Done at Clarence, MO

     We finished working at Camp Jo-Ota on Thursday October 22.  It had rained a lot that week, over 2 inches in one day.  ugh.   We completed the wall, mudded, sanded and painted one side.  The benches, made of rough log planks, were installed in the area we had cleared.  The carpets in a couple of cabins were shampooed (bunks moved and cleaned under).   The valves in several toilets were installed.  We left feeling we didn't quite finish anything, but a lot had gotten done.  There will be work to do for a long time.

     I will attempt to add a picture or two.  I just figured out how to do that.  ....

I think I did it....should've done this long time ago.  I'm so good at this computer stuff (not).

     We left on Friday.  The others were headed to their homes.  I came to my brother's in Kansas.  It's been fun visiting him and all his family.   I also attempted to clean  the Jambo's roof.  Look out below!!  The only thing that broke was my scrub brush when I threw it down from up above.

      Friday Oct. 30 I will leave here and head to Perryville, Arkansas to do a three project at Heifer Project.  I am excited about that.

Rain, Rain, Rain

     We have been in Clarence, MO for 14 days now and have had 12 days of rain.  The driveways around camp are muddy and our RVs are slowly sinking in their parking spaces.  We walk around backs of cabins to get to our places for work.  yuck.  Well, at least it's not the snow that there's been in PA.  It's been cold here, but hopefully it'll warm up some this weekend.  The acorns dropping onto the roofs of the RVs sound like gunshots while one sits inside.  Its nerve-wracking when the wind blows.

    So far we have built a new wall that enlarges the sanctuary, dry-walled, mudded, and sanded it. We also tore out a piece of the floor in a cabin and replaced it, vacuumed and shampooed the carpet. 

     Last weekend we went to Hannibal, MO (about 45 miles from here).  We toured the birthplace of Mark Twain and The Mark Twain museum, which houses several original Norman Rockwell paintings.  We then went on a riverboat on the Mississippi for a dinner cruise.  My brother joined us for the day's events.  It was a good, but chilly, day.

     One more week here.  Then we'll see if we can get out of the mud pits.  This Sunday at church is Round-up Sunday.  Everybody is to dress in cowboy attire.  YEEEHAA

Clarence, Missouri

      There was a week between the NOMADS Annual Meeting and the next project.  During that time I had a wonderful visit with a high school friend and then with a former deaf student.  It was fun to get to see them and gab on and on.  

     I arrived here at Camp Jo-Ota on Saturday.  This is a UM church camp.  Our team  has only 4 members.  One couple had to cancel.  We are helping to fix up the camp buildings and grounds.  It had been neglected and almost closed.  The new director has built up the camp's usage and it now has a full summer schedule and is regularly used on weekends by various groups in the off-season.  The grounds are beautiful, but the buildings are old and in need of a lot of TLC.  This will continue to be a NOMADS project for a long time.

     Today we tore down a wall to make the sanctuary larger.  In the afternoon we worked outside while the weather was nice.  We cleared an area to create an outdoor sanctuary near a small lake.I used the chain saw.  rrrrrrrrrrr