Camp Tanako, Arkansas

Here we are in Arkansas at this UMC Camp to help with maintenance & repair.

It's a beautiful drive into the camp

and a beautiful lakeside campground.

This is the Administration building,

some of the cabins and swings (the latter built by former NOMADS teams)

and our campground.

and this is our crew.  From the left front, Jerrel, Linda, Jay and Beth with Stel and Jodi in the rear.

We are currently working in two cabins.

The tile are coming loose and the subfloor is buckled.  We are all working in the same area.

Stel is removing tile,

as is Jerrel

and Jay

and Jodi.

Beth , Jodi and Linda carry out the debris.

Thlen Jerrel cut the OSB in small pieces

Stel & Jay pry up the OSB while Linda tries to contain the debris.

One room had plywood subfloor that had warped.  It is removed and put into the truck to haul to the dumpster.

Levelling the floor for new plywood.

Jay and Beth measuring for plywood sheets.

Jay and Jerrel cutting new plywood and putting it in place.

Jerrel, Stel & Linda attaching the plywood with deck screws.

Jodi learning to use the driver to add screws as well.

Beth and Linda fill the cracks with compound.

Stel finally gets the last screw into the plywood but can she get up after 4 days?

Stel sands joints to remove ridges.

Beth and Jodi clean the floor for vinyl.

2 rooms have plywood so now Jay, Stel, Linda and Jerrel start installing the "click" vinyl sheeting.

Next day, Stel and Beth and Jay are nearing the final wall in this room.

Jerrel busy cutting addtional spacers to keep vinyl tile away from the wall.

The Camp directors visit at the end of the first week to see how we are doing.

As one room is finally finished,

Jarrel and Jay move bunk beds from the other side of the cabin so we can work on the other side.  At the end of  2 weeks, we have two rooms completely tiled, 2 other rooms with new plywood and have begun installing tile in a third room.

On Wednesday of week 2, some local NOMADS bring us lunch and we share the meal with full time campground staff.

It's time to rest before these guys decide we're their lunch.

Final week in Wimberly, TX

This week we return to the home where we replaced the garage roof when we were in Wimberly a month ago.  Since then, NOMADS have repaired and repainted the exterrior of the house and the garage, replaced the back door and built a deck on the rear and new ramp and railings on the front porch.  They have also installed laminate floor in several rooms and have begun replacing trim and baseboards.  We are asked to finish some work including replacing the side garage door, replacing the water heater, replacing wallboard and subfloor in the laundry room and finish the baseboard in the living room/dining room.

Co leader Helen, left and homeowner Carmen review what is needed for the garage door and...

Mark & Deb begin to replace it.

Stel watches while Deb learns how to use a hand router to set the door hinges.

Once installed, Mark and Deb give a door a final coat of paint.

Stel prepares a new threshold for this closet and...

Lee Ann stains it to match baseboards.

Barry cuts & installs pre-stained baseboards

while Stel repairs some wall trim.

Rob investigates for laundry room repairs, then...

assists Steve in replacing the hot water heater.

Helen and Sally help reorganize the garage and

Dave (right) and Bobbie cut panel to fit laundry room floor.

Patty cleans up sawdust,

Rob adds to the dumpster.

Not sure what this little monkey (Deb) is up to.

 Next day, 3 crew members return to 3 houses to finish up items.   The rest of the crew move on to a new house where they will be joined by a half dozen college grads connected with Americore travelling the country and assisting with various recovery projects.

This house is a modular replacement for a home that was hit by flood water and moved off it's foundation.  Between flood waters and sewage backup, the family lost everything.  This house sits high on the hill above the river but not high enough when the highest flood waters reached 41 feet (normal is 5 feet).  The flood was Memorial Day weekend, 2015 yet with all the red tape and ordering time, the family have been in this new home only a few weeks.

Now they need front and read decks and skirting to make things "liveable" especially for the 2 dogs, one of which is blind from birth.

Two staircases are their only acces and these temporary stairs are 2 feet below the doorway.

Everyone joins in unpacking supplies just delivered.

Ayanna from Americore and Bobbie begin cutting the joist.

Lee Ann & Barry begin deck layout and

Stel prepares spacers for attaching the faceplate to the house.

Ayanna, Stel, Helen, Rob and Barry have stationed the deck frame & cement pillars so we're almost ready to raise the deck and ...

All hands raise the deck and clamp it to the posts.

Then Stel, Barry, Lee Ann and Helen attempt to level the deck.

Everyone joins in to "bump" the supports to move it enough to make it square.

Meanwhile, Mark and Bobbie begin cutting the framing for the skirt.

Patty, Mark and Ayanna begin assembling the frame.

Patty, Helen, Justin and Layla install the skirting frame.

Layla and Mark continue building framing.

with a hammer as big as she is, Ayanna secures the frame to the ground with 10 inch spikes.

With the deck frame attached to the house & all supports in place, Stel begins marking the first deck board while others work on the skirting.

Bobbie and Layla learn to attach deck boards and keep spacing equal.

Barry begins cutting stringers for the stairs 

and with Stel's help, checks the fit.

Rob and Patty continue cutting deck boards.

Jodi cuts blocks to support deck boards at the corners and...

Stel installs those blocks.

Bobbie & Layla attaching deck boards - Bobbie loves her new talent with this driver.

Patty, who doesn't do "machines" learns how to use this sabre saw.

Helen and Lee Ann getting practice cutting framing.

The stair frame is ready and Rob,
Barry, Stel and Lee Ann begin attaching it to the deck.

This picture is just to prove how busy this place is.

Bobbie and Stel position the next to the last board and measure for fit of the final board.

All boards are in place & Stel sands the edges to make sure the transition to the house has no "toe catchers".

The Americore kids install railings and ballisters.

Alex, Barry and Stel calculate the positioning of the posts.

Barry, Stel, Lee Ann  and  Bobbie calculate placement of mid-line posts then ...

Stel begins cutting the posts to support railings.

Steve, Sallly and Dave have finished the other houses and come to help with the Skirting.

The process begins again on the deck at the rear of the house by Stel, Barry and Lee Ann marking the starting point with a plum line.

At the end of the day, the framing is also in place on the rear deck.

We don't have time to finish but at least the front deck and stairs are usable and the support for the siding on the skirting is finished in front.

As our time on this project is over, we are praying that someone will be available soon to finish this home.

But...what made this entire day, week, month and winter worth our efforts was and the end of this week ...

We watched that old blind dog use the new deck and steps to access the yard.  There were cheers everywhere.

So now our time in Wimberly is over and as we head toward Arkansas, we remember that we promised you pictures of the Blue Bonnets, so

here they are with other wild flowers,

by themselves, 

and close up.

See you next week.