I guess that I should note that pretty much all of us on Sunset Hill are developing our handy (wo)man skills on-the-job. The extent of my own natural abilities in this department were probably best expressed through my job of moving concrete blocks from point A (the backyard) to point B (inside the foundation). Others, however, tackled head-on the challenge of building our foundation DIY-style, and with much success.
Here was our crew for the day:
Dave (blue sweatshirt and glasses), aka "Angel Sent From God Above" is a mason and father of 3 kids, two of whom are in Will's after school program at the Banneker Community Center. When he heard what we were doing, he offered to come and show us the way. He said he did it for "God points", of which I am happy to be a recipient. Other willing laborers (from left to right) included Huck, Guff, Carrie, Angel David and his 3 kids, Nate, and Will. Not pictured are Tim, Kristen, and myself.
So, on with the show...
Dave got us started with the first corner of the foundation:
Tim and Guff engaged in some problem solving:
Will took on the job of cutting blocks:
Nate and Tim mixed the mortar:
Hold on. Let's just pause for a second here.
This is Nate.
He likes to tell people that he's from Greene County. What you can't see in this picture is that his navel was showing for most of the day, which was pretty much only in the 40s. Nate is a friend via Young Life. Despite his shirt, he's been a big help in the project. He also works at Lowe's and must have sensed that someone was aimlessly wandering the aisles during a recent solo trip I took there. In my moment of despair Nate appeared from the sky (w/ a short sleeve shirt on) and saved the day. Before I knew it my car was loaded (not by me, by Nate) and I was on my way.
Our friend Huck was probably MVP of the day. He was really into this gig as a first-time mason and by the end everyone was looking to him for advice. He pretty much completed the first wall all on his own:
Carrie wasn't about to let the boys have all the fun and fame, so she jumped in to take over the detail work. By the end, she was laying block better than the rest of em' (sorry guys):
Kevin, inspired by Carrie's can-do spirit, picked up a power tool for the first time EVER in his life:
He loved it so much that he even picked up another one!
Will and Dave were doing their thang...
And by the end of the 1st day of the foundation project, we ended up with this:
Actually, the group worked way past sundown that first day and ended up almost finishing the first 3 walls. Smells of yummy food lead our weary bodies across the yard to the Blue House where a scrumptious meal made by Josh, Sam and Kristen awaited us.
Next up, Foundation, part II...
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