Saturday was a great day here at SAM. We had 12 teens and two
adults from Bridge Community Church in Sauk Rapids, MN come and
help work on the waterfront. They had a great time raking, and then
swimming and having a mud-fight. Judy and I want to thank the kids
and Clinton for their great work.

Well today was certainly an eventful day here. We had two friends
from Sauk Rapids spend Sunday night with us and all day today. They
are Lloyd and Elaine Heim. Lloyd came to work on the remodel, and
Elaine helped Judy work on the Peace Garden.

The day started great. But then I was handed a air-powered coil
nailing gun with 3 1/4 inch nails for nailing 2×4’s to studs. Well, long
story short - I found out that when the nail gun fires a nail, and the
nail hits a knot in the wood there is a good chance that nail is going
to ricochet. And that’s what happened. The bad news is that the
thumb on my left hand was in the path of the ricocheted nail. One
minute I’m happily nailing away, and the next minute I’m looking at
a 16 penny nail sticking all the way through my thumb. Oh ya! It
was a real eye opening moment, not to mention painful.

Well, off I went to the emergency room of the Brainerd hospital.
With a lot of Novocaine, and a doctor with some fine pliers, the
nail soon found itself laying next to my hand, instead of in it. Now
I’m home soaking the thumb and getting ready for bed.

Now, back to the remodel.  Gene, Bobby and Lloyd got a lot of
finishing work done today. The entire lower level is finished, and
the hall-way leading up to the bedrooms is done. I’ve got some
pictures below of the crew working.

Judy and Elaine were able to put in a lot of wood chips in the
Peace Garden. They got the entire path leading through the
garden done. It looks fantasic.

I want to thank Gene, Bobby, Lloyd and Elaine for your great
work today!

Well, that’s it for now. I’m heading to the shower and then to
bed. God bless, and remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Here’s a picture of the teens from Bridge Community Church. They spent hours working on
our beach area and hauling wood in for the remodel project.

Elaine Heim-Mullenmaster worked really hard on the pathway through the Peace Garden.

Lloyd Heim helped cut 2×4’s for remodeling the upper floor of White Tail Lodge.

Bobby Vry checks to see that the wall he’s working on is plumb.

Gene White, who is our general contractor overseeing the remodel, cuts some finishing
boards for paneling the walls in White Tail Lodge.

Sorry I haven’t blogged for a couple days. Things have been moving right
along though.

The first level of our guest’s quarters is almost finished. All the ceilings
are on, the walls are all finished, beams are covered, and the atrium that
reaches up to our 28 foot peak is finished. I’ve included pictures below.
The only thing left on the first floor is to literally put the red oak
flooring down - and that arrived today.

The finished look is absolutely beautiful. I simply can’t say thank you enough
to Gene White and Bobby Vry for all their work on this project. They
have worked 14 hour days to get to where we are today.

This is a picture of the wall and windows that enclose the indoor play
area that we’ve created for children and teens. It’s going to be a very
quiet (we’ve insulated the walls) place for kids to play.

Here’s a great look at the ceiling on the first floor. It’s really fantastic.

Here’s what the atrium area looks like. You are looking UP into
the area that leads to the peak. Trust me, it’s a LONG way up.

We’ve had other things happening this week as well. We had a
radio interview this morning for KCFB radio station out of Pequot
Lakes. They are going to run the interview on two mornings in July
prior to our first fund raiser on July 12 in Crosslake (see more details
below). We will let you know when the interview will be played on
the radio. Even if you live in another part of the country you can listen
on-line. Like I said, we’ll let you know the days they will be playing the
interview. NOTE: If you would like to be added to SAM’s email list
just email me at pat@smileagainministries.com

We are also sitting down for an interview with a local newspaper tomorrow
(Sat). They are also focusing in on SAM and our upcoming fund raiser.

Speaking of fund raisers, we are having two special events in July.

On Sunday, July 12, at 3:00 pm, we will be having a benefit concert at
the Log Church in Crosslake, MN. The Gary Schimpp Family Singers are
doing a concert for SAM, with all the donations going toward our remodel.
We’ll be sending out emails to our SAM friends prior to this
date with more details. The Schimpp Family have been friends of
Judy and me for over 28 years, so this will be a special time for us
indeed. This concert is open to the public, so come if you can, and
bring a friend!

On Sunday, July 26, from 4:00 - 7:00 pm SAM will have a benefit
Open House at the Blackberry Golf Club in Sartell, MN. The purpose
of this Open House and benefit is to raise funds for furnishing
White Tail Lodge. Once again, if you are on SAM’s mailing list, or
email list, you will receive more info about this event via the mail
and email.

Well, it’s late, and we have a youth group from Bridge Community
Church in Sauk Rapids, MN coming up to do work around here
tomorrow. They came last year and did a super job helping make
the beach-front nice for guests and swimmers. Looks like they’ll
be doing a lot of the same again this year.

Oh, yes, some of you have been wondering about our beavers
who have found it delightful to swim away with two of our wooden
steps leading down to the beach area. So far, they have not
returned for log number 3 - although many people have told us
that we shouldn’t be surprised when they do. We’ll keep you posted.

God bless, and remember, we love you guys! Pat & Judy

Well most of the downstairs area of White Tail Lodge has a knotty
pine ceiling tonight. Gene White and Bobby Vry and I put in some long
hours today, but the ceiling is looking fantastic. It’s going to give such
a warm feeling to our guests in the future.

It’s been hot and MUGGY working today, so we’re pretty drained
tonight. Can’t wait to hit the shower and then bed.

I didn’t make it down to the beach today, so I’m not sure if our
friendly beaver has come and run off with another of my wooden
steps. Even though putting the steps in is hard, back-breaking work,
it’s also pretty funny to see the huge marks the beaver leaves
behind as he/she drags away a step.

We’re still looking for people to help us with the finishing work. If
you can come and spend a day it would be fantastic. Just call ahead
of time and let us know you’re coming so we can be sure to have
plenty of food.

That’s it for today - I’ll post some pics tomorrow. We love you guys,
Pat & Judy

Just when I thought my wooden steps leading down to the beach were
safe - surprise! The beavers made another clandestine attack during
the night and pilfered yet another one of my steps. A clear trail leading
from where the step was carefully placed by yours truly to the lake can
still be seen.

Now one step was kind of humorous, but taking number two - now it’s
getting serious. Reminds me of the gopher on the movie Caddy Shack.
I don’t think I’ve turned into a Bill Murray yet, but if anymore steps
turn up missing I might be tempted to attack? Not really, but it’s hard
to see one’s heavy labor slipping off into the lake.

We have three grand kids here this weekend so it’s definitely a lively
house. Our son is running in Grandma’s 1/2 marathon tomorrow. I
prefer watching the kids to running, that’s for sure.

Oh, just one more thing. We NEED people to help with the finishing work
on White Tail Lodge. We’ll begin this work on Monday. I told the
contractor today that I’d sent out an email to people saying we could
really use the help. He said, “Tell them we NEED them.” So, I’m telling
you once again. If you can help, please call before you come so we can
plan you for meals. Thanks for caring. We love you guys. Pat & Judy

Mitchell just watches at Mikai and Maddie prepare to launch a water attack
on picture taking Grandpa. By the way, the photographer managed to come
away without getting drenched. The aim of little people isn’t too good.

Well it’s been a few days since one of the Beavers on our lake
ran off with one of my wooden steps leading to the docks. Thankfully
he or she has not returned. Someone emailed me suggesting it was
probably a “she” since they do most of the work around a house? At
least, that what she said happens at her house. Hmmmm…

Anyway, I did manage to get a second dock out that we can tie our
boat to, leaving the main dock area open for fishing and swimming, or
just sitting and enjoying the view.

We have the SAM Board of Directors coming here tomorrow
(Thursday) for our annual meeting. Judy and I have been racing around
getting the last minute touches on things. We are so excited for the
board to be able to see all the progress that’s been made on the
remodel.

One last thing before I sign off, we are asking all our supporters to
consider making a donation toward our remodeling costs. We have had
(as always happens I guess) come unexpected expenses - like needing
an entirely new furnace and air conditioner to support the new addition.
So please consider dropping a donation to us soon.

Thanks so much for checking out the blog. Remember, Judy and I love
you guys. God bless - Pat & Judy

This is the view of our Peace Garden from the deck outside the two bedroom
suites. As you can see, our perennials are really coming up!

We just had the inspector come and approve our electrical wiring for
the remodel. This is a big step. Now we will be able to begin enclosing
the walls and doing the finish work.

Speaking of the electrical work - we want to thank Rod Kampa,
Terry Nash, and Donnie Fitzpatrick for donating all their labor for
this aspect of the remodel. They spent many, MANY hours running
line, putting up boxes, and a new sub-panel. We appreciate so much
the work these men put in. I felt bad that I forgot to get pictures
of all three of the men - but I do have a picture of Rod working on
one of the light boxes below.

Rod is an electrician that works for a company out of the Twin Cities area.

Now, one of those moments that you can’t really prepare for when it
comes to living up North.

Last week I started putting in some simple wooden steps leading down
to the beach area. I was simply using logs that came from our land here
for the steps since our budget is running right on the edge, and this is a
cheap way to put in some steps.

At any rate, I spent an afternoon putting in 10 steps. First I cut the
logs to length, then ripped them lengthwise with our chainsaw so they
made two steps. Once ripped, I began placing them into the hill leading
down to the beach-front. Needless to say, this is kind of back-breaking
work. But it was SO rewarding to see the steps falling into place.

Last Saturday, after Rod Kampa and I finished the electrical work, I
suggested we go down to the lake and do a little fishing. I was excited
to show Rod the steps. But as we got there, one of the steps was
missing! Now remember, these are just rough cut logs, and they are
pretty heavy.

As I scratched my head trying to figure out what had happened to the
step, Rod began to chuckle and said, “A beaver took your step.” I said,
“What?”  “A beaver took your step,” he said again. “You can see where
he drug the step into the water.” Sure enough, leading to the water
was the tell-tale trail that the beaver had left.

Both Rod and I had to laugh over that one. You see, we have three
beaver houses on our lake. And I’m pretty sure one of those houses
now has one fine, rough-cut, half log either laying on top of their house,
or inside someplace. Ahhhh, life in the north woods. Below are a couple
pictures showing the missing step and the marks left by the beaver
as he or she dragged away our log.

All that was left of the step was the dirt the beaver had left behind.

It’s a little hard to see, but if you look closely you’ll see the mark in the
sand of our log being taken away, along with our footprints as we examined
the mysterious case of the missing step!

Construction will be on hold for a week now. We have the SAM Board of
Directors coming in for our Annual meeting on Wed. and Thursday, so
I’ve asked the contractor to wait until next week to begin the finish
work.

Speaking of the finish work. If you would like to help in putting in hard wood
floors, or putting up wooden paneling and ceilings, give us a call. Like I said,
we’ll begin this aspect of the remodel on Monday, June 22. If you could come
for a day, or two, or more - we’d love to have you come. We’ll provide all your
meals, and we have two separate sleeping areas set up now. So if you can help
out, let us know by calling 320-310-8877.

Thanks for reading our blog today. Remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy
Monday,

Well Day 9 of our remodel of White Tail Lodge is complete. We were
able to put in a sliding glass door leading to a patio area yesterday. This is
a great addition to the lodge. Prior to this we had two huge swinging doors
on this wall (see pic below). The doors were pretty neat actually, but they
were not insulated and would have allowed plenty of winter’s cold in.

As you can see below, the new door has plenty of insulated glass to allow
sunshine in, while keeping the cold out. This door is also located on the
south side of the building, so we’ll get plenty of warmth from the sun in
the cooler months.

Gene and Bobby finished off a portion of the deck that needed it. They
also built a new wall that will enclose the new furnace that will be needed
to heat White Tail Lodge. By the way, this is a real need for us now. We
were not expecting to have this additional cost in the remodel (about $4,700),
so if you would like to give a special donation toward the furnace fund we
would REALLY appreciate that.

This week should be fairly quiet here. We have to wait to get the duct
work in for the furnace, as well as finishing the electrical wiring. Once the
electrical is done, we will need to get it inspected. Then we will be starting
the finishing work such as putting in the hard wood floors and walls.

Continue to remember Judy and me in your prayers. Judy’s still coughing a
lot with her “crud.” I’m feeling better. We’re both going to try to lay low
for the next few days. That’s it from here. Thanks for reading and
following our progress. We love you guys! Pat & Judy

Well another work week is wrapping up. Gene and Bobby and I finished
the deck project on Thursday. Now the entire framing of the walls and
floors inside White Tail Lodge has been completed.

The plumbers completed their work on Thursday as well. All they have
to do is hook up the various sinks and toilets once we have the flooring
down.

Today (Sat.), we have two electricians here. Rod Kampa and Terry Nash,
both from the St. Cloud area, are busy drilling holes and pulling wire. I’m
helping them along with Donnie Fitzpatrick (Rod’s brother-in-law). So far
we have the bedroom and loft areas pretty well finished. Now it’s down to
the enclosed play area and kitchen and living room area. Lots of work!

Geri Kampa, Rod’s wife, is busy helping Judy weed the Peace Garden. It’s
looking incredible considering there wasn’t a single plant there last June.

We had a wonderful surprise today as well. Virg and Doris Riley from
Richmond, MN, stopped by to drop off a glider bench for the Peace Garden
( see picture below) The bench is in honor of their son, Greg, who died
nearly 12 years ago. In fact, Doris and Virg were the first couple we
worked with in Sauk Rapids as we started working with parents who had
lost a child. They are a special couple to Judy and me. We’ve placed
Greg’s glider next to the waterfall so that individuals can sit and just
enjoy the sound of the water. It’s quite a peaceful spot.

Well that’s it for now. I’ve got to get back to working on the electrical.
Thanks to everyone of you who have been such faithful supporters of
SAM these past two years. We couldn’t be where we are today without
your financial support and encouragement. God bless - and remember,
Judy and I love you guys.

Doris and Virg Riley enjoy the first swing on the glider they donated to SAM in
memory of their son Greg. Thanks so much Doris and Virg!

Here I’m standing with Gene White and Bobby Vry on our new deck. Both men have done
an incredible job leading the work on the remodeling of White Tail Lodge.

It was an incredibly beautiful day here, even though it started
out pretty cool. We had a temp of 32 degrees when we woke up
today.

We had a lot happening around here today. Our two plumbers were here
plumbing in the bathrooms and kitchen sink areas. They should finish
tomorrow. Everything there is looking great.

Two friends from the Verndale area came up to help today as well.
Terry Mickunas and Terry Boyd came just in time to help us build the
deck outside our bedroom suites. We were able to get the deck up and
the start of the railings and steps leading down to the Peace Garden.
It is going to be very nice. Judy just about cried when she stood on the
deck and looked out over the Peace Garden.

Tomorrow is another day… Gene White says we should get the deck
done and the doors hung tomorrow. By the way, Gene’s come down
with the “crud.” Judy looks like she’s not far behind. So if you think
of us, send up a prayer or two. Check out some pics below…

I’m heading for bed. Good night - and remember we love you guys.
Pat & Judy

Terry Boyd helps Bobby and Gene set up the scaffolding for the deck.

Terry Mickunas (rt) looks on with Gene White as the deck is being built.

Bobby Vry plants another screw on the corner of the deck.

Well Day 6 is just about complete. Gene and Bobby are still pounding away
in the remodel area of White Tail Lodge.

We finished roughing in all the walls today - which is SO nice. We also built
stairways leading up to the loft areas of each bedroom suite. The loft areas
are going to be a fantastic addition to our plans. We’ve placed a loft over
each of the bathroom areas. It would have been wasted space otherwise.

Tomorrow we expect to have a couple of other men showing up to help.
We got some outside work planned, as well as possibly putting in some
of the flooring. We also have plumbers coming in to plumb the remodel.
We hauled up two bath bays today. That was exciting, getting those
up to the second floor and into the bathrooms. I have developed some
muscles I haven’t used in many, many years…

Sorry, no pics today. I’ll try to have a few for tomorrow’s blog. God
bless - and remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy