Short and Sweet!

This afternoon I am going to try and get another posting done. It will have to be short and sweet, seeing as there is only a few days left before the weekend and the kids come for Christmas. My "to do list" for those days is L-O-N-G. So - enjoy the pictures at least!



North Lease Space - Heating Ducts!

Southern Most Lease Space! Painted Walls!



Our Mechanical Room. Our furnace ready to go in!



My office looking towards Peter's!



Peter's office looking towards mine!

The heating distribution system is well underway. The T-Bar ceiling grid is being installed downstairs today and tomorrow. One coat of paint is on the downstairs walls in the common area and in the two lease spaces. The North space is being taken care of by the tenant and we are hired to take care of the south leased space. We are also taking care of our space and the common areas - painting and finishing! Brave souls! Delicious colors have been picked for most of the building developed areas. Dijon upstairs - Wild Mushroom in the south space downstairs! It's amazing how many food names show up on paint chip samples from Benjamin Moore. We have used Creekside Green on the common area walls to go along with the River Rock for the doors etc. Picnic names! We are in the process of ordering our finishing packages. Exciting days these are!

Speaking of being busy - this pic shows one thing we will have to learn to live with being on the opposite side of the tracks! Appointments, errands etc. all wait no matter how busy it is when the train passes by!

CP Christmas Comes to Lacombe

Yesterday the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train came to Lacombe. The train visits communities along the line with entertainment from Santa Claus, Cornelius the Beaver (CP mascot) and local singing artists. The show is performed from a specially designed boxcar complete with stage, lights and speakers. I'm sure you could hear the entertainment all the way across town! The most important reason the train comes to these towns is to gather people together and have each community take in donations (cash and non-perishable food goods) for their own local food bank!

Since they came to Lacombe in the late afternoon the sun was still shining. The lights on the train were not quite as visable as they would be in the early evening. SO, off to the next whistle stop (Ponoka) we raced to catch a glimpse of the train in the dark.







When all was said and done we went out for supper with two other couples (one with young kids) and had a super time together! What a wonderful diversion!

More Changes

Things are still changing at the station - even if I am tardy in posting those changes. When our children start saying "when's there going to be another blog?" then I know it's more than time to take care of updating our site!

The biggest changes that bring the biggest sense of satisfaction to us probably are the changes in utilities. We have the main power service pulled into the building now. No more running electrical cords into the building from the panel box out by the street!! Yah - yippee! Also we are heating the building now with two out of four furnaces and some improvised and temporary systems of moving that heat around. No more propane heater!! Yah - yippee!



See the posts cut off where the temp. power was?



Ta Da! One meter - for now! BIG box is the main disconnect!



Propane tank on track side. Hauled out Saturday!
Sorry, no picture of the "fiery beastie" inside!

Drywall is done - most of the taping is finished. Some of the electrical is done. BUT it won't be until the new year when Epcor will create the remaining accounts for the other electrical meters. We only have a "house meter" right now. The house meter records the power for the electrical room and the outdoor lighting only. We have roughed in plugs etc. but no actual power 'til the new year! Epcor sets up the accounts for the meters for the suites, Fortis goes in and installs the meters and then either the electrician or Epcor or Fortis - or maybe all three stand there and "flick the switch"! Who knows! Peter does I'm sure - but he is on the phone and I won't ask anymore silly questions! And the whole process seems so silly! The joys of privitization I guess! The same sort of hoopla happened to get the gas meters functioning as well. Only we dealt with Direct Energy, Atco and the plumber. What's going to happen with the water and sewer! Haven't even thought that far. And Telus won't pull the telephone line into the building until a month from now. Then individual tenants have to call to have their own service to their own suite switched over. Some of the little (?) frustrations with utilities! But hey - we're making progress as you can see by the pics! Yah Yippee!

Just a Movin' Along.

UPSTAIRS



DOWNSTAIRS

Slowly - bit by bit - we are seeing some progress. When so many trades are working in the building, and some of them are doing the work "piece work", we have the building open each day for someone. Tomorrow morning the drywall boarders want to come into the building to work. Seeing as tomorrow is Saturday, we are somewhat surprised, especially considering the hours they usually seem to be working. I'm beginning to find out when some people do "piece work" they do enough to keep peace! So this surprises us somewhat - but hey! if someone wants to come work on Saturday we won't stop them. Last week we opened up the building at 7 am Saturday morning for the insulators. They only worked until noon - but they worked! Besides, that gave a big jump start on our weekend plans. It's amazing how much you can get done when your day starts at seven in the morning!

So where are we at you ask? Upstairs in our suite the drywall tapers are busy doing their thing. Downstairs the insulator is finishing up (unless he is done already now today) and the drywall boarders are working away (hopefully) at the "lid" as they call it so we can blow the in the south side of the building. All that means is getting the drywall installed on the ceiling so the blown in insulation in the roof space (lid as I am hearing it called) stays in place. We are not blowing anything up!

Speaking of "blowing up"! No - we are not blowing up the building! But - we do have a publication from 1967 that has some pictures in it from the October 11, 1911 explosion that happened to the Lacombe CP station. By looking at the pictures and some others from the "downtown area" we have made a really interesting discovery! Sorry, no pictures, but we are in the process of contacting the Lacombe Globe for copies of the pictures used in this centennial publication. Our discovery? Read on!

A bit more history of Lacombe stations will help you understand the pieces we are putting together and our discovery! Originally the Lacombe station was a boxcar. Many small towns had these converted rolling stock for their first stations, seing as they were readily available and on quick notice for a rapidly growing rail line. (Rolling stock is the proper terminology for railway cars. We have our sons to thank for their persistant prodding to use the correct name for these things. And the actual wheel assemblies on the rolling stock? Those are "trucks". Thank my boys for that one too! But back to the history!) After the boxcar station, Lacombe had a style of building for their station that resembled a two story house on one end and an attached freight shed beside this two story structure. They called it a Type 2 style station. While it was still in use, the CPR was building the station that many of the townfolk in Lacombe remember - the station we are presently replicating- further south on the trackline. This gabled structure being built didn't sustain any notable damage in the explosion that occured in the Type 2 station still in use. Three men were injured though and one man died from his injuries received on that horrible evening in October. The apparent cause was from photographer's flash powder being transported in a trunk sitting in the freight room.

This building (Type 2) was located straight across the tracks from our present site! Imagine that! We are closer to the first site of the first real building than we realized! How cool to stumble upon this information while reading this centennial booklet. If we can get our hands on some pictures - or some digital reprints of these pictures - we will certainly post them!

We wait!

BBRRRR! This morning the radio said minus 30 with a wind chill of minus 41. Quite a wake up call - especially since it is still November!

The building is partially insulated. The more it is sealed up though, the harder it is to use the propane heat. Yesterday we came and it was cranked way up. It was warm in there! Needless to say we turned it down. But then the workers have been complaining of sore eyes and throats. Propane heat! I think we will be seeing less work done until those furnaces are popped in. We are going through the paperwork hoops to have that done. Atco needs to approve the gas lines to put on meters and Direct Energy needs to finish registering the lines (which we've requested twice now) to approve the installation of the meters. Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently!

Power should be pulled into the building today. That will help get the furnaces going. Have not heard from the sheet metal company though! We reach them through the plumbing company since they are a sub-contract to the plumbing and heating company. And the owner of that company is impossible to reach - so we talk to one of the office personal to get in touch with the sheet metal fellows who actually will drop in the furnace units. Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently!

Like I said - it is cold! We need heat to keep the work going! Everyone needs to do their part to make it happen and we need to wait patiently! We pray for patience!

A Week Later!

I think we have recovered (for the most part) from our unplanned window repair. We've yet to have the actual work done and receive a bill - so there may be a bit more "recovery time" needed yet.

In the last week lots of things have been happening inside the building. Roughed in plumbing and gas lines are almost done. I think the plumbing company has been the winner in the "let's hold things up" race. I seem to remember this being a much too common occurance back in Peter's former commmercial construction days as well. Maybe things haven't changed that much in all these years. Although this has given Peter time to take a number of pictures of the work before the insulation and drywall stages. These pictures I won't post - they are strictly for the record in case someday we are altering things for tenants. They are not that interesting - unless of course you are a plumber. And if you are - my apologizes then to your trade for my comments. Hopefully you personally are not in the running for the above said prize!

Our electrician installed three temporary lights outside - partly for security but also so we could choose which style we ultimately want to see on the building. We decided quite quickly the one we want to go with. But I keep forgetting to get a nighttime picture to publish in a post! Again - no picture!

The electrician Lorne and his son Todd were in the building today running wires. This I did get a picture of! In this picture you get a bit of a feel for the height of this lease space downstairs. We are putting in a dropped ceiling though! Maybe someday it will all be opened up for the tenant who wants to have a high vaulted space! The t-bar ceiling will be installed at 10 feet. Imagine a line running about one foot above the top of the window. That's where the final ceiling height will be!



Our electrician Lorne

We have a super electrician on site! I'm glad we hired him - Peter is too. It's a small company but we get excellent service!

We have insulation upstairs! What a difference in warmth this makes! It can be nippy downstairs and after a short walk up the 20 stairs you find yourself in a nice warm and quiet office space! We noticed immediately the difference with outside sounds coming in - especially a north bound train whistle. Once the insulation was installed, we could carry on a normal conversation upstairs even with the train announcing it's arrival. We knew this would happen - but it's very reassuring to actually have it happen! It will be wonderful to have the same for the main floor! Soon!

So what else has been happening? Plumbing - I mentioned that. Electrical - I mentioned that too. Insulating upstairs - yes. Ah! Upstairs. Peter and I have been busy up there too. Those stained beams I mentioned last posting. They needed a coat of varnish before the drywall board goes on. So Saturday Peter and I were up there varnishing! But not before we had numerous errands in Red Deer and the installation of the metal door frames for the main floor to take care of.

We were awake early (as usual) on Saturday and by 8 a.m. were picking up the door frames from a warehouse in Red Deer. From there we went to Peavey Mart in the city as well to purchase the remaining chain needed for our "downspouts". We are not using conventional downspouts that return back to the building. We are using 1/2 inch chain that will rust in time - probably sooner than we think! Hopefully "rusty" chain will be left untouched! From there we went to the Lighting store and ordered our upstairs fixtures. By shortly after 10 we were heading back to Lacombe. It helps when you know what you want!

Before we varnished the beams we installed the door frames. Seven in all. It only took two hours, with much appreciation for an excellent framer! Next time we see him we will have to thank him! When all was said and done, Peter admitted to me he had never installed a door frame like that before! We did the outside door to the electrical room - but these inside doors were different. He knew in his head how it should work - but had never done it before. I wonder how many other things he hasn't done before but waits til afterwards to admit how much of a greenhorn he was! I knew I hired the right General Contractor! Not afraid to try!



My General installing a door frame!



We have insulation upstairs!



Ready to drywall upstairs!

So now if the plumber will finish up the rough-ins and the electrician wind up his work we can carry on and get some heat to stay in the building! That is that plan! And a good plan it is when the thermometer is dipping lower and lower at nights and the winds blowing out from the north grow colder and colder each day!

Difficult Day

TODAY

This is a bit harder post to write! Today we arrived at the station site to find out we had been vandalized overnight. After the necessary calls to police and insurance and window companies - we basically cleaned up the broken glass, boarded over the broken windows and now need to confirm with Loewen a repair to six segments of windows. This act and some telltale evidence has shown it to be a repeat of vandalism that has happened already in town recently at another construction site. We've done all we can do. We need to be more faithful in praying a "hedge" around the site when we drive away at night.

How can we be thankful in this?

The number of weeks those brackets and beams sat out on the lot and didn't receive any damage (willful or unintentional)! How can we not be thankful!

The amount of damage that COULD have happened last night and didn't! How can we not be thankful!

Why this didn't happen already when you almost come to expect it? How can you not be thankful!

What if it was something that could not be repaired? How can you not be thankful!

What if theft was also involved? But nothing was taken! How can you not be thankful!

There are no pictures from today!! We left it to the police to take the pictures!


THE LAST NUMBER OF DAYS

On to another "train" of thought - pardon the pun!

We have lots of trades working on the inside of the building these days! We met with the electrician (Lorne Green) today to discuss moving along with that element of construction. So that is on the horizon! The drywall boarders are in boarding the mechanical rooms so the plumber and electrician and sheet metal fellows can all get in there and do their part towards PERMANENT heat! Today the "gas man" (Dameon from Civic Mechanical) is running gas lines and preparing for furnaces. The sheet metal fellows were in there getting some duct work done to carry the coming heat from the furnaces around the building.

Last weekend Peter and I spent part of Saturday upstairs staining our timber trusses. We are truly happy with the transparent stain we had mixed up for us! The grain of the wood is not lost, yet they are darker - which we wanted for more of an antique look. Out of the six, four are done being stained and we need to stain two more. Then one coat of varnish before the drywallers put on the drywall upstairs. I DO have some pictures from the weekend!



Getting ready!



One is done!



It's a long way up!

This week yet? I think we get insulation somewhere along the line. Plus more of the ongoing work downstairs.

Pray for us and the project - to remain true to Christ, and not become discouraged in this endeavor. To remain level-headed in moving forward with setbacks. To remember - always - to give Him thanks!

They're Back!

They're Back!

Our favorite framer and crew are back! Actually, they are our only framers. We were so happy when they agreed to come back and frame the main floor for us! They are almost finished - just a bit more to finish up in the morning and we are a go for our heating/plumbing and electrical. It will be nice to be done with temporary power and heat! Then insulation and drywall and then painting, finishing, lighting and flooring. Sounds simple - much simplier than I'm sure it will be - but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once all the walls that can be framed for now are done we have a chance to get in their ourselves and do - what else - CLEAN UP and prepare for the next step.

Today we (Peter) met with one of our future tenants to go over finishes etc. (See picture of their space.) Since we are at this stage of the planning, the proverbial light glows a bit brighter! We were also able to share the building with a couple of people today - a contractor Peter has done business with for years now, Lyle Ohlerking from Lakeland Building Contractors and good friends John and Brenda Hand. John and Brenda were driving by and stopped since they saw me out shoveling away some ice build up in the front. (We actually got warm enough today to do just that!) We love it when people pop in to say "Hi" and we can share our adventure in person with them!

70 % leased. Doesn't that sound wonderful? For us it is an answer to prayer! Only two spaces left of about 600 SF each. Or they could be combined for a total of around 1200 SF for a larger office space for more people in one business. They are side by side so there is a choice. (See picture of unspoken for space.)

God has been so good and we've been so blessed with this "adventure"!



Framed Main Floor Walls! (Unspoken for space)



From the "Board Room" looking towards our stairs.



In office space of future tenant.

Concrete!

We are getting concrete poured today inside the station! Late yesterday afternoon Peter and I (mostly Peter) set up a heater inside and some fans. With the weather we've been having lately we would never be able to pour without some added heat. Needless to say - both Peter and I were awake early this morning wondering if we should go over and check things over! This is well beyond my comfort zone and stretching for Peter as well. We waited though until 7:00 - when we were supposed to be there to open up for the siding fellows to get their stuff out of the building.

This morning Kevin Braun and his crew (8 fellows) were inside warming up boots and waiting for the concrete truck to arrive. We had to hire a pumper truck again. With the doors opening and closing continually, the air cooled down a fair amount. I went upstairs to our suite to check out the temperature and it was nice and comfortable up there. I even had to pull off my toque! The son of some friends of ours was working with Kevin this morning, Daryl Ward. While chatting with him we found out Daryl knows Kevin from church. Cool!

In the first picture you can see the pumper truck getting the hoses set up for the pour before the concrete arrives. In the second picture notice the gable end finished until we can get it stuccoed next spring. It was so neat to see the batten boards go on yesterday! (The other side is being done today.) It looks more like what we have been envisioning with the gable being finished this far. In the third picture you can see the pouring inside of the slab. Notice the steam rising off the concrete!









If all continues to go well the framer will be in there tomorrow working on main floor walls. We have another trip to Red Deer this afternoon to pick up one more heater! An electric one this time - the last one Action Rentals has available! Just like insulated tarps, heaters are going to be in big demand now too!

It will be so exciting to walk on a main level concrete floor! I can hardly wait - but I promise not to be too quick about it and leave footprints behind!

Snow Comes to Central Alberta

WE HAVE SNOW!

This past Saturday Peter and I prepared both our "homes" for the anticipated snow arrival on Sunday. "Anticipated" gives you the feeling we wanted it to come. Not! I still struggle to believe winter is well on it's way! Saturday bright and early we went to the "station home" and tidied up the yard and parking lot. After a number of hours of tossing junk into the back of the truck and bagging what would probably blow away in the wind, we hauled two pick-up loads of stuff to the dump. When we were done there we came to our "sleeping home" and cleaned out the flower beds and mowed up the leaves for one last time. When all was said and done, we warmed up (!), showered and went out for the evening. What a treat!

There are bits and pieces that need finishing up on the outside of the building. Concrete sills, a bit more "siding" and tyvek and batten boards for the upstairs walls and our soffit (upstairs only) and fascia are all that remains on the building. Roofing is all done! We just found out this morning though the parking lot will NOT be paved this year. We are believing (or trying to believe right now) there is a blessing in this delay. I think I was more prepared for this than Peter.

Inside? We are all prepped to pour the slab! If all goes well (we pray it does!) and some temporary heat goes in, Thursday is slab pouring day! Then coring (making cut marks so we minimize cracking) next week and framing inside starts. Then heating systems and plumbing! We have the insulation and drywall company all lined up! Again, keeping on top of the sub-trades that are still overworked!

Soon we need to go over to the paint shop and pick out the stain for the timber beams upstairs and some other finishes. As well we need to get some wall/ceiling paint for upstairs. Peter needs to put together a finishing package. We need to make an appointment to make some final decisions on flooring. We need to check out a few cabinet companies for the small "lunch counters" in each suite. And yes! We need to put together our lighting package! Those are the fun decisions!

A gentleman in Tim Horton's yesterday asked us if our building was almost done. We are just starting to move into the next phase!

Teamwork

JULY 12, 2006




OCTOBER 25, 2006


In three and a half short, but extremely busy, months we have come this far. And only by God's goodness! It's beneficial to take time to reflect on where you've come from, but it is also important to keep moving forward. We have a long way to go yet! We will get there!

Teamwork! Why a title like this? I have seen some incredible displays of people working alongside other people in the last number of weeks and days. I know not all do it because of faith in a Higher Being, but as a believer in this Higher Being, it's cool to watch from a different perspective!

The Siding Fellows and the Bricklayers had to co-ordinate their spaces around the building for the last number of weeks. (We have siding AND brick all the way around!) When the tradesmen pulled onto the site a number of weeks ago to set up I could see some potential clashes! Oh no! Time to pray! Even though we haven't been there the whole time to watch how things played out, no one walked off the job!! Then to add to the mix we built a sidewalk all the way across the front of the building that had to be poured then stayed off of! Teamwork.

Two fellows have been doing the siding. One stays up on the scaffolding with the nailer calling out measurements and the other fellow cuts and passes up the pieces of siding. They've worked that way the whole time! And it seems to work well. Teamwork.

The full-time bricklayer on site hurt his back a few days ago moving the mortar mixer thingy. Now the crew's been down to the owner (he did our own house many years ago!) and a young apprentice/laborer. I knew the full time fellow had little patience at first for this young guy just helping out. It's been amazing though now to see Jim (owner) working quietly with this young fellow teaching and instructing him with a much kinder and gentler tone than the absent injuried bricklayer! Teamwork.

Last night while Peter and I were stripping the sidewalk forms, the concrete fellow and his crew were working inside the building prepping the slab. The owner, Kevin, had his wife there as well working with the crew of guys hauling in long lengths of re-bar. What a trooper she is! His business will go places with such a cheery supportive wife! What teamwork!

It's good to see the growth of the building, but also the relationships between workers and tradesmen! There is a bigger picture here than just the ones you see at the beginning of this posting!

Brief Interlude

I suppose I had better get at things here and do another posting. It's not like something hasn't been happening on the site, other than last week! We understand the weather was not great here in Lacombe. We were on the warm side of the Rockies with my brother and sister-in-law enjoying a week away that was booked a year ago. We struggled deciding if we should go or not, but we went and I believe it was a needed break from the hectic pace here in Lacombe. Time in the East Kootenay Valley with the deep green spruce and warm golden Larch trees was a feast for the eyes! We usually get to Fairmont when snow has moved into the valley for the winter! This pic shows us on our way up into the hills! The next day I dared not say "Let's do something!" Again, I am thankful for our red pick-up four wheel drive truck!



Peter and Lorraine



Ron and Bev



The road goes on - we didn't!

In our travels during the week we also went to a service station just outside of Fort Steele and picked up a CP caboose (van) pot bellied stove we saw earlier in May. This little - but heavy - treasure will end up in our new office waiting room area. Or that is the plan at this point. We debate where to put it - but I have discovered the spot I want to see it finally rest. Whatever the case - it will be in the station!



The "waiting" caboose pot-bellied stove

BEFORE we left, our sidewalks were poured. In anticipation of the cold weather we had every poured concrete surface covered with insulated tarps. As well, Peter and I installed our "heavy" steel mechanical room door. This guaranteed the lockability (is this a real word?) of the building while we were gone.



Long line of orange tarps



In goes the door!

Today is a sunny day so I should be able to go over later and take some pics of the almost completed segments of our exterior! But that is a whole new story!

Lots happening all over the site!

Today was another busy day at 4892 - 46th Street! The weather wasn't really clearing up - but it certainly was warmer today than for the last two days! We were up early - one of us earlier than the other one and down in the office working - and the day started a bit foggy. As long as the sky doesn't clear we will stay warmer at night. Right now this is crucial for our sidewalks to cure the best. Sidewalks cure you know!

The roofer couldn't make it - he has three guys sick with the flu! Yuck! But our siding guys were back and so were our bricklayers. And this afternoon Kevin Braun was here with his crew pouring the sidewalk up by our building. Tonight Peter and I will go over and check on it yet. There was some problems with the concrete setting up (low air temperature) so we will very, very carefully lay some tarps over the sidewalk. Hopefully tomorrow they will be able to pour the front city sidewalk. We have the tarps for a week.

By the way, the 15 insulated tarps needed sure know how to fill up the back of a pick-up. Good thing they are light and poofy! A couple of tie down ropes managed to "suck them in" for the trip home from Red Deer after lunch!



View out the back window!




Kevin (far left) and his crew!
Waiting for last of the concrete to arrive!




Peter talking with Paul (siding fellow)!
What a bea-u-ti-ful color!




Jim (very back left) and his crew of Bricklayers!


They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I just gave you four thousand!

P.S. Kevin and his fellows had everything covered before we got there tonight! So glad they were able to do it!

Let it Shine, Let it Shine!

Saturday Morning's Crew



Monday's Crew

I was not too smart to use the title for the last posting that I did. Today, Wednesday, it wants to snow or threaten to snow! We are waiting for it to clear and warm up enough to pour sidewalks. Over the Thanksgiving weekend on Saturday and Monday our front parking area was a beehive of activity with people running here and there and everywhere getting the sidewalks prepared for this week to pour. Now we sit and wait out the weather! We should be taking a deep breath and enjoying a bit of a breather here, but we aren't! Next week Peter and I are supposedly going on a bit of a holiday (planned a year ago - who knew!) but somehow the pressure of getting all enclosed and prepared for those winter blizzards is not encouraging us to "just go!"

On Saturday, once Eric and Becky arrived, Eric and Kev worked on getting some communication wires pulled in our suite. Hopefully we are not too premature in this - the shingles are still sitting in their bundles on the roof. Our roofer is to come tomorrow! While they were busy running wires through walls and in the floor system, Eric and Becky's new (but not so little anymore) puppy Keira was tied up digging to her heart's content in a sandpile created by our plumber and electrician a number of weeks ago. She had to be confined while Becky and I stained the last of the smart wood under cover and away from our nightly frost. Outside were Peter, Matt Archibald, Tyrone Mamchur and Gordie Scott (all three friends of Kev's from high school) moving around gravel and pit run and laying out forms for sidewalks.

On Monday Brent and Kirstin were here and Eric and Becky were heading home to Calgary. Brent and Kev helped along with the crew from Saturday to finish up most of the sidewalk prep. Brent sure knows his stuff and was a real asset to the task at hand! Kirstin and I cleaned out upstairs and generally moved around what we could for the guys. We looked useful at all the right times! Or tried to! Most of the work was completed with the expertise of Brent and the brute strength of the former football players on site.

Now we wait! Even the siding fellows and the bricklayers quit early yesterday because of the continual drizzle of rain dripping down through the overhang boards on them and their work. Don't blame them!

Once again we are being tested on just how well we have learned the lesson of patience. As tough as it is to be at a standstill at such a crucial time of year - there is nothing we can do about the weather. We know it is in His hands. God knows what we need, when we need it and we will have those things in His good timing. We can still count blessings in our anxious moments. We have someone to watch over the constuction site while we are hopefully away next week. What a blessing! We've managed to snag onto some insulated tarps - which will be in high demand soon! What a blessing! We are heading into a somewhat slower time in the office and not our busiest season. What a blessing! Even the phone in the office is ringing less (time of year and weather) which makes for better productivity there. What a blessing! We have three healthy sons and two wonderful daughter-in-laws to help and encourage us along. What a blessing!

Weather? This too shall pass!

When the Winter Blizzards Blow ....

It's exciting to watch the station come closer to the place of being snug and dry when those inevitable prairie blizzards do blow!

Today was hectic on the site! So many people stopped by either to work, prepare to do their work next week or drop off some supplies. To complete the picture - the town was out doing prep work for re-paving what they tore up a few months ago to provide us with water and sewer to our property. That prevented one driveway from being used and they are working on getting the curb redone for the other driveway. Good thing there is an empty lot to the south for supply trucks to come in, or trucks to bring in workers. I realized today that almost everyone who works on site uses a pick-up truck! Glad we have ours! We would feel so out of place. Actually our truck has seen a lot of action for hauling in - hauling away - moving around supplies - picking up supplies! We couldn't have done without it!

Today we received on site the brick for the building. We also got re-bar delivered for the slab and sidewalks. The "fencer" stopped by briefly, the siding fellows started prep work, our bricklayer came to go over a few details with us, even a drywaller stopped by briefly to check if we had that lined up yet. We do. And a T.V. station in Red Deer stopped by to do an interview with us about the building. We finally made it back home after lunch to do the work that makes the money right now! So here we are tonight, working in the office. Actually Peter has the work to keep up with, I'm keeping up with the blog!

The windows are all installed now! The large opening on the east side for the scissor lift is now sealed up! Even our electrician stopped by to do some layout upstairs! There - another person who stopped by! The only exterior element to take care of to complete the "lock-up" is the mechanical room door! We will probably bring it home to paint before installing it. And if someone is brave enough (or stupid enough) they could crawl up to the roof and still get in the openings for the skylights. Those have to be installed yet. Tonight they are just gaping holes! Stargazing - that's what they are good for tonight!

I think this week we both feel like we have lived a million lifetimes already - and it is only Thursday! This weekend will be busy too - depending on the weather. We pray for acceptable conditions for working outside and in!



Main Floor windows in!



Ta da! Upstairs too!



Signs of an electrician coming around!



My office towards Peter's office!



The fence is coming along!
(Note the opening for a lockable gate!)

Ah - yes - I almost forgot. Speaking of fence posts, the emergency services for Central AB did a mock disaster just south of the station yesterday afternoon! They did it in conjuction with a "disaster" out at the Joffre plant to see if everyone could respond as they were supposed to. They found our fence posts quite handy for blocking off the "disaster" area! Our framer tried pretending to need help - they ignored him since he wasn't in the "cast" of "disaster victims"!