Sunday, April 17
After a long day of travel from Midlothian, Virginia (just to the southwest of Richmond), we arrived back at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center campground. The first order of business was to open up Big V, run out the awning, unload the car, and get everything put away where it belonged
Before we left the kids' house this morning, we wrote little notes to each of the grandchildren.
In turn, we got a picture drawn by Ava that Barbara immediately put on our refrigerator door...
When everything was squared away, we drove down the hill for a short visit with Eric (head chef), Ruth, and Kate. Then, it was on down to the King Hotel, where we found volunteers Gary and Rhonda Keve who answered the call for some additional assistance this week, and Charles, the representative for Lifeway, a company that exhibits books, Bibles, and other media at the different gatherings.
When we found that Charles played a little guitar, we invited him to come up to the campground to play some music if he had the chance.
After we returned to Big V, I went outside for some trumpet practice. I played for about a half hour and then put my pocket trumpet back in the case, and within a couple of minutes, Charles drove up. We each got our instruments out and spent 30-40 minutes playing and singing old hymns...guitar and trumpet duets...unusual, but surprisingly effective...and fun!
++++++++
Monday, April 18
The reason we returned to Toccoa yesterday was to answer Eric's call for some additional assistance this week. For several days, GBCC would play host to the staff of the Georgia Baptist Convention during their annual spring retreat.
We were up early to get ready for our first full day of work, but took time for some photos of us in our "private" campground on Lake Louise.
We were in the dining hall by 8:30 this morning and quickly slid back into the routines we established during previous volunteer work at GBCC. Barbara worked primarily in the bakery and I worked with Eric in the kitchen area, doing whatever needed to be done (although my specialty is cooking 30-45 pounds of bacon each morning.
Barbara expanded her resume' points by counting the guests as they came into the dining hall for their meals. This week she would count the Georgia Baptist Convention guests and maintain a sign-in sheet for a film crew staying at GBCC while they shot a movie set in the Toccoa area.
++++++++
Tuesday, April 19
After a great night's sleep, we hit the deck running this morning, stopping outside the dining hall to take a couple of pictures...
Then headed inside for another day of preparing delicious meals for a large group of very hungry Baptists (is there any other kind?).
Kitchen duties are not so narrowly defined that one sticks to certain responsibilities. Working in the dining hall is a study in pragmatism...doing whatever needs to be done in whatever way works. We went through several utility carts today and I got the new experience of cleaning out a couple of them with capable assistance from Andy, one of the long-time dining hall staff members. During our "spare" time, we enjoyed getting caught up with our volunteer friends from Cairo (pronounced Kay-Row), Georgia, Gary and Rhonda.
Needless to say (but we'll say it anyway), we were beyond tired at the end of the day. After showers and a little trumpet time, we were more than ready to crawl into bed, read for a bit, and drop into a deep sleep.
++++++++
Wednesday, April 20
Because we were going to be feeding a very large group of guests today, we decided we'd better be at the kitchen by 6:30 to get a head start on preparations. But, as with many of our plans, something went a little wrong. We drove down the hill from the campground and found (almost too late) that the gate was not only closed, but locked. I tried to call Dennis, the maintenance manager, but only got his voice mail, so then we tried Eric, the head chef, who walked across the street and unlocked the gate for us, but not without telling us that we looked like a couple of prisoners.
We made a note to ourselves to get to the office as soon as it opened and get ourselves a key to the gates so we wouldn't have that problem again.
Before going into the dining hall, we took some early morning pictures of Lake Louise, the crown jewel of Georgia Baptist Conference Center...
And then it was off to the races. Barbara went to the bakery and I started preparations for cooking another 30 pounds of bacon (about a two and a half hour job from start to finish.
Barbara had several new recipes to do today, and Joe gave me the additional responsibility of grilling pork steaks. We're learning something new everyday!
When our workday was done, we drove into town for a Sonic run and then returned to the campground to do laundry (our aprons get really nasty and smelly after a few hours in the kitchen), got cleaned up, and settled in to our nighttime routine of trumpet practice, catching up on our email, reading, and falling asleep. It was a cloudy, but beautiful evening, so while I was practicing, Barbara got these shots of Lake Louise and Big V...
++++++++
Thursday, April 21
Our large group of guests left yesterday afternoon and we were as caught up as we could be with preparations for the weekend meals, so today was a rare day off...one that we could spend as we wanted. We lounged around Big V this morning and then went into town to do some shop-looking at various stores and get a few basic groceries for Big V.
Later this afternoon we grabbed our computers and went to the lobby of the King Hotel to try out their internet service (which was great) and get caught up on mail and organizing photos of our trip up to this point.
As we were working, Nancy, our volunteers team leader, arrived. She had come up from Woodstock early to check on the laundry situation and found that there were mountains of linens and towels that needed to be washed, dried, and folded before the arrival of the next group of guests.
When we finished with our computers, we drove up to the laundry room to help Nancy fold a batch of linens and towels and get more loads started. We will admit that the laundry room is not our favorite place, but there was a need and we were the only ones available at the time, so we just pitched in to do what we could do...so much for the day off, huh!
Tonight was a full moon night, but the clouds rolled in as the moon was appearing, so the best we could do was catch slivers of it before the sky was was completely overcast. We had wanted to catch the reflection of the full moon on the waters of Lake Louise, but this is the best we could do...
++++++++
Friday, April 22
Have we mentioned that Lake Louise is one of our favorite places in the world? The perspectives are unlimited and we never tire of getting different views of the lake. These were shot from various points around the campground...
Our calendar entry for today was simply, "Wow!...little of everything!
With a relatively large group of guests coming in for the weekend, we were running over each other in the kitchen to get everything prepared for today's and tomorrow's meals.
Still, there was time to step outside and get this photo of Barbara, sans apron and hat, as she posed on one of the landings leading down the lake from the dining hall.
++++++++
Saturday, April 23
It may be Saturday, but it's just another full day of work at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center.
We were in the kitchen at 7:30 this morning to help cook the food for three meals today and prepare dishes for a couple of meals tomorrow. When the busy season hits, everyone on the dining hall staff gears up to do what has to be done.
We'll begin today's account with this photo of Lake Louise, a shot taken through one of the dining hall windows...
Barbara immediately went to work in the bakery while I got out the racks and trays and began cooking another 30 pounds of bacon. Along the way, we even got to join other volunteers Nancy, Gary and Rhonda, and Ken and Ruth. I also got a few culinary tips from Eric, who can take the plainest of ingredients and turn them into a feast fit for royalty
While Barbara and I continued our kitchen duties, the other volunteers went up the hill to the laundry room to whittle down the huge piles of linens and towels that accumulated during the week (and would be needed first thing Monday morning when our next large group of seniors checked in).
When we got a chance, we went up to the laundry ourselves to document the quality of work being done there.
When our work was done, we made a Walmart/Sonic run and then returned to Big V to rest up from a very busy week!
++++++++
Sunday, April 24
Sunday morning found us in the early service of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Toccoa, where we finally got a photo of Eric, Ruth, and Kate.
After church, we joined Nancy, Gary, and Rhonda at the local Applebee's for a delightful time of dining and conversation, catching up on each other's lives.
A few minutes after we left Applebee's, we received a phone call from our friends Jack and Linda, whom we had last seen in Mineola. They live in South Carolina, but had been in the mountains of northeastern Georgia and were on their way back home and wanted to see us. So, we turned around and drove back to Applebee's to visit with them while they had their Sunday lunch.
Jack and Linda still had miles to go, so when they finished eating, we said our goodbyes, took some photos, and said we'd consider spending some time in their North Myrtle Beach condo after our next week of work in Toccoa.
We returned to GBBC to visit with Chef Joe and get our marching orders for tomorrow morning...
And then went back to Big V for our Sunday afternoon nap.
This evening, we had our first team meeting with the volunteers for Senior Week. Our team was made up of volunteers from New Hampshire, Texas (us), Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
We had a great opportunity to prank Phil, one of our really good friends from Georgia. We'd shared a number of texts concerning his arrival and instead of finding a chocolate macaroon and a flower on his bed, he found that Barbara had fashioned a drier softener bow and wrapped a cookie from the bakery.
++++++++
Monday, April 25
Since our guests weren't scheduled to arrive until after noon, the dining hall was closed this morning. We made special arrangements with Eric and Joe to feed the volunteers, and at 6:30 am, Barbara, Gary Keve, Ken Hogan, and I were in the kitchen whipping up breakfast for His Witnesses as Volunteers.
When breakfast was over, we had our team meeting for the morning devotional, received our instructions for the day, and the team members headed off to their various assignments.
For Barbara and me, there was bakin' to do and bacon to cook, along with advance preparations for lunch and dinner today, and breakfast tomorrow.
When our shift was completed, we drove into Toccoa to mail out some packages and then do a little shopping before returning to the evening activities for the volunteers.
++++++++
Tuesday, April 26
All of our guests were on site today, so we had a monstrously busy time preparing three meals for today and making preparations for tomorrow's meals. We took a boat-load of pictures, but when I did the downloads and file transfers to the computer at the end of the day, I somehow managed to delete the files from both cameras, which was terrible, because we had some really great shots throughout the day. The only photo that didn't get deleted (and we have no idea how that happened) was this shot of Lake Louise, taken from a spot near Big V.
++++++++
Wednesday, April 27
One of the really fun things of volunteering at GBBC is waking up each morning to the ever-changing views of Lake Louise. It's almost impossible to have a bad attitude in the middle of all this beauty just outside of Big V.
Wednesdays during Senior Retreat Week are always interesting. The group that arrived Monday leaves after lunch and a new group of nearly 300 arrives an hour later. For the dining hall staff, it's pretty much business as usual, but for the volunteers working in and around the hotels, there are guests to assist (both leaving and arriving), linens and towels to gather and take to the laundry room. clean linens and towels to be delivered from the laundry room to the hotels, snacks to be prepared and delivered to the guests.
For Barbara and me, our work began at 6:30 as we arrived at the kitchen to make preparations for the new day. It takes about an hour just to get everything ready to start cooking, but once we are ready and all the kitchen staff are in place, Once that is done, and all the kitchen staff are in place, it becomes a delicate (and sometimes a little frantic) dance to keep from running over each other while carrying pots and trays of food from Point A to Point B. And we wouldn't trade it for the world!!!
++++++++
Thursday, April 28
Everyday is the same, and everyday is different! That might sound a little strange, but it is a part of life at GBBC. While the basic responsibilities remain constant, the relationships among the staff, volunteers, and guests are renewed and reinforced with each encounter and each new set of circumstances. And while today (as all days) brought new challenges, it also brought new opportunities to serve others and to learn a few new things along the way.
Today marked a major milestone for the laundry room team as they finally were completely caught up with all the washing, drying, folding, and storing. To celebrate the occasion, Barbara and I delivered a special treat that Michelle had fixed the night before for all of the volunteers.
Tonight we joined the guests in the rotunda of the King Hotel for a wonderful concert presented by a Baptist college choir.
++++++++
Friday, April 29
Today marked the last day of Senior Retreat Week. All but a handful of volunteers would leave sometime this morning or right after lunch when the seniors left, but the work continued throughout the day for those of us who were staying.
On rare occasions, we even get to work together. That happened more this week as I had time off from the ovens and helped out in the bakery.
We had some time away from our baking/cooking duties and used it to catch our Toccoa family in the acts of working and enjoying each other's company.
When the day was over and we had finished all our regular activities and chores, we slipped into the Rotunda of the King Hotel and watched a concert by the Atkins Family, who were performing for a pastors and church leaders retreat.
++++++++
Saturday, April 30
We worked from 6:00 am until noon today to assist with preparing meals for the pastors retreat, but the group was relatively small by GBCC standards, so we had time along the way to do our work AND take photos of people who have become very important to us over the years - our Toccoa family.
And so we wrapped up another special time with our Toccoa family, the staff of the Georgia Baptist Conference Center and His Witnesses as Volunteers. It was time to relax for a bit and get ready for the next wave to hit in another week.
++++++++
From our Georgia home at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center in Toccoa,
Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy
