We took on a major project this week: replacing the old, well used lodge carpeting with a fresh, new layer of carpet. Theresa had been talking to a local carpet contractor, evaluating styles, colors and designs for the new carpeting she wanted to install. She also coordinated the perfect time for the contractor to do his work—a three day window without any clients staying at the lodge.
There were three main rooms that were to be refinished: the dining area, the lounge area, and the kitchen area. Along with these rooms, the steps between the rooms and leading up to the lodge bedrooms were to be redone as well. This project would be completed in phases. The dining room would be first, followed by the lounge/TV area, and finally the kitchen area and all of the stairs.
With a good plan intact, there was nothing left to do but get started. The night before the contractors arrived, four of us got down to business and began moving all of the dining tables and chairs out of the room. Then we removed the base boards that made up the trim work for the room. Finally, the hard part began. We started cutting and pulling strips of the old carpet and padding. We rolled them up and carried them out to a staging area, ready to be hauled to the transfer station.
After the rug and foam padding were removed, then began the tedious work of popping up the tack boards and prying up every single staple that was used to secure the old carpeting down. It wasn’t so bad on the main floor area, but the steps seemed to have hundreds of staples all over, in awkward places, and we had to search meticulously to make sure none were missed. Finally, we vacuumed and swept up, leaving a clean surface ready for the carpet layers.
The next day, the carpet layers laid out and glued down the new carpet tile in the dining area. Over the next two evenings, our demolition crew started up again, repeating the process of moving the furniture and tearing out the old carpet prepping the floor for the guys coming in the next day to install.
On Friday, we finished up. We waltzed the guest refrigerator back into place, set up the kitchen area, vacuumed the new carpet, and now everything is back together and looking good. It was a lot of hard labor, working late into the evening, but the guys came together and helped each other out to get the project done. We “Made it happen,” so to speak (that’s our unofficial APC motto).
During the day, while the carpet layers were at work, some of the staff went out fun fishing. It’s a nice perk to working here, getting to go out for a day of fishing if the opportunity presents itself. Some of the staff have never been out on the ocean before, and it’s always a thrill to see them catch their first king salmon or halibut. One of the most common comments I hear about their first king, is “I couldn’t believe how tiring it was, trying to reel in that fish.” A lot of APC employees come from the midwest so they’re not used to such big fish; some of them have never seen anything bigger than a three pound walleye. Then they come out to Alaska, and end up fighting a twenty-five pound king salmon, which works their arm muscles like never before. The smiles on their faces in their pictures say it all.
It’s good for the staff on the beach to see what goes on during a day of fishing. It gives them a little more perspective on what we are all about, and the great fishing we are trying to provide for our clients. Not only that, just being out on the open ocean, miles from land is a great experience. For some, it’s a once in a life time experience that they’ll talk about for the rest of their lives. Those of us who work up here at APC are lucky, we are surrounded by good scenery, good fishing, good people, and will bring home some lasting memories.
Written by Tom, Deckhand ~ Checkmate