Interaction with Clay County

The shed is done!

Today was the third and final day of building the shed. We had to redo some of the siding three times due to miscalculations, with assurance from our contractor Scottie that we need to learn arithmetic! We had no idea how much physics and math had to do with our next problem solving adventure. When the shed was finished, we had to come up with a way to lift it up onto a trailer to bring it to the home that would be needing it. Unfortunately, the trailer was too small to fit the shed. So Ahsan constructed a way to move the shed with planks and piping onto the top of the trailer.

By this time, the weather was beautiful. We had stripped down to our t-shirts and were getting very warm. After lunch, a few of us drove behind the trailer to help bring the shed to its location while most of us went to a handicapped woman's house to paint her railing. Some of us started working on the railing and had the opportunity to meet with the homeowner. She was very thankful for the work we were doing for her and that definitely made us want to continue. During this time, the other group with the shed had started to move it to its new location and had some interesting struggles trying to take it off of the trailer and keep it steady at the same time. Luckily, with the help of Scottie and some other workers, we finished with success.

Maneuvering the shed onto a trailer

After the groups got back together we went to visit the Mayor Lewis of Clay County. She spent most of our meeting explaining the plans that her and her coworkers have planned for Clay County. Many of the programs and events they have started have been making strides towards moving this area away from its drug problems and helping create a sense of family as well as community for the younger generation. She also mentioned many ideas to help attract tourism, including hunting, camping, fishing, hiking, and salt mine attractions. It was very interesting to note all of the county's rich culture and how a lot of it is not recognized.

Later on in the evening, we all took showers and had a very filling pasta dinner. Then we went to a local park to reflect on the day's events. We played our typical game of Thorns and Roses, listing the worst and best parts of our day and wrote a Haiku about our day as well. Most of these poems were very amusing and it was fun to see our peers get creative and adventurous with their writing.

Meeting with Mayor Lewis

Overall, with the sun beating down us most of the day and the accomplishment of a completed shed, we were very exhausted by the end of the evening. It has been another successful day in Manchester, and we look forward to the new projects that await us tomorrow.