The best-laid plans of Friends and men ...

VIC LEIPZIG AND LOU MURRAY

If something could go wrong with preparations for the Friends of

Shipley Nature Center’s Celebration of Progress this Saturday, it

did. But whether the Friends are ready or not, the event will take

place in Central Park on the Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a

special VIP reception at 9 a.m. And even though everything will not

be as ready as the Friends had hoped, they look forward to showing

the public what they have accomplished. After all, the celebration is

supposed to be about progress, not completion.

The snafus started with the invitations to the VIP reception,

designed by Shan Ray. Shan’s husband, Steve, arranged for free

printing by the Printers Union. Since the Friends depend on donations

of time and talent as well as dollars, things must be worked into the

busy schedules of the donors. The Printers Union finished the job on

the day delivery was promised, but not until late at night. Shirley

Dettloff applied stamps and address labels, and dropped the

invitations into the mail before midnight.

But key people didn’t get their invitations. Invitations that did

arrive were mangled. Shirley printed out more address labels, stuck

them onto photocopied invitations, and mailed those.

A visit to the post office revealed a huge bag of unmailed printed

invitations. Seems they were the wrong size and required special

postage. Shirley added more stamps, and sent them off. Most

invitations arrived two weeks late. Some people got multiple

invitations. Some may have received none.

There were other problems. Two sheds were to be up in the

Conservation Education Area by Saturday. Since the 10-foot by 12-foot

shed didn’t need a building permit or a foundation, the construction

committee decided to put it up without waiting for the Concrete

Workers Union to pour a foundation.

However, the decomposed granite surface wasn’t exactly smooth. It

had been installed using the unskilled labor of a hard-working high

school key club. Those poor kids slaved all morning under a

sweltering sun, as truck after truck dumped its load of stinky

decomposed granite. That stuff smelled like a pack of mountain lions

had used it for a litter box. They managed to get the surface

reasonably smooth, but the Tuff Shed Company workers had to do a lot

of shimming to make the shed level.

Finally, the Concrete Workers Union cleared its schedule to come

pour the foundation for the larger shed, so it could be built in time

for the open house. But there was a hitch in communication and the

bolts in the pad didn’t meet city code. The second shed won’t be up

in time for the opening.

The next priority was the fancy new gate, with stone columns and

decorative wrought iron, but there were holdups with building

permits. Finally, the paperwork was in order. The basic iron gate

arrived, but without the decorative cutouts. The holes were dug and

the concrete base was poured for the support columns. But the

concrete must cure before the block columns can be built, and it will

be some time after that before the decorative stucco and face rock

can be applied. Until then, the opening is closed with a temporary

lattice of rebar and caution tape.

Unfortunately, teenagers intent upon partying climbed through the

unsecured opening, leaving behind a pile of beer cans. Those

uninvited and unwelcome guests are why the bathrooms at the Nature

Center won’t have new toilets in time for the celebration. The

Plumbers Union is donating new toilets, which were to be installed

this week. But the teenagers tipped over the outdoor portable potty.

Not wanting to be without any bathroom facilities with all the

frantic work going on this week, the Friends postponed the plumbing

job until after the big celebration.

The interior of the building is coming along nicely. More or less.

The diorama is well underway, but Shari Engel won’t be able to finish

in time. Two of the interpretive display panels are up. But because

both the freelance writer (me) and the graphics artist (Terry

Houseworth) have other commitments, i.e., paying jobs, their

volunteer work for Shipley has had to take a back seat. The

interpretive panels won’t be done.

But at least the case for the 15,000-year-old ancient bison skull

will be finished. Or will it?

While Vic was in class, I went to Chapman to pick up the Lucite

case and plywood pedestal from Art Angles. But the case wasn’t

finished. I returned to Shipley with the ancient bison skull,

thinking that I would simply drop it off at the building. I knew Tom

Livengood, Brad Jenkins, Steve Engel, and Dean Albright would be

there to help carry it inside. They were expecting delivery of some

cabinetry for the lobby. But the city had chosen today to slurry coat

the asphalt pathways. This delayed the delivery of the shade covers

for the vermiculture composters as well as the cabinetry. I drove

across the Shipley trail system to deliver the ancient bison skull.

I’ll pick up the case later this week, assuming it’s done.

So for the open house on Saturday, the gates, interpretive panels,

and diorama won’t be finished. The larger shed won’t be up and

neither will the shade covers for the worms and the native plant

nursery. But all are in progress. And that’s what this event is all

about. Progress.

* VIC LEIPZIG and LOU MURRAY are Huntington Beach residents and

environmentalists. They can be reached at [email protected].