The Light Fantastic

It's been a year...since the last Polka Fest. Hard to believe, but here it is, the end of September, and the red and white lights are up again!

Can't dance without lights! 

And the usual suspects are up to the usual hijinks.

Three Stooges? 

I think one of the best parts of this whole church project has been getting to know many of the people of the Tip of the Thumb.

Their blood is red and their skin is white, well, maybe translucent, (they are descended from Poles) but their hearts are true blue! The guy on the left wired the church like it was a WW 2 submarine. Let me show you!

Wires in the bathroom...

Wires in the office... 

Pretty, pretty wires everywhere!

If you want to light a church, you have to use some wire!  Mr. Shramski is a pro. He and his partner Dale spent many an hour in their "spare time" laying hundreds, nay thousands of feet of wire and conduit in the church, after drilling hole after hole right through the studs. The work is hard and expertise is needed, but luckily this community has great people like them to do this kind of work. 

We will be very happy to see the last of the temp lights. They have served us well, but it's time to have some permanent lighting. 

All things Bright, but not Beautiful!

As the wire goes in, the walls must be prepped for the spray foam. Coming soon: insulation! Stay tuned as the church gets an inner hug from a plastic blanket!

a plasket wha?

(BTW, the polka fest was FUN!)

The Prills break a leg!

Dancing in our seats!

Repair, Restore, Remake

Those are comforting words. Repair: to fix what's wrong. Restore: to bring back what once was. And when you can't restore or repair, then remake! Do what you gotta do.

As you know if you've been following the story of the White Church Gallery, or perhaps better known to locals as the Grindstone City Methodist Church, the Church needs lots of love and tenderness. Even when tenderness means opening a can of whoop-ass on it.

Whoop whoop!

Repair: One whole corner of the church had serious water damage. Time and tide had left a hole in the roof, allowed water to cascade down into the wall, and turned the support structure into a weird kind of wood-soup. Dry, chunky wood soup. That makes no sense, but when you grab a handful of it, it's what comes to mind.

A year and a half ago, we thought it was artsy. 

What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger...

But it turned out to be rotten to the core.