We are staying in a bed and breakfast. I have the most
wonderful view from my window. Currently there are two ships in
the bay---a frigate (HMS Fredericton) and an ice breaker. The
tides in Frobisher Bay are the 37 feet from low to high tide;
hence the ships are approx 2000 feet from my window. all around
the tundra is green and violet in summer wildflower glory.
The drive to the Build site on the opposite side of town is
approx 5 minutes. After unpacking, we go the Build site dressed
for work. Even though Deb has been emailing photos over the past 6
days I am amazed at the amount of work that has taken place. The
last wall is built and ready for lifting into place. The sun is
shining and everyone is working in t-shirts. Even the dreaded
mosquitoes aren’t bad. This is the perfect Habitat Build
project!!!
As
Team 1 joins with the Teams 2 new arrivals, we share in the
excitement and satisfaction of accomplishing so much so fast. Team
1 has much to be proud of. Homeowners Pau and Adam have smiles
stretching ear to ear---like everyone involved in this wondrous
project.
Day 8
Saturday August 11
Saturday morning breaks with a peaceful early morning light. I
haven’t slept this well in weeks! The silence is deeply relaxing.
I feel like I’ve been here for several days already but today is
Day 1 for us. We arrive at the Build site for a 9 am start. With
our full compliment of Teams 1 and 2, we knew we were a big group.
But that was nothing compared to the fantastic turnout of
volunteers from the community. There had to be 20 or more
community members waiting to get to work.
A light rain fell on the site which makes roof work
challenging. The roofers hooked up their harnesses and a team of
folks with strong backs assembled to pass up plywood up to sheath
the roof. Other teams of volunteers added blocking in the crawl
space and still others worked on Tyvek wrap and siding in various
locations. One of the most visible and welcome tasks was the
creation of the front stairs. No more ascending the house using a
ladder!!!!
Though the rain wasn’t heavy, the Team 1 crew arrived in their
full rain gear. Deb convinced me that my rain gear was better over
my jeans than in my daypack. True enough, I quickly found myself
sitting in puddles on the scaffolding and laying on rocks under
the house while tending to house wrap duties. I felt very
connected to the tundra as I lay upon it hammering. The tundra (at
least under the house) is lush and green. The locals say that
they’ve experienced an unusually rainy summer. Neither the rain
nor the mosquitoes were overwhelming today. Team 1 endured some
challenging conditions. So far our experience has been luxurious
by comparison.
The rains didn’t appear to affect our productivity. The roofing
crew of Mike, Deb and Cathy sheathed 75% of the roof. The front
porch stair crew completed their task and everyone else filled in
the blanks with their important tasks. By 4pm the rain picked up
and we cleaned up a little early for the day.
HFH IQ organized a fantastic evening for us. Actually they
organized a fantastic evening for us last night too when we first
arrived. I can see we will be eating plenty of caribou and arctic
char this trip. This is living!!
I
am quickly getting to know the locals and they are all so keen and
kind and of all ages. 
.