Trinity Pines Feb 2013

I am finally getting around to including some pictures and info on the work we did at Trinity Pines Conference Center near Trinity TX.  Trinity is about an hour north of Houston TX.

Bill and Carole Cairns with Harold and Phyllis Snipes, Edroy and Judy Anderson, Howard and Lynn Swank, Tony (Amy wasn’t able to be here) Vejar, Gary and Geri Smith and Don and Candi Yates. The men remodeled two restrooms. They fabricated and installed about 250 feet of pipe handrail.  Worked on two cabins, including plumbing, electric, insulation, and sheetrock.  Repaired wooden handrail on bridge. Repaired bathroom stalls and electric fan and light switches.  Worked on benches in front of dining hall.  Some ladies helped the interior designer with various projects. Some ladies painted 7 restrooms and the interior of a cabin and some exterior painting on the volunteer meeting building.  We had movie nights and game nights.  We went out to eat with the Forest Glen Project SOWERs.  We had a campfire, wiener roast and anniversary celebration for the Snipes.  We enjoyed Trinity Pines Appreciation Dinner.

Candi "blackening" the back of metal logo that will be glued to a mirror

Carole "blackening"

Lynn sanding

Phyllis painting restroom

Geri paint another restroom

Judy "cutting in"

Edroy and Harold hanging sheetrock

Gary welding pipe handrail

Don grinding joint in pipe railing

Tony digging holes for benches.  It was cold damp day.

Howard cutting trim for remodeled restrooms

Part of the deer herd--30 have been seen at the same time.

Bill didn't do much work since he was Group Leader.  He did some electrical in the remodeled restrooms.  Changed the light fixtures and vent fans.

The following landscape pictures are the result of a design that I did for Trinity Pines about three years ago.  A swimming pool builder came in and donated about $200,000 of material and labor for the project. Trinity Pines paid another $100,000.  Each of waterfalls are lighted (each a different color).

collection pond for the water landscape.

one bridge

first waterfall and second bridge in background

second waterfalls

third waterfalls

fourth waterfall plus initial waterfalls which is about 10 ft high

bridge over stream to gas fire ring--
fire ring needs some work to make it functional . Hint hint volunteers.

retaining walls to west of waterscape

highway approaching Trinity Pines from Trinity TX
Entrance to TP is the driveway going off to the left as road curves.
  Rather dangerous with limited visibility of oncoming traffic.

In TX every place has a gate.
This one opens automatically when you approach it.
It is rather slow so just wait awhile.

Hope this gives everyone a little insight into our adventures.

SOWERs on the project during February 2013

New Tribes Missionary Training Center April 2012

I forgot to add pictures for our April 2012 project

 We did a lot of painting

 And a lot of caulking

Carole cut a lot of old clothes into rags

A a lot of trim installation 

We did get a break

2013 projects

Things are starting to happen for 2013.  We are signed up for projects for February, March and April 2013

February will be at Trinity Pines in Trinity TX.
March will be at Dry Creek in Dry Creek, LA
April will be back to Trinity Pines in Trinity TX.

We don't know what we will be doing in January yet.

Branson, MO

We spent a few days in Branson, MO while on the way to our April Project.  We went to the Pierce Arrow show--fun.  Also saw the tornado damage.

We are now at NTM missionary training center.  Beautiful setting on the shore of the Lake of the Ozarks.  Tomorrow will be a tour of the facility and see what will be the work planned for the SOWERs.  I even have cell phone and internet in the RV--can't be any better than that.  Hope the temp moderate some next week--in the mid 80s this week.  I think the forecast is for the highs in the 60s next week--better for working.

nlsower

March Project-Glenhaven Youth Ranch

I didn't fall off the end of the earth--I just went to the end of the trail and ended up at Glenhaven Youth Ranch which is located about 45 miles north of Hot Springs, AR.  The setting is a beautiful valley with a small stream flowing behind the SOWER RVs.

Scooter (the Host) said our project was to work on a house that needed a little TLC--oh by the way it has been vacant of a couple of years.  What we really did was an EMO (extreme make-over).  Repaired floors, walls, plumbing and more plumbing, windows, skirting, deck, electrical, cabinets, siding, blinds and painted/cleaned.  Also built a new deck. Some of the ladies deboned boiled chicken for the house parents--kind of a yuky job but really appreciated by house parents also helped in the classroom and library.

 Truly a ranch: complete with cows, chickens, horses and dogs.

 

SOWER parking in the valley

Project house--Just needed a "little" TLC
This is the front; the back is a different story
but did have a rippling brook until it started to rain
then a raging stream--not a river. When we finished
the interior was beautiful--ready for a family.

Fred the Paint man

Dorothy the Kitchen lady

"Little" Bill the Carpenter 

Sue the Paint lady

Mike the Wall man

Glenda the School Lady

Maynard the Plumber

Arva the Office lady 

who didn't get to work in the office--

cleaned and painted instead

Rudy the Electrician

Esther the Cleaning lady

Carole the Lady Leader
at the "bead party"

"Big" Bill the Group Leader
in the kitchen

Host--fishing

Fred fishing

The project house will be used as a "relief" house when the regular house parents have a weekend off.  Instead of moving the house parents, the kids move to the relief house for the weekend.  The house has three bedrooms, three baths and a very large kitchen/dining area.  Usually there are seven or eight kids per house.  The ranch presently has three houses (two for girls and one for boys.  The kids are from 12 to 17 years old.  The State wanted to duplicate their program because of their success ratio but gave up the idea because the state couldn't include Jesus in their program.

GHYR focuses on the kid's strengths and builds relationships from there--the use of horses is a major part of building these relationships.  The kids don't trust adults but form a bond with the horses and many times share feelings while working with the horses.  All of the kids attend school on the ranch--academic and vocational training as well as life skills. Most kids stay at the ranch about 17 months and are scholarship funded.

We are now  in Branson MO for a few days before our April project near Camdenton MO (NTM missionary training center.)  I have internet here so I can catch up on my computer work. 

A few more pictures from GHYR.

Spring had arrived in AR

View from the back window of our RV.

House on the ridge where we could get cell reception

The fishing pond

Picture from side trip to Heifer International Farm about 35 miles from GHYR

God's peace. nlsower