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.