Paradise, CA – March 19-25, 2023

Spring is slowly and suddenly pushing its way into Paradise. Paradise is greener than we have ever seen it in the three years in which Lois and I have come to Paradise. The winter rains keep hanging on, which means that construction decisions are dependent on the weather. Fortunately, the work projects are all covered and indoors now. We had one day of sunshine this week.

Our weekly volunteers come from both Canada and the USA. We have two persons from the Vancouver, BC, area. Added to that were 10 persons from Central Wisconsin. Our new Construction Supervisor, Paul Miller, was very pleased with the way in which all volunteers worked enthusiastically as a team. We accomplished more than anyone expected.

We have four houses in various stages of finishing; we worked on all four this week:

• The Ream house is getting closer to being finished. We had some closet work to do, plus some touchup drywall and painting work. Next week we anticipate completing the final punch list of details and install the appliances. We anticipate a dedication in the near future.
• The Loomis house is progressing nicely. We cleaned the house and painted the walls. Then we finished installing the flooring and all cabinets and countertops are installed.
• In the Reyes house we finished the drywall, cleaned the floors, installed the closet shelves, and began painting. Next week we anticipate laying the flooring.
• This week we began and completed hanging the drywall in the Kellogg house. They then moved on to the taping and mudding of the drywall. This next week we anticipate finishing that and moving on to painting.

One of the gifts of the week was having two brothers, both professional contractors, stop in and visit. They both grew up in Paradise, and now wish to contribute to the welfare of their home town. They had seen our crews working and came to visit with us, with an offer to assist us. They stopped by the Kellogg work site and gave a thorough tutorial on how to apply mud to drywall. Our workers were enthralled with their expertise and teaching ability. It was a wonderful gift!

Over the weekend the Long-Term Volunteers attended the Goat Grazing Festival, an annual event in Paradise. Goats are being used to eat and reduce the undergrowth, thereby reducing the fire risk. That means the goats are a fire-suppression tool! Who would have thought?

Submitted by Wayne Hochstetler on behalf of the team