March 31, 2008 - April 4, 2008

It was Team Roadkill and the Mindbullitz first day to work together as a ten person team (imagine an octopus or squid like Ursula the sea witch). Monday was a bit of a slow start for the group as a whole. The Arch members were working as always to their full potential to finish running new bolts through the Arches, while the Top Sill/ Wall team took down the green house that at one time covered the arches. Off and on we aided the Arch team rebolting the connections between the arch and the purlins. Also, two people were nearly turned into cartoon characters. How? An arch nearly recruited them to the cast of Looney Toons if they did not move out of the way in time. But we are glad that they were unharmed. Other than that, we ran around tugging on the pants legs of our brethren with doe eyes crying for a task they could think of. Any task the arch team could come up with would have sufficed. I was told to make sure that gravity still existed on the church site. You know what? It did. Our next deal is to insure that we are better organized for the rest of the week. End of Monday.

No. No. No! It’s raining. Stuck at Red Barn on Tuesday. It is crunch time and we need to organize for the tasks that should be completed by Tuesday afternoon at 4 pm and prepare a schedule for Wednesday and Friday. Everyone had a job on Tuesday. Roadkill had to research vestibule and buttress design and create drawings for the next big meeting. Also, the Arch team made numerous calls to inform people that the great Arch Day has been pushed back by a week. Yeah, I cried myself to sleep too. All day Tuesday, both teams worked together on the church model. By 4pm, 98% of all tasks were completed (church model needs a little more time).

Early Wednesday morning, we discussed the day’s schedule over breakfast at M.O. (Mustang Oil) then we drove to the site. Wednesday morning, we were on top of it. We epoxied a few purlins, moved the large 45s, and moved the jig to bolt it back together. Wednesday was a good day. Any day that we as a team can leave the site bruised, bleeding, belching, and soaked from head to toe with the vinegar salt taste of sweat dripping from our noses like the creatures from Alien, then it was a good day. Walking towards our cars together joking about the day’s events as the sunsets makes it even better day.

Looks cleaner than it was on Tuesday. But of course it would. Why? It is the calm before the storm. Friday forecasts is a storm. Heather and Meghan epoxied the purlins again and worked on the large 45s. David helped hold and rebolt the arches and purlins. Delvin and Zane worked on the wood blocks that set the connection between column and arch. The rain started to pick up and that was the end of Friday’s work day. Oh believe. Alot was completed. Sanding, drilling, sawing, and graining. By the way, who wrote the message about graining? Oh no I said too much again!

Learning Objectives-

C) Develop skills in using materials and tools- It is quite a shock to know what the human hand is capable of without electric saws. The chamfered column by Alex and Blake is surely a marvel. 

L) Develop a commitment to personal development- It is extremely hard to get along with others when a job depends on cooperation amongst everyone. We all need a helping hand in the personal development area before we try to say that we can cooperate with others.

Next Week- The tracks are set for this train. We will place a bit more coal to get that fire burnin’ because the big day is just around the bend. Check over all tasks and make big decisions prior to next Wednesday.