Visitors Bearing Gifts

A little backstory: I'm not from Michigan. I was born and raised in upstate NY, in a suburb of Rochester NY. I moved to Michigan to work at the Longway Planetarium in Flint, MI, after living in the NYC area for several years. I've been happily in Michigan around 15 years now, and the ONLY thing I regret about leaving NY is that I live 6 hours away from my parents!

They came for a visit. They arrived weary, since they both still work, but bearing gifts, as always! They brought Mike a saw. A very nice saw. I know it has a great name that explains its function, but I'll just call it a saw. It moved in many, many dimensions, planes, and time zones, and Mike was delighted with it.

...and this knob extrudes macaroni...

...but this one flattens out pizza dough and then takes you to 1985...

Ok, I'm making fun, but now I see the label- it's a radial saw!

We let Mom and Dad sit down for 5 minutes, then we put them to work. We still had lots of work to do before drywalling could commence. So hi ho, hi ho, up on the scaffolding we go!

"Measure twice, cut once"

The wall at the front of the church wasn't ready for drywall yet. Nailers (2x4s) had to be positioned so that there was something to nail the drywall into. There is an arch already built into the wall, but there was little to hang drywall on, so that was the day's project. There was something for everyone to do.

How's the weather up there, Ma?

"Hey! Up here! Look up!"

I definitely inherited my work ethic from them.  They haven't slowed down much in the 46 years I've known them. Mom's 71 and Dad's 69 (it was his birthday!), and they work harder and better than most 30 year olds! Plus they are fun to have around. Dad has a great attitude and endless curiosity, and Mom and I are always up to hijinks. We both almost wet our pants trying to get a ladder out of the bathroom. It was definitely a Laurel and Hardy moment, but luckily I'm the cameraperson so there is no evidence of it!

"Put that camera down and fetch me a prybar!"

This was an especially athletic moment for the men. You can't see the full view, but Dad was hanging out in space like a child on a jungle gym.

"This doesn't feel like recess!"

Honestly? I don't remember him being in so much peril when I took the picture, but looking back, yikes!!

"I can't quite reach the nail..."

But perseverance paid off, and the arch had its nailers!

I know it's hard to tell the difference, but Wayne, our drywaller, will be able to tell! He's set to start work soon, and everything must be prepped and ready. 

There was also a door that was to be walled over and had to be framed in. 

Good bye door, hello wall...

Let's go get some ice cream!

It was a busy and short weekend, and I was very sad to see them leave for NY on Monday morning, but before they left there was some time made for ice cream eating and cow-gazing. Dad and Mom grew up on farms in a little town near Hornell, NY, and Dad retains his love for the bovine race, as do I. So he and Mike stopped by our favorite magical cow pasture for some cow-eye candy!

Bovine Bliss

Cow-gazing is relaxing!

Cow Contentment!

We're very, very lucky to have Mom and Dad! Thank you, God!

Progress Isn't Pretty

I'm going to be showing a lot of pictures of progress. Progress is not always pretty. But it is exciting, and the fact that these pictures show giant steps in the progress of White Church Gallery is extra-exciting, if such a state of being exists.

'Bout to get extra-excited!

Some things that were never meant to be seen by the general public are actually quite pretty. Women's underwear can be very fancy, and I've seen shiny engines under the hood of a car that should be hanging on the wall as art.

Fanciness.

The church's underwear-engine is the spray foam. But it's not all that pretty. It's more like flannel underwear than silk.    

 After the plaster and lathe was taken out, the church was looking a little bare-bones.

You could see daylight through some of the planks.

So we had it spray foamed. Here's a messy before and after...

Messy before...

Messy after!

But the Church is as snug as a bug in a rug! No breezes blowing through the walls now! No weird smells coming from the ancient wood. It just feels different in here!

Spray foamed walls.

The Wine Room! Cozy!

Windows aren't insulated...yet! 

So what is spray foam? Why not the old school pink fiberglass? Here's what I got from Wikipedia: 

Spray foam insulation saves on energy costs and lowers utility bills. Studies by the US department of Energy show that 40% of a home's energy is lost as the result of air infiltration through the walls, windows and doorways. Buildings treated with spray foam insulation typically insulate as much as 50% better than traditional insulation products. 

It's got a higher R-value than most other insulators. That means it's cozier, comfier, and just better. To me it looks like a cake that was frosted! To cold air it looks like a inpenetrable blanket.

The next layer on the cake is the drywall. I've been asked why we got rid of the old plaster and lathe, and why we didn't replace it with the same.We got rid of the old plaster because we really needed to insulate the church, and spray foaming was the way to go. So the plaster had to go, so that the spray foam could get where it needed to go.

We are trying to do this project right. The Church was built with loving hands over 100 years ago, and it has lasted this long, even though it fell into disuse (and possibly misuse) in the meantime. We'd like it to last at least another 100, long after we're gone. We put a new roof on to prevent further decay. We added an economical and earth-friendly heating/cooling system, Geothermal. [Spoiler alert] We put in a septic system!  And someday the Church will have water! (and with water and septic come a bathroom!) So we are spending the money and effort now to make sure the Church will survive into the next century.
As far as what we'll replace it with, it's an economical and aesthetic matter. We're using drywall, but we will be using a paint that has a stucco finish, so it will actually retain some of the look of the original plaster, without being as heavy and expensive as plaster and lathe.

So, it's a work in progress, a little messy at times, but we're always working toward making it better!

And it's all ours!