Letter to Volunteers from Clay

Dearest Volunteers,

When we signed up to help out at the center we could have never known what that would have looked like, exactly, until it all happened, and look at us now!!!!!! The center is changing daily right before our eyes with the most amazing efforts from the paid workers and all of our volunteers!

Many thanks go to our four carpenters who have also made contributions by helping in so many ways, who are now working full time with their carpentry skills making our center solid and beautiful. Also, Bruce and Sat have put major effort into our project these last few weeks, helping immensely. So many sangha volunteers have contributed so much for many, many weeks, turning out in mass! Congratulations to everyone for doing such a beautiful job oiling all of the finish lumber, and completing so many other major tasks. We have got everyone working again and have made many people very happy handling every board many times and making the center even more personal.

Now our efforts will move back to some wall painting of the stairs and hallways, kitchen, closets, etc. We will be cleaning all of the glass on the window panes and filling nail holes created by installation of all the finish trim. I am not available until Friday, but my on-going "to do" list is posted on the back of the entry door.

Many are simple tasks, materials and tools are easy to find. Ask a carpenter about the list and they can get you started.

This weekend there will be plenty to do painting and cleaning so come at 9 a.m. on Saturday and we will keep the energy flowing.

Thank you so much for your well intended efforts helping ourselves to strengthen the dharma for the benefit of all beings for all time! It feels like we are all learning so much through our practices in and out of the center, on and off of the cushion!

Claymon

"Stucco" Narrated by Clay Colley

"First Floor" Narrated by Clay Colley

KSC Sangha Photos January 2010

Jan 21, 09 Progress on the new center - summarized in a letter to volunteers from Clay Colley

Greetings fellow sangha mates,

We have a really good week going at the new center. The dry-wallers are mudding and taping the second and third levels and will texture the third floor very soon. The second and third levels will be ready to prime and paint, hopefully, by Monday. Anyone interested in working during the week days please give me a call. We may be able to put a prime coat on the walls of the shrine room and foyer this weekend. A coat of earth-plaster will be applied over this prime coat sometime in February.

Tomorrow we will receive an order of wood that we can oil this Friday and Saturday that will be used as part of the window frames and window sills. We will finish the oiling of all the windows upstairs.

At the end of next week, we will be receiving a major amount of Beech hardwood that will be used for all window trim, door trim and baseboards. We need to put a coat of oil on all of this wood before it is installed. We will also receive all of the Beech wood boards that will later be installed on the ceiling of the shrine room. All of this wood must have two coats of oil. As you can see, we are about to enter into a major phase of the finish carpentry and finish painting, so I am hoping for some volunteers to be able to help during the week beginning January 25th.

The downstairs walls have been completely primed and painted. Very soon we will lift up the plywood on the floors and begin cleaning the concrete so it will accept the acrylic stain color. We will probably use a floor buffer, so it won't be too difficult. I am meeting with Jim Slade on Monday and we will discuss the staining of the floor process and
scheduling.

A lot is happening in the shrine room. The steel beams on the ceiling are being wrapped in wood and the grid-work for the "dropped" ceiling is in place. Everything above the 'dropped' ceiling needs to be sprayed with black paint. We will mask off the shrine room windows this weekend in preparation of this painting.

As you can see, major movement is happening, in a big way, all over the building. It is really fun for all of us to see it happening. So come join in the party Sat. the 23rd at 9 a.m. for an all day work fest!

For the benefit of all,

Claymon

January 2010. Dry wall installed and the primer coat was painted by KSC Volunteers