THE TIME HAS COME FOR THE MAIN EVENT which will start with a little prep work and then on Wednesday, the first of August, the hammers will begin pounding. Before the weekend is through, in less than five days, the plan is to have the entire structure under roof. ¹

Under roof is a building term meaning the entire structure will be shingled, all outside sheathing on, and all doors/windows will be installed.

I arrive onsite at five-fifty this morning, find the gate already open and drive through to a parking space. Immediately, the two brothers walk out to greet me and then head to their vehicle to drive home. I don′t blame them because there is no food service today and they have been here and awake for over ten hours. I take my position at the gate and at six-thirty, Warren arrives to begin the layout and says that the coordinators will be here soon. I tell him that the three coordinators that we have do not normally arrive until after nine am at the earliest. He goes to work and begins moving two by sixes and making measurements. I return to the first aid trailer and begin working on photos. Later, I drive to the store for a battery charger to replace the one I have lost.

Shortly after one pm, the brothers begin to arrive, including the Project Coordinators (PC) Steve and Gary and most ask if they are allowed to park here today. I tell them that the parking restrictions do not begin until tomorrow. The layout work begins first for the exterior six inch walls. The bottom board, (a pressure treated two by six) laid flat on the concrete is called a sill plate and will be bolted to the concrete. The sill is first marked and then drilled at the locations where the bolts go through. Next the sill is marked with the location where each stud is to be attached. The board at the top is called the top plate and it too will be marked where each stud is to be attached. It is amazing how much work goes into the layout process, much more than I am describing here, but it will make it so easy tomorrow for the framers. All they will have to do is nail the walls together and stand them up.

In the early afternoon, Steve and Gary are both in the construction office and I am just outside of it when Guy and Nancy drive onto the project site and walk up to the office. They tell the coordinators that they have laminated artwork from the young children in the Oak Harbor Congregations and would like to have it hung in the dining tents. Both coordinators agree that it would be a great idea and then Steve turns to me and asks, “Thom, can you hang these?” to which I say that I would be glad to. I get right to work and hang them in both the serving tent and the dining tent.

I arrive at the parking site and catch the shuttle to the job site arriving at six-ten am. I see that there are four parking attendants already on duty and I am not needed for parking today. The attendant overseer does ask me if I will spot for the fork lift and I readily agree. I think that this will be great and that I will have time to take photos during the day too. I am introduced to Eric who will be driving the fork lift and I sit with him for a while. I notice that the property has been divided into two areas, the construction area (red) and the dining-recycle area (green) and anyone working in the red area must have a red area badge. The walls begin to be raised, first some of the smaller ones and then one of the long ones. I am busy spotting for the fork lift driver during the first few wall lifts but then we get a break and I get some great photos of the south wall of the main auditorium wall as it is lifted in place. The walls continue to stand up and sheathed as the morning continues. As each wall is lifted, the scaffolding crew goes to work and puts up the outside scaffolding which will be used in sheathing, siding and roof work. Too, this crew is also constructing the scaffold in the interior of the auditorium which will be used for the truss hoist tomorrow. Further, there is a large group of volunteers in many other areas including: Cleaning, First Aid, Food Serving, Kitchen, Parking, Rooming, Safety, Shuttling, Trucking, Volunteer Service Desk, and many other department that I don′t even know about who are all working extremely hard on this project. My personal thanks goes out to all of them for being available to the Oak Harbor Congregations during out Hall Raising.

There is over a hundred at the meeting just before the lunch prayer and Steve ² says that the work is going so well and when we finish the exterior walls and get all the sheathing up, then everyone can go home. I think this motivational expression worked very well because the last sheets of sheathing were nailed at five pm just before supper. The supper was just as great as today′s lunch, no, it was much better and then everyone began to pack out. I too, leave to unlock my home for my quest who after taking a shower joins me and we talk for a while before he goes to bed.

My guest Jan and myselƒ leave for the project parking lot at fifteen before seven and stop first for a cup of coffee. We then take the shuttle and arrive at the project site just after seven and in time for breakfast. There is a completely different crew working the serving line today. After breakfast, there is a toolbox meeting where we get safety directions. Next, it is time to work and everyone does so. The city inspectors drive onto the project site and do a walk through inspection, passing everything. I am told that they are totally impressed with our craftsmanship and quality of work; the PC invites them to lunch tomorrow. Final touches are done to the walls in preparation for hoisting the trusses onto the wall top plates. The truss hoist truck was suppose to arrive just after noon but a call was made yesterday requesting an earlier arrival and the truck with Dwight arrived at ten-thirty am. I see him walking through the site, an older man with six inches of beard, so I walk toward the entrance and see the hoist truck on the street. He is checking the property layout to determine if he needs to back in or can just head in. It does not take long for him to set up and then begin lifting the first bunch of trusses to the eastern side of the auditorium.

Then the trusses are lifted one by one by hand and nailed into place, ten before the call for lunch. Dwight is invited for a meal and the PC begins to make announcements and calls on first Steve, then Patrick, and Dale as each stand for their comments. Then, Dwight raises his hand and Gary says somewhat restrained "Yes, Dwight?" Dwight stands up and begins talking “I have been setting up trusses for Kingdom Hall project for a long time and every single time I see a people who work together well, are kind to each other, are always smiling, and are in general the nicest people I know. Thank you for letting me be a part of this.” Gary thanks Dwight and then says “There are over a hundred witnesses here today but I want to be the first before anyone else does to offer you a Bible study.”

As the truss setting continues into the afternoon the roof crew begins to nail the sheathing onto the top of the completed trusses. Meanwhile the scaffolding crew is removing the scaffold in the middle of the main auditorium so that the stage and walls can begin to be constructed and as the trusses across the main auditorium are set, more scaffolding is removed. During this time, the vertical and horizontal support beams for the drive through are set in place and trusses over these beams are also put into there spots.

It amazes me how many different directions the work is progressing all at the same time. Yes, I am totally in awe! Further, everyone is concerned with the well being of each other: Are you drinking enough water?; You are beginning to look a little red, are you wearing sun block?; You look tired, you should sit down for a while; and many other expressions of love and concern. But, what touches me the deepest are the smiles I see everywhere, especially when I know those smiling the most are exhausted from the work and drained from the heat. If this is anything indicative of what is to come, whoa, I want to be there.

After the last truss is put into place, Dwight lowers the truck boom and soon drives off of the site. Looking around at the progress of the work and with much of the sheathing on the roof, I think to my self, “We now have a Kingdom Hall!” and that this is the first time I have called the site a Kingdom Hall for several months. Further, the Hall has been a long time in coming and I am agog for it to be finished.

The work slows to a halt and we gather for a prayer and for the evening meal. During the meal, Steve tells us that we have a surprise for tomorrow but does not tell us what. Also, it is announced that the city inspectors who came in the morning were so impressed with the craftsmanship and quality of our work, not to mention our outstanding attitude and unity while working together that they apparently went back to city hall and began to talk it up there. Then, the same two inspectors came back this afternoon and said that the mayor would like to come tomorrow for tour as well. Later, I return home with Jan and after I take my shower, I return to the project site to take photos of the Hall and then meet John and Karen from Ferndale who are in their motor home and serving as security guards for the evening. They invite me in and I also meet Chica, their security Chihuahua. She begins to bark at me but I put my face on the floor at the top of the entrance steps and she walks slowly up to sniff me. She remains shy but it will not be long before we bond. I head for home and hit the sack.

Arriving at the parking site and take photos of the local volunteers. I see John and Karen getting into a shuttle to go for breakfast before they retire to their motor home to sleep for the day. I too, get into a shuttle and arrive just in time for breakfast. A new serving crew is at ready during the prayer and then I sit at the entrance/entrada greeting the hoard of workers as they approach. Many I call by name and say good morning; others, I say welcome to Oak Harbor, thank you for being here and ask for their name. During breakfast, Ron is called upon to give an experience. Soon, the work begins with the nailing of sheathing to the trusses while the fork lift has the stack of green board at ready for the roof workers. Because the fork lift is stationary for such a long time holding the green board, I get to explore and take photos. However, when I hear the engine on the lift start, I come running because I have the whistle. Also, Jeff, who was the fork lift driver yesterday, is now framing and Greg is the driver.

At eleven am, the city inspectors arrive and tell me that the mayor will be here shortly but will only stay for about ten or fifteen minutes. The mayor does arrive and the attendants have reserved a space right up front for him. He is greeted by Mark the city liaison, given a hard hat and introduced to Steve, and Gary, the project coordinators. I approach and ask if I can take photos and he posses for one. Then he goes to the construction office to see the Hall plans. Next, Steve and Gary walk with the mayor to the Hall and into the stage right door and I continue to take photos throughout his tour. At one point Zeniada from the Oak Harbor Spanish congregation, pushing a broom sweeps the floor right past the mayor. Several have remarked that she comes early, gets a broom and dust pan and works tirelessly all day keeping the inside of the hall clean of all sawdust and wood. Steve and Gary point out several features all through the Hall tour and then they leave the main auditorium into the entry area and finally outside to the drive through. Another brother who is also an overseer asks me why I am taking photos of the mayor and I reply that I was asked to. He then asked me “Who asked you?” I am trying to remember when Roger steps up and said “I did.” The overseer then left me alone to take the photos. I love this brotherhood, even more now since this Hall Raising began and I know that we are are imperfect so I do not let these little things bother me. Soon the mayor gives up his hard hat and walks toward his car and I approach him to tell him that I am uploading the photos to my website and ask him if I could include the photos of him. He readily agrees and then pulls out one of his business cards to give to me and asks, “Would you email me a link to the site?”

Soon, there is a call for lunch and as I am approaching the serving tent I smell something fishy and comment about it to Steve. He motions me to keep it quite and then when everyone has arrived for the prayer, he announces that we are having salmon, clams and fried onion rings. Yes, the meals keep getting better. Afterwards, the work resumes and by supper, the entire roof is sheathed and covered with underlayment, a paper that goes down before the shingles. I walk inside the main auditorium and find that the stage floor is complete as well as the walls in the four corners of the main auditorium. Then I walk into the entry area and likewise find all of the framing for the bathroom walls competed. I heard from Angela that there will be some be beautiful decorative tile work in the entry way.

In retrospect, today was a really remarkable day.

Today, I sleep in and decide to take the weekend off. Then I drive to the parking lot and arrive on the Hall construction site at eight. I go directly to the fork lift and hand the spotter the whistle. Then, I go directly to the serving tent to get a cup of coffee. Finally, I look for both my camera and the battery charger and find both. I take a couple of photos and then take a shuttle back to the parking site where I take photos of both the parking crew and the kitchen crew. Finally, I get in my can and leave for home, but before I go home, I stop at the bank and leave a photo of the progress at the end of the second day that I have printed for them. I plan to print more photos and leave them at the bank as well as the manager of the local Starbucks who provided enough coffee for one hundred people on Thursday morning. At nine am, I arrive back at my home and immediately back to sleep for another eight hours because it seems that I have developed a large sleep debt over the past three months.

The roofing work began with lifting the shingles to the roof at eight am and the last shingle was nailed on the roof just before noon. The area was approximately 60 squares, some 6000 square feet which was completed in less than four hours. After lunch, the construction office was also shingled and the fascia trim installed. The construction office, after the Hall is completed will become our landscape maintenance shed and will be located in the northeast corner near the cedar wooden fence behind the Hall. From what I understand, we are well ahead of the construction schedule. Also, there are many experiences that are coming in about not only relations with the neighbors, but with both businesses and interested persons.

I awake shortly after five, get into my van and drive to the parking site which I find is completely empty. I continue to the Hall site and find it vacant of any workers and pull up to the gate only to be met by John who is the security guard for the evening. I drive in, park my van and then John, Karen and myselƒ have supper together by gleaning from the serving tent refrigerator. I have scalloped potatoes, peas and carrots, cantaloupe and a chocolate covered gram-cracker all from the leftover bins. Then I return home to work for a few hours on the Chronicle narrative before going to sleep.

Please forgive me for not having all the current photos uploaded to the photo gallery as I have been wearing many hats prior to the first of August. However, now since many of the hats that I had been wearing have been taken over by other construction departments, I should have time to work at the job of Chronicler. Until I get caught up, I will be uploading only a few photos from each day, those which show the hall at the beginning and end of each day. Also, feel free to share this web site with friends and family.

After the weekend off I feel somewhat rested, however, I know that I still have a large sleep debt. Also, since almost all of my hats have been taken over by RBC departments, I now can get more rest in the upcoming days as well as tend to some other chores, both congregational and personal that need to be done.

Arriving at the parking site at six-forty am, I find no parking personnel there so I drive to the Hall site. As I arrive, John is the gate attendant and is parking vehicles on site. I drive in an find a spot, get out and find only a small crew of workers. Then at breakfast, Gary announces the work schedule stating that for Monday through Wednesday there will only be a small crew working on the siding and that for Thursday through Saturday the siding will continue and there will be other projects going as well. After breakfast, I leave to go to the city to ask to have two more recycle bins dropped of at the Hall site. Next, I stop at the bank to make the congregations deposits from the last week. Finally, I return to the Hall to be there when the recycle bins arrive and help cut up the cardboard to put into the bins. Also, I prepare and then stomp the garbage dumpster.

On Tuesday, I arrive at ten am and find mostly the same small crew as yesterday with a few exceptions. The work today is to continue to layout the exterior walls for siding including applying black paper to the sheathing, installing trim and wood vents. Meanwhile, a small siding crew (Wayne, Debbie and Warren) is already putting the finish siding on the gable ends. Some electricians and plumbers have begun work also.

I do not stay long because I am not feeling well and return home to rest up. Yesterday, I began coughing and it continued all night so today, I will be staying home today to try to get well. I do not plan on going to the meeting tonight because I do not want anyone to get what I have. I do hope to be well before Sunday.

Today, all the same tradesmen plus a few more return and continue the rough-in work. I am impressed by the precise cuts the brothers are making in the walls to run both the plumbing and electrical.

This day is much like the previous two days, with more being accomplished by the same tradesmen as they continue the rough-in work and I begin to see a lot of electrical and plumbing in the walls.

Also, I am beginning to see a lot of wire and pipe running in the upper areas of the hall, above the ceiling in both the entry area and the main auditorium.

When I arrived this morning, the Hall looks much the same as it did most of yesterday, however, there is a larger crew here today working on the many trades. As I walk through the different areas, I notice a lot of new installs, the meter box and the two breaker boxes are now wired with the large gauge service wires and there are a couple home runs installed. Plumbing has installed a new type of flexible plastic water line, one that can be run in the attic because it is freeze-proof. Also, it comes in colors so the hot water is red and the cold water is blue while the main runs are white. Many of the drain and vent lines are nearing completion too.

Work is also being done on the communication lines in the hall, both cable and phone as well as the sound system. There will be speakers in the rest rooms so that we can following along with the talk or study even if we have to leave the main auditorium. The air handling system is also being installed, two units outside on the concrete pad and ductwork running through the trusses above. All is coming along quite well, especially since it was announced that the cover inspections will be done Monday.

During lunch, the shuttles all arrive at once carrying a large contingent of children and their mothers. We were told yesterday that there would be a surprise today during lunch. It was given in a form of a riddle: What is twelve or more in number, are quite small and sings.? The children, well over twelve in number all had special yellow “hard” hats and many had orange safety vests. They got out of the shuttles and formed into a group to sing “Listen, Obey and Be Blest” for all the workers. Immediately after the three chorus song was a large round of applause and cheers from the now standing workers. What a great gift this performance has been.

I think that some of the children thought that they were suppose to eat lunch here with us and one even began crying so I went to the cookie tray and grabbed a handful to give each child one. The shuttles pulled out, the workers finished their lunches and then went back to work. There seems to be a lot more smiles on everyone′s faces this afternoon. I made a walk through the compound and noticed some work that was needed in the recycling area so I stayed for a while and helped the cleaning crew with knowing how to make best use of the recycle bins. At three pm, I left for my home to rest us for another day at the Hall site tomorrow.

It was cool this morning when I arrived at the Hall site and after taking only a few photos, my battery exhausted so I got on the shuttle and returned home to charge the battery and work on photos. Later, at two pm, I go to the post office for mail and see Bonita, one of the shuttle driers there also and she says that most of the workers are leaving because the work is nearing completion. I will go back to the hall before sunset to take some more photos.

The city and state inspector arrive this morning to inspect all of the work done this past week to see if it is ready for covering. The city inspector arrives at eight am and after a through inspection, said that the work was very well done, high quality. He also mentions that all of the holes drilled for the plumbing was “just the right size,” not extremely larger as he said like is done at most residential jobs today. He signed the inspection sheet but said that we should not begin to cover until the electrical inspector was done. Later, the insulation arrives and we load it into the center of the main auditorium.

The electrical inspector arrives a short time after lunch and he too passes the electrical work saying it is ready for cover. I leave soon after but return after sunset to finish loading the recycle bins and take them out to the curb for pick up tomorrow morning. When I am just about finished, Don, the cook arrives with his car packed to the ceiling with food that needs to be unloaded. I offer to help and we go to the kitchen to unload and it takes us about an hour before it is all put away and then I then head for home.

With the marine layer thick in town, I arrive just after seven and have breakfast with the work crew. Afterwards, I bring in the recycle bins and then take a few photos of the crew installing the insulation and soffit baffles. The baffles allow for the ventilation of the roof by keeping the blown in insulation from covering the soffit air entrance areas. Then I head to where the congregation kids are having a cup cake making party. There is probably fifty or more friends at the party, more than half are kids and we all have a great time.

Returning in the late afternoon, I find that the insulation is completed and that the sheet rock has been stocked inside the Hall and most of the ceiling has the first layer already screwed on. (In the construction trade, the ceiling is called the lid.) The insulation inspection has also been done and the first sheets on the walls begin to get screwed on. Before the evening, all the first layers on th lid are completed and await an inspection. Once the first layer is inspected, then a second layer of sheet rock on the lid, the outside walls and the walls between the baby room and auditorium will be added for sound insulation. Also, a blue sound board will be added in some areas. By the end of this day much of the sheet rock is installed, however, the clean floors are gone despite the hard work going on by the cleaning department. After the sheet rock has been completed, I am sure the floors will be clean again. Nevertheless, we are keeping with the schedule, even staying a little ahead of it.

Again the marine layer covers town early on but evaporates very quickly. There is a large crew working on the sheet rock today finishing the first layer so that it can be inspected. After the first layer is inspected, the second layer begins and each piece of the lid also gets covered with glue before it is lifted and screwed. The boxes it comes in calls it “Green Glue” but is white in color coming out of the tube. Still, you do not want to get it on you because it is real sticky and messy. I know, I got some on me and it was near impossible to remove.

The day begins with very warm temperatures and goes up into the eighties. All the work today is inside and numerous fans are moving air to keep the heat at bay in the work areas. The sheet rock was completed yesterday and the taping and mud began to be troweled onto the walls. The first coat is dry in the early afternoon and the second coat is begun. The ceiling sheet rock will not get the same tape and much but only a fire tape because it will not show being above the drop down ceiling.

When I arrive during midday, I see that the exterior painting is nearing completion. It was not scheduled until tomorrow but the painting crew was called in, most from King county and they came early this morning to begin. During lunch, one of the painters said that all that was left was some of the trim. I look at the exterior colors and notice that they resemble the colors of the latte and mocha drinks, the mocha being the darker trim color.

I spend the entire day cropping and uploading photos and get caught up, well almost. I still have to finish doing the photos for 06 July and from the 21st through 31st of July from the Site Work chapter. However, those photos can wait as I primarily want to keep up with the current ones.

At five pm, I arrive and immediately notice the trench on the north side of the Hall but supper is served and I go first to have something to eat. When the Hall is completed, I am going to miss having these cooked meals. After eating, I walk through the Hall and site to take photos, especially to the north side to check out the rain garden. There is a treated wood structure about two feet in height and some seventy or more feet in length that has been built into a two foot deep trench. In the middle is a concrete box where roof runoff water will flow and be diverted out both sides into perforated eight inch pipes, then out along the bottom of the trench which will be filled with drain rock. When the trench fills up, there are v-notches along the top of the treated wood boards that I suspect will allow the water to flow out of the trench and into a large pit that will begin being dug next.

The sheet rock now has a third coat and the fans are going full force to dry the fresh wet mud. Most of the tappers leave after supper but will be back tomorrow. Also, the lid has the fire tape installed. The dark brown aluminum fascia has been installed everywhere except the north side because there needs to be scaffolding reassembled there. The soffit has not been installed as yet. I noticed that visible galvanized nails were used on the fascia covering the hip roof surfaces but someone explained that the gutters will cover the visible nails. The gable ends were done differently and no nails are showing.

I arrive for breakfast and ask JP how the cabinets are coming along. When he tells me that they are working on them today I ask if I can come to take photos and he says yes. After we eat, eight of us drive to the cabinet shop and I begin right away taking photos Brian, Ben, and Larry constructing boxes and sanding boards. Then, a number of the sanded boards are loaded into the back of JP′s truck and we drive across the street to where there is a spray booth. Three sisters, Edna, Joann and Lisa first stain the boards and then wipe them dry. Next, the boards are moved into the spray booth where JP sprays the first coat of lacquer, after which they are allowed to dry, then sanded and returned to the booth for a second coat. Finally, the boards are put on a drying rack. After these boards are left overnight to dry, they will be returned to the previous shop for final assembly. Later, when the doors arrive, the same process will have to be repeated.

We stop just before noon and return to the Hall building site for lunch. I notice that the rain garden trench is nearly full of drain rocks and the dirt just north of the trench is noticeably deeper. Too, all the perforated pipe has been installed and there is a y-fitting at one end, probably for a clean out. I walk around the perimeter of the property and see work going on there as well. Shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows and smiling faces are take the bark mulch and spreading it on the plant beds. Chihiro and Lilica wave to me from the tennis court side of the fence. I take photos of everyone.

The sheet rock tapping seems to be going really slow compared to all the other trades, however, I know that after each coat, the mud has to dry and that usually takes overnight to accomplish. When I arrive in the morning, there is a crew sanding the walls to get them ready for putting the PVA primer over the sheet rock before the paint. Later, after I return in the early evening, the auditorium has been primed and all that is left is the entry area which will be done tomorrow morning first thing. I see Bob and Joanne are the security guards for the evening.

When I arrive in the morning, I find that there is a good size crew to finish the priming and touch up. Then I notice Warren driving his truck into the site pulling his texture trailer and surmise that he will be doing the texturing. I talk with him and he tells me that it should only take a few hours to complete this job because he does not have to do any masking.

Today is a day off for work at the Hall but I go to the Hall to check anyway. When I arrive, I find John and Karen pulling a twenty-four hour security shift; One sleeps while the other guards. Also, I see the ceiling tiles and hardware has been delivered. Then Karen invites me in and offers to cook breakfast for me and John. We both agree for her to cook for us and then she says "I was just getting use to having someone cook for me." Afterwards, I take photos of the Hall but I see that these photos do not show much difference in what has been accomplished, that being the texture has been sprayed on all the walls. John tells me that there may be another delivery today but at well after five nothing else has arrived.

I sleep in today ³ and then arrive at the Hall a little before nine by way of the shuttle. Upon looking around, see there are a lot of painter′s vans in the parking lot. As I begin to walk around the site, after two cups of coffee of course, I notice that there are some colors beginning to appear inside the hall. I am excited that I am now getting to see first hand the colors that are going onto the walls of the Oak Harbor Hall. Also, I find stapled to strategic door frames the names of the color that are being painted. Throughout the Hall, the ceiling (were their is not drop-in ceiling tile) will be painted a color named Sail Cloth, an off white. The main auditorium walls will be painted Gray Mirage as will both conference room except the back wall (the one with the windows) which will be painted a darker accent color call Carolina Gull. The women′s restroom and the baby care room will be painted with Carolina Gull as well. Also, the entry area and the utility room will also be painted Carolina Gull. The only room not getting the Carolina Gull will be the men′s restroom which will be painted the color named Weathered Oak, color that looks like a medium chocolate. I have take photos of the colors and will show them in the photo gallery. So to recap, we have Sail Cloth on the ceilings, Gray Mirage in the main auditorium and conference rooms, Carolina Gull as the accent wall in the conference rooms, entry area, utility room, women′s restroom and baby room. The only room that is different is the men′s room with the chocolate looking paint called Weathered Oak. By six pm, the painting of all of the interior walls have been completed.

Outside, there is much going on today, the north rain garden work continues as well as the brick work on the two columns holding up the drive through. Also, work on the Hall sign which will be located near the entrance of the property was begun. All of the scaffolding that was being stored in the northeast part of the property was moved to allow for the earth works to begin there tomorrow in preparation for the installation of the parking lot. Also tomorrow, the brick work will continue both on the Hall as well as on the Hall sign.

Upon arriving, the workers are busy at work: the painters are nearing completion of the interior and doing some touch up; the brick layers finished with the two drive through columns and are well along with the front lower half wall (Wainscot); and much dirt is being removed from the west side parking area. I help with the front gate today to help direct the shuttles, dump trucks and other traffic in the increasingly busy intersection.

In the late afternoon, the t-bar crew arrives and begins the layout for the drop in ceiling. The cable hangers are set into the ceiling and only shortly after attaching a laser to the upper section of the wall, the first metal strips are attached in the conference rooms. The work continues well after the evening meal, right up until nine pm today as many more of the cable hangers are put into place in the main auditorium.

Another clear cool day greets the workers at the Hall raising. I briefly read the write up in the local newspaper and I must say that the reporter totally missed on getting the facts correct. One laughable comment was that there were “4000 meals a day” being made. In fact, each day there may be as many as two hundred but never over three hundred meals. Maybe the reporter meant 4000 meals a month. Who knows where he got his information but much of the facts presented in the newspaper article were totally off. If anyone want the true scoop, just stay tuned to the Oak Harbor Chronicle. Today there were just over a hundred for lunch but only about forty for supper. After lunch, I notice that the excavator digging the hole for the west side of the parking lot is behind the Hall. When I go to take a look, I see that the plants that were in the northwest corner have been moved to directly beside the hall near the newly build rain garden. The trees and shrubs have been sitting unplanted for over two weeks and Dave and Mark are now watering them again so that they do not perish.

The hole on the west side parking area keeps getting larger and deeper all day as truck load after truck load of dirt pass through the front gate where I am serving as the attendant. It is a busy location today because not only are the shuttles and trucks coming and going but the gutter crew has set up in the parking lot and the extruded gutters growing into the driving area poise another hazard to both pedestrians and vehicles alike. The new parking lot hole runs the length of the west side of the property from the north fence to the south fence and from the west fence to the asphalt, except for the ten foot strips of planted garden areas around the perimeter. Too there is a narrow strip of concrete sidewalk that juts out into and high above this newly formed abyss giving the appearance of Allah spit at low tide.

Five pm appears to come quickly today and as the permit requires, the work must cease, so, supper begins as the last truck drives slowly down Ronhaar Street. Today′s supper is served to a much smaller crew than the near one hundred served at lunch, but nevertheless, these remaining workers are pleased with both the quality and amount of work accomplished today. Then, the shuttle drivers get busy returning the workers back to their cars at the parking site and soon the Hall takes on the evening with only two security guards within the compound.

I drive by at nine am and see that the site has several trucks in the parking lot and find out that the tile layers are working today. I do not stop but will return later for photos.

There is a small crew working on site doing the floor tile, even some local workers. The rest of the support crew come from the island congregations. I arrive for my gate attendant shift at just before two and Judy makes me a sandwich. Then I man the front gate but there is little to do there. Work ends just before supper and I head for my home after the night security arrives.

Again, today, I am working at the gate from two pm until the night security arrive. I do get a few more photos of the floor tile as well as the decorative tile wall. Also, I notice that the interior doors and trim have been delivered and set in the auditorium, a day early.

At five, while we are having supper, Bob and Joanne arrive to serve as the night security. I finish my meal and head home to work some on uploading the photos. Very warm day, I guess summer is not over yet!

My shift begins at two pm and now, I sit here at home uploading the most recent photos from yesterday. I will be having a two to six shift each day this week and plan to use the morning to get caught up on the missed photos from the last four days of chapter 43, The Site Work.

The floor tile receives the final clean up and then it was covered with thick paper to allow other workers to walk upon it. The electrical workers are installing the lighting in the main auditorium and we should have lights by the end of the work day. Also, the speakers and vent covers are being installed. I suspect that soon, the ceiling tile will be installed. There has been no outside work except for six loads of sand underlayment for the parking lot was delivered. Again, today was a small crew but like each day this week, there are three hot meals served by a smiling kitchen crew.

Everyone in the Oak Harbor congregation that I speak to says that they are excited about the Hall being so close to completion. Yes, it is only one week away from the final cleanup. Also, the camaraderie that is so prevalent among the workers keeps reminding me how much I love being in this brotherhood, a Wayfarer among Wayfarers.

I have noticed that the soffit has not been installed yet and this is what keeps the scaffolding in place and standing. I learn from the PC Gary that the soffit crew could not get here until 03 September which is a worldly holiday. Therefore, the photos of the exterior of the Hall will still show the scaffolding but only for a few more days.

I arrive at one pm and find a large group of workers on site and working in many areas. There is work being done both inside and outside today. Notably, the landscaping crew is finishing the north rain garden and has begun building a rock wall just west of the hall auditorium so as to change the grassy area from a slopped section to a flat spot. Inside, all of the trades are working: plumbing, electrical, cabinetry, counter tops, trim installation and ceiling tile. The number of workers are making the jobs go so fast that when you turn your head, you see something else installed. Amazing!

After working late last night, the painters and plumbers came back today to finish the work. It is not until late afternoon that the primer coat goes on the interior trim and then after supper, the finish coat of Sail Cloth is put on the trim.

Although a worldly holiday, there are many volunteers who come to help at the Hall. The soffit crew were finished soon after I took my post at the front gate and then they packed up and headed for home. A few from the painting crew return to do touch up inside the Hall. Then the scaffolding begins to be dismantled and stacked, this taking some time in the afternoon.

At supper time, two groups of parents with their kids drive onto the site and proceeded to get out. Steve, the safety person goes into the hall to tell the adults that children are not allowed on the property. Later, when we are sitting together at the gate, Steve reminds me that even thought we are nearing completion of the Hall, this is still a construction site and children are not allowed through the front gate. He also tells me that any adult that comes on the site must have the four items listed on the sign which is located at the front gate, a sign which plainly reads, No Exceptions! I shake my head in agreement to him. I think back at how often the different friends have come to the view the Hall or arrive at the gate expecting exceptions but I have had to refuse. I well know how imperfect we are in this system, so I will try hard to do my job as kindly as possible and Please forgive my if I have offended you by the way that I have reminded you of the RBC safety rules.

The bathroom partitions were completely installed when I arrived at one-thirty pm and the brother was installing the paper holders (toilet paper, seat covers, and hand towels) all of which are stainless steel. There is also a group of sisters working on the back splash tile trim, both behind the sinks and on the walls in the rooms with tile floors.

I heard today that there is a problem with the shipment of the Hall seating, something about a delay as to when they will arrive. This is not to much of a problem because we still will not be able to use the Hall until, what did Mike say at the meeting, sometime in November.

I arrive at one-thirty pm and go for the coffee and brownies. Afterwards, I reliever Tanner and take my post at the gate. Tanner tells me that there is no shuttle and that it has been very slow today and I reply that it has always been slow mid week. He also says that there is not much left to complete the hall. After thinking about it, we come up with the following: Carpet, stage trim, floor tile, and seats. Well, we agree that is all that is left to complete the Hall itself. There is still much earthwork, landscaping and concrete work to do in the coming weeks. In the early afternoon, I ask Jim and Paul if they could show me how to turn on the outside perimeter lighting. They try but can not get it to turn on and so begin digging in the electrical box. Soon, Paul find a loose wire on the relay and reconnects it which fixes the problem and he lights come on. Of course, the photo cell turns them right back off.

At six pm, Garrett and Ryan arrive to do the night guard duty and I take them around to inform them what needs to be done. Then, they begin working inside with Angela doing the finish cleaning on the tile grout. I get the hose and begin spraying the dirt and debris off of the sidewalk. At about nine, the three of us finish and then head over to the first aid trailer to sit and talk for a while. Then I lock the gate and as I head for home, notice that all the perimeter lights are turned on.

The work of removing the tents and trailers on the south lawn was well underway when I arrive and the work continues until the grass area on the south side of the parking lot is completely clear by four pm. Four from the carpet crew arrive and begin prepping the floor for the carpet installation tomorrow.

I remain on the property long after the night security arrives to visit with John and Karen. I tell John that the perimeter lights are more than enough for the night security and will not need to turn on the parking lot lights. Shortly after I arrive home and have prepared my supper, I get a call from John who tells me that the perimeter lighting has not come one. I return to the Hall, check the breaker and then decide to run an extension cord out to the parking lot lights for another evening.

I arrive at six-thirty am and find that the night security has not been relieved so I take the post at the front gate. Breakfast is served in the drive through area and everyone sits in chairs nearby. Afterwards, I return to the front gate and three dump trucks are loaded with dirt from the south lawn all morning. At ten, Tanner arrives to relieve me from the front gate and I use the time before lunch to take photos. By noon, the excavator has turned the corner into the west side of the property. Also, beginning at eight am, the carpet crew begins rolling glue onto the auditorium floor and then installing the carpet squares. The same crew is finished long before lunch. At about ten-thirty am, the delivery truck with the chairs arrive and the forklift is used to remove the boxes from the truck and stack them near the door coming out of the conference room. A crew will be in later today to begin assembly and installation.

I leave the site at one pm to come home to write a little in this journal but have to return to take the two pm gate attendant position. The excavator continues to dig and load dirt into the dump trucks. The chair crew arrives, having driven up from Seattle, and begins the layout and drilling of the new theater style chairs. The chair parts are off white and the cushions are dark maroon with a leaf print pattern. Everyone comments on how nice they look and I feel the same way. The chair crew works right up until nine pm and then retires for the evening.

This is just one more day getting us closer to having a completed Hall. The chair crew has returned and after breakfast, work resumes. Meanwhile, the excavator, dozer and three trucks dig, move, load and haul tons of dirt off site so as to remove the grass and reach the subgrade level. The parking has been limited to only one shuttle on the lot at at time because the trucks need to maneuver on the asphalt but later in the day, the attendant overseer and myselƒ changed it to stop the shuttles at the top of the entry road and load the passengers there. We do this because the excavator has begun digging up the asphalt on the south side of the parking lot lights. Later, the two lights are taken down and then the concrete stands are removed. The work goes on right up to five pm when we all stop for supper. Several have arrived to begin the final cleaning. Patrick asks me if I will be here Monday and when I tell him yes, he asks me if I would help load the storage boxes and scaffolding.

The chair crew finishes installing all the chairs and then depart. As I wait for the night guards to arrive, I survey the Hall site and see that there has been a lot of work done today. The only things that need to be done now are on a punch list, things such as installing the cap on the stage footer, the sconces, the chandelier in the entrance area, some misc hardware and the portable chairs, all of which await receiving the materials.