(Sorry, we just noticed last night’s post did not publish, so you get two tonight.)
Well, Hurricane Nate is moving in on the Gulf Coast. It was cloudy here most of the day and a few scattered outer bands of rain have come through the area. Based on what all the forecasters as saying we are going to have some 50mph winds and up to 6 inches of rain. It’s really dry but we really don’t need all the rain at the same time. Since we have no area to park FRED that would not put him at risk of a falling tree, we decided to leave him in Tuscaloosa at Mama Ruby’s house. Since the tornado of 2011 fell all the big trees in Mom’s subdivision, there is no danger there. We really need to go back to Tuscaloosa Wednesday anyway so we hope FRED will be safer there. Hopefully we made the right decision. Please remember to pray for everyone in the track of this storm. Thankfully it’s not as big as some of the earlier ones but it can still cause serious damage and kill. Especially remember our NOMADS teams in Hattiesburg and at Camp Sumatanga. Both may face severe weather.
Other than watching the weather, we visited with Mama Ruby again today. She again seemed to be feeling better and growing stronger. She is wanting to assert some independence and do more for herself. She has always been such an independent woman that it is really good to see this returning.
Mid-day we packed everything we will need at the house for the next few days in the truck and drove back to Blount County. We probably didn’t get everything but we will just do without whatever we forgot. We stopped to see Aunt Jean at the assisted living in Trussville and picked up her shopping list, then to Pine Mountain to see Max’s mom and Aunt Helen, and got their shopping list and then home. Everything was in good shape at the house when we arrived. It’s always a relief when we check the outside and then the inside and nothing seems amiss. That was our day today. Nothing exciting and sorry, no pictures. We look forward to worshiping at our home church tomorrow. Hope you are having a great weekend.
Today was another beautiful day. It was a little breezy at times and a little too hot this afternoon but a nice day. We were up at 5:00 to do our morning departure duties. We watched traffic on Old Highway 11, the road in front of Oak Grove Church, yesterday. We learned we had a window between about 6:30, when there was enough light to see well, and 7:00, when traffic started picking up. There is a lot of traffic in front of the church all day, but morning and afternoon rush hour traffic makes getting out in a motor home really problematic. Our goal was to depart between 6:30 and 7:00 and surprise, surprise, we actually pulled out at 6:45. We had an easy drive to Mama Ruby’s house in Tuscaloosa.
We stopped at the second rest area on I-59 after crossing into Alabama only because the first, the Welcome Center, was closed. So much for welcoming people to our state. Anyway while we were out stretching our legs we met a couple walking their two dogs. The gentleman was a fireman. He had on a New Orleans FD pink breast cancer awareness T-shirt, but we don’t know for sure if he works for New Orleans FD. Anyway the had what appeared to be an elderly black lab. She seemed to be a real sweet dog so of course we played with her a little. Her name was Rescue. Her owner shared the story that they went to a house fire at an abandoned house and he made entry with two other firemen. When they were searching another area of the house he searched the room they first entered and found this dog in the corner of the room – almost dead. He took her outside and gave her some oxygen and called animal control. Animal control took her in and cared for her over night. When he went to check on her the next day they thought she would be fine. She was still a little lethargic but otherwise seemed okay. The fireman adopted her and has had her every since. Cool. Nice little diversion on our travel day.
This the list of weekend activities at the assisted living facility. We have some friends who would be very interested in the last item.
When we arrived in Tuscaloosa, we parked FRED in the drive, plugged in and headed to the assisted living to see Mama Ruby. We had lunch with her, visited, and ran a couple of errands. She then wanted to go pick up some additional items so we took her home for a while. A few items, turn into more items, until we had to get a luggage cart like the bellmen use at hotels in order to get the “few items” upstairs to Mom’s apartment. Guess that’s why she really likes her new apartment. All the items fit in her much larger closet. We felt really good after visiting with Mama Ruby today. First she met us at the door when we arrived with a big smile on her face. (This was a really big deal to Anne.) She didn’t seem to be having difficulty breathing, and was walking and moving better. Anne checked the swelling in her legs and it seemed to be about like they were when she was discharged from the hospital. We were concerned that they would start swelling again when she came off the IV diuretic but there was no additional swelling. All really good things. We are so thankful for this good visit. We returned to Mom’s and FRED for a quiet evening and will have another visit tomorrow.
Sunset in Tuscaloosa
BTW, someone asked about why we call our motor home FRED. Our family knows the answer but we do have some new readers so here is the explanation. Our first motor home was a FRont Engine Diesel. Acronym FRED, used by industry and since we really aren’t very creative and imaginative most of the time, we just call him FRED. Well, now we have a new rig. What can we call it? We really did try to think of something. However, as our family knows, we have had three black lab dogs over our 35 years of marriage. The first one was named Scout which subsequently became Scout 1 when we got our second lab and named him Scout, too. And then the third was Scout 3. Our family just assumed the second motorhome would be FRED 2. Of course it would be FRED2. People started calling him that even before we ever took delivery. Anne originally wanted to name him something else but it just wasn’t to be. So we now have FRED 2, which Anne decided was an acronym for Fantastic Rear Engine Diesel. That’s our story and we are sticking to it, as silly as it may be.
It was another beautiful day, much like the past two. The forecast for the weekend is anything but nice but that’s what happens when it’s a busy hurricane season. We will watch Nate for the next 24-48 hours to decide exactly when we will go back to Blount County. We do plan to move to Tuscaloosa tomorrow morning because Anne needs to take care of some things for Mama Ruby. Some have asked how Mama Ruby is doing. We will know more after we see her tomorrow but she says she is OK and has no shortness of breath. She seems to have managed ok at assisted living this week. Anne is a little anxious to see for herself how she is doing.
This morning Lynn led our devotion and did a great job. After devotion and prayer, we headed to the job site.
Max and Anne resumed work in the bathroom today. We mudded and taped all day today. We made a lot of progress but did not quite get it all first coated. The great news today is that Dave completed the pantry. Interestingly, the homeowners did not know the pantry existed. At some point someone put drywall over it. It was uncovered during the demo phase of this rebuild so we rebuilt it for them. Dave did a great job. With the pantry complete, Dave and Gary were able to place the lauan over the kitchen floor and then install the roll flooring. It looks so good. Wish we could be here to see Sandra’s reaction. We are sure she will cry. George and Judy installed the reclaimed trim. Judy had never used a battery powered nail gun. Actually, we think she had never used a nail gun at all. She had a lot of fun learning that skill and installing the trim. Sharon and Lynn completed the striping of the bathroom door and got a nice coat of paint on it as well as completing the baseboards. The house is really coming together. We hope the bathroom can be completed next week. It will be real close if not completed. The only delay at that point will be the hardwood floors. They need to be sanded and refinished. We hope someone on the next team will have experience with that task. It’s been a great week and the team has accomplished a great deal. We are pleased with what was accomplished.
Judy putting paint on the trim they worked so hard to strip
Gary showing Judy how to use the trim nailer
Dave installing lauan in kitchen
Kitchen with new flooring and the “surprise” pantry
Bedroom is almost finished
Anne taping and mudding
Since Dave and Judy and Max and Anne will be leaving tomorrow, we all went out to dinner tonight at the Twisted Skillet. The owner is a member of Oak Grove UMC and another member had told Gary it was a good place to eat. That is a huge understatement. All of our food was exceptional and service great. All you NOMADS who will be working here over the next several months need to write this down because you will be missing a real treat if you don’t have at least one meal at the Twisted Skillet. Max had the bourbonmarinated pork ribeye that was probably the best pork we have ever eaten. Anne had the shrimp and grits and they were very good as well. We are already debating what we will eat at our next visit.
Well that is about it for our stay in Hattiesburg. We said our goodbyes when we returned to the church. We will be leaving early in the morning. Time to get FRED ready to roll.
Today was a carbon copy of yesterday weather-wise. A beautiful day but a bit too warm for October and certainly not fall-like.
This morning’s devotional was by Dave and Judy. It was a discussion on the macro and micro of God. Dave started by playing Carrie Underwood’s How Great Thou Art, verse one. That was to remind us of the greatness of our God, and the wonderful creation he has given us to enjoy. Then we were reminded that of all the billions of people, God knows my name. He cares for me, individually. He knows everything about me, my joys and sorrows and He cares! The micro – me – when there are so many others in the world. It was a good discussion and reminder.
We drive by this recreation park each morning. The damage is still very visible.
We all headed back to the job site about 8:00. Traffic seemed a little lighter today. Anne, Max and Dave started the morning putting together a new table saw. It is a nice Kobalt. One of the project supervisors had begun the process but it still took us about an hour to complete the process and get all the safety guards, etc. in place. We had asked for the saw yesterday, thinking there was one in the tool trailer. They didn’t have a table saw so they bought us a new one. We really needed it and the NOMADS will make good use of it over the 24-30 weeks of work. We used it a lot today. Really nice saw. Max and Anne went back to working in the bathroom and completed the concrete board on the floor and it is ready for tile. We then work on the flooring of the bath closet and got it ready for tile. We then started on the drywall – putting drywall mud over the screws. Dave worked in the pantry and installed shelving. George and Judy continued to the work on the trim and Sharon and Lynn worked on painting the baseboards and doors in the bedroom. They also worked on scraping the bath door in preparation for repainting. It was another busy and productive day.
Dave and Anne assembling a new table saw the host agency bought
Dave trying out the new saw
Dave installing trim around the pantry opening
Dave building shelves for the pantry
Sharon and Lynn preparing a door for paint
George and Judy working on door trim
We finished the cement board subfloor.
We started taping and mudding the bathroom walls.
Tonight Oak Grove UMC invited us to their Wednesday dinner. We had chicken pot pie, salad, peas, pineapple casserole and desserts. What a wonderful meal and fellowship. Everyone was really tired tonight. We will post this then go to bed early.
Well, Hurricane Nate is moving in on the Gulf Coast. It was cloudy here most of the day and a few scattered outer bands of rain have come through the area. Based on what all the forecasters as saying we are going to have some 50mph winds and up to 6 inches of rain. It’s really dry but we really don’t need all the rain at the same time. Since we have no area to park FRED that would not put him at risk of a falling tree, we decided to leave him in Tuscaloosa at Mama Ruby’s house. Since the tornado of 2011 fell all the big trees in Mom’s subdivision, there is no danger there. We really need to go back to Tuscaloosa Wednesday anyway so we hope FRED will be safer there. Hopefully we made the right decision. Please remember to pray for everyone in the track of this storm. Thankfully it’s not as big as some of the earlier ones but it can still cause serious damage and kill. Especially remember our NOMADS teams in Hattiesburg and at Camp Sumatanga. Both may face severe weather. 
RVing With a Purpose 