Let’s just pretend February didn’t happen. Nothing happened and so I didn’t have anything to write about, so I didn’t get around to posting anything in the blog. Charlie would understand, he understood the sporadic nature of the desert. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it rains a lot.

Because it does rain here, sometimes, we set about building a new kitchen roof that didn’t leak and that didn’t have the tendency to rise and fall during wind storms like a gently snoring drunk. To that end we set about procuring supplies and making plans. Big Steve, our guardian bad ass and former scrapper, took us about 20 miles up the road to Fountain of Youth hot spring and trailer park. He showed us a 35 foot long, 1956 trailer with an additional 12 foot wide wooden add-on structure that was part of the home. For the price of our labor and the cost of the gas he would haul all this to East Jesus. How could we say no?

The first 3 days we stripped everything from inside and out, from removing the corrugated roof to moving the furniture and dishes to taking out the windows and carpet. Break for Sunday shooting and relaxing with our guests who enjoyed getting out from the city and taking part in some wholesome deconstruction. Then we dropped the roof, cut the walls down and pried up the floor and brought it all to a conclusion with a long ride down the canal road with a monster behind us and one final resting place.

During the week we put in at the spa every resident of the 1000 trailers there stopped by to see us at work. Half a dozen guys in black tees with the name East Jesus emblazoned across the chest swarming over, on and under this building. Men of different ages armed with a vast array of power and hand tools slowly pulling down and removing chunks of a home that had stood for over 25 years in that spot. They all asked what was to become of the remains and after we explained that everything was going to a good home and future projects they asked for directions.

Now one of the conditions for working at the park is that we had to clean up every day and couldn’t leave anything laying about. We arrived by 9 am and were swept and carting away the day’s haul by noon. People remarked about our pleasant demeanor and everyone who stopped by had a laugh with us. This in turn led to several more job offers and we decided we should take one more to ensure plenty of material for the jobs ahead.

Which did we choose? The biggest, strongest, most stable looking structure in the place, of course.

Where one nail would have done the job, this guy used 4. Where wood met wood and a simple brace would have held, this guy put in two ¼ inch plates with bolts. Where we understand hurricane bracing and earthquake proof this guy was protecting his car and trailer from the possible nuking of Southern California. But I digress, let’s just say that while tearing this building down I grew to greatly appreciate the original builder, as I was cussing him, his ancestors and descendents and the maker of blades that say they cut nails.

After 3 weeks the back forty of EJ looked like a lumber yard with piles of 12 X 6 ft sections of roof and walls delivered to the back of the Wizard’s Place then being dismantled into separate piles of beams, boards, paneling, hardware and firewood. The art tent burst its’ seams as we transported in armloads of material. Some things were found immediately interesting and so were handed off to be hung from a rafter while somethings were tossed right into a rust pile in the garden. When the dust settled and we looked around, well, the dust still hasn’t settled and were still moving material around but now we have a better idea of where it was a minute ago.

With the mornings taken up we used the afternoons to entertain and meet new visitors and the evenings to solidify the awesomeness of the place in our guests eyes. Photographers from Iceland, tourists from Sweden, film students from San Diego as well as the special treat we enjoy when one of the Chocolate Martini Church members brings out someone they think would like the place. I try not to think what kind of world we live in when people are blown away by our hospitality. We think that inviting someone in for dinner and providing them a place to sleep for the night is how you make new friends and we reserve the right to not want to be friends with everyone.

So many people stopped by and fell in love with the place in just the last two months and we also think of them fondly so we cried when we heard that one of our family in Jessica Lum had succumbed to her illness. She was more than just documenting the stories in the Slabs she was sharing part of ours and we’ll miss her smile around the game board.

More and more we welcome someone in who then turns around and gives back in multiples. From fixing the shower to helping raise the roof to adding new art to just adding one more story to our nightly campfire we’ve been very lucky in attracting a certain type of person who can mix into this crazy idea.

Yes we did get the roof built in one weekend with a smattering of art and music thrown in for good measure. The projector quit about half way thru the Rocky Horror Picture Show but we still managed to entertain ourselves. Thanks to everyone who added to the weekend and we really appreciated it when it rained that Tuesday. We have started moving the panels over so that we can finally really weather proof the music room and have even added a shed roof over the shower and restroom area.

So if you haven’t been here since the new year you might be surprised and maybe not but that brings us to the next point.

ART SLAM MARCH 23-24 at EAST JESUS

Oh you don’t know what that means? Sorry, never mind, not for you, nothing to see beyond this point.

We’ll be adding structural art to the Tower (maybe even get around to building steps to climb it) creating art to decorate the bare spots and burying a time capsule (it ain’t going to be that big so nothing adult sized).

Also it’s Chris B. ‘s birthday but he said you don’t need to get him anything if you don’t mind his sad eyes burning into your soul while he sings “Fuck your Face!”