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The Gordon Williams Project
Gordon Williams Lodge, Camp Nemo's New Program Centre had it's Grand Opening.
October 22, 2011
What a great day. I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped transform Gordon Williams Lodge. The HICOP now has a new home in Gordon Williams and it is perfect.
I would also like to thank all those who helped make our opening perfect. Especially Sharon Miller and Debbie Christie for organizing the opening and all the very important dignitaries, Scouting friends and family who were there to share the moment.
A special thank you needs to go out to John Edwards for surprising us with our SCENES charter. You made a memorable day even grander. That piece of paper represents as much time and energy as the renovations to the nature centre.
I am very proud to be associated with everyone involved in this project.
Grand Opening images can be found by clicking here.
October 21, 2011
Still no new images. I will post a long blog early next week with lots of images. Tomorrow is our grand opening and we are almost ready.
October 15, 2011
We are so close. This is so exciting. I cannot believe how much got done while we were away. The inside of Gordon Williams is almost finished. The path is only waiting on gravel.
The picnic shelter is almost finished. It needs some brackets installed which involves a lot of nailing (Volunteers Please??).
Debbie finished painting the back of the building today. The wind was howling and the rain kept drizzling but she stood on the 30 foot extension ladder determined to get the painting done.
Linda and Gerry spent the day, in the rain, splitting wood to clean up the area around the wood shed.
1st Bronte Scouts came and did a lot of cleaning up of brush and wood scraps around the building. They also hand made a wonderful coat rack for the HICOP. Thank you, we love having you at camp and showing such interest in the HICOP.
Linda and Debbie cleaned up the lower level so it is almost done. Marty and I put together four storage cabinets for the lower level and we all decided to get three more.
Just as we were leaving Rick Provo and Bruce Gilroy showed up to work on the last of the wiring. We gingerly asked for a couple of changes and Rick kindly took them in stride. What a great guy!
I would love to post images of the HICOP as it stands now but I have decided not to. You can come out tomorrow to get a sneak peak if you want but it is moving day so be prepared to help.
The grand opening is next Saturday October 22nd at 12:30 so that would be another chance to get a peak.
We can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.
September 18, 2011
Wow! I am torn. The HICOP is very near completion and I am heading out of the country tomorrow for three weeks. I so want to be here to help finish the renovations but I want to spend three weeks in Britain with my wife even more.
Debbie spent this afternoon painting the posts, beam and facia of the back porch while Marty and I filled nail holes in the trim.
The pathway is waiting for a bit more digging and gravel and the old fire pit needs to be raked out and seeded.
Rick Provo has installed all the receptacles and switches and only has the lighting to do. Sharon Miller, Amanda Reilly and Elaine Priest dragged a good portion of the pruned brush over to the burn pile. There is still lots to clean up if anyone wants to help out.
Now that the HICOP is in such good shape James and Marty will be focusing on the picnic shelter. If Turkstra Lumber gets the trusses to us in time it will be completed in time for the grand opening too.
I leave knowing that things are in good shape. All the major jobs are done so there are really only the little details and a lot of cleaning up to do. Counters still need to be built and we still need to move in but the building is very close to ready.
This will be my last post for at least three weeks and maybe my last until after the grand opening on October 22nd. We look forward to seeing you all there.
September 13, 2011
The end of this project is in sight.
Harold Hubber and Cam Napholc dug the holes for the footings for the new picnic shelter on Saturday. It looked pretty straight forward until they hit a rock. And a good sized rock it was. With much digging and prying and a chain they managed to lift it out. The first load of lumber for the shelter came today.
Debbie managed to finish painting all of the back of the building except what couldn't be reached. We didn't have a long enough ladder.
Marty installed the window trim. James and Marty installed all the quarter round trim around the tops of the walls. What a huge difference that made.
Today I filled all the nail holes in the trim while James painted the beams and Marty started on the flooring. When we finished what we were doing James and I helped with the flooring. All the flooring is installed in the main room and it looks fantastic. What a great choice.
There was a very loud Grey Tree Frog near the centre and Marty walked directly to where it was hidden in a rotting log. There is no way that I would have found it. Marty was excited because these frogs are so well camouflaged that they are rarely seen. He in fact had never seen one before.
Gordon Williams Lodge looks better than I ever imagined and I can't wait to see the reactions of visitors. The next job is to build and install counters.
September 8, 2011
Elaine and Linda put a second coat of paint on the back room on Sunday. They also picked grapes to make some jelly.
Debbie and I purchased some plants for her butterfly garden and we went out to camp so that she could plant them.
We took Monday off to enjoy the Labour Day holiday and were back at it on Tuesday. Marty boxed in the rest of the floor joist on the back and then put new siding over the repairs. I did some drywall repairs and put some colour in the stairwells.
Today Marty did some pruning out back and put some trim colour on the doors and windows. Does the darker trim ever set the door and windows off nicely. He also installed all but two of the window jamb extensions. The windows look so much better with the jamb extensions that I can't wait to see them with trim.
I did some more mud repairs on the drywall and primned everything that was left to prime. All the mud and drywall priming is finished. Yay!
I won't be getting to camp until some time in the afternoon tomorrow but my goal is to get all the walls and trim painted before a meeting at 6.
As the work progresses and the building looks better and better little things that we didn't even notice before are becoming ugly eyesores. I keep saying "The devil is in the details" and Marty quickly corrects me with "God is in the details".
The harder I work at this project the more energized I seem to become.
September 3, 2011
Yesterday Marty boxed in the floor joists on half of the back of the building and replaced the siding. He also put another coat of mud on the last of the drywall.
Today proved that "many hands make light work".
Today we started putting colour on the walls. Elaine Priest and Linda Mckaig were both there to help and help they did. I put the final skim coat of mud on the drywall while Linda started cutting in the colour in the main room and Elaine primed the window trim and put colour on the jamb extensions and quarter round for the main room. When I finished the mud I rolled colour on the main room. I then primed the remaining drywall.
While all this was going on Debbie Christie shoveled dirt and raked out her butterfly garden, kept feeding the burn fire and painted half of the back of the building up as high as she could on the too short ladder. She went higher than I have the nerve to go and that despite a swarm of wasps and one very aggressive carpenter bee.
As Debbie and I were leaving absolutely exhausted at 5:00 PM Elaine and Linda were merrily cutting in the green in the back room. I can't wait to see how far they got before they ran out of steam. The four of us completed in one day what I figured was going to take me a week. Marty was getting nervous because he figured I was going to go on vacation and he was going to end up having to paint and he doesn't have the time for that. I still have two weeks before I go away so now both of us can relax a little. There is still tons to do but we are getting there.
September 1, 2011
Is it really September already? Where did the summer go.
Mary Finch from Trout Unlimited Canada did a very nice write up in their blog about their day with us (click here to see it). I am reminded of a great day with a group of young biologists who actually laughed when we told them that our mascot was a Nemo Toad. Bronte Creek is an important source of fresh water and the work that they are doing in the creek watershed is as important to our health as it is to the health of the many aquatic animals that live there.
Marty was hard at it again today. I got there late as usual. We needed a piece of quarter inch plywood 2 feet by 4 feet so I headed off to get one. Unfortunately Rona would only sell me a full sheet so I drove to Turkstra Lumber in Waterdown where they happily cut a piece for me.
Marty finished making the last of the door and window jamb extensions. He put another coat of mud on the drywall around the door and then he helped me paint. The stairwell and kneewall have now been primed so the last of the dark wall colour is gone. Since Elaine is factoring this weekend Debbie and I will have at least one person helping with the painting on Saturday. We should get most of the colour on the walls, jambs and trim.
August 31, 2011
This may have been our best day yet. We are at the point where all the major construction is complete and we are cleaning up all the little jobs that need doing. Today Marty and James finished all the railings including the ramp. James replaced the side door with the old front door which is in much better shape. Marty and I put up the last of the drywall and Marty put the first coat of mud on it. I patched the hole in the ceiling and James finished the facias.
James took all the leftover strapping to the barn and we all did a gerneral clean up of the deck so it is no longer cluttered with construction materials.
I purchased all the interior paint and the drywall should be dry enough to paint by the weekend. We are getting close and it is looking even better than what I expected and I did have very high expectations.
August 30, 2011
It was another productive day today. Marty and I finished the planking on the ramp and started on the railing and James installed the front steps. The entrance looks much more inviting with the steps and the ramp looks great.
I can't wait to see it with the railing finished on the ramp end.
Friends have been bugging me to put pictures of myself in the blog and I finaly did today just to show off my new uniform. Red isn't my colour but it is starting to grow on me.
August 29, 2011
I still love my job. I was away for the weekend and when I came back today Gordon Williams Lodge had a side deck and ramp framed in and the deck boards on the flat deck.
No work will be done today because we are spending the day playing in Nemo Creek. Mary Finch from Trout Unlimited Canada and her team of Colin Oaks, Jeffrey Kranyak and Cateline Landry came to do an Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring Network (OBBN) sampling of Nemo Creek. Marty, James and I spent the day helping them collect samples in the creek and then we helped count bugs in the samples. They benefited from our help and we learned about sampling methods. Nemo Creek is an important feeder creek to Bronte Creek and an excellent spawning creek because the tree canopy and spring keep the water cool even in the hot summer months.
We would like to thank them for a fun and educational day and we look forward to having them back to study the fish population in the creek. We are always willing to learn more about our camp environment. I would also like to thank Mary for sending me some photographs. I was so excited by the thought of playing in the creek that I forgot my camera.
August 26, 2011
Great strides were made again today. It was early afternoon by the time I got to camp today and Marty and James had most of the last side deck and ramp framed. It is going to look fantastic when it is done.
Gerry showed up with the big back hoe so we had him remove the topsoil where the stone path is going to be. Most of the soil went over to where our fire pit is going to be but it was good looking soil so we had him put a shovelful near where Debbie's butterfly garden is going to be. That will help her out.
I will be away for the weekend and am looking forward to seeing the decking on when I get back on Monday.
August 25, 2011
It kept looking like it was going to storm today but we only got a sprinkling of rain at camp.
James and Marty spent the day digging holes and mixing concrete. The foundation for the last piece of deck and the ramp are now in place so work can begin on them tomorrow.
While they were slaving digging and mixing I installed a new latch and dead bolt on the new door. I also marked out the pathway with flags so that next time Harold and his bobcat are in camp he can dig them out.
A lot of trees have come down in the recent storms. Two big willows came down at the end of the bridge by the HICOP. One is over the end of the bridge and the other is hung up leaning across the middle of the bridge railing. They are only inches away from the bridge and both are blocking the path.
There is a lot left to do and it gets overwhelming at times but we are getting ever closer to the big move and it is a joy being involved.
August 24, 2011
By the time I got out to camp today Marty had the old door removed. By the end of the day the new door was installed. It still needs a lock set, which I will pick up tomorrow and a coat of paint so that it will match the building. We now have a fully accessible door and tomorrow James and Marty start on the ramp.
We also made and installed jam extensions for the four back windows. They just need to be painted and installed.
We had a visitor for most of the day. Since turkey vultures only eat dead things it is very unnerving having one patiently sitting watching you. Unfortunately I only had my wide angle lens with me so I couldn't get a decent photo.
This project is hard work for a guy that spent fifteen years as a systems analyst but the knowledge that we are doing something that will positively impact a lot of youth is so rewarding that I can't wait to get back out to camp tomorrow. I love my jobs.
August 23, 2011
What a fantastic few days in camp.
The 25th Nepean and 1st Carlow Scouts were supposed to leave early yesterday morning but because of legal restrictions on how long a bus driver can drive they were delayed a couple of hours. I had been saddened by the fact that they stayed at Camp Nemo and hadn't had a chance to see any of the camp so I was delighted to have a chance to take them down to the HICOP. They seemed to enjoy the visit and there was some excellent discussion comparing animals that they have in England to what we have here. I am not sure whether or not they were happy to know that we had no rattlesnakes, bears or moose in camp.
Some of them had bought HICOP crests and they could now say that they HICOPed.
All the drywall is finished and primed except for where the new door is going and around one light switch that had to be extended. Rick Provo has extended the switch so that section can now be finished.
The new front door arrived today so it can be installed and that drywall finished. The door looks great and is going to be the perfect finishing touch to the front.
Gerry did an amazing job of cleaning up the area where Tetonka was. I can't wait to get the fire ring moved over there. It will be a very inviting and intimate spot much like the fire pit down by Hencher only larger.
The chickadees and nut hatches line up on the railing waiting their turns at the feeder and there are about six chipmunks that are getting tamer by the day. They keep coming in the centre to see what I am doing but that is a problem because they could get locked in.
A number of people have said that they would love to help out in the centre both with program and with the construction. We have been so busy that we have been terrible at following up on these offers. Debbie Christie is taking on the task of organizing volunteers.
What exciting changes will tomorrow bring.
August 20, 2011
Today was a great day in camp. Debbie came with me. She finished painting the end of the building (except about 4 feet of facia that she couldn't reach) and then proceded to burn Tetonka and sort leftovers. She took a lot of garbage to the dumpster and piled a lot of steel and aluminum so that it can be reclaimed. In the process she came across a good solid table that she wants kept so that she can use it as an outside potting table with youth.
Sharon Miller came for a visit and interviewed Debbie so that Debbie is now one step closer to being a registered leader. I never thought that I would see the day that she would become a Scout leader but I am very excited about it.
Eriks and Bruce arrived and they weed wacked and cut grass. They are working hard at keeping the areas around the building looking good. They are truly demonstrating their commitment to camp as the "Camp Care Bears".
Joan and Colin Barty arrived late in the afternoon to check out the progress and offer their services. I suspect that Joan and Debbie will make a dynamite team in the craft room. Colin and Joan are both Project Wild trainers and we now have some room where we can put their skills to good use.
I managed to finish the skim coat in the back room and I got the front room primed. Does it ever look impressive. I was planning on taking Sunday off but the front room looks so good that I think that I will head back out tomorrow to prime the back room. Besides I told Marty that I would have it primed by the time he got back from vacation.
I may also get another chance to chat with the 1st Calow and 25th Nepean groups. 
August 19, 2011
I managed to get a fair bit done today. Cam, Evan and Harold were in camp. Cam is still working on the exhaust fan in Confed and Harold moved more of the dirt pile. He moved quite a bit of it over to Debbie's butterfly garden which made her happy.
They chatted with me enough that I got behind in what I wanted to get done but Cam sanded the walls in the main room in Gordie Williams for me and that caught me back up. The main room is now sanded ready to prime and the back room has its final skim coat of joint compound.
There is a group in Confed with 43 combined youth and leaders. The group is actually made up of two groups, one of which is 25th Nepean from Ontario near Ottawa and the other 1st Calow which is about 2 miles east of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England. They seemed to be having a great time and were heading out of camp to visit Niagara Falls today.
August 18, 2011
It was a very quiet day in camp today. I know that there is a group from England in camp but because the SWO camp booking review system is still down I have no idea who they are or where they are staying. They had left on a day trip by the time I arrived at 9:30 and they still weren't back when I left exhausted at 3:30. I was having so much fun that I totally forgot about lunch.
Because I dislike joint compound so much I spent the day alternating between mud and putting balusters on the front railing. When I quit for the day the railing was done and half the drywall. The railing looks great. The drywall slightly less professional.
I told Marty that I would have the drywall done and primed by the time he got back from vacation but without a somewhat large team of sanders and painters I can't see that happening.
I am glad that we decided to put balusters on the front railing. It looks awesome from the front but also creates a cozy feeling on the deck. I am still debating where my favourite spot to chill with a freezee really is.
August 17, 2011
Has it really been over a week since I last posted?
We are at the stage now where work appears to go very slowly. It is all the little jobs that take forever but pull everything together.
Marty and James are on vacation so work has slowed to a crawl. I am working at finishing the joint compound but it is not a job that I am good at so it is slow going. The large room is ready to prime and the back room should be by the weekend.
All but one of the bottom rails are installed for the railing on the front deck so all it needs is to have the balusters screwed on. It is all laid out so that is an easy job to finish. I am short one board and about 50 screws or that job would be completed.
Rick Provo has almost completed roughing in the elecrical and is now waiting for me to get the painting done so that he can finish. He was out at camp today to pick up scrap aluminum with Elaine and Amanda. Amanda is very observant and noticed a walking stick on the back of a chair. They are the weirdest bugs.
Cam was out a camp yesterday working trying to quiet the exhaust fan in Confed but I suspect that it is a hopeless task. It is a belt driven fan at the top of a duct that acts as an echo chamber.
Harold was with him and spent his time reducing the pile of dirt that we created. He helped Debbie by putting some of it where she is planning the butterfly garden.
The Hamilton Rovers where in camp on Saturday and they managed to remove most of Tetonka. There is still a lot of cleaning up to do but that job is getting close to done.
We are getting there but there is still lots to do. It is begining to look finished enough that I can't spend time in the building without getting excited about what the finished product will look like.
August 9, 2011
I spent the day getting in the way at camp again today. I went out to help but James, his friend Joey and Marty were putting mud on the drywall joints and that is a job that I am terrible at and it was raining too hard to paint outside. The drywall is very close to being ready to prime.
While James and Joey worked on the mud Marty built a shelf to hold the aquarium. We now need to apply for a permit so that we can keep fish.
I am flabbergasted every time I walk in the door. It is unbelievable how good the inside looks and it isn't even primed.
Marty and James leave Friday for a very well earned vacation. James of "James of All Trades" has done a fantastic job of keeping this project on schedule and within budget. Bravo!
August 7, 2011
Debbie and I went back out to camp today. She burned wood, painted and helped me hang more drywall when I needed another pair of hands. It was 26 degrees and 84% humidity when we arrived but the sun came out and the humidity dropped to a more comfortable 60%.
I still don't understand how Marty and Donna kept the building dust free while they were working on the drywall. I tracked dust everywhere. When we finished I swept up and Debbie followed with a mop but there is still a film of dust.
I forgot the memory card for my camera again so the images are taken with my iPad. I refuse to accept that I am getting more forgetful. I just have more stuff to remember. I did remember to leave Marty's tape measure.
August 6, 2011
Debbie and I went out to camp today. It seems quiet with no other workers around. We burned some wood and hung some more drywall but we are nowhere near as professional as Marty and James and as a consequence very slow.
We are also less careful about the dust and therefore made a huge mess that we had to clean up. It was nice being out to camp together and we did manage to move the project ahead even if only a little bit. We plan on heading out there again tomorrow to finish the drywall in the back room.
August 5, 2011
It was a busy day at camp but I arrived just as everyone was finishing up for the day.
Marty and Donna put up about half of the drywall. Do the rooms ever look bigger now. Rick Provo was there finishing up some of the roughing in of the wiring. Harold Hubber was using the tractor to whittle away at our pile of dirt. He is using it to fill holes around camp. He also put about 5 buckets of bark chips just off the back deck. It was all exposed clay and impossible to walk in, when it was wet, so the bark chips are a big help. Cam was in camp doing needed repairs in other buildings.
There is still lots to do but the end is at least in sight now.
August 4, 2011
It was another busy day at camp. Marty, James and I spent the day putting up insulation. It is now all installed and tomorrow Marty starts the drywall. With luck I will be able to join him. Even with just the foam insulation the rooms look brighter and larger. I can't wait to see them with drywall.
Sharon and Bob Miller showed up just as we were finishing up for the day. They were suitably impressed. It is fun seeing the reaction as people see the building for the first time. When I did the original drawing I figured that it was going to look good but I had no idea just how impressive it would be.
August 3, 2011
I am saddened by the sudden loss of a very dear Scouting friend. Advisor Brad Gillem passed away at the age of 56. We had many great times together as Venturer Advisors at 5th Ancaster. He will be missed by many.
Impressive progress was made while I was away.
The side railing is finished. The plan was to put balusters on the side railing, where they are required because of the drop, but to leave the front railing open. The side railing looks so good that we have now decided to close it in all the way around.
Today the insulation and strapping were completed in the back room. This is a great system. The foam is rabited to take the slats which means there is an uninterrupted sheet of foam insulation inside the building. This is going to reduce our heating bills substantially.
The Rovers have been working at removing Tetonka. It is starting to look like it will be gone by the time the Scouting year starts up again in September.
We were directed to some images on face book. They are of a three panel plywood display about Camp Nemo and they were taken at the World Jamboree in Sweden. I seem to recall someone telling me that they were going to set up a display but I can't for the life of me remember who it was. No it is not an age thing. I have always been forgetful.
July 28, 2011
Today was not a good day at camp. We can't paint because of the rain and we can't work inside because the insulation hasn't arrived yet.
Today was a great day at camp because we dodged a bullet and the rain means that fire bans will be lifted shortly.
I am heading north so there won't be any postings until next Wednesday.
July 27, 2011
I didn't get out to camp until late this evening. Debbie and I drove all the way to camp and I realized when I got there that I didn't have a memory card in my camera. Elaine was there and bailed me out with a loan of hers. As it turns out my images were too dark so I borrowed some of Elaine's. I also had to apologize to Amanda Reilly for getting her name wrong yesterday. I don't like to upset the hard workers.
Elaine and James shingled the back roof and then a team of I believe she said Marty, James Bruce and Cam finished the side deck. The front facia, posts and all the beams are now painted too.
We are getting closer and closer. It looks fantastic.
July 26, 2011
It was another very productive day at camp. The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm with a nice breeze.
Marty worked on the side deck while James completed the shingles and ridge vent on the front porch. Allen Eden and I put together a garden wagon donated to the HICOP by my father. When a load of lumber came at noon James, Allen and I joined Marty to work on the side deck. We managed to get it almost framed but we ran out of hanger nails.
We had a very hard working painting crew. Donna Albert decided that brushing and painting the front was to be her job and with the help of Elaine Priest and hard working Amanda Reilly almost the entire front got a fresh coat of paint. Old and slightly weather worn Gordie Williams lodge is beginning to look like a brand new building.
We have been putting off finalising a name because we have HICOP as our domain name, on crests and in marketing materials for the camp but it is also important to us to maintain the name Gordon Williams. We have decided to call the center the HICOP in Gordie Williams Lodge.
This is getting exciting.
July 25, 2011
I was only in camp very briefly again tonight. There are shingles on the front roof and the framing for the side deck is started. The original windows in the building were replaced at some time in the past with slightly smaller windows. The gap was caulked to seal them but the trim was never redone so the gap filled with calking was still visible. Marty redid the trim with rough cut pine like we use for bird boxes so it now looks more rustic and it covers all the calking that was exposed. It looks great.
Rick has most of the wiring roughed in so we are ready for the foam, strapping and drywall to complete the interior.
I am looking forward to being out at camp all day tomorrow. There is lots of painting to do.
July 22, 2011
I only managed to get out to camp long enough to check out the progress and to take some pictures. The back decking is all on and it looks amazing. This is going to be a favourite place to sit on the rare occasions that we get a chance to relax.
July 21, 2011
Hard to believe that it is even hotter than yesterday. Our outdoor thermometer is mounted in the shade and it indicated the temperature was 35.8. I put the indoor thermometer outside so that it would show the temp in the shade and the indoor temp indicated what the temperature would be in the sun. Unfortunately when the temperature reached 49 degrees C all the liquid crystal displays turned on making the screen impossible to read. We do know that in the sun it registered over 50. That was at 12:51 PM.
Despite the heat Marty and James managed to get all the plywood on the back roof and started framing the rear deck. We all packed up at 1:00 pm and headed to cooler places. I want to thank Bruce Riddiough for keeping us supplied with freezies. They tasted sooooo good and helped to cool us off a little.
Work is progressing close to schedule and it is exciting watching things take shape.
July 20, 2011
Oh man it was hot today and tomorrow is supposed to be worse.
James and Marty managed to get the whole back roof framed today and Rick Provo got most of the wire pulled. Rick's new camp sign looks fantastic. We now have signs visible from both directions on #2 side road.
All in all it was a very productive day considering the working conditions.
July 19, 2011
I spent part of the day cutting holes so Rick Provo can mount the receptacles and the rest of the day getting in the way of the real workers.
James and Marty managed to get all the decking on the front deck and they finished the plywood on the front roof. James also installed all the drip moulding on the front roof.
They have everything set up to work on the back deck tomorrow and it looks like it is going to be another hot day.
Other than Bruce, who is helping all week, a small fawn and a White-marked Tussock Moth caterpillar were our only visitors today. The fawn was very curious until I got my camera out.
July 18. 2011
I was in camp in the morning but I had errands to run. Marty and James managed to get the footings for the back deck poured and all the trim around the front deck completed.
Will this heat ever let up?
July 16, 2011
I had another wonderful day at camp. Debbie came out with me again today and with the help of Yvonne Oliver she sifted dirt and got a start on her butterfly garden.
Charlie Oliver and Bruce Riddiough helped Rick Provo drill holes and pull wire for the new receptacles. Of course Charlie had his thermoses filled with coffee for when we slowed down.
Marty finished all the finicky framing for the edging on the deck.
Tearing down Tetonka and removing the rubble is a project taken on by the 1st Hamilton Rover Crew. They had a good turnout to tear the building down. Since then Andrew "Goat" Gauthier and David Blaskivich have been going at removing the rubble. They worked their tails off in the heat today and made great progress. The shingles are gone. The crew should be proud of them.
Gerry is setting the posts for the sign by the road so they will be ready for the new sign boards.
It warms my heart to see so many people wanting to get involved in the camp. There is lots to be done and the more hands the better. Tomorrow is a day of rest but we start in earnest again on Monday.
July 15, 2011
I arrived in camp just as eveyone was packing up for the day. Harold has the holes dug for the back deck footings and was busy using the dirt to fill holes here and there around camp. He also repaired some of the pot holes in the road.
Marty and his wife, Donna, had the whole front deck framed. It took 600 nails, most of them in joist hangers. That is a lot of hammering. The footings will be poured and some of the decking should go down tomorrow.
July 14, 2011
More heat and lots more done.
Marty forgot his camera and I brought mine without a memory card so no pictures today.
Harold worked all day on the rear excavation and it is now down to grade. The holes for the back deck will be marked out and dug tomorrow. He also dug the holes for the new sign at the road. The old one has been cleaned and sanded by Rick Provo and repainted by Elaine Priest. It looks amazing. A matching sign will be put on the opposite side of the drive so that it can be seen when coming from the Appleby Line direction.
Marty and James moved all the decking boards and stacked them on a picnic table so that they wouldn't warp. That in itself is a big job on a hot day. They also removed three snakes and laid out and installed the two beams that will support the front deck.
July 13, 2011
Camp was a beehive of activity today.
Elaine Priest was finishing up cleaning up all the scrap metal behind the barn.
Rick Provo with Elaine's help was starting the wiring of receptacles and lighting.
Harold Hubber arrived with his Bobcat and did most of the required excavating for the back deck. Unfortunately a nail in a tire slowed him down a bit. Harold and his bobcat mean that work will still be right on schedule.
James managed, with Marty's help, to get all the rafters up and installed. It was a slow go because they discovered that the building was three inches out of square. They sorted it out and even managed to get half of the plywood down. Tomorrow the drip flashing and shingles should be installed.
There are two huge garter snakes in a hole in the siding. I keep expecting one to lash out and bite someone in the butt when they walk by. The will have to be evicted before the deck work starts.
It was another very hot day and I was getting overheated just watching them. It looks like this heat will be with us for at least a few more days.
Many people have commented that my artists concept made Gordie Williams look impressive but Marty and James are taking it to another level. They have perfectly captured a post and beam look. I can't wait to get out there tomorrow.
July 12, 2011
Marty and James Albert have been very busy.
The first major job was actually done by Elaine Priest. She single handedly took all the bunks from Gordie Williams down to Anniversary Lodge in one piece using only a wheel barrow.
Eriks weed wacked all the grass and weeds so that the footings could be laid out.
I missed Rick Provo but I do know that he has been sizing up the rewire of the building. He will be installing a new service panel better lighting and more receptacles.
The biggest problem with renovations is the fact that there are so many surprises. There are critter holes all around the building. When he removed the old side deck Marty found a big one in a joist right under the side door. This has now been repaired.
A hydro locate was done and holes were dug for the footings for the posts to support the extended roof and the front deck. The holes had to be dug by hand because the Bobcat wasn't available. A laser level was used to put a benchmark line around the building and the footings were poured and leveled on Friday.
The first load of lumber came yesterday and the beams were laminated and cut to shape. The posts were cut and notched to take the beams and the first post and beam was erected. A fantasic day's work considering the 30+ temperatures and high humidity. Cutting rabits and angled dados in six by six beams is tough, slow and tedious but James and Marty plodded along.
Today was another hot day but work carried on. All the posts and beams to support the roof extension are now erected and work will start on the rafters tomorrow. It was miserable working in the heat and Marty and James did their fair share of moaning (mostly Marty) but they didn't slow down much.
Tetonka is now down but there is still a lot of work to be done cleaning up the site.
My wonderful wife, Debbie Christie, is getting excited about the project too. She is busy planning a butterfly garden just outside the front of the building.
I am so glad that I am able to be a part of a project like this. I have loved Camp Nemo since I was a Cub and it feels really good to be a part of it's growth.
June 29, 2011
I am late posting this. Even Scouters get some time off. On June 29th we were treated to a fantastic reception at the new Keg Steak house and Bar in Waterdown behind the Canadian Tire in the power centre. We were presented with a cheque for $25,000 at that reception.
That was the beginning.