RVing With a Purpose

Busy Day in the Keys

Monday, February 03, 2020

Dan and Virgie brought our morning devotion from Ephesians 6:13 – “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” They reminded us that prayer is the ongoing connection between us and God. They finished with the humorous poem “Jake the Rancher.”

We all headed to Dennis’s this morning and made a lot of progress trimming doors and windows and getting the front bedroom ready to texture tomorrow.

Mark shaving off some drywall to make the door trim fit better

The bedroom door we installed last week got trimmed out

Lisa and Sue ripping a board to trim around a window

Dan chipping out some cracked concrete in the front bedroom floor. It was caused by some rusting rebar. We will have to fill and level the area before we put the flooring down.

Anne and Jim rolling primer on the front bedroom ceiling and walls

Virgie and Anne preparing the front bedroom for texturing

After lunch Mark and Max were sent to a house on Lower Sugarloaf Key to hook up a kitchen sink drain. The lady of the house was thrilled because she has been washing dishes in the bathtub for two years. We spent more time driving back and forth than it took to connect the drain. It took less than 10 minutes of work then another 20-30 minutes letting the lady tell her story. Sometimes that is the most important thing we can do in our day.

This drain installation Max and Mark were sent to Lower Sugarloaf Key to finish.

After Max and Mark got back to Dennis’s house they started hanging kitchen cabinets. With the help of Dennis and Anne, two wall cabinets were installed before quitting time. It was a great day!

We were visited by a manatee again today

Quiet Weekend with a Stormy Start

Sunday February 2, 2020

Friday we got a slow start to our day as we frequently do on Fridays. We didn’t have to be anywhere so we slept in. Sara didn’t leave on Friday morning as we expected. She had a dead battery in her coach. Max got it out for her and NAPA tested it and thought it would take a charge and when Sara and her daughter checked in with them on Saturday morning it was charged and her coach cranked right up. She and her daughters were on their way. Hopefully this is the end to her problems and we are praying for safe travels. The rest of Friday was spent on laundry, cleaning and baking. The weather started taking a turn for the worse by Friday afternoon and we decided we should stay close to home rather than biking over to No Name Key. By Friday night we were under a severe thunderstorm watch and the Everglades area where our NOMADS friends were overnighting was under a tornado warning. We had heavy rain but not too much wind.

Saturday there was a large health fair sponsored by the University of Miami with the physicians and nursing students from the university doing various exams and checkups for the people of the lower keys, here at the church. The UM Women sold sandwiches, hot dogs, chili, and desserts as a fund raiser during the event so several of the NOMADS made things for them to sell. Anne took them the blueberry nut bread she baked on Friday. It rained and stormed most of the day Saturday so it was just a stay at home day with some walking and biking between the storms. We were very thankful when Lisa and Mark arrived safely after their stormy night in the Everglades.

Today was a beautiful Florida sunshine day but the wind is back to 25 mph. Our usual Sunday schedule, worship, brunch, a free afternoon and then team meeting. We plan to go back to Dennis’s tomorrow. Hope you all had a great weekend.

Locally this starburst plant is called a popcorn plant. This one is in the flower bed at the church. We were told it was 2 inches tall when it was planted after Hurricane Irma.

We think this black racer is the first snake we have seen in the Keys. We saw it beside the trail on our Sunday afternoon walk.

There are now three Tiffin motorhomes here in the campground.

Finished (maybe) at Bob’s

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Jim brought us our devotion today from Genesis 22 – the story of the testing of Abraham. He pointed out that when asked by his son where was the ram for the sacrifice, Abraham replied “The Lord will provide.” Jim reminded us that if God can provide during that extreme incident, then he can provide for the needs of his children today. And that sometime he provides for those needs through us.

Jim and Max went back to Bob’s house on Sugarloaf Key to finish a few punchlist items that the team did not get to yesterday. By shortly after lunch they had the oven wired and installed, the microwave installed and the remaining trim down in the kitchen. That finishes our work at that house – unless …??

The last item completed was making a toe kick for this undercounter space — The last item completed at Bob’s was making a toe kick for this undercounter space where eventually a small refrigerator will be installed.

After completing the work at Bob’s house, Max and Jim joined the rest of the team at Dennis’s house back on Big Pine Key. There, this morning Anne, Sue and Virgie sanded the bedroom and applied a final coat of mud for areas needing a little touchup. Dan and Dennis worked on installing the closet doors in the back bedroom. After lunch Max and Jim worked on installing the back bedroom door. Dennis will finally be able to close the door to his bedroom for the first time in two years. Dennis and Dan completed the closet doors. Sue began the cleanup in the first bedroom in preparation for priming and texturing next week. Anne and Virgie painted a door and trim. It was another busy and productive day. A good way to end our NOMADS work week.

Most of the interior doors have to be shortened. Since they are hollow core doors they have to have plugs glued in the bottoms.

Anne sealed the ends of the doors we had to shorten to keep them from swelling with moisture.

Dennis worked with Dan on installing closet doors

Sue worked on getting the front bedroom ready to prime and texture

Since Sara will be leaving this weekend, it was her choice of where we went for dinner tonight. She told Max to pick and so we went back to Marathon to Brutus Seafood Market. Everyone said their food was very good and most importantly, Sara told Max he made a good choice. We will be sorry to say goodbye to Sara but are anxious for her to get home to her orthopedist to repair her arm. Now, on to the weekend.

Close to Finish at Bob’s

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

We led the team in devotion this morning and afterwards we all headed back out to Bob’s. We are really pushing to get this house completed. Today we got a lot accomplished. Anne started the day sanding and painting the area of the drywall patch required due to a roof leak. That job is now complete. Max began the day completing the steps from the back bedroom to the back yard. Sue and Virgie completed installing the quarter round trim. Dan completed the installation of the sink plumbing and Jim installed outlets in the kitchen and then installed a light fixture in the bathroom. As the day progressed, the front door trim was painted, trim was caulked and the paint was touched up, a bedroom door was hung, closet doors adjusted, baseboard installed in the kitchen, door locks installed, and drawers and cabinet doors adjusted. It was an amazing day. This team really turns out the work. We are very close to being ready to check this house off the list. Jim (construction coordinator) will be getting us a few necessary supplies and hopefully tomorrow will be the final day.