TODAY AT THE HALL IS A DAY not too different than any other Sunday in the past many moons, with one very important exception. The meetings being held today will be the last meetings held in the now existing building. At ten this morning, the English congregation will hold their meeting after which at 1:30 this afternoon, the Spanish Congregation will meeting hold their meeting. ¹

Arriving early, I am able to take some photos of the hall before the friends arrive, especially since this time of the year, the spring bulbs and other flowers are in bloom.

At the English meeting, there are quite a few visitors, mostly those who once came to this Hall and want to see it one more time. George, Mary and their two children are from Vashon Island, Louisa from Tacoma and others.

The English meeting begins with the singing of the first song and a prayer. The chairman then announces that a visiting brother from Anacortes will give the Bible based public talk. After the congregation sings another song, we then study the Bible using the Watchtower study article as our guide.

The third song and then another prayer brings the English meeting to a close and soon after, the friends leave for home so that the Spanish meeting can begin.

Although I was not at the Spanish meeting, I know that the friends follow the same procedure with their meeting being complete by three-thirty.

At about four this afternoon, a large group of Jehovah′s Witnesses enter the Hall, most wearing works clothes, yes, most all the suits and dresses have been replaced with work clothes and begin removing the contents of the hall,

These brothers and sisters begin stacking chairs and hauling the furniture outside to waiting trucks. The podium and all of the auditorium seating will be shipped to a congregations in Mexico who really need the furniture.

At about four-thirty, several from the Spanish congregation bring in food for everyone present. There are tortilla, beans, beef, several salads, several pasta dishes and a chicken soup. It is all so wonderful! Then we get back to work, going through the boxes of old literature and filling the recycle bin to the brim. I have heard that nothing that is in the old Hall will be used in the new one. ²

Some workers begin striping the window, vent covers, ceiling speakers, and light fixtures from the back room because a previous inspection done several years ago revealed that the room has asbestos in the ceiling popcorn texture.

Later, a crew of professional workers will come in and remove the asbestos, so removing all the ceiling fixtures will ready the room for the abatement team.

Also, all the congregations paperwork and books including the library, literature and records, territory and records, financial and congregations records are taken by different brothers to their homes home to be stored during the construction.

Since I had previously been asked to take care of the cleaning and paper supplies for the Hall, I box up all soaps, paper towels, toilet paper, seat covers and the like, put them in my van for storage in my garage.

Mark was just about to leave but comes over to me and asks it I would show up tomorrow morning at eight am to meet the abatement crew. I tell him that I will be here just before eight. It is not until seven this evening when I lock the Hall and head for home.

It has been a very long day and as I drive home, I think that there is a lot of writing that is needed to update this chronicle. Now it is after ten and I must needs get my body in a horizontal position.

Up and moving in the Windjammer at sunglow and when I check my clock, it is six-thirty am. I go inside, take a shower, put a load of clothes in the washer and then get dressed for working at the Hall.

After eating my breakfast, I drive to the w-mart and get on the internet to check my email and communications. Then, I head over to the Hall arriving at seven-thirty, get out my notebook and begin working on a letter for the bank.

At eight, the asbestos abatement crew arrive and after I open the Hall, they begin to set up. I go back to my van and continue working on the letter when at about ten after, Mark shows up and we go together inside to talk to the crew. They ask for some documents and Mark says that he will go back to his shop to get them. I go with Mark and we return some time after.

Marks leaves and I hang out for a while longer but leave around noon to cook something to eat. It is tough just sitting around and waiting on others but I know that it is important for someone to be here. Dan and Rebba come by later and are just stopping on their way out of town. At three pm, the report for the air quality test comes back and the crew packs up to leave. I go inside and begin removing some of the fixtures and pack them out to my garage.

Then, I go outside to put the trash and recycle bins on the road and see Charlie, a neighbor. He questions me why there is a barricade across the entrance to the parking lot. I tell him that the whole property will be shut down soon with no access except for construction workers. Too, there is a good likelihood that access for turn around on the property will be curtailed due to our installation of a special pervious concrete which is required in our building permit.

I say to him that from what I have been told, the normal traffic including the trucks that have been making turn-a-rounds in the parking lot would damage it. We will most likely need to do something to slow the turn-a-round traffic down or even stop it all together. I arrive back home at six-thirty, take a shower, and begin typing in the Hall chronicle.

Not too eventful of a day, but some necessary things got done. With the warmer weather, there is a lot of pollen in the air, at times heavy enough to see floating particles and together with all the other air born irritants have been devastating my sinuses, causing a heavy feeling pressing on my eyes, forehead and temple areas.

This sickness has been particularly hard on me this year, one of the worse I can recall for the last five or more years. Not only do I have sinus drainage, but I have recently been awaking in the morning with a sore throat. However, gargling with two ounces of warm water into which I put ten drops of tea tree oil keeps the pain in the throat at bay.

Still, I have become aware that the primary cause of these woes is living on Whidbey Island because on several occasions, when I have left the Island for parts distant, at those times, this sickness has disappeared almost immediately and not returned until I did to the island.

For instance, on Day 1302 BR when during the middle of strongest throes of this sickness, I left Whidbey Island and flew to Tennessee to visit Joe and Sarah. It was so amazing to feel the sinus pressure dissipate so quickly that I did not want to return to Whidbey Island. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that my home will sell soon so that I can leave this island and it′s sickness behind.

Awake early again and must needs go to the Hall to tell the garbage truck drivers why the parking lot is blocked off with cones. I arrive at six-forty am with a cup of coffee, park and wait.

Soon, Mike arrives in rubber boots to cut the telephone wire from the Hall, coil it and duct take it to the pole. He says that it will be out of the way until we need it again. He says that he is flying out this morning to Arizona for a short trip. Soon, the neighbor across the street, Jake, puts his garbage bins on the road and I approach to inform him of what is going on at the Oak Harbor Hall.

After the three city trucks make the run down Ronhaar Street, I go into the Hall and unload the furniture that has been stored in the Hall storage and move all twenty chairs and a pile of wood trim into the main auditorium to be picked up later. Also, from that same location, which is in the corner behind the stage, there are about two dozen half-used buckets of paint and other chemicals, which I transport to my garage storage shed.

Waning fast, I climb into to my sleeping birth to try to sleep through this sickness that has been bestowed upon me. Upon awaking, I see that it is just after twelve noon so I go inside my home and begin the journal entry for today.

I know that my concentration is quite bad, as is my writing skills but I persist. Later, I will go to our school and service meeting which will be held at the Coupeville Hall but until then, I will try to rest.

Then by seven pm, the sickness is worse, even after taking a hot shower. Too, this sickness is much worse than anytime prior and has similar symptoms to influenza, so I make the decision to not go to the meeting just in case it is the flu.

After calling Mark and Cheryl to inform them that I will not be riding with them, I head for the Windjammer to get prone. It is not until after nine this evening when I am able to sleep.

I arrive at four pm and find several holes dug in the northeast side of the Hall by the entrance road. They have already located the buried electrical, the buried water and sewer lines. Many of the local brothers took off early from work to begin installing the temporary utilities.

Two excavators have been dropped off, a large 120 and a small 25. The large one has been used to clear the fence line in preparation for the new fence installation. The small one has been used to expose the existing utilities.

Another team is using the 120 excavator to clear the west fence line of bushes and leveling the ground. The west side will have a new chain link fence installed with landscaping in front of it. Several more brothers have been working on the inside pulling down the cabinets. Too, lying on the parking lot, there are two temporary power poles and a pallet of treated and untreated lumber and plywood.

It is about eight-thirty this evening before the last workers leave and I put the cones back across the driveway. Then I too go home, take a shower, eat a quick supper and drive back to park at the Hall for the night to serve as security guard.

It is ten pm when I am able to get prone.

Awake before six to full daylight but to the sound of complete quite. I immediately drive off site and head home so as to take a hot shower, put on fresh clothes, put in a load in the washer and then head back to the Hall.

I drive in and park my van right by the flower bed and take my position at the gate. Soon, several begin arriving, first Roger, his family and others. A steady flow of trucks and cars begin to arrive. Standing by the entrance, I ask each if they have a hard hat and a badge to which everyone says yes. Then, I send them to the parking spaces assigned for the workers.

Each group of arrivals go to work on a specific job. David with his mini-excavator continues at the top of the property with the utility services. The brothers with the large excavator begins ripping out blackberry vines and the native trees and plants along the west property line.

At nine-thirty, a large boom truck carrying two large power poles arrives, sets up and begins digging the first hole. There are several brothers working together to get the poles ready and put in the ground to supply power for the Hall build.

Later in the day, some of the local brothers talk to the property owners to the west of the Hall and offer to remove their old decrepit wooden fences before the Hall installs a new black six foot chain link fence with slats. Both of the properties agree and their fences are gone. The ground along that fence line is leveled, packed and then sand is added on top of it.

Meanwhile, another crew is building an eight foot by ten foot shed to serve as the construction office. This is being built in the southeast corner. Also, a group of brothers who are electrical contractors begin setting two power poles, and two complete 200 amp temporary services on the property, one at the northeast corner near the road entrance (for the actual construction) and another next to the construction office (to power the office as well as the construction kitchen and guard trailer) where all the nail pounding is slowly beginning to look like an office. About mid morning, the brother who will set up the temporary water service arrives and gets to work.

During the late morning, quite a few cars begin arriving and none have hard hats. Instead, each says that they are dropping off food. One of the elders had mentioned to me that they would be arriving and some would stay as servers, so I prepare a place for them to park up close to the Hall.

We have a great lunch of meat loaf, mac-n-cheese, and two types of green beans. All this is followed by ten or twenty types of cookies, cake, fruit, and drinks. The latter had been there since early in the morning. Because of my sickness, I refrain from eating any of the items with sugar but for an early snake, have a banana. For lunch, I am not too hungry and have small portions of the meat loaf, mac-and-cheese and beans. It is a great meal and there are plenty of leftovers for afternoon snacks for everyone.

A lot is accomplished in the afternoon, the temporary water service is completed, the west property is cleared and ready for the fencing crew, two of the younger sisters set up a construction fence across the south property line, and the electrical workers finish the two temporary electrical services.

Late in the day, many of the friends come to the garden boxes to remove bulbs, bushes and perennials from the beds to take home. By eight pm, all is quite once again, with Roger, his family, Eric, Brian and Clarisa being the last to leave.

Long day!

A noise awakens me in the middle of the night, so I rise to walk the property. Too, I take this opportunity to take photos of the full moon, which during May makes it the flower moon.

I awaken early, get out to walk the property and take photographs.

On any other Hall build, it would be normal for both Saturday and Sunday to be full workdays on the project. This is so because these are usually the only two days that most brothers who are trained and experienced in the different trades have off to volunteer their labor.

Likewise, our project was hoping to facilitate both days of each weekend to accomplish the build. However, the city of Oak Harbor has a statute that prohibits any type of construction work on Sundays in residential areas. Nevertheless, whether there are restrictions, statues, protests, or persecutions, we will, Jehovah willing, still build a new Hall here in Oak Harbor, Washington.

With the world coming to an end, or so Jehovah′s Witnesses are known to preach, Why, some might ask, are you building a new Hall? As we normally do, we would answer this question by reasoning from the scriptures. The account in the sixth chapter of Genesis relates how the world of Noah′s time was coming to an end, but Noah was taking on a building project of huge proportions. Thus did Noah; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. (Genesis 6:22)

Yes, Noah did just so, or exactly as God had ask him to do. Likewise, today, despite Jehovah′s Witnesses feeling that the end of the world is near, this will never prevent us from carrying out all that God has asked us to do. What most people do not understand is that the Bible′s foretold End of the World does not mean the end of life on this earth, rather it means the end of wicked people and their wickedness.

Once the wicked are removed, then the righteous will be allowed to live forever in peaceful conditions. (Psalm 37:9, 11, 29)

Concerning this destruction of wicked and preservation of righteous, Jesus spoke about this in his prophecy about the last days. (Matthew 24: 37, 38, 39.) After noting how in Noah′s day, the wicked ones were all taken away by the flood leaving only the righteous ones preserved alive left to continue living on the earth. Thus Jesus concluded by saying: “So shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

On Tuesday, I go to the hardware store to purchase a length of chain and a dozen copies of the key to the old shed lock to use to lock the gate at the Hall.

Yesterday, Wednesday, I arrive at the Hall early to open the construction gate for the fence contractors. At eight-thirty am, I call Roger to ask if they are coming and he said they rescheduled to come at eight on Thursday morning.

This morning I open the gates at seven-thirty and wait for the contractors to arrive and begin working on the fence. I suspect that they will only set the poles today and come back another day to hang the chain link. At eight-thirty am, a crew of two workers arrive with a Bobcat tractor on a trailer.

First thing they do is to string a line marking where the fence will be installed. Next, they measure eight foot lengths along the string marking the ground with spray paint. Once the forms are set on both the west and south property boundaries, they unload the tractor and begin drilling holes which takes almost three hours.

One of the crew calls for concrete and after they put the bucket on the tractor. Then the two workers take a lunch break. Just before one pm, the truck with the concrete arrives, begins filling the bucket and then the tractor goes to each hole to set the poles. The process takes another three hours, after which the fence crew and the cement truck driver cleans up their equipment and leave.

During the entire day, I take photos of their progress and even get out a broom to sweep the piles of dirt from the parking lot and the front entrance of the Hall. Also, while the crew takes their lunch break, I too prepare mine, a hot cup of flavored oriental noodles and a hot cup of echinacea tea. This tea has been great help me during the last two weeks of my sickness as it helps to build one′s immunity. ³

After the fence crew leaves, I too clean up, pack up my gear, lock the gate and then head to my home to take a hot shower and prepare supper. Finally, I go out to the garage and get into my sleeping birth.

After arriving at seven-thirty am, open the gate and I await for the workers to arrive. While waiting, I work on some of the recent photos taken on the Hall project thus far.

Normally, I take ten times more photos than will be used in this Hall Chronicle so that there is a greater chance that I will get some excellent ones. Now I must needs review all the photos for their usability. Then once a photo is approved for posting in the Hall Chronicle, it then needs to be cropped and re-sized so it fits into the photo gallery. After the photos are completed and tested in the html editor, then they will be uploaded to the web server at which time, anyone can view the photos online.

I learned during my journey into Mexico that it is easer and saves a lot of time to have the photo gallery previously set up and then add the re-worked photo to the correct directory on the web server. Even though this works well now, the process is evolving as I am always looking to make online journal writing easier and faster.

The fence crew, the same two worker arrive at eight-thirty and begin working right away but only work a half day. They do complete putting the caps, hardware and top rails on the post. Also, fencing is rolled out on the west property line, stood up and temporary attached to the fence structure.

Then while packing out, they inform me that they will be back on Monday to finish the fence and by noon they leave the property.

As with previous days last week, I arrive at seven-thirty am, but the gate is already open and there is a car on the property. I look around and soon see David from the Spanish congregation, the one who owns the mini-excavator. He tells me that he is here to fill the hole that was made when the construction office electrical service was put in but because of the city code requires that no work begin before eight am, he was waiting on the clock. At eight am, he begins filling the hole while I watch. After he pushes the dirt around some, I tell him that I will clean it up with a shovel to which he readily agrees. Then he leaves and I begin doing some work on the property which includes more sweeping of the hard surfaces, rearranging the 4x6 landscape timbers to fill in the depression next to the entrance drive and breaking up the old wooden fence boards so they may be loaded easier for hauling off property. A power company truck arrives and when I greet the worker, he says that he will not be able to set up the new power to the Hall because it requires work outside his authorization but will have to be done by their contractor. He does take the old meter which cuts power to the Hall. Also, someone has been knocking down the orange construction fence so as to walk through the property, so I repair the fence and put up a sign at the location where the fence break has been. By the time I am finish with these jobs it is noon and there is still no sign of the fence crew, so I clean up put away the tools, lock the gate and head for home.

Yesterday, the porta-potty man called me and asked if I would open the gate at eight am this morning for him, so I arrived at seven-thirty am and had the gate open when he arrived. While he was here, we talked about when the gate will be normally open so that he would not have to call to have it opened. I told him that since all the workers are volunteer, they will only be here on the weekends which will usually include Friday. He said that he would be back next Friday. Then, the city construction inspector stopped by to get photos of how close the fence was located to the property corners. Meantime, the fence contractors arrived and began working on the fence. I asked if they would finish the fence today and he said yes. I told him that he may remove the orange construction fence so that they can work on the new fence and his reply was that his boss said to take it down, roll it up and keep track of his time. The inspector was standing with me when the fence worker mentioned the need to keep track of his time and when the work was done, the inspector said that it took less than fifteen minutes for them to do that. At noon I got out my stove and made hot noodle soup and tea. Also, Roger called me and said that the temporary security fence crews will arrive on Thursday at noon to close up the Hall property and asked if I would be there to let them in. I agreed.

At one pm, Dan and Larry, two pioneer elders from the English congregation stopped by to see the progress, took a look around and then they went back to the field service. Then as the fence crew was packing out, Kathleen asks one of the workers to speak to me so he comes and inform me of her request. Kathleen had a few questions about the new fence and the construction of the new Hall. We talk for a quite while and I tell her about how we removed the wood fences on the west side and replaced them with the new black chain link fence. She then begins to tell me about how she has been worrying about whether she or the old wood fence would last longer since she is 84 years old. Then she asks “When your new Hall is completed, wouldn′t it be an eye sore to see this old fence still standing” and that she would be willing to pay to have her fence removed and a new chain link installed. I tell her that I am not sure what the plans are but that I will relay to those in charge of here desire to have her fence replaced. Also, I assure her that we don′t require a payment from people we do work for and then she asks if she could donate some money. I answer her “Jehovah′s Witnesses always accept donations.” I only stay here for another hour and spend the time cleaning up trash from the property.

I arrive at seven am and notice that the orange fence across the southeast corner has been torn down again and go first to restring the orange plastic across the opening. Then I walk along the new fence line picking up trash and filling the pockets in my jeans that I find on the ground, some that the fence crew had left as well as that which this project has brought to the surface. Then, in the northwest corner I see something yellow on the ground just ahead and walk to it expecting to find more trash. Too my surprise I find a male goldfinch which is totally disheveled. I stoop down to look at him and see that he is still alive but to be sure, I reach out and touch him with my finger. He slowly stirs and then pulls his nose out of his feathers to look up at me. It is like he is saying "Hey, leave me alone, you took away my home, now I have to sleep outside. Further, I am not going to move from here, not even if you poke me again." It is early in the morning and in still in the mid-forties on the thermometer, so he is probably enjoying the warmth from the sunlight that is now just lightsome upon him. Too, it has become apparent to me that from our recent construction work, he has been displaced, possibly even losing his abode from because of all the brush and tree removal that has been taking place on-site. Don′t get me wrong, I am not a tree hugger, but with any construction project, especially when there is habitat removal, there are always those who will be displaced. I just hope the small creatures will not fare badly, recovering from our project and will live to enjoy the beautiful landscaping that will go in as part of the new Hall. While waiting for the ones who will be salvaging some of the things in the Hall, I begin stringing the extra orange fencing across the openings in the front so that the property has security fence completely surrounding it. At ten, Patrick arrives and begins to rip up carpet. Soon, Terry arrives to prepare the lawn mower shed for moving to his home.

Later, Roger calls to tell me that the security fence will arrive at ten tomorrow instead of noon. Expecting the building permit to be issued this week, the RBC brothers have been planning for the demolition of the Hall to begin tomorrow. Thus today′s final effort is to remove as much stuff from the Hall as possible. Also, JP calls to tell me that my security guard assignment tomorrow will be from 3pm to 5pm and to return and lock the gate at 7pm. Everything is go for tomorrow if we get the permit. Then Mark stops by and lets us know that he had just pick up the building permit from the city, one that has taken all of five years to get it. ⁴

At noon, I make my regular cup of soup and tea, this time cranberry tea. Next, I begin working on getting the second school exterior door loose and ready for removal tomorrow. Dan arrives and picks up some of the remaining paperwork. At four, Bob arrives and removes a couple of plants, a verbena and a hibiscus. Then at four-thirty, several more arrive to help Terry. Finally, Don drives his truck pulling his lowboy trailer and backs it up to the shed. Patrick and his helper join as the work of lifting the shed onto the flatbed trailer begins and I join to help as much as I am able. After the shed is on the trailer and it is secured with chain, the brother drive it to Terry′s home and unload it. Then, the brother return to the Hall to retrieve their vehicles and depart to their homes.

In the late afternoon, JP calls to tell me that my Friday security guard assignment will be from 2pm to 8pm. He also mentions that the security guards will need to wear an orange vest and I tell him that I will go to the construction store to buy one after I leave the Hall. After all the shed workers leave, Patrick continues working late into the evening to remove insulation from the rafters, loading his truck twice and moving it to another location. When he and his helper pack up their tools and leave, I lock up the Hall, lock the gate, take a couple of photos and head for home. It is almost seven-thirty pm when I leave the property and head for the construction store to buy an orange vest. I arrive home just before eight pm, make some bean soup and have a glass of red wine before hitting the sack. It has been a long exhausting day for me, over twelve hours at the construction site.