I have to admit, I never thought that these words would ever be spoken, but here we go:

We're done.

Finished up about 8pm, rolling on the last of the big walls. We have a few touch-ups to do iin the morning (if it doesn't rain), and then we'll pack. Touch-ups will take less than 30 minutes, repairing water-damaged areas.

We let the ground crew go home right after lunch, with the lift crew hanging on until this evening. They're going to meet me at the pod at 9:30am for final clean-up, consolidation of paint, supplies, gassing up the lifts, etc. Ahhh, 9:30am. It seems like such a luxury.

I am sitting here in awe, because I can't believe that we actually did it. I drove from the beginning of the project all the way through and let me tell you: these walls haven't gotten any smaller. They're huge! And we painted them! 2500 gallons of paint. Wow.

I can't say enough about all of the wonderful and amazing people that worked on this endeavor. We couldn't have done it without you.

And of course, none of this would have been remotely possible without Mickie. Truly an amazing woman. And you all know what I'm talking about.

I'll close up with some comments and more pictures tomorrow. In the meantime. we're going to sleep - until late.

Well, until 9:30 anyway.

Mike

Right after finishing the last of the walls from the ground. I think that everyone just kinda backed off and let me put on a couple of strokes. The lift crew came over to help finish, since they were working through lunch to finish. We actually just felt sorry for them. BTW, those radios really came in handy.










This is how it's done, from 30' up. Notice how light the paint gets when it dries. A real bitch trying to match up the patterns.










Newbie Joe was trying really hard to drive his lift correctly, and he really did a great job. Or should I say, a bang-up job. I guess Blalock won't miss this barrel too awfully bad. Jonny and JoHanna did, however, judge it as a "clean kill."










With only a patch left to go on the wall, you can see how far these guys actually went - in two days! Well, the wall on the right, anyway.










Here it is - the last spot on the last wall. From the ground, anyway. Again, everyone did an amazing job.








Ahhh - the last of the last wall - All four lifts going at it, in the waning daylight. But we finished. I would have gotten kleig lights if it came down to it. Jack and Marsha had to come by to see the end. It really was exciting.









Mickie modelling some glasses she got from Marsha. She will HAVE to wear them in her new convertible.




















OK, now really, who looks better in the glasses?

Man - if we can make it through this thing without killing each other...

Jack jokes at the end of each day, "Nobody died. It was a good day." I used to think he was kidding. I'm really not so sure. The days are long and hot, and the work is hard and tedious. We're making great progress, and we are probably only a day or so from the end, but tempers are getting a little short. I absolutely understand why. If we can only just hold off from complete anarchy for a couple of more days...

I talked to Dan Carter, the foreman of the construction project who has been fabulous at helping us with traffic control (setting cones, clearing lanes, etc.). He said that he hates working on Sundays, because that's when he goes to church. I told him to pray for us while we worked. He laughed, said that he already has been, that I need to realize that I am a blessed man! I'll take all the help we can get, divine or otherwise.

Well, we made the Knoxville News Sentinel today - front page, HUGE picture above AND below the fold! Great story. Everyone looked fabulous - and busy! Check it out online - www.knoxnews.com.

Should be a wonderful day tomorrow, after a good night's sleep, looking forward to no rain, and the possibility of actually finishing! If we don't finish tomorrow, then it will only be a few hours on Sunday.

This is truly unbelievable.

Mike

We gambled a bit the other day and painted when it was real cloudy. It went great for a while, then it started to rain. Kinda gooped up the paint that hadn't dried, and we had to wash that part off and touch it up. Not too bad, actually.















When you go up in a lift, you have to wear a harness. And you have to get trained to wear it, as well. Welcome to the class.










These harnesses are supposed to "arrest" you when (if) you fall. There is a rigorous testing procedure for each unit. Only for those of brave hearts.


















Twyla, just giving it her all on the lift. Her first time, and she's a real espert already. At riding, not driving. Those honors go to Loralei.










Great shot of all of us working together. It really is a sight to behold.




















Catch a few winks anywhere you can. It was a cool and overcast day, until the sun came out. Mickie said that she felt like a cat laying in the warmth.











I TOLD you she was back! And she's still wearing the same clothes she left in! I think Jack needs to take his Mom shopping every once in a while - just for paint clothes!

It's getting so close I can taste it! We can actually see the end of the project. I'll bet that by today (Friday) we'll be done with the ground crew, with only a day or so left for the lift crew. I am almost beside myself. We're going to have a perfect weather day today, and hopefully one tomorrow, with only a slight chance for rain.

And to guarantee that we are going to finish, I went all out: not only did I call in the Marines, not only did I call in Mickie, but I called in none other than...

THAT JAN HARRISON!

You betcha! She showed up yesterday afternoon, a huge treat not only for her son, Jack, but for all of the crew who were here in October that had the pleasure to work with this amazing 72 year old. NOW we're gonna cook!

More later. I gotta eat.

Mike

What a day, what a day, what a day!

The first thing I will tell you is the last thing that happened today. I FINALLY SAW MY BEARS! As in PLURAL!

We (Me, Jonny, Steve and Joe - the girls were staying to shop a bit) were just leaving Calhoun's after eating some dinner tonight, and were pulling out the parking lot, when this HUGE black bear came loping across the street in front of us. OHMYGAWD! I pulled the truck around a bit to get a better look, and it just kinda stopped and stared at us for a while! I grabbed my camera, AND THE STUPID THING WOULDN'T TAKE A PICTURE!!! I guess it needed to be set a certain way, and I have no idea how to do it. Anyway, the bear took off across a small parking lot, and Stteve started to get out if the truck to get a better look, when it's CUB appeared! I told Steve to get his ass back into the truck - NOW! You don't mess with a momma bear and her cub. Even I know that! We watched them from the safety of the cab of teh truck for a few minutes, until they disappeared behind a building. It was soooo cool.

I can now die a happy man.

Well, it rained tday for most of the morning, and we told everyone tht they could take the day off if they wanted, but stay close, you never know. So about 1:30 we decided to give it a shot. Met at the pod, loaded the truck, and 7 of us went at it. Everyone else was gone. But we got about 3/4 of a large wall painted in only a few hours. Not too shabby.

Amd today teh papparazzi showed! OK, he was just a photographer from the Knoxville News Sentinel. Wants to send a reporter back to do a story. Great eye candy.

OK. This next one is something that you only read about in Reader's Digest. But it actually happened to one of our very own. I swear.

Marsha had to borrow Mickie's red Explorer so that she could drive down the street to use the facilities. No problem. Now, she had never driven Mickie's car before, So it was no surprise when she unlocked the door, climbed in, and tried to start it. Nothing. She couldn't even get the key to work. She kept trying and trying. Finally, an older gentlemen came to her window, and just kinda looked in, smiling at her. Finally he said, "Roll down your window." She looked at him like he was nuts. She didn't know this guy. Well, she kept trying the key, and nothing. Again, the smiling older gentleman asked her to roll down her window. She looked at him again, wondering what the hell he was talking about. So, she cracked her window, and asked him, "WHy".


"Because this is my car."

In her hurry to get in and get back to painting, she didn't notice that Mickie's car was 2 cars over. Oops. The key "worked" only because the gentlean's truck wasn't locked. He was very good natured about the whole thing. Coulda had her arrested. Didn't though.

And a nice adventure for Jack. We went to dinner last night, then ran by Food City to pick uop a few things, then came back to the condo. Jack was missing his phone and license. Kim swore that he left in on the table at the restaurant. So Jack calls the restaurant, talks to the manager, the waitress, the bartender, a couple of cooks - nothing. No phone. He notifies the police, the media, rents a plane with a banner - still nothing. Tonight, Mickie gets a call from Jack's mother, who lives in Bowling Green, KY. Seems a worker at Food City found the phone, switched the language to Spanish so he could read it in hopes of finding it's owner, and with broken English eventually contacted Jack's mother, who calls Mickie, who calls Jack. Phone is back, and Jack's a happy camper.

Never a dull moment.

Here are some pix.
Mike


Caught in the act. Hey! - Quiet! I'm busy being creative.









Hamming it up for the camera, all of these guys truly want to be in pictures.

Ahhhh....back to the blog.

Weird day. First day to use all four lifts, and it took a little while to get going. Recruited Edwin to drive #4, while Loralei was more than happy to drive #3. We only painted for a coupleof hours before the rains came in. I thought that we would be dry until at least the afternoon, but down it came. I thought that maybe we could wait until after lunch to see what the weather would hold, but a lot of folks just took off, figuring that the day was done. After lunch, I recruited Kim, Loralei, Damon and Mickie to go and paint some seams. Got the sprayer up and running, got one of the lifts, and went to the last wall. Huge wall. Probably 50'. Tallest one here. So five of su got most of the last wall ready to paint. I say almost, beause the sprayer conked out before we finished.

Speaking of walls, you need to check out the pictures of proof of a little visitor that we had while painting. Strangest thing I've ever seen!

Cool compliments from almost everyone we've talked to. All telling us that what we have done is"maaaaaahhhvelous". In fact, was talking to a girl behid the counter at a local gas station, and she said that she liked the small walls a lot better than the big ones The guy behind me agreed, saying that he KNEW that we spent a lot of time on the walls, especially carving out the mortar joints on the stone walls. I told him that they were simply painted, not real. He was blown away, saying that he been in the building industry for years, but those parapet walls .

OK. I've typed the last paragraph about six times. It's time for bed.

Later

Mike




End of a run, another wall finished, well-earned break deserved. Regardless of where you are at the time.






Looking up at the top of the wall, it looked kinda weird to see this stick hanging off of the top. Wait...a...minute. That's no stick!










Not a stick, huh? I have no clue what this thing was doing hanging over the wall, 50' up, other than just looking at traffic and wishing it had arms to drive a semi. Almost put a roller in it's mouth, this thing was big enough to hold it.










Kim is handy to have around the house.. Sprayer conks out, and who better to repair it? She and Loralei did a fabulous job.










Thought that you'd like to see how we utilized four lifts instead of two. Worked like a charm. Let me tell you: we did some rolling.

Sorry for the delay. Sabrina has moved on, and wiht her went her router. had to switch to the cable modem, and it doesn't work downstairs. So JoHanna let me borrow her 50' ethernet cable so that I could plug in upstairs and use it in our office downstairs. And it works! My only question: who carries with them a 50' ethernet cable? But, who am I to ask - we're back online!

Sunday was a bit different. We actually started the day at 7am - and some of us didn't even get back until after 7:30PM! We had the weather, we had paint, and I needed some walls painted. Great combination. And believe it or not, we tried it again today: met at the pod at 7am, but this time we broke down around 5:30pm, actually getting back to the condos around 6:30pm. Long hours, but you wouldn't believe the progress! We're actually using terms like: light at the end of the tunnel!

A couple of newbies joined us Sunday morning - Damon and Edwin. Both locals, and both ex-Marines! Know how I found them? By talking with our waiter at Outback. For some reason, I asked him if he knew of anyone looking to work for a week or so, and he said that his roommate was indeed looking for a job, as well as his best friend. Birds of a feather, I guess...

I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Mickie is on the wall! It's really one of the first times that she has worked on one of my projects(Painting. She is ALWAYS working on my projects behind the scenes.) And she is really doing a fabulous job! Slinging paint actually suits her. Now, I wonder what she's doing for my next project...

Mellissa has absolutely been here for too long. Said that she's going to name her first born, "Rumber". (Raw Umber)

Well, I'll be honest. Tomorrow morning is going to be getting her early...more later.

Mike

Newbie Steve, who actually hates to have his picture taken, doesn't really seem to mind, as long as he doesn't know it's being taken. Now, does that make much sense?



















Talking to the lift crew, trying to find out the best way to man the "second" lift crew. We decided on Loralei to drive, as well as newbie Edwin, with JoHanna and myself filling out the teams.










End of a long day, and we are consolidating buckets, getting ready for tomorrow. Pretty cool as to how everyone chips in without even being asked. Almost rote.










Look at this - these guys are doing a great job. Even if some of them didn't start out as such, they are truly great artists. Really proud of them.










Newbie Marsha during lunch at a park pavillion, right around the corner from the job site. Nice place to kick back. Ask Kim.











See, this is right next to the pavillion. Looks kinda fun right? But would you say that it looks...peaceful? Look closely...









Seems Kim is catching a few winks anywhere she can.Better here than on the lift. Dark, quiet, and really counting on school being in session as opposed to the playground being in use.

















See? I TOLD you Mickie was painting! Some folks didn't believe me - Actually wanted to see some proof!










This is how it looks from the ground. We get quite a few honks and jeers from passersby. And if I ever hear the words, "Git 'er done!" one more time...
















Great shot of what these guys look like from the top of one of the retaining walls. I think Mickie actually took thios one, I am truly impressed! Of course, Jack had to help her down...










Newbie Damon, taking in some rest time at the pavillion. It's amazing all of that vocabulary that the Marines teach you...



















Look at this...can you see the last wall??? Of course, it does turn the corner, but we're really making a lot of progress!










OK, I'm thinking that we're not working Jack hard enough. If I knew he could climb walls like this I could have saved TONS of money on lifts!










Newbie Edwin, fitting in a little to easily. Seems like he has "break time" down pretty well.

Welcome back.

Today actually turned out pretty cool. After a long rain delay, we got on the walls at 3pm, and busted some major butt until 7pm! If we can keep the same pace this week, we just might even finish! Well...of course we'll finish, I just mean that we should finish here in the next week to ten days.

I really need to take a picture of Marsha and Steve, newbies without faces yet. I'll have to catch them unawares.

Tomorrow should be a very full day. Sunshine is predicted for most of the day. at least until it gets dark. (Sorry.) I figure that everybody wants more hours, and I want to finish the wall - this makes for, as they say, a "win-win" situation. We're going to meet at the pod at (ugh) 7am. And if folks want to work until 7pm, we'll do it.

Sabrina is leaving tomorrow, but a replacement will be here before her bed is cold. We've actually got a local kid coming in, and he will be here for the duration. More on him later.

We're gettin' down to the wire, guys. This next week should be very, very interesting.

Mike

(Photos courtesy of Cindy Hernder)

The paint and supplies are loaded on the trailer, and we're getting ready to transport it far, far away to the next wall. Across the street.










Nice shot of Cindy. She told us not too worry, that she could handle this wall all by herself. No problem reaching the top. One-handed. Then she left for Canada.










As sweet as she is, Kim always reminds me of that special someone that would make you cross the street if you saw them coming towards you on the same sidewalk. Kinda like Mickie: you don't want her to be your enemy.










I TOLD you we had a band! Hadn't had much time - nor energy - to play much, unless you count 5 o'clock in the morning after visiting the local pubs all night. Hmmmm, Jonny? What about it, girls? Keep anybody up?

Well, the rains came. And kept coming. I thought that we were absolutely dead in the water for the day. Yet around noon or so, the rains started letting up. Marsha and Steve called, excited, "Are we gonna paint?". Well, no, I said, looking at the forecast, looking at the abysmal sky. If we went out there to paint, then it would start raining again, and we would lose what we put on the wall. Soooo...

The Primasil got here around 3:30pm, and Mickie got a crew to unload it, then took them for coffee. Fair trade. I happened to be passing by, met them for a drink, and while we were talking, Kim said, "Think we could paint for a couple of hours?" I looked at the sky. The stupid sun was out! Jonny drove up a few minutes later, looked up at the sky and said, "Think we could paint for a couple of hours?" OK! OK! I can take a hint! Executive decision time! So we rescheduled our custom-made red beans and rice dinner until 8pm, changed clothes, and went to the pod. Actually got in about 2-1/2 hours! Finished the lower part of a wall, and got a bunch done on the lifts! Well worth it. I always come up with great ideas. Ahem.

Almost everyone was available to paint. Except for Marsha and Steve, whom I had told earlier to just call it a day, go have some fun. Imagine their surprise as they drove by the walls, seeing the crew out there. Talk about shock! No worries. They will definitely make it up.

A bit of a scare earlier. You think it's tough getting your car out of a ditch? how 'bout a 45' articulated lift! Jonny was doing some manuevering around the sidewalk to let my lift by when his tires went into a ditch, next to the wall. Trust me, throwing rocks under those massive spinning tires to get some traction did nothing. Took us about 30 minutes, but he finally got it out. We'll let someone else tell the minister about the huge tracks dug into his front property. We have no clue as to what he's talking about. Totally innocent. Weren't even there.

Dinner tonight was better than expected. JoHanna outdid herself with the red beans and rice, with sausage. Kudos to Mickie as well for her world famous cornbread, and her stolen recipe for Gatlinburg Brocolli Salad, or Silicate Salad, take your pick.

Rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow, but mostly in the morning. Keep your fingers crossed. Time's a wastin'.

Mike

Mic hard at work at our temporary office. Thinking hard about daily decisions. Like, wheat rolls or cornbread? It's sooo difficult.









Who says you need testosterone to unload the truck? These girls have what it takes to get the job done! While I was buying kitchen stuff?! What the hell is going on here?










Here's a great shot of the work in progress. The word for the day: blend.










Getting high is all part of the job. Just gotta watch out for those pesky electrical wires and lamp posts. Who put those there anyway?








Kim and Jonny in the lift, gettin' it done. What a pair! I'm thinking of a new name: KimJon. Whaddaya think?

A little late getting back, and so much to tell.

Monday was a good painting day. All day. Beautiful weather, bright sun, and...oh, did I forget to tell you that I forgot the sunblock? Should have learned from Jonny. His shoulders look like science projects. And let me tell you something else that I learned: do not go from the lifts, after rolling paint in the hot sun for 7 hours, straight to the racquetball courts. Especially to play WITH and AGAINST very good, competitive women. I feel so emasculated.

Got another newbie on Monday, all the way from St. Louis. A big hand for Joe Schaefer, or as we like to say, F*#@^%& Joe Schaffer. I have no idea where the nickname came from, supposedly from Joan, but I can't find anyone to confirm it. He can't be all bad, though. He came with his own paint clothes.

And two more came here last night, Marsha Rusk and her boyfriend Steven, hailing from right outside of Nashville, in Hendersonville. Didn't take long for Steven to have his own paint clothes, as well. This really helps the hit we took last week when we lost 3 artists at once.

Twyla took a few days "leave of absence" to go back to Nashville to visit with her allergist. Hope she feels better. Should be back tomorrow. And Mellissa came back last night, so we're back to an even dozen.

And two folks whom we were looking forward to seeing again, veterans Linda and Sherrie, have just written and begged off, citing other committments. What else could possibly be more important that painting repetitive colors with 20' rollers on concrete walls while dodging traffic, snakes and bears in the hot sun for days on end? Anybody got an answer? Anybody?

Weather has been playing havoc the last couple of days. It poured yesterday morning, so Mickie and I took off for Nashville to get the sprayers and another load of paint. Weather cleared about 1:30pm, but the day was shot. Today was a good day, until right at lunch, when the skies opened again. I called the rest of the day a wash, looking at weather reports and radar showing impending doom, but since the initial outburst, nothing. I would make a lousy Willard Scott.

We have the rest of the Primasil coming tomorrow, 44 pails actually, so we will have plenty for the rest of the project. I just ordered two more lifts to be delivered Monday, so we can paint the upper sections faster.

I talked with the TDOT project coordinator earlier this week, and they have started putting in the medians, but the problem is that while they are working, they are leaving us no room to paint on a few walls. No room for a ground crew, no room for the lifts. We might have to wait until they are finished. Which means we can't finish them now. Which means...perish the thought. I shudder to think about it.

Should have a fun dinner tomorrow night. JoHanna is making authentic New Orleans Red Beans and Rice, while Mickie is making her world-reknown corn bread. Everyone else is bringing a tube of Rolaids and a bottle of Gas-X.

Hopefully the weather will hold and we'll get some work done tomorrow. We're almost there.

And if know someone who wants to paint next week, send them my way. I've got some extra rollers.

Mike

Painting these walls is not all fame and glamour. Loralei, however, is one who obviously gets into her work.








JoHAna in the midst of making her red Beans and Rice. I really don't care how it tastes, I just want to bottle the aroma! Maybe a little behind each ear?









We use brush holders on the end of extension poles to paint the "seams", but the tools take a beating. Leave it to "American Gothic" Jack to come up with a temporary fix. Hey, it works, don't laugh.
















Newbie Joe, jumping right into things, like the paint. He fit right in real quick. May not be such a good thing, though. He still has to go back to St. Louis. Eventually.

Well...the last few days have been quite eventful. We took the weekend off, had a fabulous dinner yesterday afternoon, said goodbye to some good friends (and hello to a couple of new ones!), and then went and tried to paint today. I guess too much went on over the weekend, too many ups and downs, because most of the folks were kinda pissy today. I guess they're allowed. More on that later.

Joan called it quits after a couple of weeks. I just don't understand some people, the way they let insulin pumps and blindness get them down. Seriously, Joan was a real trooper, getting work done and still battling through all of her handicaps. I don't know how she did it. I guess that explains the missing 6-packs.

Terry showed up to get his luminescent Karmen Ghia, as well as his clothes and other belongings. We also got to meet his wife, Wendy, as well as their son Taylor. Taylor split early to go back to school, while Terry and Wendy decided to spend the night and leave in the morning.

And last but not least, Ken and Cindy finally got parolled, and left this morning as well. Believe it or not, they only planned on staying two weeks anyway, so their exit was indeed pre-ordained. Gonna miss 'em, no question aboot it.

Had a cool hike in the woods yesterday. Saw all kinds of streams, waterfalls, wildflowers, etc. Seven of us went - Me, Mic, Ken, Cindy, Wendy, Terry and Jonny. First decent exercise we have had since we came up here. Actually sweated. Go figure.

So, anyway...back to today...

It seemed like eveyone just had problems getting their motors started. People showed up 45 minutes late at the pod, whining, mumbling, complaining or just keeping to themselves. I guess with all of the changes, we have to get used to what we have. Loralei is my very first worker's comp filing, because of a nasty insect-type bite on her wrist. Looks nasty. They gave her all kinds of medicine, but she should be back on the wall tomorrow. Mickie knows how she feels. Filling out all of those government forms and answering hours of questions was absolutely as painful as the goofy bite! I think I'll make it easier next time and just run her over with the truck. A lot less paperwork. Twyla felt pretty ill, so I sent her back for the day. We are short people anyway, which only adds to the stress. Anyway, we got started late, and were told to park the lifts so that they can move traffic to the outside lanes. Ask Jack how dangerous THAT is!

We ended up getting a lot of work done anyway, a tribute to perseverence. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I'm still looking at two weeks.

Oh! And they were supposed to ship the Primasil today. If everything goes as expected, it should be here Friday.

Please pardon the typing. I took some of Mickie's cough medicine, and it's really, really, good.

Later.

Mike




Great shot of Wendy and Terry. Glad he came back, even if it was for just a day. We got to meet his sweet wife and wonderful son, which was a real treat. (Have I brown-nosed enough? Do you think he'll come back? Can I stop now?)














Cooking - Almost everyone got into the act. There was so much food that we ate it again for diinner tonight! With a bucket of KFC, just to add a little variety, you understand.















All of the ingredients were fresh - and had to be kept that way, of course! Except for the Hershey's Kisses. Wait a minute. Where did those go?

















Cindy preparing her famous Chicken in a Knot bread. Or maybe that's "Stricken Chicken". Regardless, the "chicken" looked pretty...well..OK, it was good. Just close your eyes.



















I TOLD you there was a lot of food! Look at this spread! And it was all made by all of these artists - from scratch! Without too much scratching, I might add. Health codes, strictly enforced.












One of many waterfalls that we saw on our hike. Whole trek took about an hour and a half, so I figure we walked...oh... at least 30 miles. Maybe less, maybe more.











Here is Wendy admiring the spectacles of the Great Smoky Mountains. Nature in all of it's glory, babbling brooks, cool, crisp water, dust kicked up from all of the SUV's... Yeah, I should write greeting cards.

















Twyla and Sabrina sharing cooking secrets. They were both hell in the kitchen, but in a Christian sort of way.




.

God, are we ready for the weekend.

This has been a really long week. I think that I'd forgotten was real work was like. Oh sure, I work for a living, but painting murals is, for the most part, really relaxing. This is like...WORK! It is truly gruelling. Satisfying, but gruelling. I have to admit, it was oddly triumphant when we realized that we finished the first big wall. And looking at the progress, as good as it is, we are definitely going to be here for two more weeks. Yippee.

Finishing the first wall was incredibly frustrating. Using the 45' lifts, it still took us two full days. We thought that we were blending the lower part quite well into the top portion. Once we were about 4/5 of the way finished, I came up with this unique thought: let's get down on the ground and see what it looks like from the street. OK, so we should have done this 3 hours ago. It looked like crap. Now, what we painted looked great, but it didn't "blend" into the bottom portion. You faux finishers out there know exactly what I'm talking about. Lap lines. Just on a really large scale. So we had to go back and "blend". Actually had Kim on the sidewalk across the street with a walkie-talkie to tell us what colors to use and where they should go, also how high. Cushy job, but a lot of responsibility. It actually worked! So, after two days, about a day and a half longer than I had planned, we called it a wall. On to the next. Which should be tons of fun, because they are supposed to switch the traffic lanes at the first of the week when they start building the medians, so we really are going to be "dancing" with the traffic.

I think everyone is truly thankful for the two days off. Some have gone shopping, I think most everyone slept in, but others went out to look for those elusive morell mushrooms. Sorry. Can't see the appeal. I mean, really. It's a mushroom. And it tastes like...well...a mushroom. I think the next time I go looking for morell mushrooms it will be in the produce aisle at Publix.

Went out to the local liquor store last night to pick up some...medicine, yeah that's it. Anyway, asked the woman behind the counter if she had seen the walls we were working on. "Oh yes", she said. "They look great. Now tell me, are you putting on the white or the camouflage?" Ahem. The camoufflage. "Good, 'cause I really like that. And the stone walls look great, too. Now, are those walls flat?" I think there's a compliment in there someplace.

Happy Easter weekend to all.

Mike




Getting ready to go out. Still have to fool with the incredibly thick paint from Eco House. They promised they fixed the problem. Just not for us.




















And you think that you pack a lot for your faux projects. Take a look at this: one day's worth. This trailer is certainly paying for itself many times over.

















Caution: Artists at Work. Believe it or not, they worked out a really good system, some rolling on the base, while others blended. Pretty cool to see.







This is as far as the rollers can reach. Keep in mind, they are using 16' extension poles, so the paint lines are about 20' up the wall. And the length of the wall? Beats the hell outta me. How 'bout: really long. This much took two days.





Our first large wall. Completed. Enough. On to the next one. After a really tough learning curve.

Another gorgeous day. What can I say? We put our order in early for decent weather, and it worked!

Again, these guys got a ton finished. We're making great headway. In fact, today is the first day that I'm questionuing whether or not we have enough paint to finish this thing, we're going through it so fast. I'll do a count tomorrow, and see how we come out.

Well, I thought that yesterday went well. Apparently, I'm lucky to have gotten out with my life! See, it was our first day of really painting on the retaining walls. Now, keep in mind that we are using 16' extensions with the rollers, as well as small rollers on extensions for the expansion joints, rollers and brushes next to the ground, etc., all done in clear, bright sunshine. Hot sunshine. Glaring sunshine. We finished the first wall yesterday in what I consider record time. We were done by 2:30pm. I'm thinking that we have time to do some more on the next wall, right? Are you with me here? We pack up the goodies, drive on down to the next wall, hang out for about 15 minutes just to catch our breath, and dive in. Well, apparently most folks thought that when we were done with the first wall, we were done for the day. What???? We've still got tons to do. So when I announced that we were going on the next wall, there was apparently talk of mutiny. I mean it got to the point where they were taking inventory to see who had brought a gun! Shoot him! No gun? What kind of weapons do you have? We could all just jump him and kick him to death! Who's with me??

Now, I didn't know about this until today, oblivious as I normally am to what's going on around me. I was astounded! Well, not really, I mean, people were fried, but I just didn't notice it. Well...when we got back on the wall, we only worked for about another 45 minutes, so I guess it wasn't that bad. At least not bad enough to carry through and hire a hit man! My thanks to whoever talked them out of doing me bodily harm. Unless you were reserving it for yourself. Hmmm...now who would want to hurt me? Besides Mickie? OK, probably everyone out on the walls. That kinda narrows it down!

After work today, Jack took Mickie and me on a morell-hunting trip in the woods. Kinda fun. Plenty to look at, ultimately pretty boring actually. But he did find two pretty big specimens, so I guess we'll have them with some eggs in the morning. I'm sure Roni is jealous. She came all the way back here from Nashville, just to look for some of these morell mushrooms. Silly girl.

After dinner, Mickie took a few of us Go-cart racing. Jack and I were exhausted, but agreed to go anyway. Turned out to be a blast! Yay, Mickie!

More tomrrow. Enjoy the pix.

Mike



Hey - Sabrina had a migraine. I was just trying to help out!










Remember that phone I lost last November? Well, Twyla found it! Stuck in a ditch below one of the walls we were painting.






I could say something, like how nasty it looks after being in the weather for all those months. Actually, that's the way it looked BEFORE I lost it. Kinda makes having a case pretty important.




This is what all of the hubbub is about. One of these goofy looking mushrooms. OK, goofy, until Jack told me that they are worth $30 per pound. OK, NOT so goofy!







Looking through some places where there shoould be some of these morell mushrooms. Rare finds, actually. That's why they call it "Dry Land Fishing."







Trying her hand at looking for mushrooms, she came up empty-handed, but it was a nice afternoon walk in the woods nevertherless.

















Never let it be said that we don't feed our artists well! This is what we had for lunch today - delivered to the jobsite. GOD we're spoiled!

We are so good. We have to be, with all of the traffic we're stopping. I'm telling you, horns are going crazy on Hwy. 321. Folks are just damn glad to see us, I guess. Probably happy to finally see some paint on the wall, too. Man, it really looks good.

Put in an order for more Primasil today. Should be going out on Monday, with delivery here on Friday or so. Even if we're down a couple of days waiting for product, this time I don't think anyoneos going to mind. There were quite a few sore shoulders today. Mine included. And the massages are startng to really book up. Wonder why?

Jonny finally made it back today. He was missed. We need his brawn, especially since the lifts are arriving tomorrow. Melissa will be gone a few days, and Ken and Cindy are leaving Monday, so we are going to really be humpin' it. A new couple will be showing up next Wednesday, and another guy should be here Monday. Of course, if someone is wanting to come on down and help, we certainly aren't going to be turning them away.

Can't wait until tomorrow. We get to wake up, and do exactly the same thing: make it all look pretty.

Mike

Captain Jack has talked of nothing but getting high during this project. Now I understand what he's talking about!





















Yeah, my shoulder is sore. I'm human, too, regardless of what anyone says. And do you want to know WHY my shoulder is sore? Take a look at this:

















Maybe after a couple of days the soreness will subside, but I figure we'll be done in a couple of weeks anyway. Surely we can make it until the end. Right?



















Just what the doctor ordered after a long, hard day of slingin' paint: soft, downy, asphalt. All she needs is a nice fluffy rock on which to lay her head.











Looks like Twyla is holding court at dinner. A least she has everyone's attention. BTW, the meals have really been good. Hats off to our caterers.

Wow. What a day.

Not only did we finish the parapets, we actually got one of the retaining walls painted. Yeah, you read right. I'm tellin' you, this is some crew!

I will tell you this, we are tired. Bone tired. That sun sucks it right out of you. But these guys are troopers. They keep on plugging.

We got together and talked about how best to approach the retaining walls, and came up with some good suggestions. Of course, they all went out the window once we actually got on a wall. OK, I'm kidding. But we were loose and able to adjust accordingly. As you can see from the pictures below, it all came off well. Very well, actually. I am more than pleased.

We'll work off of the ground again tomorrow, and then the lifts will be here Thursday. Another interesting chapter I'm looking forward to.

Ordered some more Primasil today. This paint is as thick as drywall mud, so we are going to need a lot more Primasil to thin it. Delivery is going to be an issue, I know. So I am tentatively making plans to simply go and pick it up. In Canada. Surely it would be faster than waiting on standard delivery trucks.

Another gorgeous day today, with another planned for tomorrow. Not really expecting any significant rain until next week. Keep your fingers crossed. Of course, with this crew, they might want a day or two of rain. Just for a breather.

Hey - I'm not really that bad.

Later.

Mike

Here we are finishing up on the last parapet. I just think it's amazing everytime I look at these guys. For the most part, this is the first they have met each other, and it's so cool how well they work together. I just get kinda...misty...











Getting started on the second half of the project took some doing, but just like before, they jumped right in and worked as if they have been working together for years.









This is a shot of the original sample wall that was approved by the State...











...and this is the first finsihed wall. Amazing, isn't it? It blows me away when everything comes together.








This is a shot of the wall as you are approaching it on the highway. Blends in just about as much as it can, don't you think? I'm really proud of all of the crew. Fabulous job. Now, go get a beer.

I keep talking about how good these guys are, but I can't seem to say enough. I mean, these guys are GOOD! Believe it or not, we should be finished with the parapets by tomorrow afternoon! FINISHED!

Of course, that's when the real fun begins. I hope everyone has been taking their vitamins.

Well, I guess it had to happen. We have had our first run-in with one of our slithering bretheren. Or should I say Kim has. See, we're pretty far down the road, and she had to..well...make use of the prevailing facilities. You know - the woods. So as she assumed the position, she glanced over, and lo and behold, staring right back at her, was a foot-long copperhead! Gracioous beast that it was, it actually allowed Kim to finish without any threat. Of course, when Kim saw it, she probably finished a lot faster than she originally intended. Probably knew she'd have a lot of trouble finding someone to suck out the poison.

Jonny had to run back to Nashville to take care of some personal business. He should be back today, however. Has to do with him finally getting that elusive massage license. Wish him luck. When he gets it, we're all supposed to receive complimentary massages. Oh, didn't we tell him that yet?

Here are a few pix of the day:

Talk about an imposing sight! Doesn't this wall ever end? It just kind of disappears into the void beyond. When the morning fog cleared, we did actually see the end. This is the last parapet.









Here it is in all of it's glory. You can see why we were so excited to be seeing the end of the small walls. This is the one we should be finishing today.










Here is Sabrina, jumping right in where she left off in November. All the way from Texas. I'm still asking myself,"Why?" Great chalk lines though, huh?











Husband Reggie is getting an earful from much improved Mickie. Now that she's not coughing so much, she has to make up for lost conversation time. Tag, Reggie: you're it.

Some sad news yesterday morning. We found out that Terry's Mom had a heart attack and passed away the night before. His son was here visiting at the time, and of course both of them left immediately. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. It is definitely a lot more quiet around here without him.

Because his son was visiting, they left in his son's car, leaving Terry's bright orange Karman Ghia. Terry might be gone, but his oil slick remains.

Last night another veteran returned, this time with her husband. A big welcome round of applause for Sabrina and Reggie! Of course, they got here right as we were finishing for the day, and just in time for dinner. Great timing. I'll make sure that they pay for that faux pas today on the walls.

Speaking of faux, another great day on the highway. I have officially renounced my title of Chalk Boy, as the walls have all been lined. We conpletely finished another wall yesterday, and grouted three more. We should finish grouting today, which would put all of us on shadow and highlights. We're flying! I truly expect the parapets to be finished by Thursday, just in time for the real fun to begin. That's when the 45' articulated lifts arrive. Still haven't figured out if we are going to use two or four. We'll just have to play first.

Last night we celebrated Ken's 51st birthday. As a gift, we all gave Ken our thirst, which he promptly quenched with some fabulous Hernder Estates Icewine! Truly fabulous! Hurry up and have another birthday, Ken!

Mickie has finally emerged from her sickbed. I think she's going to make it! Actually got dressed and went out in public for a few hours last night. Sans cough.

I need to get the camera out today. Been a little lax in that department. Pardon me, OK? We've been a little busy.

More later.

Mike

Man...what a day! We actually put the base coat on 5 paprapet walls. Five! That's all we had left! Now we start painting the grout lines. I figure that we should be completely finished with the parapets by Thursday, barring bad weather.

Speaking of bad weather, I guess it's a good thing we're in Gatlinburg instead of Nashville. Wow! Such storms! I understand that there were a number of deaths back home, but none in our immediate neighborhood. We're starting to get some wind and lightning right now, so I guess we'll start seeing some of the same system in a couple of hours. Wish us luck. Brad (son) got his truck pock-marked with softball-sized hail earlier in Murfreesboro. Let's hear it for insurance.

Well, Randy and Roni (have you seen them yet?) are leaving us tomorrow. They were paintin' fools today! In all honesty, all of us were! It was a tough day on the walls. But they will be sorely missed. Actually, Roni is coming back next week, not to work, but to pick morrell (sp?) mushrooms from the woods! Seems she can't get enough of the things!

Mickie has been under the weather these past couple of days with a touch of walking pneumonia. Hackin' her head off. Took her to the doctor and she came back with six prescriptions and a shot! She damn well better get well!

Kinda tired right now, as are the rest of the crew. I'll try and post some photos tomorrow. Something tells me we aren't going to be painting, with a 100% chance of rain. But, hey - around here, you never know. Know any good anti-rain dances?

Mike

Well, this isn't the easiest way to blog. Adding pictures, especially with captions, is a bitch. Some of them make it, some don't.

Be fore I was so rudely interrupted the other day, I was trying to put in pictures of newbie Randy, as well as a paddleball confrontation between Cindy and Johanna, vying for last place in Mickie's contest. Let's see how it works now...

OK. Not very well. I'll try later.

Anyway...

We worked like banshees yesterday, getting an amazing amount of work done. Even attracted a local reporter, getting us published today in the world renown Mountain Press. Hey, cool front-page picture and a very nice article. Have to see what other mischieve we can get into.

Today started out very promising. Finished another parapet. But just as we were loading up to start on the next one, rain started coming down. The sky looked like it would rain for days, so I made an executive decision: call it a day. I think that's the same words that witch-doctors used to make it stop raining. Yep. About an hour later, the rain stopped, and the clouds parted. Well. "parted" is a little strong. Let's just call it partly cloudy. But the damage had already been done. People scattered for the afternoon, some on hikes, some to the movies, some exploring Galinburg proper, some just showering and hanging around. I didn't have the heart to try and get folks back on the walls. Next time I'll say something like, "let's give it an hour and see what happens." That should guarantee rain for days.

Let's try those pictures again...

OK. Maybe later.

Another newbie today. Donna. A local. Eager learner, wanting to get it right. I probably had to correct her at least a half-dozen times. She actually asked Cindy if anyone had ever been fired from the project, she was feeling so bad. Boy, talk about loading on the guilt! I didn't realize that I was such a slavedriver!

OK! Got it! I had to rename the pictures for it to work. Enjoy!

This really was pretty embaraasing to watch. But, then again, it was girls fighting. The best we could do on short notice.












Randy looks as if he could impale the photographer with the paddle for making him participate in the contest. He's actually holding the ball at the highest point that he was able to hit it.

















Here is Loralei trying to console Johanna, reminding her that lunch is only in a few minutes, that she can quit munching on the brushes. Randy is in the background, oblivious as usual.










Think the walls are easy? This is only ONE parapet! And we finished in in a day and a half! I am so proud of my team! And we only have five more to go! Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that. I hear doors slamming.










I guess this is my version of the "Snoopy Dance", realizing that we are just about through with this huge wall. and it looks great! The wall, not my dancing.











Just to show that all people have inate artistic talent, and that we certainly don't discriminate, we even hired Ted Kaczynski, who proved to be quite adept at mixing various paints together to get the best bang for our buck.











And to prove that I don't just rag people about their painting style, I actually painted some myself, when I wasn't ragging people about their painting styles. OK, I didn't get much painting in.

OK. Here we go. I was a little under the weather today, so Mickie had to take my place. I'm thinking that most folks are going to be glad to see me back on the wall. Mickie can be a real slave-driver.

I'm still amazed as to how much we can get painted in a day. I mean, really, these parapets are huge honkin' walls. But we had absolutely beautiful weather, mid-60's, hardly a cloud in the sky. Yesterday was a bit stormy, but we waited it out and actually got a few more hours in after the rains had passed. Looking for more good weather tomorrow.

I can't believe we have only been here for just a couple of days. Let me tell you, it's not all work. The first night was a great jam session. Loralei brought her acoustic guitar. I thought that I brought a lot with me: my guitar, my djembe, an electronic keyboard (on a stand!) and a bag full of percussion instruments. Kim outdid me. She brought 3 amplifiers, 3 guitars, 2 bass guitars, percussion instruments, microphones, and - get this - a complete drum kit! Everyone had a blast! Fun night. Had to shut it down around 10:30pm. Had to let the bears get some sleep.

Mickie gave everyone their welcome packages last night, and had a bit of a surprise in them: paddle balls for all. She even had a contest. It's a good thing these guys can paint. None of them could make a living hitting the paddle ball!

More tomorrow - here are few pix:

Mike

Got to get the lettering on the new teruch before we leave. Custom, hand-painted, deftly created...OK, I lied. It's vinyl. The only way to go. And of course, notice all of the paint crammed into the studio. Getting ready to have it hauled out.









The truck arrives, and we start the transfer process. Got to get the paint into the pod. Took us maybe 20 minutes. A lot of paint, but we were eager to get it done. actually went and pressure-washed a wall afterwards. Either that or nature walks in the woods with Jack. Jack? You'll meet him later.





Speaking of Jack: one of the newbies. This guy lives, I mean LIVES, for the outdoors. A world-class rock-climber, actually written some books on the subject, yet here he is wanting to work with our crew! We feel so honored! Actually, he is a childhood friend of Mickie's. We're betting that she's blackmailing him somehow. Just haven't figured out what yet. That's the only reason we can figure that he's here. Oh, and guilt. His mother is That Jan Harrison. She hurt herself a bit and won't be here this trip, so I guess he feels obligated to take her place. Sorry, Jack: no way. She's much better looking!






Here's another newbie, sitting next to Kim: this is Terry, an artist all the way from Myrtle Beach. Left his wife and two kids to come work with us. OK, not exactly "left", he'll see them again in a week or so, but he is fitting in nicely. Even if he does wear some pretty goofy shoes. Wait a minute: are those mine??







Another newbie, this is Twyla. Not only did she come here to work on the project, but she also works for Murals & More! Makes me wonder about the girl. Doesn't she get enough of us at home??



























Speaking of that hand-eye thing, this is newbie Roni, Randy's wife, trying her luck. Perfect couple, actually. Both are really terrible at this thing.









Jonny was the man. He beat them all. Kinda makes you wonder what the boy does in his spare time. Must have an effect on the ladies, though. Take a look at Melissa - totally enthralled. Not.



















Another newbie - Joan - tries her hand at something other than painting. And just like the rest of us, fails miserably. Thank you, Mickie, for helping to build our self-esteem.





















Taking out her frustrations, Johanna tries to take me out - permanently! Luckily, she's just as bad as the rest of us! The only thing she took out was three lamps and a picture window!

Hey, guys! We're baaack!

We got in last night, some folks got in before us, some came in today, some will be here in the morning. All told, we should have about 15 to start painting. Actually did some pressure washing to get rid of flaking paint (applied when it was too cold). The good news: the flaking paint came off easily. The better news: the cured paint didn't come off at all! I like it when products do what they say.

Enough for now. Time to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow! Pix and stories to follow tomorrow as well. Stay tuned. Well worth it.

Mike