We all returned to George’s house on Marathon to keep pushing towards completion of our work there. The team worked hard all day and got the shower drain plumbed and the pan installed, all three air conditioners installed and operating (yea!), and started painting the walls. Around lunch time the volunteer coordinator came by and borrowed a couple of team members to help him move some furniture for one of the agency’s clients.
Shower drain in
Shower pan installed
Painting started in George’s house
One of two truckloads of furniture
Where we delivered the furniture
This evening Wanda, our unofficial social director, arranged another game night. Fun and fellowship even for us tired old folks.
Sara brought us a wonderful devotion this morning based from 1 Peter 2 based on “Stones”. She collects stones and polishes them into “prayer stones.” Today she brought several with her and allowed us to pick one to keep. She told us she keeps one in her pocket and whenever she reaches into her pocket for something she feels the stone and it reminds her to pray. Sara finished by reading the poem “Prayer Rock.”
The whole team worked at George’s house in Marathon. That is about 20 miles from where we are staying. Jim, the construction coordinator, wants us to put a full push on getting that house ready to turn back over to the homeowner next week. It will be a challenge.
After Greg and Max worked there last Wednesday, the mission group from Marshall University worked there on Thursday and Friday. They did a remarkable job moving the house toward completion. They put up the rest of the ceiling panels and then installed laths over all the seams and nails and installed some of the insulation and paneling. One of the students was in a wheelchair. She told Jim she knew how to install the flooring. With some help getting around she installed all but a few pieces.
Today we installed the last few pieces of flooring in the living room/kitchen, paneled more walls, started rebuilding the bathroom, framed openings for air conditioners and caulked the lath strips on the ceilings. The home owner came by for a few minutes and was very pleased with the progress. We enjoyed meeting him.
Virgie and Anne finished the flooring except for the bathroom which will be done after the remodel.
Wanda installed paneling.
Greg framed openings for air conditioners.
Dan built a platform for a new shower enclosure. It has to be elevated to tie into he existing plumbing.
Karen and Sara spent most of the day caulking the ceiling.
Saturday and Sunday have been nice days. A little windy and occasional showers – enough that we didn’t want to be out on the water – but still nice. We were sad to follow all the horrible weather in other parts of the country, including the storm deaths in Alabama. Saturday we had some work to do but also relaxed. We went to the flea market – again didn’t purchase anything but it’s fun to look and people watch. Unlike any other flea market we have been to, we also got to key deer watch. Just as we were arriving a little buck walked in to the market. He looked around a hardware booth then walked down to one of the plant booths and we heard someone yell, “don’t let him eat the roses.” Shortly we saw someone escorting him out. The deer are so protected that you really have to be careful how you protect your property. Of course too many have been fed by people so they will come right up to you. They also don’t mind ambling down the highway and stopping traffic. You aren’t suppose to interfere with them.
Interesting sign we saw on the way to the flea market on Saturday
Today of course we worshiped at Big Pine UMC and then enjoyed a very nice brunch and fellowship with the members. We got to know a couple from Wisconsin who live here six to seven months of the year (depending on the Wisconsin weather) and return home for the rest of the year. Originally they traveled in a motor home to the Keys but bought a home here about 10 years ago. After visiting Wisconsin and following their weather since we left in September, we can certainly understand their desire to be here. However, today may have been a little too warm for the snow birds because the Keys set a new record high temperature today, 84.
Early afternoon, our new team members, Dan and Virgie, arrived. They will be taking over as leaders next week so this is a transition week. We will take them around and show them the houses we have in progress and introduce them to Jim and the homeowners. Very thankful for their safe arrival. We had team meeting tonight to discuss this week’s plans and are now ready to start our last week as leaders. Hope you all had a great weekend.
We slept in today and then went out to breakfast at a little local restaurant CoCo’s Kitchen which is in the same shopping center as Winn Dixie. Locals have told us it’s the best place to eat on Big Pine with reasonable prices too. It’s a Cuban restaurant but has other foods as well. Today we had just a regular breakfast of eggs, gravy biscuit, sausage and hash browns. It was good and reasonably priced. Their lunch and dinner menu look good too so we will go back and give it a try. Wanda has already been there for supper two nights and said she would go back.
After breakfast we walked down to the National Key Deer Refuge Visitor and Nature Center. The center was destroyed by Hurricane Irma and this new facility just recently opened. It has displays of the various birds and wildlife in the Keys with special focus on the Key Deer. We really didn’t learn anything new there since we had already done research on line. They also had a nice little gift shop. We actually went they to ask about guided bike tours of the area but the very nice attendant told us they no longer have those.
The National Key Deer Refuge Visitor and Nature Center
Inside the Visitor and Nature Center
Touchable display
Fierce looking display
Since there were no guided tours, this afternoon Greg and Karen road down to Blue Hole with us and Wanda joined us in her truck. (Sara had to go back to Florida City to get her car today.) The two gators were there again but posing differently today. It was a nice ride and a cloudy, gray day. We had some rain over night and sprinkles throughout the day. The rest of the day was spent on laundry and book work. It was another good day.
Fun Ride to the Blue Hole to see the gators (and find a geocache)
Can’t really say he was sunning himself today.
DON’T TOUCH THIS TREE! We have been told that since our first day on Big Pine Key. It is a poisonwood tree. And like our poison ivy back home is everywhere. The oils from the tree are a very strong irritant, some say even worse than poison ivy. We’re trying not to find out for ourselves.
RVing With a Purpose 