Well, Gene and Bobby pulled out yesterday afternoon marking the
end of the major construction portion of the remodel of White
Tail Lodge. Judy and I can’t say thanks enough to Gene and Bobby
for 26 VERY full days of work here. As you’ve seen, they were joined
by other volunteers during that time too. But Gene and Bobby worked,
and worked, and worked. By the way, Gene is now free to do other
construction work. If you need someone to build a house, or just
remodel the one you have, I’d recommend Gene without reservation.
He does quality work, and he works hard. You can contact Gene by
calling 218-639-3743 if you’d like him to bid on a job for you.

Now we’re in the staining and finishing of the woodwork. And there is a
LOT of woodwork to be finished. There are walls, ceilings, and yes - the
beautiful hard wood floors.

For the past two days we’ve had Harvey and Janelle Springer from the
Omaha, NE area here. They’ve been applying a lot of sander sealer and
polyurethane, and stain. Harvey’s 71 and Janelle is keeping her age a
secret. But they are working at light-speed. You can see their pics below.

We’ve also enjoyed having one of our SAM board members here with
Harvey and Janelle. Dr. Marilyn Weldin is helping us brain-storm on ideas
for grant-writing, furnishing the kid’s play area, and a wealth of other
knowledge. Dr. Weldin was a professor that Judy and I had while attending
college. She is such an encourager to us.

Sorry, I still haven’t gotten out to the beaver’s den to get that picture
I promised you of one of our log steps being used as siding on their den.
But I’ll try to get that done over the weekend.

Judy and I want to thank everyone for your continued financial support
and encouragement. Remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Janelle Springer does some touch up work on the stain she applied to one of the
doors leading into the children’s enclosed play area.

Harvey Springer works on applying sanding sealer to walls near the doorway
to our patio area.

It’s been confirmed - the beavers are siding their home with some
mighty fine “former steps leading to our beach,” logs. Judy and I were
out on the lake last night and I happened to look over at the beaver den
and Judy said, “Is that one of our logs?” Sure enough! One of our six
steps is now siding on the beaver den closest to our waterfront. I was
going to take pictures tonight and send out, but it’s raining here. I’ll
have to wait for another day.

Gene White and Bobby Vry continue to do the finish work on the bedroom
areas of White Tail Lodge (see pics below). Things are looking absolutely
beautiful. We have some volunteers coming in tomorrow (Tues) to help
begin the sealing of the siding in the lower level and possibly the deck area
if it’s not raining.

Hopefully you’ve received an email and/or post card about this Sunday’s
fund raiser at the Blackberry Golf Club in Sartell, MN. The fund
raiser begins at 4:00pm and runs until 7:00pm. Judy and I will be talking
about SAM at 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30. If you haven’t heard, there are LOTS
of items for our silent auction. Items include everything from a week at
Branson, MI or a week in the Cayman Islands, haircuts, tools, and art
pieces. So don’t miss out. Come to the fund raiser.

Well, that’s it for now. Check out the pics below. Remember you can
left click your mouse inside a picture and it will appear full size. God
bless - we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Gene White (closest) and Bobby Vry work on putting in the railing for the
stairs leading to one of the loft areas.

SAM has had a great day! This morning we had a local newspaper
publish a story about SAM. You can read the article for yourself
by going to  http://www.northlandpress.com/CLsmileagain71409.html

It was exciting when someone from New Jersey called even before
I had a chance to read the article myself to talk to me about SAM.

Judy and I also had the opportunity to speak to a local ROTARY
Club at noon. We were able to share about our mission, and
answer several questions that people had.

The remodel is moving along well. We had extra helpers here
today from the Verndale Alliance Church. We have just a little
flooring left to lay, and then it’s just the final finishing work.
Once the woodwork is done, we will begin finishing all the
woodwork with stains and polyurethane.

Remember, we have a benefit fund raiser in Sartell, MN on
Sunday, July 26 at the Blackberry Ridge Golf Club between
4:00 and 7:00 pm.  We’ll be having a quilt raffle as well as
a silent auction for a one week vacation to Branson. You
can get directions to the golf club by going to
www.blackberryridgegolf.com

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading our blog. Remember,
Judy and I love you guys. Pat & Judy

Well the red oak flooring is flying around like crazy here.
Gene White and Bobby are both back and we’ve been laying a
LOT of flooring today. We’ve completely finished the floors
in the bedrooms and loft areas upstairs. We moved to the
lower level and began putting in floors late today.

Judy and I want to extend a special thank you to the Gary
Schimpp Family Singers for their excellent benefit concert
here in Crosslake yesterday afternoon. We have known the
Schimpps for 28 years, but this was the first time we’ve
heard the entire family singing together. We know the people
who came to the concert enjoyed the music too.

Remember, we have another benefit at the Blackberry Golf
Club in Sartell, MN on Sunday, July 26 between 4:00 and
7:00 pm. We’ll send out more info next week related to this
event.

Judy and I want to also thank Bobby Vry and his wife Tony, and
their two children and a friend for coming this past weekend
and cleaning up a LOT of brush. They worked hard and fast.

Well, I’m heading for the shower and then to bed. Thanks for
caring, and remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Well this has been an eventful week at SAM.

On Monday night, one of our workers, Bobby, came down with a 103
degree temp and had to be taken home by our contractor, Gene White.
Before I go any further, Bobby’s doing well at home, and plans to
return to work on White Tail lodge next week.

Another discovery was made on Monday as well. My friendly beavers
had run off with log number 6. That only leaves 4 more to go. I’ve
basically given up on stopping them, and am trying to plan an “alternative”
method of putting in steps to lead to our beach area.

On Tuesday, Gene White came back - as did two helpers from the
Verndale Alliance Church, Terry Mickunas and Bruce Gould. They
were life-savers for Gene and me since Bobby was home sick. We
were able to put in all of the red oak flooring in the second bedroom
suite area.

Then sad news hit. Gene received a call around 5:00 pm telling him that is
91 year old mother was dying (she had been ill for some time). Gene called
about an hour later, as he was traveling home, to tell me that his mother
had passed away. Her funeral will be on Saturday morning in Verndale.
Please pray for Gene and his extended family as they grieve the loss of his
mom.

So things have stopped right now on the remodel. We have two friends
coming tomorrow (Fri) to help us around the place. But the heavy-duty
work will have to wait until next Monday.

That’s it from SAM-land. God bless, and remember, Judy and I love you guys.

I thought my log steps were safe from the beavers. I thought they
had decided to leave my hard work alone. I WAS WRONG! Today I
went down to the lake only to find that step #3 was missing, and two
very distinct tracks leading to the water’s edge told me that this time
the BIG log was dragged away by my thieving beaver and an
accomplice. See picture below for proof (remember, click inside the
picture to see full view).

The only consolation I have this time is the fact that it took two
beaver to drag the log away. And they really had to work at it too.
There were deep marks in the sand where they pulled and pulled to
get the log into the water.  Oh well.

Well, all the walls in White Tail Lodge are nearly done. Gene White and
Bobby Vry and me ended remodel day #16 just a few boards short of
the finish line. Next Monday we’ll finish off the walls and then begin
laying the hardwood floors. After that, it’s the trim work and staining
and finishing of the wood paneling and walls and ceilings. It looks incredible.

This week we had some great help. Lloyd and Elaine Heim helped us out
on Monday. On Wednesday we had Keith “No-Name” Nadgwick and Terry
“THE Cut Man” Boyd helping put up paneling on the walls. Judy and I want
to thank each of these helpers for making the project move along.

Keith Nadgwick prepares to nail paneling to the hallway above one of our bedroom suites.
I had to kid Keith about the tie-dyed T-shirt, and called him a hippy.

This was a return visit for Terry “THE Cut Man” Boyd. Terry has come a couple of other
times to help us with the remodel. We had fund teasing him about his recent
trip to Hawaii, and learned how expensive it is for food there.

For those of you who are wondering, my thumb is healing extremely well.
I don’t even have a bandage on it today (Friday), as it is healed over. I am
amazed at how quickly it is healing after shooting a nail through it earlier
this week. Although Gene and Bobby think I did it just to get out of work,
I can assure you I didn’t.

Hey, if you’d like to help us put down flooring next week we’d love to have
you come. Just give a call before you show up so we know how to plan meals.

One last thing. Judy and I want to wish each of you a happy 4th of July. We
live in the greatest nation on earth, and for that we are very thankful. May
God bless America. Remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy.

A few of you have been wondering about my nail gun experience.
Well, I thought I’d post a picture of me with the nail gun that
sent a 3 1/4 inch 16 penny nail through my thumb. Here’s the pic.

Here’s the gun and I’m holding the nails like the one that went
through my thumb. The good news is the nail completely missed
anything vital - my bone, my knuckle and my tendon. The Dr. said
that if I had to shoot myself with the gun, this was the best
outcome possible.

You’ll also notice the fine band aid on my thumb. Since I didn’t want
to get dust and “stuff” in my thumb today as I worked I thought
putting on some fine electrical tape would do the job. It did! 

Well that’s it for now. Oh, and by the way, I don’t use this gun anymore.
The contractor has removed me from the list of approved users. I
can’t say I’m disappointed.

Catch ya tomorrow. Remember, we love you guys. Pat & Judy

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