2018 - Trip Report - Museum Work Party & Black Mountain

Museum Work Party & Black Mountain Visit

Saturday, January 13, 2018

A great big “THANK YOU” to Bob Jaussaud, who first suggested this work party and to all the rest that participated in helping out with the work party at the Mojave River Valley Museum!

Some of the significant contributions from Desert Explorers included:

Bob Jaussaud - worked on replacing light fixtures and installing mule rider

Bill Smith - Worked on replacing light  fixtures, replaced a fan switch in the library, and installed locks on cases with Germain Moon dolls

Julie Smith - Cleaned and put out Germain Moon dolls

Ellen Miller - Cleaned up yard  debris and helped put out the  Germain Moon dolls

Barbara Midlikoski - helped everywhere all day long

Ken Hemkin - helped with lights, assembled mule train pieces, and helped install the lead mule rider

Nelson Miller - organized tasks and helped with lights, Germain Moon doll cases, mule train assembly and installation, and clean up.

There were also eight volunteers from the Museum that contributed throughout the day, including: Jesse and Peggy Byrd who worked in the yard cleaning and sprucing it up, Cliff Walker and Marjorie planted plants in our Pollinator Garden, Dave Mott was there to help, Dian Hare helped wherever she could and did the Sandwich Run for lunch, and Katie Boyd and Pat Schoffstall worked at organizing donated items.

Pat Schoffstall, from the Museum, reports that so many things got done!  Germain Moon’s Kachina Doll Collection and the dolls Germain researched and made representing numerous Native American tribes are a big hit - people have been oohing and aahing over them since they have been put on display. They are beautiful and Julie and Ellen did a fantastic job of putting them on display after Bill made sure the cases could be locked and secure. All of us at the Museum and Germain’s two sons, Dennis and Bert, are pleased beyond words.  These were crowded into a free-standing case, but the Museum is going to move them into one of the large window cases.

The Germain Moon Dolls are really an amazing collection and everyone should stop by the Museum and check them out when you have a chance.

 Hello all you Wonderful People -

Words cannot express our appreciation for what you did for us last Saturday, but I’ll try.

Nelson told me the original idea for a workday came from Bob Jaussaud.

OK Bob, that makes you my hero - it was a terrific idea and it was carried out with style and grace and good humor and lots of elbow grease.

Things were taken care of that we hadn’t been able to take care of and now we have lights and circulating air and a cleaner yard and new displays both inside and outside.

Germain Moon’s dolls are a big hit - people have been oohing and aahing over them all week. They are beautiful and Julie and Ellen did a fantastic job of putting them on display after Bill made sure the cases could be locked and secure. All of us and Germain’s two sons Dennis and Bert are pleased beyond words.

So many things got done and I won’t list them all because I fear I would forget something and embarrass myself.

Some of the biggies are:

Bob worked on lights and helped install the first mule rider in the yard

Bill worked on lights and a fan switch and installed locks on the

display cases for Germain’s dolls

Julie cleaned up in the yard and worked on Germain’s dolls

Ellen worked in the yard and on Germain’s dolls

Barbara helped everywhere all day long

Ken helped with the lights, helped with assembling the rest of the mule train, and helped install the first mule rider

Nelson - what can I say about Nelson? He is here almost every week helping us anywhere and everywhere

Jesse and Peggy Byrd worked in the yard cleaning and sprucing it up

Cliff Walker and Marjorie planted plants in our Pollinator Garden

Dave Mott was here to help

Dian Hare helped wherever she could and did the Sandwich Run for lunch

Katie Boyd was here like she is almost every day of every week. This place would fall apart without her.

I’m a little old-school and writing a “Thank You” via email goes against my grain, but Nelson assures me that no one, with the exception of myself, thinks negative thoughts about it.

I hope he is right.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart -

                                    Pat