Boy Scout Trip
We received a solicitation from Boy Scout Troop 229 which is serving Culver now. They have 6 scouts from the Culver area in the troop of 24. They are planning a trip to Philadelphia (Independence Hall), New York (Statue of Liberty) and Boston to visit and learn about historic sites. The trip will include an overnight stay aboard the USS New Jersey which should be a treat.
I went through the scouting program, from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, and it is generally a good program. This trip sounds like it should be a great learning experience for the scouts. Since I was unfamiliar with this activity before receiving this letter about it, I thought I would share it here.
Last year was the 100 year anniversary of Scouting in the United States. Something I learned when we completed the Boy Scout Cabin at Culver Woodcraft Camp last year. It’s a good program and hopefully these scouts will learn a lot and volunteer to pass it on to the next generation.
Leadership Marshall County Graduation 2011
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the graduation ceremony for Leadership Marshall County Wednesday evening at Culver Academies Legion Memorial Hall. The Executive Directors for two boards I serve on, Kathy Clark for the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund (LMEF) and Jennifer Laurent for the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) were in the graduating class.
As part of the graduation ceremony, Leadership Marshall County presented a Leadership of the year award to Dr. Ronald May of Ancilla College. He spoke on the relationship between being a community servant and a community leader referencing the Robert K. Greenleaf essay The Servant as Leader. He related his childhood experiences growing up in southern Indiana that taught him these lessons before finding the Greenleaf essay that so eloquently expressed them. His presentation was entertaining and informative.
It was interesting to see the cross section of Marshall County represented by this class. I know many people that have been through the program, most of them rating it as a positive experience. I learned of the existence of a Youth Leadership Marshall County which takes eighth-graders through a similar program. I was unaware of that program and think that is a huge benefit to the community!
Several of the projects that were completed as part of this class sounded quite fascinating. The projects completed by Kathy and Jennifer both have the potential for a lasting effect on our county. It will be interesting to see how many of the projects survive into active programs once the class projects that started them are complete.
Congratulations to all who participated in the program. Congratulations in particular to Jennifer and Kathy! Good luck serving as leaders!
Vinyl Base Installation Tip
This tip comes from observing Pat Creamer of H & D Creamer in Warsaw install vinyl base at LaPaz Garden Court. Outside corners are always difficult to perfect with vinyl base. It’s not unusual for the adhesive to lose its grip and allow gaps at the corner.
Using scrap cardboard, cut a form to fit the corner. This can be used to fit any corner dimension or configuration, whether 90 degree or not. Each form can be duplicated as necessary using a razor knife. Once you have forms for your corners, here are the steps for using them to create perfect corners:
- Cut the base to fit the linear dimension required.
- Heat the base with a heat gun to maximize flexibility. Be careful not to over heat as this could cause discoloration or could actually melt/burn the vinyl.
- Apply adhesive to base and wall. Place base while adhesive is still tacky. Reheat if necessary, but take care not to over dry the adhesive.
- Apply the form to the corner with an appropriate weight. Leave the form in place until adhesive has set. (Read the specifications for the adhesive you’re using to determine recommended curing time.)
Thanks Pat!
Dale Dauten Quote on Bureaucracy
“Bureaucracy gives birth to itself and then expects maternity benefits.”
– Dale Dauten
New Look
The Easterday Construction Co., Inc. website was looking a bit dated and with changes in computers around here, I didn’t have a program that allowed me to edit it. I’ve also been reading about the various things that make a site visible and there was no doubt that ours was lacking. When we first put it up in 2004 I thought the “Under Construction” moniker was a cute visual play on words for a construction company site, but it was no longer cutting it. The previous editing program made adding content such a chore that it was hard to find the time and ambition to add content and work with the site. Since I do most of this at home or on lunch hours, procrastination due to frustration took over.
I spoke to Pat Renneker of Satellite Software, our web hosting company, about it. He suggested since I was using WordPress for the blog and was comfortable with it, it made sense to switch the website over to that format as well. Pat did all the transfers for me. He also updated and transferred the blog so that it is a more seamless part of the site. He went above and beyond for me and I appreciate it. I’m sure there are some glitches yet to figure out, so if you see anything, let me know. Hopefully it will be easier to add content and refresh the site with the new tools, but there will be a learning curve.
I am using the ITWORX II theme which Pat helped me select. It offers a myriad of options which I am starting to explore. Hopefully you’ll be seeing additional changes and additions in the coming weeks.
