Falfurrias, Texas - Week 2

 

 Week 2 in Falfurrias is a continuation of our work on Irma's home.  Several continued the work of scraping paint from the old siding.

 

including Jan,

Letti and Jodi

 

and Judy.

Jerry set about covering the front attached shed with new plywood

with the assistance of Gene.

Stel & Dave set out to complete construction of the side porch deck.

And the finished porch.

Next project is to remove the rest of the rotten siding at the bottom of the rear of the house.  Jan is beginning the work.

Stel and Letti and Jodi continue to remove the siding.

Everyone decided since there so many small pieces on the back with rotten edges we should remove at least one half of the back all the way up.  Dave and Stel brought in the scaffolding and began the remainder of the removal process.

During the tearout, Letti and Jodi began priming the additional siding needed.

A lot was needed and this is the first batch.

Dave and Stel then began installing the previously painted siding to the side

and to the rear with the help of Jerry and Judy to stabilize our "ups and downs".

By the end of the week, all the siding had been replaced.

In the meantime, others were beginning to paint including Judy,

Gene on trim,

Letti and Judy painting the shed

and Judy working on tough spots.

And Gene painting the high places.


By the end of the week we were all getting excited because things were starting to look good and we could project the finished product in our minds.  We don't often get to see things "finished" on these short term projects so this is really exciting for all of us.


In our "off hours"  Stel decided that the "peeling" finish on the church's picnic table was not so "appealing" so she sanding the top and benches and then applied a stain and sealer.  Not enough time to redo the whole table but at least the top and benches now have more protection .

Then Gene got into the act and decided that the cross and flame on the shed at the church was peeling and faded so he would clean it up and give it a new coat of paint.  Looks much better.

On the weekend, we all traveled 90 miles south to the First Methodist Church in Mercedes, Texas to attend a luncheon for all the NOMADS working in Texas this winter.

It was a good crowd and a great opportunity to visit with "old friends" and make some new ones.

 

So, next week is our final week in Falfurias, Texas.  I thought you would like to meet the wonderful lady we have been working for.

This is Irma.  She loves her NOMADS and has cooked 2 meals for us although she probably can't afford it.  We love her too and love seeing her happy face as her house improves.  Look forward to next week.

Falfurrias, Texas - Week 1

Our hosts for the project in Falfurrias, TX is the First UMC.

The church has provided hookups for our RVs in their rear parking lot.  They are also the source of the project by providing the funding and organization of a community outreach program to help needy residents in their area.

This year's project is the home of an elderly widow.  The house is in bad need of paint,

windows are broken and poorly protected,

siding is rotted and insect damaged,

and porches and ramps are rotted and collapsing.

Stel and Jan begin tearing out the back porch and ramp

Judy begins removing nails from pieces that may be reused while Jodi takes the unusable pieces to the trash area.

We also began removing rotten  siding boards on the side of the house

and on the rear of the house.

Gene, Jerry Letti,Dave and Judy also began assessing needs on the front porch.

Jerry, Gene and David began removing the corner post and unsound floor boards on the porch.

Damaged trim pieces are removed.

new trim pieces salvaged from old pieces are added and a new sill made from other scrap material.

Dave and Stel begin building the new side deck and replacing siding.

Progress is being made.

Judy and Jodi begin painting siding and trim with primer

and Judy begins final painting the trim pieces.

Judy working on removing peeling paint,

as are Letti and Jan

and Jodi  helping remove siding.

Jan also cutting out damaged siding with  Stel holding on.

Gene beginning the replacement of porch supports.

Gene and Jerry preparing to cover the front windows with new plywood.  The owner has had her home broken into several times and wants the windows covered for her protection.  Our role will be to attempt to make it look more natural.

Gene and Jerry covering windows with guidance from Joel who is the liason to the church's outreach program.

With a busy first week behind us, we all drove over to the Gulf for an evening meal

at "The Famous King's Inn".

Our crew, from the left, Gene, Letti, Jan, Jerry, Dave, Judy, Jodi and Stel.  (Don't know who that other guy is.)  More to come next week.

Kings Ranch, Kingville, Texas

In route to our NOMADS project, we stopped at the famous Kings Ranch in Kingville, Texas.  The Ranch has 825,000 acres which explains why it is so famous.

First stop is the Visitors Center

where we got our first glimpses of the the unique breed of cattle for this ranch

and the prerequesite longhorns.

There is the traditional "bunk house" appearance.

We took the bus trip of the Ranch and one of our first encounters was this longhorn bull.

Some of the unique breed of cows. 

Some Sandhill cranes.

More cows and their babies.  Each season, there are @ 11,000 babies born on this ranch.  There are two seasons each year.

The Ranch provides a "colony" which is free housing for Ranch employees including utilities.

A sample of employee housing.  Not bad!

We come to the King Mansion but we're not allowed to stop because the house is still available to family members.

A view of the kitchen for the Mansion.

One of several shops for the ranch hands.  Cowboys use Ford trucks for Ranch work these days.  How sad is that!