Yesterday morning, a group of 10 volunteers from the local carpenters’ union, organized by Dave and Diane Thomas of Harpursville, NY, donated their time and considerable skills to help us out with a number of home improvement projects. They replaced rotting boards on the fence along Route 79, the entrance to the Used Book Store, the deck of Sr. Sheila’s hermitage and the steps behind the Guest House. In addition, they repaired the dock, installed a storm/screen door on Fr. Dwyer’s former hermitage, which has been repurposed as a guest space, as well as a railing on the deck outside the kitchen door of the main building, and snow guards on the roof of the back porch. At the end of the morning, everyone enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs, cooked by Diane outside on our grill, along with Diane’s homemade macaroni salad. We are very grateful to the entire crew, and to Dave and Diane for organizing the project!