Habitat for Humanity, Kittanning, Pa.

Driving north from Florida to help with a HFH build in Saxton, Pennsylvania, I was diverted to Kittanning, Pa. The reason surprisingly was Hurricane Harvey.  A crew of NCCC (the new version of the old Civilian Conservation Corps- CCC)workers in Kittanning were sent to Houston to help out, leaving a very short labor force behind. I was sent to help out.



Arrived finally at the Wheel In Campground 10 pm in rain.  Very nice but remote. Pete loved his morning and evening walks, often around farm fields and always along the stream.

The campers there were 'regulars', who leave their trailers and seem to use them as weekend get-aways/2nd homes.  Jovial bunch with dogs and kids and totally enjoying their fire pits and barbeque's.

One gent kept his 1960 Fire Truck in the Campgrounds barn, taking it out for a run around the camp and local parades.

The local Habitat for Humanity affiliate was in the process of building 2 high tech homes. Sloping property and basement heights added to difficulty working on the exterior. Scaffolding and other platforms had to be built for safe working conditions.

Built for solar benefits as well as massively insulated, the living room will have (4)  5' x 6' triple pane windows.  Ceilings had to be sheathed, then 2x4" runners added for attaching 5/8" Sheetrock.  Overkill in my estimation and way above what "Habitat's phrase of decent, affordable housing" means to me. Oh well.

Adding scaffolding on this sloping terrain proved to be a Rubics Cube of a problem. The fill dirt was full of rocks,  concrete and metal junk, so getting a level surface for each foot proved difficult. However, all window efforts required a platform from which to work.

Left after the windows were framed out for the additional Dow Board insulation, that still needed to be installed on the exterior, having put in my 10 work days.

However, Sunday I drove to the nearby town of Ford City, Pa., that originally had 3 Catholic churches.  Over time, the lack of funds, forced closure and the sale of 2 of them.  The 3rd has been kept open and is a beautiful example of turn of the century churches.  Time changes all things...........

  Now driving north to explore Michigan and it's upper peninsula. Got to visit with a co worker up there and now heading to Colorado exploring the US most northern road, Route 2.