HLC Spring Cleaning at Old Michigan City, Indiana

Date: Saturday May 1, 2010
Starting Time: 8:00AM
Breakfast at Dino’s
402 W US Highway 20
Michigan City, IN 46360

After breakfast we will all head to the lighthouse for our 9th annual Spring Cleaning.. If you are in the area stop in as we always have plenty of fun to go around..

Tonight we all started gathering for our Spring Cleaning gathering at the lighthouse tomorrow.. Rip treated everybody at supper at Swingbelly's to quite a sight..

Send your children to another room before proceeding...
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The view the other direction was quite different as we waited for others to arrive..



Swingbelly's Restaurant is just a train track and a waterway from the Michigan City Pier Light..

In case the pose looks familiar...



Baltimore 2001 Reunion..

Gotta luv it, it's Rip at his best! He always makes me smile when I see him.

Here's a couple of images of the rest of the group gathering at Swingbelly's for dinner..







I was able to put me in this image, that's me with the bright light in the window at the far end..



Everybody was sharing everybody's cameras and phone pictures..



The Restaurant is located in the Old Michigan City Train Station, that is what the big sign is about on the wall behind Jeff and Mary..

The main project for the day is to remove the pile of original 1858 lighthouse chimney bricks between the two out buildings and replace with a nice safe walkway between the buildings..


MargertAnn and Sharon started right in on weeding around the platform.


Sharon didn't miss a beat all day, you wouldn't have known that she and Rip drove up from florida for their first Spring Cleaning at the Museum.. You would have thought that they had been to the past 8 Spring Cleaning's, also..


Roy was pounding in the spikes to hold parking blocks in place,,


Speaking of not missing a beat, here's Rip beating in his share of the spikes, helping Roy with that project..


Susan and Heather start off their day by cleaning up the area at the entrance to the grounds..


Mary started her day working by cleaning area around the mooring bits, it is turning into her area..


Carolyn started on the curved area around the front porch, it has been the regular area that she has been working for years..

The guys had to remove the old bricks in order to start on the walkway..


The formed an assembly line handing them off to Jeff and Harold who were throwing into the trailer for removal..


Shellie of course started right to work on Shellie's corner..


Shellie finding some nice historical bricks to save and display with their Harbour lights..




Jeff and Larry working on getting the dirt bed level..


Mallard Duck sitting on her nest in the day lilly's in the South border of the building..


Cindy starts by weeding the Day Lilly's along the main walk to the Lighthouse Museum..

Doyne repairing a parking sign on the fence..


Sharon is just about done pulling out some lilly's along the platform that just grow to tall in that location. They will be transplanted to other locations on the grounds..


No caption needed, is there?


Larry working on a layer of sand for the base of the walkway..


Heather and Susan putting mulch around the plants along the front corner of the building..


Doyne is now digging holes setting up a couple of posts for new dedication signs for two new memorial trees that have been planted recently..


Carolyn is unearthing some border bricks that had become completely overground..

Roy hitching a ride as Rip delivers more sand and bricks for the walkway..


Everybody took a lunch and fixed themselves a sandwich and or a salad..


Carolyn mixed in some of the old chimney bricks to make a nice pattern for the border around the porch..


Larry and Harold start staining and sealing after lunch..


Rip lending encouragement to Heather who is working on some tree rings around the new trees..


Larry and Harold put a good coat of stain on the platform to protect it from the weather..


MargetAnn and Mary are weeding and mulching the Day Lilly's along the main walk..

Doyne starting to brick the new walkway..


Doyne is in his element now, he has owned his own flooring company for years.


Historical bricks from the chimney were used on each end of the walkway..




The mother duck got off of her 11 eggs briefly..


The walkway before Doyne puts the sand between the bricks to finish it off..

Current President Larry conducted a short meeting..


The day was some hard work but very satisfying..


Most of the Club gathered for some pizza for dinner back at the hotel after a very successful Spring Cleaning Day at the OMC...

The results of the Saturday's Spring Cleaning

Looks like a great time--as usual--and a lot of work got done too! Place looks great and so does everyone. Miss you guys.
John & Karen

Looking Good ----- Y'All do nice work. Miss all you guys and wish we could have been there.

Dan and Carol from Arizona

Looks like a lot of hard work! Great job on the walkway!

What a crew! I'm sure the community has no idea of the amount of love and labor that goes into keeping the "Green Lady" looking so good each year!

Now we all know how the lighthouse gets so beautiful when we visit it. I hope the locals appreciate all this experienced help and dedication. Keep up the good work.

Bob

Bob, this is a great group of people! They amaze me more every year when we take on Spring and Fall Cleaning projects plus other special projects at the Lighthouse/Museum... We have become very good friends over the years, just like a lighthouse family caring for our home..

Great job and fun! Another to do....