Monday, June 13, 2011

More NZ Building


June 11, 2011
It's been a busy week since we got home last Tuesday sorting through a pile of mail and just getting reconnected with family and friends but will continue trying to get up to date.  From a practical standpoint about once a week seems to be as often that I can get something together for the blog.

From Grandma Ritzman's diary:
Some of grandma's entries become a little repetitive but I still find her daily life in 1914 interesting.  In some later diaries her writing style changed a little and gave more personal insight into things.  For now here's more from June of 1914. 
Grandma mentioned that the painters have been there and they were painting either the house or the barn.  It's likely it was the house as the barn was built in 1911 and would only have been three years old.  The barn may not have been painted originally so it may also have been what they were working on.  Apparently my grandparents were providing food and housing while they were doing the painting.  Sleeping quarters for the painters may have been in the barn as it seems that there was other family or friends staying often.
On one of the listings of costs of items from way back when there was a list of painting supplies and it included such things as white lead oxide and linseed oil so apparently they mixed the white paint themselves.  The cost of the painters labor and materials to paint the barn and house must have been a major hit to the annual budget.
June 5, 1914 - Friday, baked ten pies, cleaned cellar, father was here for dinner, painted flower stand, hoed in garden, the painters was here for three meals and all night, baked a cake.
June 6, 1914 - Saturday, done saturdays work, mowed the lawn, painted a flower stand and cellar windows, hoed in garden, the painters was here for three meals and all night.
June 7, 1914 - Sunday, went to Sunday schoo., had the painters for three meals and all night, Aunt Mary, Aunt Vin, Uncle George, Father, Mother, Hazel, Maud and Walter Smith was here in the afternoon.
June 8, 1914 - Monday, done washing, mended, hoed in the garden, had the painters for three meals and all night.
June 9, 1914 - Tuesday, churned butter, swept upstairs, painted window screens for summerhouse, had painters for three meals and all night, hoed in garden.
June 10, 1914 - Wednesday, ironed, mended, washed crocks, put up window screens in summerhouse, set out thirty five sweet potato plants had painters for three meals and all night.
June 11, 1914 - Thursday, baked eight loaves and bread and biscuits, painted four screen door frames, had the painters for three meals and all night, Mr. Gougler (carpenter) was here for dinner and supper, had three callers in afternoon.
June 12, 1914 - Friday, baked two pies, painted storm doors and put them away for summer, fixed and painted two screen doors and put them up, set out sixty five tomato plants, had the painters for three meals and all night, Mr. Gougler was here for dinner and supper, Hazel was here for supper, had three callers in afternoon.
June 13, 1914 - Saturday, baked ten pies, done saturdays work, mended, painted, and put up one screen door, had painters for three meals and all night, Mr. Gougler was here for dinner and supper, had two callers.

Back to the New Zealand Habitat build.  We had a good time on the build working on the houses and interacting with the partner families in the neighborhood, local volunteers and with the affiliate supervision.  Work can be fun and we all enjoyed the time spent doing this volunteer work.  The site supervisors always had a number of different tasks to be done so as they said at the beginning of the day - if you don't like what you're doing just ask for something else to do.

Here's Dwight waiting for the next panel to be put into position.
Left click on picture to enlarge.


William, a local volunteer is nailing in a 3x2 on the outside perimeter of the walls.


William was getting some help from Sami (partner family whose house was dedicated the Sunday before) to keep the 3x2's plumb.


Some of the plumbers handywork in the joists under the second floor bathroom.


Our supervisor Mike showing his nailing technique.  Make sure you hit the right nail!


Here's a view of the second floor floor joists in place with the floor sheeting stacked waiting to be put in place.  Notice the blocking in place between the joists down the middle.  Here on the New Zealand north island these are called nogs, on the south island they are called dwangs.  Interesting!


Working while sitting down here Therese and Marilyn are painting the Hardy backer board siding for installation later.


Dwight and Kathy are nailing 3x2's in place.  Kathy really found her niche with that nailing gun, maybe enpowered is more the word.  Imagine going from a quilting hobby to using a nail gun?  I don't know where "Cabin Boy" came from on her hard hat, probably a previous volunteer.


Kathy seems to be saying - "give me a nail gun and a saw and I can handle anything..."  Dwight admires her enthusiasm.


Here Richard is using his newly learned skill of using the chop saw.  "Tell me how long you want it and I'll make it" were his words.



Here's our supervisor Titia admiring (?) our work.  Thanks for your guidance Titia.



Life is Good, God is good down under!

Next time:  bungy jumping and tattooing.


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