center wouldn't be able to be maintained without many volunteers.  They are already asking when they can have NOMADS return.