Monday, July 1, 2013

GO WITH THE FLOW


Some days just don’t turn out the way we’ve planned. 

We got a call very early this morning from the refuge manager.  She asked Mark what we had planned for today.  While he was giving her a rundown of several things we wanted to finish up and a couple of new projects we wanted to get started on, he realized that what she really was asking was “Are you available right now?”

Turns out, she had no water.  She lives on the refuge in staff housing and her water comes from a well on the property.  We hightailed it over to her place to see what we could do.  Her water pump, of undetermined age, was going to have to be replaced.  After driving to two different plumbing stores, and a couple of trips to the hardware store, we were able to get her up and running.
New pump, fresh out of the box.
The temperature in Alamosa, Colorado typically reaches 30° below 0°.  The well house is inside the garage where it can be heated during the winter months.
There isn’t a lot of room to maneuver inside the well house!

Today was the kind of day that really shows us how much we, as volunteers, are needed.  Not only were we able to quickly respond to the situation, we also saved the refuge quite a bit of money on labor costs.

Teri


7 comments:

  1. Good thing Mark is around. It wouldn't have done her any good to call me for plumbing problems. :)

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    1. He is super handy! They are lucky to have him.

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  2. Mark, I wish some of your skills and all of your energy would rub off on me. It should be just that easy, shouldn't it? -Rick

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  3. Three cheers for volunteers! (Especially ones as capable and committed as you two!)
    --Sharon

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  4. Thanks guys! We find it very rewarding to be able to step in and solve problems here at the refuge. It is a good day when we can see that we've fixed something, built something, or generally improved a situation.

    Mark

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  5. They must feel really lucky to have someone as handy as Mark around to fix that type of thing! You two are all-around fix-it voluteers!

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