Week Five (or Two, for me)

    



A former Cop, an all round building restoration Wizard, his able and experienced Assistant and spouse, and a Psychologist. We’re not sure what the psychologist was enlisted for - perhaps to evaluate the rest of us for competence and sanity. Actually, other than advising folks on how to evaluate and improve their organizations, his experience included maintenance, repair and restoration of apartments. Like team Week Four, this group melded quickly, with humor and enthusiasm. For three of them it was a repeat (multiple) tour. For one, like me, it was all new.

The Cop was the leader, who portrayed himself as a drill sergeant, but wasn’t. Having retired several years ago, he was very happy to be cooped up in a conical building with three others tiling and tearing out old wood, and following the lead of the Wizard. Certainly less complicated than life on the streets in blue. And it was his fourth year of doing so.

The psychologist claimed he was there just to provide feedback to the crew on what he heard them say they were going to do, to acknowledge how they felt, and what daddy issues might be behind their behavior. Not to really get involved directly with any physical labor. In actuality, he tackled the technical technology challenges, mainly trying to get the new incinerator toilet to cooperate, along with any task that needed doing. For more than ten hours, he cycled, emailed with the factory, jiggled switches and configured, with uncertain outcome. You see, to test it you actually had to use it. To use it (as intended, with actual waste) was to void the warranty. A paradox he could not overcome. Instead he went back to discussing everyones feeling about using the composting toilet.

The Wizard hung the new/old door. A majestic and heavy door, in what is now a beautiful door frame, giving the bathroom stature and authenticity, making it look from the outside like it might have looked 100 years ago. The new Kings Entrance opened to a new shower stall, tiled under the Wizards direction. When he could not explain himself to the rest of the team, on exactly what needed to be done or how, his able Assistant stepped in and interpreted or demonstrated for him (okay, I just made that last part up, but from what I’ve learned from this unique and widely travelled couple, I imagine that’s how it could go.)


The Assistant was that to every one and every thing. While the guys worked on a project to reinforce some very old and sagging walls on the old Barnum boathouse, she busied herself with organizing and straightening the mess that was scattered everywhere. Workbenches, previously unrecognizable, became useful again. Scattered oil bottles, engine parts, hardware, and hand tools found themselves categorized and stored in logical places. It was kind of like Mickey Mouse in Fantasyland - wave the Magic wand and stuff moved to their rightful places. What looked like a dumping ground (which it kind of was) became a sort of shop corner, giving the place a much more loved feeling. It’s not that she couldn’t have been right in their anchoring boards, stringing cable, or winching winches, it’s just she knew the mess would still be there after we left if she didn’t do something.

ORGANIZED



The weather this back half of the week has been spectacular. Calm seas, clear skies, sun, spectacular sunsets and sunrises, a full moon, but still very comfortably cool temperatures. Jeff Sivertson, when asked what the weather is expected to be the next day, since his long experience on the lake should qualify him as super-isle-royale-meteorologist, usually responds, “when its nice, it can be really nice, and when it’s not nice, it can be really not nice. Tomorrow will probably be one of those two.” We hope the former.

The team, except the Cop who is staying two weeks, leaves by seaplane tomorrow to reacquaint themselves with civilization. A new team will arrive for week six, for a new set of projects. May they be as productive as the last two weeks.

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