The Tower ...and more

All week progress has been made on the cell tower that is being built next to our house. First the "guts" went in. There was alot of digging with cables, wires, etc. being installed in "communications central" located in the area just behind where the tower will be placed.

When all of that was in place, a slab of cement was poured and a wall was built to inclose that area.
On Friday morning, a large crain and a flat-bed truck arrived in the parking lot. Jim was able to watch as the "trunk" part of the cell tower was hoisted off the truck and set into place.
Then, piece by piece, the receptors were fastened onto the tower.

It was a tideous process that took almost all day...

This dedicated worker was working way up high for hours! Fortunately, it was an overcast day so at least he didn't have to suffer up there in the heat.

Bright and early Saturday morning, the work crew was back and started hooking up the cables and wires from "grand central" to the tower up above. We certainly saw team work in action as one end pulled the cables and the other end pushed. All morning long we heard, "Take it on three; ONE, TWO, THREEEEE! ONE, TWO, THREEEEE!" By the end of the day, most of the wiring was completed. As you can see below, the tower is right next to our house (in the back ground). It certainly is much bigger than we ever imagined!

While all of this activity was going on in the front yard, in our backyard, another project was taking place. For the past several days, Jim has been working on a "flood control project." On Saturday afternoon, when Jamie and Krista came to visit, Jim solicited Jamie's help in putting up rain gutters on the backside of the garage. This was a necessary home improvement that we wanted to have done before the rainy season starts in earnest. With every big rain last year, water flooded the whole east end of the inside (and outside) of the garage. Earlier in the day, Jim had also hauled in filler dirt and small rocks for that side of the garage. Hopefully all this work will solve the water problem!But the best part of the whole weekend of course, was seeing our kids again! And it was very exciting to see how much Baby E has grown! All of us are excited to meet this little one!

Happenings...

Last Sunday we had a wonderful surprise! Just as Jim was welcoming people to the church service, in walked Joel and Alice Lunde along with their son Jon and his family! It was so much fun to see them and catch up on the news from their family.

These dear friends have been close to Jim's family since he was a boy. It was fun to visit with them and also re-connect with Jon and Pam (and to discover that we really don't live very far away from them!) Thanks Joel and Alice for your surprise visit!

This morning we had our first rain of the season (it is unusual for the rain to come this early) and we had a real downpour for about 15 minutes! Now the air is so fresh and clean and the trees even have a brilliant green luster that was lacking a few days ago. It has been so fun to see the clouds billowing up all around us (and even the lightning in the western skies last night). We are thankful for the early rains, as we are presently experiencing a severe drought.

The past two weeks, T-Mobil has been in the process of installing a cell phone tower here on the church property. The cables and alot of the "underground" work is done. But mishaps do occur... In the process of digging the trenches last week, our phone lines were cut so we were without telephone service for over three days! We certainly were thankful for cell phones!The crew is waiting permission from the city to pour the footings for the tower (it will be shaped like a palm tree so that it blends more easily into the landscape). And, as so often happens with bureaucracy, the project is about a week behind! The tower will be just to the right of our house.

Update

Sorry we have not posted in awhile. Why???????????

We have struggled for the past several months with our Internet connection and finally decided that we needed to change. We now are enjoying DSL and hopefully will be back in the "blogging business" once again.

Meanwhile, here are some of the things that we've been up to...

I (Marilyn) have been putting in extra hours at work, since our pharmacist Helen (second from left) resigned last month. Our new pharmacist started working just after Labor Day, and has finally finished all of her orientation, so I am back to working my part-time hours (8AM-1PM).

I am enjoying getting to know my co-workers better. Our department is usually so busy that we don't get to visit with each other, but the past week has been slower, so we have actually had time to chat with each other! I love the diversity we have here in So Cal!

A couple of weeks ago, Jim's cousin Penny called to let us know that their niece Jen would be playing in a volleyball tournament in Irvine; would be like to go to the game with them? Chuck and Penny came to our house for supper and we drove to Irvine together. We had a great time of visiting and laughter!

Unfortunately, Jen was unable to play that evening because of a sports injury, but it was fun to see her interacting with her teammates as she helped with coaching. Jen is attending a college in San Diego so we look forward to seeing more of her in the coming year!

We've also been busy with some house projects! We put in a new sink in the downstairs bathroom, primed and painted the sink cabinet, and gave the room a "face lift." For those of you who have been (and will be) guests in our home, we know that you will appreciate the new look!

Jim also decided to replace the light that was in the family room...

...with a brighter and more efficient fixture!
Fall is in the air (even here in southern Cali!) and we have dug out the fall decorations and are enjoying the cooler temps during the days and light blankets now at night. Someday soon, we may even be able to enjoy a fire in the fireplace...
We have enjoyed seeing clouds the past three days, and there has even been talk of rain in the forecast. We would so love to see some rain, as the year has been very dry and the ground really does need moisture.