Wayside_Wisdom Heard Along the Way
Habitat for Humanity Build
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan
RV Care-a-Vanners
June 18-July1, 2006
OUR GREAT ADVENTURE WITH ‘HABITAT FOR HUMANITY’ – (Click on pictures to enlarge; click on BACK to return to the story.)
MONDAY, JUNE 19 - Habitat build, day 1: The ten of us volunteers
from RV Care-a-Vanners arrived at the build site in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at 8 am. We
began each day with devotions followed by the unison declaration "Habitat is not
a ‘hand-out’ but a ‘hand-up’." The crawl space had been completed and the
sub-flooring laid. The exterior and interior walls had been built at a nearby
prison and transported to the build site. By 3 pm when we left the site, all
exterior walls and most interior walls were in place. Dinner tonight was
provided by the local
North Star Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the lovely home of a board member.
TUESDAY,
JUNE 20 - Habitat build, day 2: Erection of interior walls completed
(including some floor plan modifications requiring a little un-doing of
yesterday’s work!). Upper plate installed and roof trusses on the two ends
erected by day’s end. More sore muscles!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21 - Habitat build, day 3: Lots of strong extra
help today. About six members of the U. S. Coast Guard
stationed at the local base worked with us all day today. By day’s end, all roof
trusses installed and sheeting tacked in on one side of the roof.
THURSDAY,
JUNE 22 - Habitat build, day 4: More help from the "Coasties" today!
With their strong young muscles, by day’s end the entire roof was sheeted, house
wrapped with Styrofoam vapor barrier. The shingles were delivered onto the roof
today waiting to be placed tomorrow after the roof felt is installed. Yesterday
and today, the local Habitat affiliate has prepared lunch and brought it out to
the work site for us! A delicious time- and labor-saver! The neglected muscles
and arthritic joints are letting us know that they are being over-used! One more
day before two days of rest! Can our tired stiff bodies hold out?
FRIDAY, JUNE 23 - Habitat build, day 5: No strong young Coastie
muscles to help today! Nevertheless, the ‘old folks’ managed to get
the "tar paper" on the roof and a few rows of shingles on one side of the roof.
Those of us working down below carefully measured and marked the outer walls.
Then we installed starter strip and F-strip all around the house in preparation
for siding installation next week.
Our poor aching, over-worked construction muscles held up for 5 days! To celebrate, we went out to eat tonight in a neighboring little town at a restaurant that specializes in fresh local fish! It was delicious - but we really didn’t need the pie and ice cream afterwards!
SATURDAY, JUNE 24 - We are in luck! Today happens to be the 20th Annual International Bridge walk between Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario! The bridge is about 3 miles long and we - and about 1000 other people! - walked about ½ mile on each end from the gathering place to the buses that returned us back across the bridge to Michigan. We didn’t hurry but walked the entire route in about an hour. We took time to enjoy the spectacular view of the U.S. locks, the St. Mary’s river rapids, the Canadian lock, and the paper mill and steel plant on the Canadian side! It was great!
SUNDAY, JUNE 25 - Worship this morning at Central United Methodist Church. Lunch out at a local seafood restaurant. We tried to eat more carefully, so we skipped dessert!
In the afternoon, we went on a 2-hour narrated boat tour of the Sault Ste. Marie Locks. It was wonderful! Our little tour boat went through the US lock which raised us 21 feet from the level of Lake Huron to the level of Lake Superior. Then we traveled up the St. Mary’s River a short distance and turned across the US-Canadian border. Our little craft sailed close to the Canadian shore where we could watch a freighter unloading its cargo of coal at the Algoma Steel plant. Then back down the river to the Canadian lock where our boat was "locked down" to the level of Lake Huron again. Then a short, leisurely voyage back to the dock where our trip had begun 2 hours before. What an experience! We saw several Great Lakes freighters in our short tour, as well as numerous tour boats, both US and Canadian. An enjoyable and educational afternoon!
MONDAY, JUNE 26 - Habitat build, day 6: Over the week-end, a bit of the tar paper blew off the roof. That was replaced first thing this morning and a crew of 6 or 7 worked all day at installing shingles. Reports are that the roof is just an hour or two from being finished.
Inside the house, an electrician (a member of the board of the local Habitat affiliate) worked steadily installing electrical boxes, pulling wires, and whatever else electricians do! Those of us on the ground crew finished the starter strip and F-channel as far as we could go until the doors are installed. Then we built and installed "bird boxes" to support the soffit on the corners. After that, we installed a 2 x 8 plate below each door to which to attach the deck. The windows and doors have not been delivered yet and we can’t really begin siding until they are in. Nevertheless, we seem to be making good progress. Neither of us is quite as stiff as we were last week! That’s progress, too!
TUESDAY,
JUNE 27 - Habitat build, day 7: Today we finished the roof, installed
the French door at the front entrance, and put up soffit covering down one long
outside wall. Meanwhile, the electrician continues his work inside. The windows
have not come so the siding teams could only cover the lower part of the
exterior walls today. We hope they will get here soon enough that we will have
time to install them! A light rain shower delayed outside work a little in the
morning.The electrician had invited us all for a boat ride on the St. Mary’s
River this evening in his personal boat. Unfortunately, that had to be cancelled
due to a weather front and steady showers that began about time we got home from
work. The rain continued through the evening.
We both felt a little less stiff yesterday, but today set us back again! Bruce spent all morning nailing soffit covering material in place over his head. By noon he was exhausted. Mary Sue cut soffit material all morning and a little while in the early afternoon. The unaccustomed weight of the saw took its toll on some arthritis in her hand joints and the approaching weather front didn’t do her face and head any good. So we left work ½ hour early and came home and collapsed! We’ll see how we feel tomorrow morning. MS may take a day off work to rest up!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 - Habitat build, day 8: Bruce went off to work
as usual today; Mary Sue stayed home to try to sleep off a
summer head cold. Siding work continues, up to the level of the windows which
have still not appeared! The back door arrived and was installed. The electrical
work continues. One of the team members built a simple little playhouse out of
scrap materials for the two small children of the recipient family.
This evening, a friend from Indiana visited us for supper. She was on her way home from visiting family here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She brought along authentic UP "pasties" for our supper. (They are ground meat and diced vegetables baked inside a pastry crust.) Delicious and quite filling. She and Bruce went to the evening "entertainment and dessert" arranged for by the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Mary Sue stayed home and crashed again.
THURSDAY,
JUNE 29 - Habitat build, day 9: Both of us took off work today, Mary
Sue to rest and fight what has now become a chest cold (including an exhausting
cough!) and Bruce to chauffeur her around to find some health care. (I’ve always
wondered what we would do if one of us got sick on the road. This gave us a good
non-critical trial run!) We went to the walk-in clinic at the local hospital.
There, quite by chance, we ran into the recipient of our Habitat for Humanity
house who works in the respiratory department of the hospital. She was very
helpful to us in getting the care I needed in a timely manner.
The building crew was late getting home from the site this evening. When they arrived, they reported that the windows arrived and had all been installed, requiring them to work an hour later than usual. Also, the trench was dug and the electrical supply line conduit was laid to the house from the street. (Wires cannot be pulled until it is approved by local city authorities.) The electrician worked late covering up the trench so nobody would fall into the open hole in the dark.
FRIDAY, JUNE 30 - Habitat build, day 10: Today, the house
recipient provided a picnic for the whole crew for lunch at noon. The last
tiny corner of siding at the tiptop of the gable end was ceremoniously placed by
the home recipient just at noon! The house looks lovely! There’s lots of inside
work yet to be done but much has been accomplished during this two weeks. We did
have a little "dedication service" for the children’s playhouse with appropriate
words and presentation to them of a children’s Bible, as is Habitat’s custom at
house dedications.
Several of the group went on tours this afternoon. We didn’t. We stayed home and did a lengthy study of the inside of our eyelids! This evening, we went out for dinner together at a local restaurant and a delightful ride on the St. Mary’s River in the electrician’s private boat.
SATURDAY, JULY 1 - We slept in this morning since we didn’t have to get up for "work." We’re both feeling a bit better but not quite back to normal yet. We did want to get up in time to say our "Good-byes" as our work group will be going their separate ways this morning, heading for lower Michigan, Maryland, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and northern New York State.
Then it was off to the laundromat for Mary Sue while Bruce hitched up the rig, dumped waste and got ready to hit the road. By noon we were headed out of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. We were full of Chinese food; our rig was full of clean clothes; most of our joints and muscles were full of arthritic aches;, but spirits were full of gratitude for the Habitat build experience we’ve had the past two weeks!