Week 5, Wimberly, TX

Three rigs pulled out last weekend and their spots were replaced by 3 others.  Marty and Carol returned from a weekend "in the south" and Dave and Judy who were with us in Falurrias, Tx joined the group and some new NOMADS, Dale and Karen filled the final spot.

The group from the left are Marty & Carol, Karen & Dale, Jodi & Stel, Sally & Paul, Judy & Dave, Pat & Ken and Brenda & Wayne.

We also were assigned another house to work on this week which took us to the other side of town and gave us a whole new understanding of the extent of this disaster.  Actually, we learned that two heavy rains and floods hit this town last year.  The first was on Memorial Day,2015 and the second was on Halloween, 2015.  The house we have been working on in  past weeks was actually damaged by the Halloween flash flood.  The new house was damaged by the Memorial Day flash flooding.  

The house we are working on is behind the camera in this photo, way above the Blanco River which is down hill and ahead in this shot.

Coming down the street from the house you can see the horrific devastation on the trees and embankments of the river.

Looking across the river from the lower road, you can see pylons in the distance where a house once stood.

Another view showing the extent of the damage still evident nearlly a year later.

A house was washed downstream to the bridge which created a dam which  backed up on the river and sidestreams as well.  That is why the waters extended so high up the hillside.   A great deal of flood debris still remains. The residents at the top of the hill were totally  unprepared for the rapidly rising floodwaters which damaged or destroyed so many homes and resulted in some loss of life.  Two children remain among the missing.

This is the house we have been asked to work on.  The residents are a woman and her special needs grown daughter.  

Personal belongings are being stored outside and since we have been asked to clean and paint the exterior of the house, many of the items had to be moved further to allow for room to work.

Wayne is brushing dirt and debris from the siding...

with Judy working below,

and Carol lending a hand to the process.

After the clean up, the primer painting began with Sally and Wayne at work here,

while Paul filled the many, many holes in the siding.

Meanwhile back at the previous house earlier in the week, Wayne and Brenda are cutting and installing trim and baseboards,

and Dale and Ken work on installing the "necessary equipment" in the Master bath so that the main bath can be dismantled to allow for floorcovering and wallpaper and Pat painting window trim.  (Pat just can't stay out of that jacuzzi!)

Judy and Karen painting the french doors in the kitchen (a bit tedious?).

Carol performs the same tedious effort on the Master bedroom exterrior door.

Dale installing closet shelves and clothes hanger poles.

Now that the Master bath is "functional"  Wayne and Brenda get back to installing the vinyl in the main bath.  First the pattern,...

and cut to fit...

and glue...

Marty and Ken attempting to maneuver the vanity for the Master bath through the hallway and down the hallway to the right.  Good luck ....

How many NOMADS does it take to move 1 vanity down a 3 foot hallway?
Paul is thinking about it but what is he thinking?????

Dave is preparing to set the cabinets in the kitchen.

Stel and Dave begin setting and readjusting cabinets.

Some progress is made and leveling compound added by Marty and Dale where the dishwasher will go.

This is that oven cabinet our folks made a few weeks ago. Will it fit???

NOPE!  Adjust the cabinet....

Adjust the wall...

Jodi has been busy painting trim and shelving etc. but everyone is too busy to get her picture.  So, a "selfie" to the rescue

and there IS more than one kind of "selfie".

The wallpaper has arrived and God has provided us with two skilled and willing paperhangers in Brenda and Karen.

Make that CRAZY paperhangers.

This week Sally was finally able to finish staining and polyurethaneing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts

and Ken and Pat "coped" with some new skills.

and Marty and Dale worked on fixing all kinds of things like this door which had dropped and needed a threshold.

There has to be a stud here somewhere.

Good, attach that cabinet, ...   quick.

Yep!  Put some there too.  Did I tell you this is a big house?

Maybe we can find that stud from this side of the wall.

It's finally starting to look like we've done something this week & it's time to go home for the weekend.

Spring has arrived in Wimberly, TX

A special gift from the Lord.

(and a small gift from Jodi)