tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45406040178603186412024-03-14T00:31:40.839-07:00SMCNOLAUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-21547251443552355582012-08-29T16:20:00.001-07:002012-08-29T16:25:18.220-07:00The Axe is in the AtticExactly seven years after Hurricane Katrina visited the Gulf Coast, another massive storm is vexing the area again. Many of you have contacted me for word of our friends there. Here’s what I know:<br />
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1. Brianna Hardy, our own SMC alum who has re-relocated to New Orleans, has evacuated northward to her aunt and uncle’s house in Covington, where she had power most of the day (but expected to lose it soon). She, then, feels like the storm is a pesky hindrance but not a dire threat. She has caught up on Mad Men viewing.<br />
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2. The Parkway Partners folks are riding out the storm, partially to be quick on response. They had just announced a huge new initiative last week in honor of their 30th anniversary: http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/08/parkway_partners_will_plant_15.html<br />
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3. Joan from Catholic Charities is staying put, heading up the evacuation of several major areas.<br />
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4. Don Palmer (the dad) is staying to continue working, but the power is out both at work and at home. Troylyn (the mom), little Don, and other family members are evacuated to Houston.<br />
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5. Mr. and Mrs. Pitts and Red have evacuated. Not sure where.<br />
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6. Sarah is unreachable at the moment but called me a couple of days ago to talk about "those poor people in Haiti," wondering if we were going to go help them. She didn't mention her own possible need for help at all.<br />
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7. Two of Lisa's kids (Lauren and Andrew) are evacuated to Houston and another (Amanda) is boarded up in the city with her husband and baby to try to protect their new business (the nature of which I don't know).<br />
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8. Lisa is riding out the storm with Bruce in their house. They lost power last night. A couple of days ago the plan was for Lisa to follow Bruce to Arkansas where his job was taking him for a few days but that gig got cancelled so they stayed put. They tied down everything outside, got lots of water and food stockpiled inside and -- the part that broke me -- put the axe in the attic.<br />
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It is very hard to make (and keep) a cellphone connection, so I am sure that Sarah is fine, even though I can’t connect with her. I’ll keep trying.<br />
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I’m not quite ready to see words like “overtopped” and “breach” in my daily correspondence again, but the eerie recollections that I have are nothing compared to the traumas of the folks who are reliving memories of Katrina.
I’ll keep you posted.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-30023592549471774712009-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:002009-05-02T20:38:57.332-07:00Remembering Rosie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0MNEVfQvI/AAAAAAAADBQ/yaIMMACVvCg/s1600-h/roseIMG_0579.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0MNEVfQvI/AAAAAAAADBQ/yaIMMACVvCg/s320/roseIMG_0579.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331430952518238962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0MIRvg1VI/AAAAAAAADBI/FddKQMTBusY/s1600-h/scan0001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0MIRvg1VI/AAAAAAAADBI/FddKQMTBusY/s320/scan0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331430870217708882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0L_Z3KnPI/AAAAAAAADBA/7l74y7VCMCw/s1600-h/scan0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/Sf0L_Z3KnPI/AAAAAAAADBA/7l74y7VCMCw/s320/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331430717778468082" /></a><br /><br />We are sad to be commemorating our dear friend Rose Boitmann after her unexpected death in March 2009. We held a memorial service for her on the Saint Mary's College campus in Moraga on April 19. Not all of the veterans of the 12 SMC NOLA trips could attend, so this page will help them to get a feel for what they missed. We had a lovely day, even though we missed all of those who could not attend and we were, of course, sad to be without Rosie. Our good friend Lisa Trigo came from New Orleans, so that helped to ease our pain a little bit. <br /><br />About 40 of the student relief workers along with a number of related friends and supporters came to the event. When they arrived, the NOLA folks found nametags waiting for them that were designed by our own fabulous artist, Kate Coulouras. Each nametag had our NOLA slogan ("Everyone. All the time."), along with the person's name and the number of trips that person had taken with the SMC relief workers. <br />___________________________________________________________________<br /><br />Here are the basics of our service. Most of the participants submitted their pieces, though they might not have been delivered word for word. <br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Welcome (Aaron Arnold):<br />Welcome and thank you to everyone for coming, especially the student relief workers who have returned from far and wide to be together here again. For those who didn't travel to New Orleans on the SMC relief trips, we're glad you've joined us in honoring and celebrating one of our most special friends.<br /><br />We are here to celebrate the life of Rosemary Boitmann, known to us as Rosie. She died on March 12, 2009, of a combination of cancers.<br /><br />This is not a funeral or a mass; Rosie's funeral mass was held on St. Patrick's Day at her home church in New Orleans. Many of us attended mass with her there, so we know how important that church and its congregation were to her.<br /><br />Still, she was special to us all the way over here in California and because many of us were unable to attend the services in New Orleans, we decided to hold a memorial of our own. <br /><br />Thanks again for joining us.<br />____________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Video Introduction of Rose Boitmann <br />(Introduced by Justin Verrips, Produced by Marcia Ong and Bryan Navarro)<br />On January 7, 2006, 27 of us got off of our bus in the Upper Ninth Ward and crossed North Claiborne to meet Rosie Boitmann. On that day, we had no idea how much our lives would become intertwined with hers and how many times we would return to see her again. <br /><br />On that day and every day with Rosie, her beauty and light blasted through all of the pain of New Orleans after Katrina. It was a privilege for us to know her and to be there at so many of the important stages of her return to her lifelong home. <br /><br />Actually, Rosie owned three homes in the 4000 block of N. Claiborne and we have grown to know all of those properties like our own homes away from home. We helped her clear the houses, gut them, decontaminate them, and rebuild them. <br /><br />And along the way, we got to hear stories of buried treasure, of the changes in the Ninth Ward, of her father, mother, and her grandfather, and of her unshakeable Catholic faith. We also got to eat a lot of donuts, because that's the thing she liked to feed us most. <br /><br />But just before we met her, she went through an experience more traumatic than most of us can imagine: she rode out a hurricane. We can't describe Rosie or tell her story the way she could, so we decided to let her tell all of you what it was like. The video you are about to see is from a short documentary prepared by Marcia Ong on our first trip in January 2006. Many of you have seen these clips before, but for those of you who haven't, we'd like to introduce to you our friend Rosie . . .<br /><br />Here is the video clip we showed:<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nuDHZ1v7bdg&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nuDHZ1v7bdg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />___________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Prayer (Prepared by Erik Coloma)<br />Psalm 23<br />A psalm of David.<br /> The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.<br /> He makes me lie down in green pastures,<br /> he leads me beside quiet waters,<br /> he restores my soul.<br /> He guides me in paths of righteousness<br /> for his name's sake.<br /> Even though I walk<br /> through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]<br /> I will fear no evil,<br /> for you are with me;<br /> your rod and your staff,<br /> they comfort me.<br /> You prepare a table before me<br /> in the presence of my enemies.<br /> You anoint my head with oil;<br /> my cup overflows.<br /> Surely goodness and love will follow me<br /> all the days of my life,<br /> and I will dwell in the house of the LORD<br /> forever.<br />______________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Reading I: Old Testament (Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3)<br />(Porsia Tunzi, Ana Ahnen, Vanessa Fortney, Brad Parry)<br /><br />*Porsia Tunzi:<br />There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.<br />A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.<br />A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build.<br />A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.<br /><br />*Ana Ahnen:<br />A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.<br />A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away.<br />A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.<br />A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.<br /><br />*Vanessa Fortney:<br />What advantage has the worker from his toil?<br />I have considered the task which God has appointed for men to be busied about.<br />He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts, without men's ever discovering, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.<br />I recognized that there is nothing better than to be glad and to do well during life.<br />For every man, moreover, to eat and drink and enjoy the fruit of all his labor is a gift of God.<br /><br />*Brad Parry:<br />I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered.<br />What now is has already been; what is to be, already is; and God restores what would otherwise be displaced.<br />__________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Reading II: New Testament (1 Thessalonians, Chapter 5)<br />(Dave Blanchard)<br />Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.<br />We ask you, brothers, to respect those who are laboring among you and who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you,<br />and to show esteem for them with special love on account of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.<br />We urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all.<br />See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek what is good (both) for each other and for all.<br /><br />Rejoice always.<br />___________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Musical Selection: Let it Be<br />(Soraya Parker, Shana Dhillon, Shawny Anderson)<br />___________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Tributes to Rosie <br />(Shawny Anderson, Emily Robbins, Julie Nisco, Darcy Tarbell, Elvia Hernandez, Mallory Lee, Hugo Leon, Shane Keane, Salvador Ortiz, Brianna Hardy, Julie Wesler-Buck, Vince Sison, Kate Coulouras, Scott Eberhardt, Sergio Trejo, Linzy Gustafson, Samantha Yeates, Matt Wheeler, Katie Leonard, Tommy Bell, Rebecca Wright, Juan Zaragoza, Amanda Arreola, Erik Coloma, Mark Araujo, Bryan Navarro, Obi Uwakah, Lindsay Ryberg, Lindsay Swoboda, Renee Egan, Lisa Trigo, Alli Arkfeld, Feke Lauti)<br /><br />We knew that we needed to write a tribute to Rosie, but then we realized that many tributes had already been written: as entries in our NOLA journals over the last three years. We searched for references to Rosie, then assigned the readings to different people at random, in order to protect the confidentiality of the journals’ authors. Here are the selections we read:<br /><br /><br />In her song “Feels Like Home,” Bonnie Raitt sings: “A window breaks down a long dark street and a siren wails in the night. But I’m all right, ‘cause I have you here with me and I can almost see through the dark there’s light. . .” These lyrics parallel the feelings we share with the people of New Orleans. I had the privilege of talking to Rosie about her experience. As much as I wanted to hear about what happened to her, she was more interested in talking about how grateful she was to have our assistance. We were her light, but she was ours. <br />(SHAWNY)<br /><br />Never in a million years did I think I would meet someone who had truly lived life to the fullest -- even if it ended up almost killing her. But I watched her -- and she was so well-spoken and genuine I just hoped the whole time that one day I could be half of that. I think our relationship with Rosie really established the relationship that we were hoping for -- the ones from our readings. The chance to actively dialogue with such an amazing woman was truly once-in-a-lifetime.<br />(EMILY)<br /><br />I went up to Rosie and introduced myself. As I put out my hand to shake hers, she pushed my hand away and exclaimed, "Baby! You ain't gonna get away with no handshake here! Give me a HUG!" She grabbed me and hugged me. I could feel the gratitude in her strong hug. As she finally released me from her firm grasp, I realized that it's hugs like those that make all the hard work, hammered fingers, and mosquito bites worth it. We are so blessed and it is so true: every day just gets better and better.<br />(JULIE N)<br /><br />Whenever we see Rosie, she calls us her little angels sent down from Jesus. But are we?<br />(DARCY) <br /><br />Everyone really seems to have a spot and a purpose. Even the way that we reacted to Rosie's house, the rubble being taken away, everything really balances. When someone falls back, someone else runs off the bench, takes the job, and kicks butt. Who does that? We do. I get to be a part of that. Go me. How did I get to be so lucky and blessed?<br />(ELVIA)<br /><br />"This isn't work for ladies; the men should be doing this."--Miss Rosie<br />(MAL MAL)<br /><br />These people lost EVERYTHING and had no one to turn to. Don even cried on Shawny's shoulder while we buried Smokey, his dog we found dead in the house. He cried on a COMPLETE stranger -- that's how much we mean to these people. Rosie told me that we "restored her faith in humanity." Just by being here we're touching so many people that had lost hope in the human race. <br />(HUGO)<br /><br />When I was working with Rosie, pretty closely going through her possessions together, she kept saying, "Baby, this is hopeless. I'm hopeless." And the only thing that came to my mind was the complete opposite. There are so many people that just left their homes. . . and she wants to come back!<br />(SHANE)<br /><br />Then one of the most emotional times came tonight while at Lisa's in Destrehan where Rosie made gumbo for us and Connie and Jerry were there. It felt like family there, like we all have a bond that I can never find anywhere else.<br />(SAL)<br /><br />. . .[T]he whole room was so alive and full of love. It made me think back to our first encounter with Rosie, when she talked about how we shouldn't be afraid to love. This class has completely let me do that. For me, trusting people enough to be myself around them is really hard but I realized tonight that somehow on this trip it was like we had always known each other, or I had always been looking for friends like this and I finally found them when I least expected to.<br />(BRIANNA)<br /><br />Working at Rosie's has become more rewarding because we get to see how thankful she is and it allows us to keep pushing even when we're tired. <br />(JULIE W-B)<br /><br />Every morning Rosie greets us, making me smile and forget that I could easily sleep another few hours. Although I've been tired, I get up easily, almost like I've become a machine. <br />(VINCE)<br /><br />Today Rosie said she's never seen anything like what we are doing for her in her 75 years of life. Those comments allow the tiredness to disappear.<br />(KATE)<br /><br />Rosie invited us to walk through her house. It was cool to see how great it looked from the work that had been done in past years and to think that the houses we're working on now will eventually look like that. <br />(SCOTT)<br /><br />I was talking to Rosie about the tree that we were axing down. We were talking about its size and she told me how big it once was. She said it took over and shaded almost all of the neighbors' houses. She told me she had a picture of it. I was about to say, "I'd love to see it" when she reminded me: "But I lost all my pictures in Katrina, at the same time that I lost my tree. I planted that tree with my mother, you know." Something about that just shook me up.<br />(SERG)<br /><br />It was so sweet that a guy like Jared, with the 504 (New Orleans) area code tattooed on his neck, would tear up, name his dogs Leo and Rosie, and get so sentimental with us. . .<br />(Z)<br /><br />We went to Rosie's and I was assigned to work on flooring in the second house. It was a really stressful process because it requires you to be so precise. Even though it took a long time to get the process down, it's looking good so far. <br />(SAM)<br /><br />Today was the best day by far. We did the sheet rocking in one of Rosie's houses. We put actual walls on the framework of the house. By the end of the day there were walls up on the studs. The first room of Rosie's house was livable. That's amazing. We totally transformed something in just a handful of hours. We had done some big changes before, but this was different. <br />(MATT W)<br /><br />For a while I cleaned the floors. Rosie wanted to help and she wouldn't take no for an answer. So I just embraced it and loved it that Rosie and I got to sit on her new floors and pick off tape together. It's that solidarity we were going for. <br />(KATIE)<br /><br />I can't believe how much we've transformed Rosie's backyard. It looks amazing and every time Rosie sees it, she says that she had never dreamed this was possible. I'm glad we've proven her wrong.<br />(TOMMY)<br /><br />I put in a few trees so I am definitely excited to see these trees grow into huge ones that offer shade (or maybe olives) to Rosie. <br />(REBECCA)<br /><br />I absolutely love when the cars drive by Rosie's and honk. It's great to have support and after two and a half years the people of New Orleans are still appreciative. I think every day at Rosie's we get at least three honks; it's a great feeling and is helping me to keep going, work harder, and get my butt off that bus every morning. <br />(JUAN)<br /><br />Today was absolutely beautiful. Although it was freezing outside, we all were warmed by the Holy Spirit. We attended Mass today with Rosie.<br />(AMANDA)<br /><br />The highlight of the day was going to church with Rosie. I really needed some resuscitation, so this was a perfect time. The service was very moving. At one point, Rosie went up and spoke about us which is usually not a big deal but this time it was. I started to cry. We have such a connection to Rosie and that neighborhood. It feels like home! <br />(ERIK)<br /><br />This time mass was kind of sad, because we all know that we only have two days left in New Orleans and also two days left with Rosie. I sat by Rosie in church and as I sat there, she squeezed my hand and looked at me with those beautiful eyes and I really almost cried because I realized how much this woman who I've known for a little over 3 weeks has impacted my life so greatly. I really do love her and she will always have a place in my heart. <br />(MARK)<br /><br />Rosie tells us that we are her angels, but she is mine. I was never that spiritual/religious before this trip, but I really do believe that Rosie's strength, love, and safety before, during, and after the storm have come from her prayer.<br />(BRYAN)<br /><br />Rosie is like the grandmother I never had and to see how much she truly appreciates our efforts makes it all worthwhile. Now I feel like any Jan Term NOT spent helping to rebuild New Orleans would leave me with a void in my heart. <br />(OBI)<br /><br />After Rosie's, Bryan ran with me to Habitat and on the way back he waved to Sarah in her car, said goodbye to Mr. Pitts, asked Red how he was doing, and we waved to the kids again. It felt like a neighborhood. It's coming back. It is back. <br />(RYBERG)<br /><br />Saying goodbye to Rosie and Lisa was just so sad -- it was the hardest goodbye because we really weren't sure if we were ever going to see them again or be in this neighborhood again. <br />(SAY)<br /><br />Rosie is so funny and really nice! She told me that she made a pact with God that no matter what the time in Purgatory we all have, she wants all that time to be put on her because we mean so much to her. <br />(RENEE)<br /><br />I can't believe that's our last day at Rosie's house. I was scrubbing the floor after having signed the porch and I just totally broke down thinking about how Rosie's was our first day in January '06 and our last day as we end here today. So much has changed in our lives, in NOLA. It was so cool to wrap it up having turned her life around so much but it's hard to accept that we won't be here again.<br />(LISA)<br /><br />Rosie just kept saying, "I'll see you in heaven, my little angels." I couldn't stop the tears. I had to run into the bathroom so no one else would see. Not because I'm afraid of others seeing me cry, but I know that as soon as one person starts, everyone else follows because the tears are on the very edge of their eyes.<br />(ALLI)<br /><br />We began the day by working on our projects and interviewing Rosie. Tears filled my eyes as she spoke. She talked about the blessings the storm had brought to her and had such a positive and spiritual outlook on her life. There is one thing I don't ever want to forget about that interview. She stopped talking for a brief second and heaved one of her heavy smoker's breaths and then looked me straight in the eye. She said, "This world is becoming messed up, baby. It's your job now to help change it." I don't know why it had such an immense effect on me. It could have been the fact that she was looking me right in the eyes or it could have been the passion in her voice. All I know is that she's right. It is up to us to make a difference. It's our turn as empowered college students to help. That is my plan. Thank you, Rosie! I’m ready!<br />(FEKE)<br />____________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***The Lord’s Prayer (Led by Aaron Arnold)<br />Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. <br />Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. <br />Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, <br />as we forgive those who trespass against us. <br />And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.<br /><br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Tribute to NOLA (Brianna Hardy)<br />How can any one of us effectively communicate our feelings for New Orleans? How can we begin to explain why it is so special? This week I kept asking myself: how do I pay tribute to something so meaningful? It just seems like anything I mention would be too obvious. But then I got to thinking about it and it's really not that obvious. What IS so special about New Orleans? <br /><br />Let's face it; NOLA is far from perfect. In fact, it is a very flawed, imperfect place. There's the obvious: its below-sea-level elevation, local government, levees, nonexistent green movement, and horrible roads. It is not typically considered an aesthetically beautiful city. The controversial aspects of the history of our country are more concentrated in New Orleans, and continue to be more deeply seated there than in many other large cities in the US. The architectural masterpieces of the Garden District, while perfectly symmetrical, cannot hide the imperfections of their origins. <br /><br />Yet even a city with clear barriers between race and class gave birth to communities like the corner of Bartholomew and N. Claiborne. New Orleans became one of the first cities where freed black slaves could reside, and eventually even become homeowners, though only in neighborhoods with some of the most underfunded schools in the country. Yes, New Orleans is marred with imperfections. Even the most perfect of Blues solos is grounded in exactly that: the Blues. <br /><br />I'm sure many of us here today still think of New Orleans as home, or perhaps one of our homes, home to a piece of us. I in no way mean to argue that any city, home, place or any thing for that matter, is perfect. But it doesn't take much thought to make the point that our beloved NOLA is far from perfect, will never be perfect, and isn't really striving to be perfect. <br /><br />Rather, New Orleans is full of problems and contradictions: single story homes raised a story or two above the ground, newly remodeled houses that may never quite feel like "home," history, MRGO, depleted wetlands, a growing demand for oil and jobs, and on and on . . . <br /><br />New Orleans is human. We can see ourselves and be inspired by its imperfections, even though it always has room for improvement. The way "home" should be.<br /><br />So it kind of makes sense that this particularly imperfect place brought out our best versions of ourselves. Rose was not perfect; she was an inspiration and a sage yes, but also a smoking, drinking, sassy woman. And we would not have had her any other way. <br /><br />New Orleans, even before we came to know and love the city so well, was not perfect. Katrina exacerbated that, but now we're seeing progress. Progress is not "perfect" neighborhoods with brand new homes -- 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Progress is the 9th Ward, looking tired and run down, but with people walking around, gathering on their porches, not living in the house they deserve after everything they've been through, but not living in a FEMA trailer either. It's the existence of classrooms, charter/magnet schools, public schools, recovery schools, now forced to compete against each other for students and funding, but enrolling students nonetheless. While controversial, progress is the new research hospital that will create jobs within the city, even though it will require the demolition of a historic neighborhood. <br /><br />New Orleans is not perfect and is not trying to be perfect -- just a version of what it once was and a place that will always feel like home.<br />____________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Visual Tribute (Prepared by Salvador Ortiz)<br />(Introduced by Brianna Hardy)<br />And now, we've told you quite a bit about Rosie and we've even let you hear her tell her own story of Katrina. We have lots of post-Katrina memories with Rosie too so we'd like to take one more opportunity to review our experiences with her, this time with some of the thousands of pictures we've taken over the years. Sal Ortiz selected some of the best photos that feature Rosie and made a slide show for us. For a lot of us, these pictures remind us of the stories Rosie told us or the jobs that we did with her. Please enjoy this moment of nostalgia with us.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_dTQ4VVggF0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_dTQ4VVggF0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />___________________________<br /><br />***Words of Gratitude (Lisa Trigo)<br />We are all here today to celebrate Rosie’s life. Rosie had many difficult moments in her life but Katrina was definitely the worst of all. However through this tragedy so much good came into Rosie and Janice’s lives. St. Mary’s was a huge part of that good.<br /><br />You gave them hope, you showed them love and compassion and I promise you none of it went unnoticed. Without all of you Rosie could never have returned to her home she so strongly desired to be back in. Other than the 14 months Rosie lived with me and my family she had always lived on that one block of North Claiborne you have all come to know so well. It is where she was born and was her home when she left this world. It was where she was most comfortable and all of you returned her there. I cannot thank each of you enough for giving Rosie that gift.<br /><br />I returned to 4005 on Thursday for the first time since Rosie had died. As I walked up the ramp to the back door I could feel all of you present with me. I stopped to read some of your notes you had written on the railing of the ramp and I noticed how they were starting to fade away and this made me very sad but later when I was speaking with Shawny she mentioned how appropriate that these messages should fade away now as they were your notes to Rosie – personal notes of love and she is no longer here to read them and they were not meant for its future owner.<br /><br />As I continued my walk up the ramp I stopped at Rosie’s “smoking chair” and realized never again would I stand out on this ramp to fuss at Rosie about how she needed to quit smoking. As hard as this may be for some of you to believe in Rosie’s last month here on earth she preached to everyone who smoked the need for them to quit smoking. It was certainly a sight to see.<br /><br />As I walked in the back door of 4005 everywhere I turned I saw all of you and the work you did and even though the next owner will never know any of you and all that you did to return 4005 (4009/4011) to become homes again, your presence will forever be in their walls and floors. You have physically, emotionally and spiritually given parts of yourselves to NOLA that will remain with us forever. <br /><br />As I sat on the bed in 4005 and went though Rosie’s things I thought how lucky I was that God had placed Rosie into my life. As I thought back on Rosie’s life I thought what a unique individual Rosie was and how blessed all of us are to have had her in our lives. There was only one Rosie and I feel sorry for those who never had the opportunity to know her.<br /><br />Rosie did not live the 105 years she thought that she would but she certainly lived 76 years marching to her own drum. She loved to drink, smoke and say whatever was on her mind. These are some of the things that stand out about Rosie in our minds but she was so much more. She was a very spiritual person who always thought of others and was quick to share God’s love with them. She prayed for each of you everyday and I am sure she continues to do so.<br /><br />Rose had a lot of issues with trust but when St. Mary’s students came that first time ya‘ll touched her heart in such a way that she was able to let all of you in and for Rosie that was a humongous deal. <br /><br />As I said earlier Katrina was the worst thing to ever happen to Rosie but it was also the best thing to ever happen to her. She experienced tremendous growth in her journey with our Lord and opened her heart to love and trust others in a way she was not able to due prior to Katrina. St. Mary’s students were some of the chosen few Rosie let into her life and she loved you all so very much. Please continue to be the beautiful people you were to Rosie, Janice, NOLA and myself. Always place God first in all you do and there will be nothing you cannot accomplish in life.<br />_______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Musical Selection: Amazing Grace <br />(All, sung to the tune of The House of the Rising Sun)<br /><br />Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound<br />That saved a wretch like me<br />I once was lost but now am found<br />Was blind but now I see<br /><br />Through many dangers, toils and snares, <br />We have already come<br />'Twas grace that brought us safe thus far<br />And grace will lead us home.<br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Prayer (Bryan Navarro)<br />When I die if you need to weep<br />Cry for your brother or sister<br />Walking the street beside you<br />And when you need me put your arms around anyone<br />And give them what you need to give me.<br /><br />I want to leave you something<br />Something better than words or sounds.<br /><br />Look for me in the people I've known or loved<br />And if you cannot give me away<br />At least let me live in your eyes and not on your mind.<br /><br />You can love me most by letting hands touch hands<br />By letting bodies touch bodies<br />And by letting go of children that need to be free.<br /><br />Love doesn't die, people do<br />So when all that's left of me is love<br />Give me away.<br />___________________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />***Closing (Aaron Arnold)<br />Thanks again to everyone for joining us here today. Special thanks to Lisa Trigo for flying in from New Orleans to make this event even more special. Thanks also to Renee Egan, who helped make most of the arrangements for today. Thanks to Porsia Tunzi for selecting today’s readings, and to Kate Coulouras for designing our name tags. And, of course, thanks to Rosie, for leaving an impact on all of us that we will never forget. <br /><br />In her honor, I’d like to ask all of you to do something she always recommended we do to protect ourselves. That is, thump your thymus five times. Your thymus is right in the center of your chest, and Rosie was convinced that thumping it five times – HARD – would keep you safe and sound. <br /><br />The students from the NOLA trips are now going to shift into a more casual reunion mode. First we’re going to gather in the front for a few quick moments, then we're heading up to Ageno East for a cookout. Everyone is invited.<br />_______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br />And so ended our service. We gathered at the front of the Chapel and everyone received several gifts to commemorate the day. We then went to the patio of Ageno East and everyone pitched in just like we were back on Eddie's lot. (Well, not quite EVERYone, but that's another story . . .) <br /><br />We loved being together again and we pledged to keep in touch. Let's hope that's a pledge we keep!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-60501815547704694162008-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:002008-09-01T09:58:47.218-07:00a few more friendsSome further reports on our NOLA friends have trickled in. Jan Term '07 students will remember Cindy and David Franatovich and their grown-up kids Dara and Dustin. They, along with Cindy's parents Connie and Jerry LeRouge (from Jan Term '06 and '07) are all safe in Vicksburg, Mississippi. '07ers will remember that we had the greatest crawfish boil of all time at Cindy and David's house out in Slidell. <br /><br />As for Rosie, she didn't get to her friend's house and is instead in a hotel in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with her cat and two birds. She is anxiously watching the overtopping of the levee at the Industrial Canal, which is at the end of her street. If that levee blows, her three houses will be in serious trouble. <br /><br />Bruce Trigo is still home and dry, though he is without power. Of course, as mentioned below, it will soon be his job to restore whatever power is out in the region.<br /><br />Sarah called again from the shelter and we learned a few more details about her evacuation. She drove out in her own car with her kids and some grandkids. She is reluctant to watch the news where she is, as -- like Rosie -- she finds the overtopping of the Industrial Canal too scary for her to watch. <br /><br />Sarah knew that Red Perkins (Rosie's backdoor neighbor) had evacuated to Shreveport. He had hoped to ride out the storm, but was sent away by city and state authorities. David, too, is safe, having been sent away by the authorities as well. He is the person whose house is covered with musical instruments that he salvaged from the debris of Hurricane Katrina.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-47902539059951254532008-09-01T08:15:00.000-07:002008-09-01T08:16:39.522-07:00News Feeds from NOLAAt this link, you can get live reports from NOLA stations: http://gustav.freeadsensehost.com/<br /><br />One of them is showing the "overtopping" going on at the Industrial Canal, the channel right past Rosie's house with the bridge into the Lower 9th.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-36900964994180094992008-08-31T19:54:00.000-07:002008-08-31T22:41:00.849-07:00Gustav Preliminary UpdateHello, Friends of SMC NOLA! We are glad to hear from so many of our friends this week, but we are very sad that we are hearing from them and about them because another storm is threatening the Gulf Coast just after the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. As we hear from some of the families you know from our blogs, we will post updates so that everyone can know all that we learn. <br /><br />At the moment (it's Sunday night, August 31, 2008), it is very difficult to get any calls through to any cellphone network serving the New Orleans area. Still, we have managed to talk to a few of our longtime friends in the Ninth Ward. <br /><br />Our beloved friend Rosie Boitmann is currently in Mississippi, staying with friends of her cousin Flo. (For the SMC NOLA peeps, this is the cousin who loaned us the metal detector with which we tried to find Rosie's buried jar of nickels. As you recall, we never found the nickels, despite a day of digging an area roughly 15' x 15'.) Rosie waited until today to drive out, because she was unsure which direction to drive to escape a double hit. That is, if she fled west and then the storm hit Texas, her situation would be twice as bad. She finally decided to drive east. When we caught her she was driving in thick traffic through Slidell.<br /><br />In her car was the suitcase that she has had packed since we first moved her back into her house. One of the closet floors was reserved for the evacuation kit and today was the day that decision paid off. She also packed up her one remaining cat, Tony, and her two birds, one of which is a squawky macaw named Magoo and the other of which is a rescued wren from the time when she was a refugee. <br /><br />Rosie's friend and adviser (and her host when she was a refugee), Lisa Trigo, had asked Rosie to flee to Dallas with Lisa and her daughter on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning, but Rosie waited until today and drove the other direction instead. Lisa had given Rosie lots of advice, including a recommendation that she fill her car with gas and do any necessary banking before the end of the week. It's not entirely clear if Rosie followed Lisa's advice. <br /><br />One thing that Rosie sadly had to leave behind was her new set of teeth. She got fitted with them on Friday and was supposed to go pick them up either this week or the next. She has lived without them for quite awhile, but was excited to have a toothy smile for the first time in a long time. If all goes well, her sunny new smile will not be far away. <br /><br />For now, though, as anyone can guess, Rose is very sad, very upset, and very apprehensive about what might come next. She said, "I can't take this. And I really don't know if I can go back. No matter what." We invited her to come to California and wait out the impact of the storm with us. She liked the idea, but instead sent her love to all of the students and asked for prayers in return. <br /><br />As for the Trigos, Lisa and youngest daughter Lauren are currently in Dallas with Lauren's older brother Andrew. They left at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday to outwit the traffic problems that they knew they would face if they left in the daytime. Their strategy worked and their trip wasn't nearly as difficult as other people's evacuations have been. <br /><br />Lisa gathered up all of her pictures and took them with her in the van, but didn't worry about many other possessions. She mentioned that her Aunt Té also took only pictures, though her aunt's pictures were almost all reprints that she had re-collected from family members who did not lose everything in Katrina, as she did. Té's grandson stuffed the car in which he rode as full of his possessions as he could, saying "Don't you remember how hard it was to replace all of that stuff the last time? I don't want to have to do that again!" <br /><br />Apart from their own needs, all of the evacuees are worrying about other people as well. As one of the case managers for Catholic Charities' rebuilding efforts, Lisa is particularly troubled to have left three of her families who were supposed to move into their completed homes this week. She hopes that the move-in plans won't be delayed for long.<br /><br />While Lisa and Lauren are with Andrew in Dallas, Lisa's husband Bruce is staying home because he works for the public utility company Entergy. He is on the first crew that will respond to the effects of the storm. He is keeping track of his family by cellphone for now. <br /><br />Their other daughter Amanda and her new husband (Blake?) are in Baton Rouge with his family. Baton Rouge might well suffer some effects of the storm, but they didn't want to go too far from New Orleans, especially because they left behind most of what they own in a new apartment that is not yet covered by renter's insurance. <br /><br />In general, Lisa believes that the entire area was better prepared for the approach of this storm, but she still fears that even though the evacuation went relatively smoothly, there is no way for the return to match it. She is aware that many gas stations have already run out of fuel and even if families can return next week, it will be almost impossible to do so. In fact, thinking about how, when, and where to get gas is one of the huge questions that occupies the minds of the evacuees, even though the issue of fuel probably barely occurs to those of us outside of the storm-affected areas. <br /><br />Lisa said over and over again, "Let's just hope it doesn't go the same way this time." All of our friends in New Orleans wonder how many people will have the strength to return to the city again, whether or not it is ruined by this storm. Like Rosie, Lisa sends all of us her love and asks for our thoughts and prayers.<br /><br />We finally got a call through to our friend Sarah Mercadel as well. Hers is the house we painted "tennis ball green" in January 2007. Once she figured out who was on the phone, her first concern was for Rosie; she immediately "tattled," saying "I don't think Rosie left. You've gotta call Rosie and get her to leave!" When she learned that Rosie is, in fact, safe in Mississippi, she assured us that she, too, is safe. <br /><br />She was a little unclear, though, about where she is at the moment. She called out into the noisy room and asked, "Where are we? Where are we right now?" Though at first it seemed like perhaps she was in a crowded car or bus, it turned out that she was in fact in a shelter. Different people gave different answers to her question, but it seems most likely that she is in Lacombe, Mississippi. It was so difficult to hear (from either end of the phone), that we don't have many more details on Sarah. We do, though, have a solid promise that she will keep us posted from this point forward. <br /><br />The last family that we can account for at the moment is the Palmer family. Don, Troylyn, and their son "Little Don" all live next door to Rosie. We helped them gut their house in January 2006 and repair it in 2007, and we gutted two houses owned by Don's dad, Leroy, over the years. All of the Palmers are gathered now in Baton Rouge, at the same house where Leroy has been staying since Katrina, which belongs to Little Don's aunt (Big Don's sister). <br /><br />Little Don visited all of us last May as he contemplated whether or not to start college. He started classes two weeks ago in New Orleans, studying mortuary science. Now he gets a few days off from classes, but if the delay is very long there is a way to continue his studies through a related program in Baton Rouge. Little Don assures us that all is well. He was quick to report that their new dog is with them and is also safe. <br /><br />From our end, we are in a bit of a frenzy full of fear and "what ifs . . . ?." We are keeping each other posted about Facebook messages from other volunteers or from our NOLA family members, about text and cell messages/conversations, and about the latest news reports that we've heard. On their end, they are learning some of what they know from us. The neighbors didn't all hear about each other's plans, but now they all know where the people of their corner of the world have landed, at least for now. <br /><br />We hope that all of this anticipation and action turn out to be unnecessary. No matter which way things go, we will post updates when we have them. Thoughts, prayers, hopes, and best wishes should all be directed to the Gulf Coast tonight . . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-55580029078440574302008-01-30T00:31:00.000-08:002008-01-30T22:46:41.701-08:00Day Twenty-Two: January 2008Day Twenty-Two: Tuesday, January 29<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSMRBAeeocQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XSMRBAeeocQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />A clear morning awaited us, despite predictions of thunderstorms for our packing session. A few folks ran off to the ferry to bring back beignets for breakfast, while another set headed out to Rosie’s to do some last minute touchups. The rest started clearing out the bus, the warehouse, the tent, and every other place that we had left our stuff. <br /><br />Rosie’s crew got to take in the house one more time and they got to hug Rosie a few more times as she cried over our departure. They looked back at the messages that we had scrawled on the railings at her house and thought “Maybe we should clearcoat these at spring break.” We still hope to take down her carport, build her a space for a new shed, and finish landscaping her yard. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be back in just a few short weeks.<br /><br />As for the cleanup crew, they were quite efficient. They knew that many things had to be tossed, but they also were very judicious in deciding which things could stay with the bus (including our new kitchen tents and our old folding tables), which things could go to Bree and Shane (including open balsamic vinegar and our other “fancy” foods), and which things could be used by the residents of the tent city we pass almost every day. We had lots of food to offer, along with a few sleeping bags, blankets, clothing items, and umbrellas. <br /><br />Though we were breaking down our NOLA home, we were all in a pretty playful mood. Shawny busted out some of the remaining awards and bestowed them on people. Because some of them were squirt guns and harmonicas, things got a bit crazy for just a short while there.<br /><br />We finally got the lot back to the condition in which we had found it and headed in for one last run through the French Quarter to pick up souvenirs for ourselves (and for YOU!). Some grabbed one last muffaletta sandwich, some had red beans and rice, and some just hurried to shop. <br /><br />As we sat at the airport, we realized that we felt like we were re-entering civilization after a long absence. We were overly fascinated with TV screens (a tendency that was even more evident last night at the restaurant when we got mesmerized by a competition in which people were breaking as many as ten concrete blocks at a time with their bare elbows) and we started to get the scoop on celebrity gossip until we remembered that we just don’t care. <br /><br />Bryan pointed out that he would have to make a big mental adjustment to stop treating his clothing like one big napkin (as we have done with our dirty work clothes for the past three weeks). Others talked about how weird it felt to just sit and wait, rather than pushing on to the next task. Still others predicted that the Moraga routine was going to feel even more strange, as we are unlikely to match our NOLA level of productivity when we are back there. <br /><br />Despite these losses, most of us were eager to sleep in our own beds tonight, to eat favorite foods, and – most of all – to see family, friends, roommates, girl/boyfriends, pets, and even our cars. <br /><br />We will see each other in the morning, assuming that we manage to wake up without the presence of 28 other stirring bodies to roust us out of our beds. We’ll review things, look forward to what happens next, and then kick our projects into high gear so that our breaks are not too terribly interrupted by their completion. And, apparently, we will begin to think about spring break and how we want to spend it. <br /><br />We’re very tired. Our clothes are very dirty. And we are changed. Talk to us, listen to us, hug us, and let us be different than the people we were when we left. Thanks for listening, watching, and reading. We hope to see you on February 13!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-86488315559032427202008-01-28T23:06:00.000-08:002008-01-29T05:11:42.610-08:00Day Twenty-One: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M0XntANH4Os"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M0XntANH4Os" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Twenty-One: Monday, January 28<br /><br />The morning came too early, especially because it was the morning of our last workday in New Orleans. We are still ready and willing to work, but we are not ready for this experience to end. Also, we knew that our workload for the day was daunting. Like every day, we charged on.<br /><br />We all hurried to Rosie’s house and hopped on the long list of jobs we had identified as our final push priorities. We occupied ourselves by painting the porch and front doors, touching up interior paint, scrubbing remaining glue globs from the newly-installed floor, caulking the baseboards, completing the brick walkway behind the two houses, finishing the birdbath, scrubbing the vinyl siding on the front of the house, and sweeping, sweeping, sweeping, and sweeping some more. One by one, the jobs got checked off the list.<br /><br />We got distracted over and over again by visitors who wanted to say goodbye. Two Habitat staffers came over and brought us to tears as they thanked us and told us they’d miss us. Neighbors from all around Rosie’s house came by to talk, to thank us, and even to pray for us. And other neighbors that we don’t already know came by and asked us for help. <br /><br />When evening began to fall, we knew that it was time to load the bus in front of Rosie’s for the last time. We had just pulled the tape from our paint job, so one by one we crossed the street to look back at our most recent work. As we stood there and took it all in, we fell quiet. <br /><br />Veterans of multiple trips found themselves reviewing all of the many stages of Rosie’s houses that we have experienced together. They remembered the initial swirl of belongings in those houses back on that first Saturday in January 2006; they remembered the shovels and wheelbarrows and the huge piles of debris that we accumulated there. They remembered the big awful freezer that we wrestled off the porch with a triumphant thud. They remembered the smells of those waterlogged houses, especially the refrigerators and the sickening substance inside them that we lovingly called “fridge tea.” They remembered the huge claw that came along and scooped up everything we had removed from those houses. They remembered the tears that we shed on those front porches and the many lunches that we shared there as well. And they remembered the slow but sure reawakening of each house, one by one. <br /><br />Newcomers (who are all solid veterans now) reflected on all that has happened for them – and for these houses -- in the last three-plus weeks. We all thought back to the houses we initially entered: framed-out skeletons standing inside a shell of vinyl siding. And we remembered the struggles of learning to insulate, learning to sheetrock, learning to install flooring, learning to paint properly, and learning the basics of the logic of construction. The more we looked back at those newly painted doors and porch, the more we leaned into each other and hugged each other. Tears started to fall. <br /><br />We let this time float on for awhile then organized ourselves for a picture or two. We decided to have dinner in the French Quarter tonight then come home all together rather than dispersing throughout the souvenir shops, cafes, and bars. Over dinner we had each person stand up and praise the person to his or her right at the table. We got to say sweet things about each other in front of each other. It wouldn’t have mattered who was next to whom, as everyone has plenty of evidence that every person at that table deserves a lot of praise. <br /><br />We’re getting up early in the morning (5:00 a.m. for the early shift) to gather up everything in our lovely little village and pack it up to head back to California. Leo will drop us off then start the long drive back to central Indiana. We have more work to do this week to complete our projects, some of which will be presented publicly at 7:00 on Wednesday, January 13th in the Soda Center at Saint Mary’s. Please join us that night if you can. <br /><br />It wasn’t all about the hours worked for us, but we are still impressed with our own achievements. Today we added another 261 hours to our overall total, taking our collective running total to 5529 hours. Because a few of us are going to make one more pass through Rosie’s in the morning to finish some quick tasks, we’ll add those hours in before we declare our ultimate total. But for now, we say “whew!”Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-10709915672826896372008-01-27T22:45:00.000-08:002008-01-28T22:49:09.208-08:00Day Twenty: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0GoPjkCmY20"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0GoPjkCmY20" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Twenty: Sunday, January 27<br /><br />It wasn’t cold today. It wasn’t raining. Nice. We slept in, ate powdered eggs and artificial bacon and got to Rosie’s by 9:00. Most of us went to mass with her, while others got the jobs going for the day. This was our second-to-last workday and we knew that we had a lot of ground to cover. Some ground literally needed to be covered, as we planted grass seed today that we had to protect from the nearby pigeons. Otherwise, we stayed in the middle of things: painting, flooring, sanding, landscaping.<br /><br />And also, we got sad. Not terribly sad, but we reached the level of sadness that comes with the awareness that this beautiful experience is about to come to an end. We have suffered, there is no doubt about it. We have struggled, we have frozen, we have ached, and we have cried. But when it comes right down to it, we love what has happened here: for us, for Rosie, for this city, and for our collective sense of what comes next. <br /><br />We wanted a lot of triumphs today, but we only got a couple: we finished the flooring in the second house, and we primed the porch, which has been taunting and torturing us for over a week now. We also painted all of the internal doors, which is a total nightmare of a job. We finished counters and cabinetry, trim, and touchup paint. Everyone disappeared into a little private zone and worked and worked and worked. We each came out at lunchtime to enjoy a rare treat: grilled cheese sandwiches made by Team Team on the stove at Rosie’s. Some of them were made on raisin bread. Mmmmmmm.<br /><br />We came out of our work zones again when Jerrad showed up with our beloved puppies, now named Rosie and Leo. They have opened their eyes now, making Lindsay Ryberg comment on the fact that the puppies are opening their eyes just as our eyes have been opened to a whole new way of seeing the world. <br /><br />We also came out in the middle of the afternoon when Linda Bell, Tommy’s mom, showed up with a pile of treats: cupcakes, Gatorade, donuts, seven-layer bars (made by Tommy’s aunt), cinnamon rolls, and lots of other great stuff. Tommy’s sister and her son also came along, having driven over from a conference in Houston to connect with us. It was fun for all of us to show a parent what we’ve done. We think that all of our parents (and friends and loved ones) would get a kick out of dropping by over here. Thanks for the treats, Linda!<br /><br />At one point in the afternoon, we started to re-assess whether we could complete all the jobs we have planned. After almost abandoning a few of them, we instead decided to kick in and make things happen. We all stayed until 7:00 p.m. today, while some of us stayed until almost 8:30 (having arrived at 9:00 a.m.) to finish the flooring job. <br /><br />We all went to the Dry Dock tonight (the sweet restaurant close to the ferry stop right by our camp) and sat for a few hours catching up on the day’s events and talking about what it will mean to head back home. We came home tired and giddy, intending to clean the bus thoroughly, but instead standing with each other laughing and telling stories. Bringing down our tents and emptying out the bus is going to be a very difficult experience. It will happen soon. Oh dear. . .<br /><br />Our hours today total 262; our running total now is 5268.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-27925464192040398752008-01-26T21:55:00.000-08:002008-02-09T00:15:14.075-08:00Day Nineteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xIXiE0YjVc0"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xIXiE0YjVc0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Nineteen: Saturday, January 26<br /><br />We crossed over the 5000-hour mark today! Wow! And what a workday it was! We accomplished a lot for one day at Rosie’s, even though most of us worked a shorter day than usual. We realized that it was probably too rainy for us to do any big jobs at Habitat, so we put most of the bus on rain delay and let people sleep. A few hardy souls headed out to Rosie’s house early to crank up the jobs that we are doing there. The rest joined them a couple of hours later and folded into the systems that they started. <br /><br />We had a special visitor today: Dustin Cramer, a Saint Mary’s alumnus who has followed our trips for the last two years. He came out and worked with us as we installed flooring today and he finally got a firsthand look at the whole SMC NOLA experience. We were glad he was with us. <br /><br />The fabulous floor team in 4009 worked out a system today where it really looked like they each had four hands. They were applying glue and installing planks so fast (but still neatly) that it was awesome to behold. Obi in particular used his massive wingspan to reach from side to side in the room so that no steps were wasted. They finished the flooring in that side quickly. <br /><br />All of the floorers have learned quite a bit as they have struggled to apply perfectly-shaped flooring planks to thoroughly imperfectly-shaped rooms. Their reliance on phrases like “factory edge” attests to their newfound expertise. They have also developed their own vocabularies to trade around tools and materials in the rooms where they work. The maniac crew in 4009 has its own private way of talking, usually in unison, usually at top volume. <br /><br />That front porch crew kept sweating the prep for painting the doors and porch tomorrow. Some of them replaced the glass that we removed over the last few days. For many of them, it was their first crack at glazing (installing window panes using putty and metal points that help the window to expand and contract in changing temperatures). The overall porch/doors job has to come to an end, so we have to settle for the state of smoothness we have achieved, even if we haven’t removed every scrap of paint. Many people will spend tomorrow bringing those doors a whole new look. <br /><br />Another huge set of people took on cabinet installation in 4011. They found that the contractor had planned the electrical and water outlets in ways that don’t quite match the size and shape of the cabinets that Rosie purchased. They “got creative” (as Justin likes to say) and figured out new ways to capitalize on the resources that we had. <br /><br />Linzy, Scott, and Amanda tackled the sand that Matt W. moved into the backyard yesterday, spreading it around to try to make the backyard level so that water won’t collect there in its usual way. If the weather holds tomorrow, we will be able to put in some grass seed and begin the rebirth of Rosie’s green (but now clean) yard. <br /><br />We even had a special visit today from our old friend Jack Watson, whose house we cleared back in January 2006. He lives on Desire Street, just a house or two down from our friend Leroy Palmer. (For you old vets trying to remember which person he is, Jack was in our documentary Blessed to Be a Witness, telling us to hurry home to escape from the mosquitoes.) Justin drove down Desire, saw Jack on his front porch and decided to stop and say hello. Jack came back to Rosie’s with Justin so that he could greet all of the old-time veterans who met him two years ago. Shawny, Justin, Chris, Emily, Jed, Shane, Brianna H., and Elijah all gathered around to catch up with him. <br /><br />We ended our day early (just after 5:00) to pursue an opportunity that has never presented itself in our prior trips: we attended a Mardi Gras parade. We were all a bit mystified going in, as it seemed like we would just be standing around on the street watching floats go by. We didn’t quite see how it would be very fun to go, but we’ve been encouraged to go by so many people that we made sure to work a parade into our schedule. This fun idea was made even better by the fact that we received new letters today from our sixth-grade penpals at Happy Hollow Elementary in West Lafayette, Indiana. They sent us Mardi Gras (or Valentines Day) cards that helped us to get in an appropriately festive mood for our chosen parade. <br /><br />Our friend Lisa Trigo picked the Caesar Parade in Metairie, saying that it was the prettiest parade available with the most floats. Last night lots of parades got canceled, so we weren’t sure if we would miss out on the whole idea. Happily, the parade went ahead as planned. Lisa and her husband Bruce picked up big piles of Popeye’s chicken for us and even brought a card table to set up on the parade route. When the floats started rolling, we at first thought it felt like we were returning to some other decade. As we got into the swing of things, though, we had an unbelievable blast. <br /><br />The general gist of Mardi Gras parades is that local groups called “krewes” plan floats around some loose theme and as they parade through the streets, they throw beads and other treats to the people along the route. As for us, our job was to jump up and down, wave our hands in the air, and yell “Throw me something, mister!” We turned out to be great at this job and before we knew it we each had a minimum of 25 beaded necklaces around our necks. Elijah and Obi probably had 50 or more each, making it difficult for them to lean their heads back due to the bulkiness of the beads. <br /><br />There were prizes other than regular old beads to be caught as well. There were fancier versions of beads, including glass ones, stuffed ones, flashing ones, and ones that had big medallions on them. There were also all kinds of other prizes, including souvenir plastic cups, foam footballs (and a soccer ball, caught by one of our SMC soccer players: Mark), zippered bags, and even Mardi Gras underwear (thongs for both men and women!). When one marching group went by, the sound system kicked on our unofficial theme song of the trip: Boots with the Fur. Actually, we hate that song, but we’ve heard it so many times on the local radio station (2006 vets, it’s the new “Doncha”) that it is burned into our psyches. When it kicked up on the parade route, we danced like crazy people and had a great time. We stopped for beignets before heading home and giggled and laughed some more about the blast that we had tonight. <br />What a great NOLA day! Two more workdays ahead and then we pack and leave. Today’s work hours total 240; our running total has now reached 5006.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wgucRWwmI/AAAAAAAACGw/aPCYG7Ln_is/s1600-h/serg+strips.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wgucRWwmI/AAAAAAAACGw/aPCYG7Ln_is/s320/serg+strips.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160035255294804578" /></a><br />Serg keeps stripping the paint off the front of the house. After hours and hours a scraping the doors are almost ready for a fresh coat of paint.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wfk8RWwlI/AAAAAAAACGo/NNLFZLLWJJU/s1600-h/looking+like+a+home.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wfk8RWwlI/AAAAAAAACGo/NNLFZLLWJJU/s320/looking+like+a+home.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160033992574419538" /></a><br />The duplex’s are finally starting to look like a home. We can’t believe that only two weeks ago these walls were made up of just a bunch of studs.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wfDsRWwkI/AAAAAAAACGg/7gBOvjwGPz8/s1600-h/laying+floor.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wfDsRWwkI/AAAAAAAACGg/7gBOvjwGPz8/s320/laying+floor.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160033421343769154" /></a><br />Obi and Mark finish laying floors in the kitchen of 4009. They’ve got themselves quite an interesting and entertaining way of putting ‘em down.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5weiMRWwjI/AAAAAAAACGY/er_8fpc3SlQ/s1600-h/interview+habitat.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5weiMRWwjI/AAAAAAAACGY/er_8fpc3SlQ/s320/interview+habitat.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160032845818151474" /></a><br />The BLOKEs interview a Habitat worker for their group project.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wdo8RWwiI/AAAAAAAACGQ/2yTHpFtlDGM/s1600-h/e+doing+windows.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wdo8RWwiI/AAAAAAAACGQ/2yTHpFtlDGM/s320/e+doing+windows.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160031862270640674" /></a><br />Bryan and Eric meticulously glaze the windows in.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wojcRWwwI/AAAAAAAACIA/MUXKmrSOAHY/s1600-h/DSCN1742.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wojcRWwwI/AAAAAAAACIA/MUXKmrSOAHY/s320/DSCN1742.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160043862409265922" /></a><br />Erik makes sure the windowpane fits perfectly in the front door. We had a limited amount of glass, so we had to make sure we didn’t break any. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5woDsRWwvI/AAAAAAAACH4/qoYFi0NOc3c/s1600-h/DSCN1741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5woDsRWwvI/AAAAAAAACH4/qoYFi0NOc3c/s320/DSCN1741.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160043316948419314" /></a><br />Comin’ in hot! Mark and Matt carry boxes of wood flooring to be installed in 4009. They were able to finally finish the floors. Way to go guys!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wnecRWwuI/AAAAAAAACHw/0AbUVAi-eR0/s1600-h/DSCN1740.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wnecRWwuI/AAAAAAAACHw/0AbUVAi-eR0/s320/DSCN1740.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160042676998292194" /></a><br />Brad putties a piece of glass to put into the front door. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wml8RWwtI/AAAAAAAACHo/2NrsqixtgFU/s1600-h/DSCN1739.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wml8RWwtI/AAAAAAAACHo/2NrsqixtgFU/s320/DSCN1739.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160041706335683282" /></a><br />Emily and Lindsay were some of the early risers who got to Rosie’s and installed flooring.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wmHsRWwsI/AAAAAAAACHg/8XQ3JqJFAs4/s1600-h/DSCN1737.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wmHsRWwsI/AAAAAAAACHg/8XQ3JqJFAs4/s320/DSCN1737.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160041186644640450" /></a><br />Bryan and Tommy install the last few panes of glass in the front doors of 4011. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wlNcRWwrI/AAAAAAAACHY/dhBNK2fzp4c/s1600-h/Picture+5..JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wlNcRWwrI/AAAAAAAACHY/dhBNK2fzp4c/s320/Picture+5..JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160040185917260466" /></a><br />Jed masterfully cuts perfectly measured pieces for the floor in 4009. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wkPcRWwqI/AAAAAAAACHQ/-AvTd1ohp3Y/s1600-h/Picture+4..JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wkPcRWwqI/AAAAAAAACHQ/-AvTd1ohp3Y/s320/Picture+4..JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160039120765371042" /></a><br />Justin, Chris, Scott and Shaine discussing ideas on how to make the kitchen look the best.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wjLsRWwpI/AAAAAAAACHI/zGJUYJXg4KI/s1600-h/Picture+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wjLsRWwpI/AAAAAAAACHI/zGJUYJXg4KI/s320/Picture+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160037956829233810" /></a><br />Lunch break in front of 4011.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wiisRWwoI/AAAAAAAACHA/cGUQEGCvpx0/s1600-h/Picture+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wiisRWwoI/AAAAAAAACHA/cGUQEGCvpx0/s320/Picture+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160037252454597250" /></a><br />Sanding off old paint is never a clean job.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wha8RWwnI/AAAAAAAACG4/LFupB-inNgw/s1600-h/Picture+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wha8RWwnI/AAAAAAAACG4/LFupB-inNgw/s320/Picture+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160036019798983282" /></a><br />As you can see, laying down the flooring involves many people and can be very messy.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wqjsRWw1I/AAAAAAAACIo/ZmknhEobAhs/s1600-h/Milking.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wqjsRWw1I/AAAAAAAACIo/ZmknhEobAhs/s320/Milking.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160046065727488850" /></a><br />Aaron wetting his whistle at the watering hole<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wqRcRWw0I/AAAAAAAACIg/z3FGczYpLe4/s1600-h/Julie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wqRcRWw0I/AAAAAAAACIg/z3FGczYpLe4/s320/Julie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160045752194876226" /></a><br />Julie sanding the last part of the front door<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wp0MRWwzI/AAAAAAAACIY/3m_Ahwrx4_c/s1600-h/Group.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wp0MRWwzI/AAAAAAAACIY/3m_Ahwrx4_c/s320/Group.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160045249683702578" /></a><br />An old friend, Jack Watson stops by to say hi to everyone<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wpeMRWwyI/AAAAAAAACIQ/EmH-YS9jKTE/s1600-h/Friends.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wpeMRWwyI/AAAAAAAACIQ/EmH-YS9jKTE/s320/Friends.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160044871726580514" /></a><br />The Souljas after a long day at Rosie’s<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wpLcRWwxI/AAAAAAAACII/j_RQ2vcREXg/s1600-h/Flooring.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5wpLcRWwxI/AAAAAAAACII/j_RQ2vcREXg/s320/Flooring.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160044549604033298" /></a><br />Matt flooring the living room, which is the last room that needs flooring in 4009.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R61gpby1ZPI/AAAAAAAACIw/cvrYFIQGwjc/s1600-h/NOLA+2008+200.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R61gpby1ZPI/AAAAAAAACIw/cvrYFIQGwjc/s320/NOLA+2008+200.JPG" border="0"alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164890612615701746" /></a> <br />Too many beads. Too much fun.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-25397729000211258442008-01-25T21:18:00.000-08:002008-01-26T21:55:46.116-08:00Day Eighteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TbYbtceii78"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TbYbtceii78" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Eighteen: Friday, January 25<br /><br />Our Friday morning wakeup included news that it wasn’t raining. We actually kind of hoped that it would rain so that we could head to Rosie’s instead of going to Habitat this morning. Instead, we split the difference. Those who had crucial jobs to continue at Rosie’s went there, and those who could spare some time for Habitat joined in on the events there today. <br /><br />The Habitat folks started with some big jobs, including laying decking (the flat part of the roof) on one house and finishing shingling on another. We all enjoyed the heights, the challenges, the power tools, and everything about those jobs. The wind was picking up, though, making our huge sheets of plywood function like sails sometimes. No one took flight. Just as we broke for lunch, though, it began to rain and the temperature dropped dramatically. We went inside one of one of the more-advanced houses and waited for today’s special lunch to arrive: pizza! We also enjoyed brownies that were cooked for us by our Habitat staff friend Katie. <br /><br />After lunch we had to abandon all of our roof jobs (reluctantly) and take on some other tasks that didn’t involve sliding around on top of houses. Several of us took on siding the highest parts of the houses and others installed hurricane straps on the house with the double hip roof. Hurricane straps are flat bars of 12-gauge steel that are nailed into a stud and then bent over the cap plate (the highest 2x4 in the main house structure) to help hold the parts of the house together in high winds. Each of them takes 14 nails, making their installation a very slow process. Elijah got to enjoy himself on the hurricane strap task, as he got a big kick out of bending the heavy steel plates with his bare hands. <br /><br />Our house leader on that job (Jordan) bid us farewell today. We were a bit surprised because we still have one more day at Habitat; Jordan, however, is going out of town this weekend, so we won’t see him again before we leave. We’ve been through a lot of stages of this house with Jordan, so it is sad to see him go. It also reminds us that we, too, are about to leave town and that we are about to say goodbye to a number of our new (and old) NOLA friends. We were so struck by our impending separation from our Habitat friends that we invited them all over to dinner tonight at our place. <br /><br />We headed over to Rosie’s after our Habitat day and found that the early shift had made huge progress on the jobs that we had left undone. Matt W. almost single-handedly moved the 15,000 pound sand pile to the backyard. Others managed to help him a bit, but he said that he really like the mindless monotony of shoveling and toting the sand. He’s a hero for the day. <br /><br />Briana, Brad, Shane, and Justin teamed up on the front doors and installed the new glass panes as they also continued sanding. This door job – which was not on our original list of chores – has turned into one of our most time-consuming undertakings. It would have been incredibly expensive to replace the doors and the windows that surround them, but the amount of time that we have spent on the entire porch area is pretty enormous. We expect that whole area to be beautiful any day now. <br /><br />Even more impressive was the work of today’s floor crews. The first crew consisted of Jed, Scott, Matt P., Mark, and Obi (with a lot of help from Chris and Justin) and the second crew consisted of Emily, Lindsay R., Sam, Alec, and Aaron. The first crew got things going during the early shift and managed to take the board-by-board vinyl plank flooring through the bathroom, back entryway, and two bedrooms. Because the process involves spreading a fierce glue over the floor, peeling the adhesive back off of the vinyl plank, then applying it to the glued floor, there is much room for error and even more room for making a total mess. Everyone on the floor was covered with glue, despite all of their attempts to control where the glue belonged. <br /><br />We ended the day very, very dirty, but we really wanted to celebrate with our Habitat friends anyway. In the bus we decided to make tonight a big thanksgiving dinner, complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and turkey. We had all but the turkey, so the late shift workers stopped and got some on the way home. Our night was loud and fun. Colin from Habitat brought his trombone and proved that he is an excellent player. We played games in the tent and played music for each other. We stayed up later than we should, but we want to have fun too. We’ll definitely make our 5000 hours, as today we worked for 302 hours; now our running total is 4766.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tZZsRWvmI/AAAAAAAAB-w/ATPdt31F6bA/s1600-h/serg+and+erik.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tZZsRWvmI/AAAAAAAAB-w/ATPdt31F6bA/s320/serg+and+erik.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159816095998590562" /></a><br />Best friends, Sergio and Erik, sit on Rosie’s stoop after a long day of flooring.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRu8RWvlI/AAAAAAAAB-o/U3PPINKAhUA/s1600-h/kate+julie+lindsey+laughing.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRu8RWvlI/AAAAAAAAB-o/U3PPINKAhUA/s320/kate+julie+lindsey+laughing.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159666927489433170" /></a><br />Kate Julie and Lindsey laughed as they painted Habitat signs and made up songs about the indescribably cold weather.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRccRWvkI/AAAAAAAAB-g/mSeDLGsj8Ek/s1600-h/julie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRccRWvkI/AAAAAAAAB-g/mSeDLGsj8Ek/s320/julie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159666609661853250" /></a><br />Julie sketched the Habitat for Humanity symbols on all the signs.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRKMRWvjI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/8qm2BCH-LEc/s1600-h/jed.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rRKMRWvjI/AAAAAAAAB-Y/8qm2BCH-LEc/s320/jed.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159666296129240626" /></a><br />Jed the stud rocks the power tools.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rQwMRWviI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/b8FlL97NAL4/s1600-h/bryan+and+elijah.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rQwMRWviI/AAAAAAAAB-Q/b8FlL97NAL4/s320/bryan+and+elijah.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159665849452641826" /></a><br />Bryan and Elijah keep the morale high as they paint Rosie’s walls and sing songs.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tiTsRWvwI/AAAAAAAACAA/TgkFAK57Ni0/s1600-h/View+at+the+top.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tiTsRWvwI/AAAAAAAACAA/TgkFAK57Ni0/s320/View+at+the+top.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159825888524025602" /></a><br /> Lindsay and Eric laid out some plans while on top of another Habitat house early today. The wind was fierce but they powered through it! Our troopers!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5th_8RWvvI/AAAAAAAAB_4/xeWxsHWKl9s/s1600-h/Shawny+in+her+element.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5th_8RWvvI/AAAAAAAAB_4/xeWxsHWKl9s/s320/Shawny+in+her+element.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159825549221609202" /></a><br />We consider Shawny to be our agent – we go wherever she sends us! Amazingly enough, she is able to put in a solid day of work and coordinate what will occur in the days that follow all at the same time<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5thi8RWvuI/AAAAAAAAB_w/ZthN1mYSaWA/s1600-h/Morning+View.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5thi8RWvuI/AAAAAAAAB_w/ZthN1mYSaWA/s320/Morning+View.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159825051005402850" /></a><br />This was the view that we woke up to this morning, it was freezing but we all looked forward to a good day at work!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5thH8RWvtI/AAAAAAAAB_o/wuR2ZGT5s6w/s1600-h/Good+Times.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5thH8RWvtI/AAAAAAAAB_o/wuR2ZGT5s6w/s320/Good+Times.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159824587148934866" /></a><br />Amanda, Shane, Chris, and Sam enjoyed some relaxing time back at camp after dinner. We were treated to a great dinner of Turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes - It was delicious and well deserved!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tguMRWvsI/AAAAAAAAB_g/DVUgRs3juKI/s1600-h/Decking+in+Action.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tguMRWvsI/AAAAAAAAB_g/DVUgRs3juKI/s320/Decking+in+Action.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159824144767303362" /></a><br />Elijah was hard at work today putting up the decking at one of our favorite Habit houses.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-55099725675466459842008-01-24T20:58:00.000-08:002008-01-26T20:39:08.693-08:00Day Seventeen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/krJKKPh2vpM"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/krJKKPh2vpM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Seventeen: Thursday, January 24<br /><br />Today’s Katie’s REAL birthday! We had her party on Tuesday, but we’ve kept the celebration going until now! Happy day again, Katie!<br /><br />Because we crossed over our 4000-hour mark, we got to sleep in while Chris, Justin, and Shawny cooked breakfast for us. They made French toast out of all different kinds of bread, including raisin bread. They also bought bread and lunch meat for sandwiches for lunch, so that both the breakfast and lunch crews could skip the prep nightmare this morning. Just as we were awakening, a light rain began to fall. <br /><br />We wondered if Habitat would call the day off, but we hustled onto the bus as if they would not. Just as we headed for the gate, one of the Habitat staffers called us and told us to skip out. We all headed to Rosie’s in the rain and kicked things into high gear. <br /><br />The paint crew got new paint, some of which had to be used to correct the problems caused by yesterday’s improperly-mixed paint that didn’t match the rest of the walls. Though repainting was a drag, it meant that the walls that got two coats look really great. So do all of the painters, by the way, as they are covered head to toe in the paint color, which is called “Elegant White.” It looks less elegant when it is splattered all over people’s glasses and skunk-striped through their hair, but it is a nice indication of who is a painter and who is not. The paint team is loosely led by Serg and includes a range of other people such as Kate, Sam (who took on almost all of the trimwork in 4011 with no complaints), Lindsay R., Nicole, Lindsay S., Julie, Erik, and sometimes Elijah and Bryan. All in all, the painters have brought the houses to a state where they finally look “real” to us. We are pretty proud of what we’ve made happen inside the framed-out walls that greeted us when we arrived. <br /><br />Apart from the painting, today was a day of unglorious jobs. No one got to be a hero, except maybe the people who scrubbed out the bathtub surrounds that had gotten covered with construction dust and footprints. Mark and Obi tackled this job and managed to make the tubs look like they had just been installed. No scratches, no marks, no dirt in sight. <br /><br />Other than that task, all of our jobs today were pure drudgery. Some of us were scrubbing the floors (even though at this moment they are still only covered with plywood (technically OSB) to prep them for installation of vinyl flooring, possibly as early as tomorrow. Katie (on her birthday!), Matt W., Aaron, and Jed worked up quite a funky process to bring up all residue from the subfloor and remove it with a wet/dry vac. Even when it was still pretty light out Jed performed the procedure wearing a headlamp. Hopefully someone will post a picture or some video of this group doing its job. <br /><br />Others continued to remove years and years of old paint from the original front doors that we chose to salvage. Briana and Brad have been committed to the sanding job for days now and Emily and Shawny joined in for the full day today. Almost everyone in the group has put in some time on the front doors and porch, so we all have a stake in their eventual beauty. <br /><br />Outside the house, six yards of sand showed up today. The plan is to carry the sand into the backyard so that we can level the ground and plant some grass seed, bulbs, and other plants. We are, of course, experts at moving huge loads of sand, so another 15,000 pound pile doesn’t bother us a bit. Today’s floor crew is going to continue floor duty tomorrow, then take on the sand pile. <br /><br />Our lunch today was a special one too: we actually had loaves of bread (Wow! We never have that!) and lunchmeat. The lunch crew (the Souljas) went into Rosie’s house and used the broiler to toast our sandwiches into ultimate yumminess. We needed some warmth on this chilly day and those sandwiches really hit the spot.<br /><br />At the end of our workday, we headed home and waited for Chris, Matt, and Scott to return in the truck. They left with Rosie at about 4:00 to go pick up the flooring that we will install this weekend. As it turned out, though, they had to go to five different Lowe’s stores to find as much as we needed. They didn’t get home until almost 8:00 p.m. <br /><br />When they arrived, they had a special treat: a cake for the birthday girl that they now call “Demolition Katie.” They decided that they wanted her cake to acknowledge how tough she is for working a ten-hour shift on her birthday. They actually got the bakery to let them draw some images on her cake, which included a unicycle (her vehicle of choice), a sleepy smiley face (she is always ready for a nap, though she rarely takes one), and some other rough and tumble images like explosions, etc. Everyone hooted and hollered when Chris explained the imagery of her cake, and now we are likely to call her “Demo K.” <br /><br />It looks like we will make it to 5000 hours, as today we hit 291, taking us to a running total of 4464.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQVsRWuvI/AAAAAAAAB34/eEp75N4p1q8/s1600-h/e.+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQVsRWuvI/AAAAAAAAB34/eEp75N4p1q8/s320/e.+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159595025441929970" /></a><br />Brad works diligently on scraping the paint off of the front door.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQWMRWuwI/AAAAAAAAB4A/k-Z8RhrfX2M/s1600-h/e.+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQWMRWuwI/AAAAAAAAB4A/k-Z8RhrfX2M/s320/e.+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159595034031864578" /></a><br />Brad, Bri, Sam, and Erik try and finish the front room of 4011 so that we can complete the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQWsRWuxI/AAAAAAAAB4I/sIyQC5xAK2U/s1600-h/e.+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQWsRWuxI/AAAAAAAAB4I/sIyQC5xAK2U/s320/e.+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159595042621799186" /></a><br />Justin meticulously tries to scratch of the paint on the front door of 4009.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQXMRWuyI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/CjcAZoDaUNY/s1600-h/e.+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQXMRWuyI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/CjcAZoDaUNY/s320/e.+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159595051211733794" /></a><br />Thanks to Leo, Shane, and Tommy we were able to nearly complete the glass on 4009.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQXcRWuzI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/9l9IfW-RT_A/s1600-h/e.+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qQXcRWuzI/AAAAAAAAB4Y/9l9IfW-RT_A/s320/e.+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159595055506701106" /></a><br />Our beautiful bus waiting for us to finish a hard days work at Rosies.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q20cRWvII/AAAAAAAAB7A/uwueAz2SYLc/s1600-h/Z+and+Nicole+.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q20cRWvII/AAAAAAAAB7A/uwueAz2SYLc/s320/Z+and+Nicole+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159637335164763266" /></a><br />Nicole and Linzy played Cinderella for the day as they prepared the floor boards for the enamel flooring to be put in on Friday. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q2d8RWvHI/AAAAAAAAB64/_GU_8b-l9Mc/s1600-h/rosie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q2d8RWvHI/AAAAAAAAB64/_GU_8b-l9Mc/s320/rosie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159636948617706610" /></a><br />Rosie checking out the progress in the backyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q2FsRWvGI/AAAAAAAAB6w/kxBXuF94Vps/s1600-h/pastout.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q2FsRWvGI/AAAAAAAAB6w/kxBXuF94Vps/s320/pastout.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159636532005878882" /></a><br />what we do after a hard day of getting paint on us. It’s handy having a chauffeur. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q1tMRWvFI/AAAAAAAAB6o/JPGg46MsXXg/s1600-h/Linsay+and+trim.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q1tMRWvFI/AAAAAAAAB6o/JPGg46MsXXg/s320/Linsay+and+trim.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159636111099083858" /></a><br />Lindsay was part of the paint crew and is always happy to paint the trim.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q1FcRWvEI/AAAAAAAAB6g/Gno8yhkQgvE/s1600-h/em+scraping.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q1FcRWvEI/AAAAAAAAB6g/Gno8yhkQgvE/s320/em+scraping.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159635428199283778" /></a><br />Emily scraping the door to prepare it for paint. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q0fMRWvDI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/b0SY9VtP_6g/s1600-h/tommy+working.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q0fMRWvDI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/b0SY9VtP_6g/s320/tommy+working.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159634771069287474" /></a><br />The putty was difficult, but these window panes are going to look great after we’re done with them.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qz7cRWvCI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/RVwnYkFUqpc/s1600-h/lindsey+and+bryan.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qz7cRWvCI/AAAAAAAAB6Q/RVwnYkFUqpc/s320/lindsey+and+bryan.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159634156888964130" /></a><br />Bryan and Lindsay team up for a precise cut on closet baseboards. Precision is excellence in action.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qzW8RWvBI/AAAAAAAAB6I/nkLHrJlWobY/s1600-h/kate+nic+amanda+lij.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qzW8RWvBI/AAAAAAAAB6I/nkLHrJlWobY/s320/kate+nic+amanda+lij.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159633529823738898" /></a><br />Cleaning and prepping for flooring is collaborative effort.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qy6sRWvAI/AAAAAAAAB6A/_BC8XI5ESBk/s1600-h/brad.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qy6sRWvAI/AAAAAAAAB6A/_BC8XI5ESBk/s320/brad.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159633044492434434" /></a><br />Smile Brad! Great job on that door…it looks great.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qySMRWu_I/AAAAAAAAB54/-Oa_6EmS4uk/s1600-h/back+of+truck.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qySMRWu_I/AAAAAAAAB54/-Oa_6EmS4uk/s320/back+of+truck.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159632348707732466" /></a><br />Lunchtime in the back of the pick-up is always a great way to recharge and replenish body and mind.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-33161096467732952522008-01-23T20:15:00.000-08:002008-01-25T20:31:31.342-08:00Day Sixteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1gNlFpNQds&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1gNlFpNQds&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Day Sixteen: Wednesday, January 23<br /><br />Yes! A warm morning with no rain! Things were grey and foggy, but not cold and wet. We’ll take it! We had leftover king cake for breakfast, prepped lunch, then headed out for Habitat. A few of us passed around Leo’s maddening metal dexterity puzzles (those brainteaser things where two curved pieces of metal are interlocked and the challenge is to separate them). These things have made the rounds through the whole group and some other peripheral folks. Even though we are sick of hearing the clinking of the parts, everyone still wants to try again whenever one of the puzzles is near. <br /><br />Once at Habitat, the morning was full of jobs that were not exactly our dream tasks. One group blocked cabinets and closets in the house, which involves nailing boards between all the studs to serve as cabinet supports and closet structure supports. It’s an awful job that usually involves lots of hammer hits to our own fingers and hands. We persevered.<br /><br />Another group applied weather stripping to the windows throughout the lot, while others worked on finishing the very highest parts of the siding on some of the houses whose exteriors are nearly finished. This job is particularly difficult, as it involves holding heavy strips of siding parallel off two ladders twenty or so feet in the air while also hammering them in. Matt P., Scott, and Lindsay S. were moving along swimmingly until we suffered our first hospital run of the year: Lindsay got an eye injury that seemed somewhat serious. Happily, it was not. She did not scratch her cornea as we suspected and has already recovered substantially just by using special drops. <br /><br />While Lindsay headed to the ER, others kept working away at Habitat. Lindsay R. and Julie worked on truly beautiful signs for all of the houses in the Habitat block. And then our group was offered two special jobs: decking the double hip roof whose trusses have driven us crazy for a week and framing out walls on the house on which we built the floor system last week. We couldn’t finish either job, but tomorrow should bring both to an end. <br /><br />The folks who went to Rosie’s house continued painting and working on those crackled front doors. We resorted to paint stripper and a pressure washer to move the sanding job along, with Brad as the chief paint removal specialist. Shane ordered replacement panes for all of the sections of the front doors. Some others cleared more parts of the area surrounding the house, including exposing a sidewalk that was almost entirely buried in muck and construction debris (not ours). Matt W. and Aaron got very artistic on a salvaged birdbath that we found at yesterday’s garden; once they have finished their artistry, we’ll show you their handiwork. <br /><br />A side job also occupied a few people this afternoon: several of Rosie’s neighbors asked our crew to help eliminate the search party X’s that have been spray-painted on the fronts of their houses for two and a half years now. That means that some of us are learning to replace sections of vinyl siding without destroying the trim or the surrounding siding. Because we know how important it was for Rosie and our friend Sarah when we removed the markings from their houses, we knew that we wanted to help. It’s not as easy a job as it sounds, but it is worth it to us to figure it out. We worked past sundown, but hustled out quickly because we were hungry. <br /><br />For dinner, we got to have lots of leftovers from Katie’s birthday bonfire, including chicken and vegetables that didn’t come out of cans! We’ve eaten well the last few days, which will help to keep us going as we make our final pushes at the Habitat site and at Rosie’s. There’s still a lot of work to do, but we are confident that we can make it happen. <br /><br />Our hours for the day number at 295; our running total now is 4173.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6zMRWukI/AAAAAAAAB2g/YXDGcPTuHU8/s1600-h/1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6zMRWukI/AAAAAAAAB2g/YXDGcPTuHU8/s320/1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938024294660674" /></a><br /><br />Julie and Lindsay enjoy each others company as they make lovely signs for the Habitat work site. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6zsRWulI/AAAAAAAAB2o/m6m5NbcNsQk/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6zsRWulI/AAAAAAAAB2o/m6m5NbcNsQk/s320/2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938032884595282" /></a><br />Scott and Nicole work diligently on removing nails as they look to perfect their project. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6z8RWumI/AAAAAAAAB2w/fJVF8NliDs0/s1600-h/3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g6z8RWumI/AAAAAAAAB2w/fJVF8NliDs0/s320/3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938037179562594" /></a><br />The puppies get some much needed play time in the back of Jared’s truck. We can’t wait for their eyes to open!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g60cRWunI/AAAAAAAAB24/Ao3SzWgRxPI/s1600-h/4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g60cRWunI/AAAAAAAAB24/Ao3SzWgRxPI/s320/4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938045769497202" /></a><br />Bri, Amanda, and Sam work on finishing the siding on the front of the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g60sRWuoI/AAAAAAAAB3A/1Zmik7XF_1s/s1600-h/5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5g60sRWuoI/AAAAAAAAB3A/1Zmik7XF_1s/s320/5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158938050064464514" /></a><br />Bryan gets up close and personal with the stripper!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyDsRWufI/AAAAAAAAB14/8B3Zz38erTI/s1600-h/e+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyDsRWufI/AAAAAAAAB14/8B3Zz38erTI/s320/e+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158928412157852146" /></a><br />Dr. Aaron helps Lindsay S. before she heads to the emergency room to get debris out of her eye. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyEMRWugI/AAAAAAAAB2A/9evmKqOL2Ak/s1600-h/e+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyEMRWugI/AAAAAAAAB2A/9evmKqOL2Ak/s320/e+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158928420747786754" /></a><br />Leo and Stephanie take a break from working hard on the siding.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyEcRWuhI/AAAAAAAAB2I/pgLop1VwwwA/s1600-h/e+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyEcRWuhI/AAAAAAAAB2I/pgLop1VwwwA/s320/e+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158928425042754066" /></a><br />Julie paints beautiful signs to label the Habitat Homes. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyE8RWuiI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/VFQD9B9LYiE/s1600-h/e+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyE8RWuiI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/VFQD9B9LYiE/s320/e+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158928433632688674" /></a><br />In preparation for the wall raising ceremony, Amanda works to build the walls that will be brought up tomorrow. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyFcRWujI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/p6KthSYb5mg/s1600-h/e+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gyFcRWujI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/p6KthSYb5mg/s320/e+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158928442222623282" /></a><br />Katie gracefully and courageously nails in the first piece of decking along the edge of the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qtLcRWu4I/AAAAAAAAB5A/fd6itRRyNNM/s1600-h/scottie+matt+on+ladders.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qtLcRWu4I/AAAAAAAAB5A/fd6itRRyNNM/s320/scottie+matt+on+ladders.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159626735185476482" /></a><br />Matt and Scottie reach great heights as they hammer in the siding of one of the habitat homes.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qszsRWu3I/AAAAAAAAB44/aK4EwgTQ5WQ/s1600-h/mark+aaron+ladder.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qszsRWu3I/AAAAAAAAB44/aK4EwgTQ5WQ/s320/mark+aaron+ladder.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159626327163583346" /></a><br />Mark and Aaron come down from the roof where they spent the day installing drainage.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qsMsRWu2I/AAAAAAAAB4w/ywcBdeipUqw/s1600-h/lindsay+painting.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qsMsRWu2I/AAAAAAAAB4w/ywcBdeipUqw/s320/lindsay+painting.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159625657148685154" /></a><br />Lindsay helps paint a sign displaying the address of one of soon to be completed Habitat for Humanity homes. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qra8RWu1I/AAAAAAAAB4o/U6W9Q7AMamE/s1600-h/em+eli+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qra8RWu1I/AAAAAAAAB4o/U6W9Q7AMamE/s320/em+eli+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159624802450193234" /></a><br />Elijah and Emily dangle from the trusses of the roof as they nail in the rest of the roof’s framing.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qqmMRWu0I/AAAAAAAAB4g/Q4BvNZl4Jps/s1600-h/em+amanda+door.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qqmMRWu0I/AAAAAAAAB4g/Q4BvNZl4Jps/s320/em+amanda+door.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159623896212093762" /></a><br />Amanda and Emily take part in the seemingly endless sanding of the large front door of Rosie’s house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qwwsRWu-I/AAAAAAAAB5w/GkYmWqzMv3I/s1600-h/sign+making.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qwwsRWu-I/AAAAAAAAB5w/GkYmWqzMv3I/s320/sign+making.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159630673670487010" /></a><br />Lindsay R. working on signs for the habitat houses in the West bank village<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qvicRWu8I/AAAAAAAAB5g/jQhmj3ytSts/s1600-h/on+the+edge.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qvicRWu8I/AAAAAAAAB5g/jQhmj3ytSts/s320/on+the+edge.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159629329345723330" /></a><br />Tommy Bell on the edge working on side fascia <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qvB8RWu7I/AAAAAAAAB5Y/na__kvu6kTg/s1600-h/brye+on+the+saw.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qvB8RWu7I/AAAAAAAAB5Y/na__kvu6kTg/s320/brye+on+the+saw.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159628770999974834" /></a><br />Bryan working the chop saw at habitat for window rain diverters<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qumMRWu6I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/cg4V0nkh_pg/s1600-h/bird+bath.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qumMRWu6I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/cg4V0nkh_pg/s320/bird+bath.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159628294258604962" /></a><br />Aaron and Mat hash out the plans for Rosie’s birdbath<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qt4MRWu5I/AAAAAAAAB5I/xma_4OOj7eY/s1600-h/all+wrapped+up.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5qt4MRWu5I/AAAAAAAAB5I/xma_4OOj7eY/s320/all+wrapped+up.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159627503984622482" /></a><br />Kate keeping moist after a day’s worth of paintingUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-80155180873276822772008-01-22T23:20:00.001-08:002008-01-26T09:00:06.290-08:00Day Fifteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8WtJyknOF9o"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8WtJyknOF9o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Fifteen: Tuesday, January 22<br /><br />Today is Katie’s birthday! Well, not really. Katie’s birthday is two days away. But we had such a beautiful summer-like day today that we decided to hold Katie’s birthday party tonight on a beach on the Mississippi River. But, of course, we worked all day first, so we’ll start there. . .<br /><br />As usual, one person from each group went to Rosie’s house to keep the jobs going over there. Today was a big milestone, as the group at Rosie’s began the painting process in the first house. Things look really different (and really RIGHT) when a fresh coat of paint is applied. There were lots of other jobs to be done as well, including completing baseboards and continuing the sanding job on the porch. <br /><br />The big group continued working with Parkway Partners, but at a different garden this time. This garden was in the Bywater neighborhood and it happens to be a garden that we restored back in January 2006. Back then, there was a huge tree in the middle of the space, but our group managed to bring it down with very few appropriate tools. Now the stump that we left behind is the home of a lovely thriving fern and the garden has changed dramatically since our last visit. <br /><br />Now it is a microfarm run by a great guy named John. He wants to provide healthy food right in the Bywater neighborhood, where convenience stores are some of the only sources of groceries. He already had some beets started in one large section of the garden, and we helped him to supplement the soil in the other sections by spreading enormous amounts of used coffee grounds all over the lot. We also moved lots of debris from all around the garden and a few of us weeded the sections that were already planted. All in all it was a pretty easy morning for our hardworking crew, and we finished most of the job before lunchtime. <br /><br />We decided to eat lunch before moving over to Rosie’s house, so we placed ourselves all over a huge rockpile across the street and somehow got comfortable enough to enjoy our surprisingly great vegetarian sloppy joes (with the necessary addition of our most important pantry staple: Ritz crackers). As we enjoyed our time on the rockpile, we noticed that there was one of those rubber traffic barrels at just the right distance from us to make a great target. We seem to have an obsession with throwing things at targets, so of course we had to make the most of that pile of rocks and the nearby barrel. Almost every one of us took a few turns at trying to hit the target; we found that the thump that accompanied a hit was a triumph in itself. Jed meticulously cleaned up any stray rocks that had landed in the nearby roadway, so we left no trace of our lunchtime game behind.<br /><br />When we joined the group at Rosie’s house, things just started cranking. Jobs were getting knocked off the list more quickly than ever and even new jobs that emerged proved to be no big challenge. At one point we recalled that the back step of the 4009 side of the duplex had too great a drop from the doorway. (Jack pointed this out before he left; we aren’t skilled enough to notice such a thing.) It looked a little too complicated to solve the problem with the materials that we had, but Chris, Brad, and Obi decided to give it a try. The end result looks great and evened out the distance of all of the steps out of the door. Huge progress was the name of the game today on every job.<br /><br />As mentioned above, our great productivity was surpassed only by the beauty of the day. It was like a gorgeous summer day rather than a follow-up to the below freezing temps we experienced yesterday. We loved it. When we noticed that the forecast was for rain the next few days, we decided to capitalize on the climate and head out to Macon’s house for an early birthday party. <br /><br />Our group has spent many wonderful evenings (and workdays!) with Macon, so we knew that we needed to schedule a night at his house. He lives on the river side of the levee, with a long, low beach on which we can build a bonfire and sit right on the banks of the Mississippi. There’s something magical about the place that only gets compounded when you add yummy cheeseburgers, barbecued chicken, and s’mores. As we sat there, a thick fog rolled in and actually dripped on us occasionally, but never to the point where we needed to run for cover. A few of us took spins in the canoe and did a little loop around a nearby pier. Whether or not we were floating on the water, we were all floating on air. <br /><br />And we celebrated Katie’s birthday! We’ll save part of the celebration for her actual birthday on Thursday, but it was fun to make a special meal together and hang out around a huge bonfire in honor of our favorite unicyclist. Katie is a freshman Nursing major who has shown a lot of guts on this trip. She is happy and full of awe every day, helping to elevate our spirits when the jobs are getting tough. Happy, happy, day, Katie!<br /><br />Total hours today = 235; Running total = 3878<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfi8RWuVI/AAAAAAAAB0o/-ZFNjAunFvk/s1600-h/elevater1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfi8RWuVI/AAAAAAAAB0o/-ZFNjAunFvk/s320/elevater1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158908058307836242" /></a><br />The Parkway Partners garden that we worked on today <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfjsRWuWI/AAAAAAAAB0w/Qm2h6lKXlVc/s1600-h/elevater2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfjsRWuWI/AAAAAAAAB0w/Qm2h6lKXlVc/s320/elevater2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158908071192738146" /></a><br />Lindsay and Kate busy at work hauling wet hay to the front of the garden.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfj8RWuXI/AAAAAAAAB04/4iVb2hWEn_o/s1600-h/elevater3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfj8RWuXI/AAAAAAAAB04/4iVb2hWEn_o/s320/elevater3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158908075487705458" /></a><br />Nicole, Lindsay, and Matt place a pathway in order to prevent weeds from growing.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tlj8RWvxI/AAAAAAAACAI/J7objf-YoaI/s1600-h/elevater4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tlj8RWvxI/AAAAAAAACAI/J7objf-YoaI/s320/elevater4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159829466231783186" /></a><br />Aaron, Jed, and Tommy help Macon deliver the coffee grounds to enrich to soil.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfksRWuZI/AAAAAAAAB1I/ihOAW2hm0sk/s1600-h/elevater5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gfksRWuZI/AAAAAAAAB1I/ihOAW2hm0sk/s320/elevater5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158908088372607378" /></a><br />Part of the pile we made today, which consisted of hay, branches, and miscellaneous objects.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd18RWuQI/AAAAAAAAB0A/XHPTkcXdJY4/s1600-h/Bonfire.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd18RWuQI/AAAAAAAAB0A/XHPTkcXdJY4/s320/Bonfire.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158906185702095106" /></a><br />After a long day of work we were all surprised to find out we would be heading out to a bonfire at a friends house overlooking the Mississippi River.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd2MRWuRI/AAAAAAAAB0I/eOQwgSFeaWI/s1600-h/parkway+action+shot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd2MRWuRI/AAAAAAAAB0I/eOQwgSFeaWI/s320/parkway+action+shot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158906189997062418" /></a><br />Shawny and Scott helped lug out extra debris from the garden as others worked on various projects at a Parkway Partners garden on the West Bank.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd2sRWuSI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/pf2lnLXWQm8/s1600-h/say+and+eli.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd2sRWuSI/AAAAAAAAB0Q/pf2lnLXWQm8/s320/say+and+eli.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158906198586997026" /></a><br />Thanks to our handy laptops Elijah was able to sit out at the worksite with Lindsey as she landscaped Rosie’s backyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd3MRWuTI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/sUn8JdBoZs8/s1600-h/shawny+and+firends+working.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd3MRWuTI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/sUn8JdBoZs8/s320/shawny+and+firends+working.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158906207176931634" /></a><br />Here we see Shawny, Katie, and Matt Wheeler working on a plot at Parkway Partners.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd3cRWuUI/AAAAAAAAB0g/oF1suKQaq48/s1600-h/Z+and+katie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5gd3cRWuUI/AAAAAAAAB0g/oF1suKQaq48/s320/Z+and+katie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158906211471898946" /></a><br />Katie and LinZy helped unload the 1500 pound sack of coffee that would be used as compost for the garden.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q8OMRWvNI/AAAAAAAAB7o/Ul7U9VUcfyg/s1600-h/weeding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q8OMRWvNI/AAAAAAAAB7o/Ul7U9VUcfyg/s320/weeding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159643275104533714" /></a><br />Sam weeding the garden full of snow peas. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q748RWvMI/AAAAAAAAB7g/406FHUnY_J4/s1600-h/stairs.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q748RWvMI/AAAAAAAAB7g/406FHUnY_J4/s320/stairs.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159642910032313538" /></a><br />Obi and Brad work on the stairs in the back of Rosie’s house<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q7gMRWvLI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/sEIG6UxEqMc/s1600-h/jed.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q7gMRWvLI/AAAAAAAAB7Y/sEIG6UxEqMc/s320/jed.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159642484830551218" /></a><br />As we cleaned up, Jed took charge and got us wrapped up quickly. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q6-sRWvKI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/LKqvFppdqU0/s1600-h/garden.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q6-sRWvKI/AAAAAAAAB7Q/LKqvFppdqU0/s320/garden.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159641909304933538" /></a><br />Our beautiful artwork made out of Rosie’s old ramp.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q5usRWvJI/AAAAAAAAB7I/4Wa5c-QegYY/s1600-h/door.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q5usRWvJI/AAAAAAAAB7I/4Wa5c-QegYY/s320/door.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159640534915398802" /></a><br />Bri sands the front door of Rosie’s house<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rA98RWvSI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/QVLQ21LHBRs/s1600-h/5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rA98RWvSI/AAAAAAAAB8Q/QVLQ21LHBRs/s320/5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159648493489798434" /></a><br />As we arrive on the work site, Shawny gives out orders to the group to get the day started.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rAlMRWvRI/AAAAAAAAB8I/HzzVhGH3AtI/s1600-h/4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rAlMRWvRI/AAAAAAAAB8I/HzzVhGH3AtI/s320/4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159648068288036114" /></a><br />Katie and Jed at the bonfire celebrating Katie’s 19th birthday. Happy Birthday Katie!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rAFsRWvQI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ztblZoHVhhw/s1600-h/3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rAFsRWvQI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ztblZoHVhhw/s320/3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159647527122156802" /></a><br />Jed asnd Makon use their strength to lift the big pile of wood into the bed of the truck.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q-qMRWvPI/AAAAAAAAB74/GJzKMcBn5hs/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q-qMRWvPI/AAAAAAAAB74/GJzKMcBn5hs/s320/2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159645955164126450" /></a><br />While working with Makon and Parkway Partners, we came across this interesting sign posted on the local dumpster. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q-XcRWvOI/AAAAAAAAB7w/XDFOCexRgSQ/s1600-h/1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5q-XcRWvOI/AAAAAAAAB7w/XDFOCexRgSQ/s320/1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159645633041579234" /></a><br />Bri, Amanda, Brad, Bryan, Erik, and Sergio all sit around the bonfire at Makon’s house waiting for the tasty burgers to come off the grill.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-38773227658167159102008-01-21T21:27:00.001-08:002008-01-25T22:14:00.886-08:00Day Fourteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IYef9QIpilM"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IYef9QIpilM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Fourteen: Monday, January 21<br /><br />It was only 30 degrees when we awoke this morning, so we are counting this as a warming trend. The Souljas made powdered eggs and spam for our guests Dave and Erik and then we all went out to work. One person from each team went to Rosie’s to prep the houses for painting soon. Chris, Justin, Katie, Erik, Serg, Tommy, and Sam worked to complete trimwork and caulk wall edges so that we can start the painting process. We believe that we can start painting on Tuesday in 4009, then on Wednesday in 4011. If things go our way over these next few days, we think we will actually finish this job. We hope, we hope, we hope. . .<br /><br />As for the rest of the group, we rejoined our old friend Macon Fry the Garden Guy from Parkway Partners, a greenspace agency that supports public parks and monuments and community gardens. Today he asked us to join him at a garden in Gentilly. The farmer at that garden was the only organic farmer in New Orleans for about fifteen years, before others caught on to the lure of organics. Now she runs a space of about an acre in the Gentilly neighborhood and once it gets into full swing, she will be a primary supplier for some well-known chefs in New Orleans. <br /><br />The job at that garden today was to spread sand over some of the beds. Though this task sounds harmless enough, the amount of sand to be spread made it a much bigger deal that it seems. Huge trucks delivered 40 yards of sand to the garden in one enormous mound. Our job was to use regular old shovels to transfer the sand to wheelbarrows then push the wheelbarrows all over the acre of land to scatter it. We deposited the sand into walking paths or into sections of the garden that grow lettuce and other produce that will thrive in sandy conditions. <br /><br />Even that description probably sounds pretty low-key, unless you know several things: 1) the mound of sand stood higher than most of our heads when we arrived, 2) according to our research, a cubic yard of sand weighs 2700 pounds, meaning that 40 cubic yards of sand weigh 108,000 pounds, 3) 108,000 pounds equal 54 tons, 4) the crew at the garden was only 24 people strong, and therefore 5) each person moved an average of more than two tons of sand. We are having trouble believing these figures, but they seem to be true. And you, dear reader, should believe two things about us: 1) when we say we did “tons” of work, we did, and 2) when we say we can move mountains, we can. <br /><br />The garden crew headed over to join the crew at Rosie’s in the afternoon, and helped to plug away at the middles of the jobs that are in progress there. We all decided to knock off at 5:00 today so that we could head back to camp and give everything a good cleaning. We gave the shower trailer a good scrubbing, we emptied and vacuumed the bus, we reorganized both the tent and the warehouse, and we gathered up our laundry (370 pounds of it!) and sent it to be washed. <br /><br />We met tonight to outline our hopes and dreams for the next seven days of our trip, particularly relating to the jobs we intend to complete. Our list is long and daunting, but we expect to check off every item. <br /><br />We bid farewell today to our three visitors: Shawny’s sister Sherry, Dave Blanchard, and Erik Robert. Thanks to all of you for joining our group!<br /><br />It’s a little hard to calculate hours for today, especially because the chain gang that moved the sandpile believes it deserves double credit for every hour it worked. Still, the rough total for the day is 244, making our overall running total 3643.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rPdcRWvhI/AAAAAAAAB-I/aR-7jSDNWy8/s1600-h/wheeler+and+eli+in+barrows.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rPdcRWvhI/AAAAAAAAB-I/aR-7jSDNWy8/s320/wheeler+and+eli+in+barrows.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159664427818466834" /></a><br />Exhausted from wheelbarrow races, Matt and Elijah take a short breather in the barrows.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rPHsRWvgI/AAAAAAAAB-A/PjfNXKlvENs/s1600-h/obi+on+mountain.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rPHsRWvgI/AAAAAAAAB-A/PjfNXKlvENs/s320/obi+on+mountain.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159664054156312066" /></a><br />Obi and Elijah stand on the top of the sand mountain and throw shovel after shovel full of sand into the wheelbarrow. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rOscRWvfI/AAAAAAAAB94/pGm3OZIcZSM/s1600-h/oh+aaron.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rOscRWvfI/AAAAAAAAB94/pGm3OZIcZSM/s320/oh+aaron.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159663586004876786" /></a><br />Little Aaron wakes up from a lunch time nap as Alec tries to hide from the camera.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rOYcRWveI/AAAAAAAAB9w/jAXT3soTKxY/s1600-h/in+front+of+greenhouse.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rOYcRWveI/AAAAAAAAB9w/jAXT3soTKxY/s320/in+front+of+greenhouse.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159663242407493090" /></a><br />As the workbooted members of the team shoveled soil for the Parkway Partners, the team members wearing tennis shoes stayed nice and warm in the greenhouse.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rN9cRWvdI/AAAAAAAAB9o/ZF4eG_E7HYA/s1600-h/everyone+digging.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rN9cRWvdI/AAAAAAAAB9o/ZF4eG_E7HYA/s320/everyone+digging.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159662778551025106" /></a><br />4 tons of sand were delivered in the morning which gave us the daunting task of working together to move mountains. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rNi8RWvcI/AAAAAAAAB9g/67iaorAd9lE/s1600-h/5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rNi8RWvcI/AAAAAAAAB9g/67iaorAd9lE/s320/5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159662323284491714" /></a><br />Meanwhile, as Eric gets to work, the rest of the group goes into a well deserved relaxation mode. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rNSMRWvbI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/iNxnSH10PPs/s1600-h/4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rNSMRWvbI/AAAAAAAAB9Y/iNxnSH10PPs/s320/4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159662035521682866" /></a><br />Apparently Eric, our guest, has family in New Orleans and thought that if he went to go see his family he wouldn’t have any work waiting for him when he got back. HAHA, little did he know that we had a little present waiting for him when he got back.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rM8cRWvaI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/Lox3k13_tTE/s1600-h/3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rM8cRWvaI/AAAAAAAAB9Q/Lox3k13_tTE/s320/3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159661661859528098" /></a><br />This weekend we had some guests come stay with us. One of our guests, Eric has some visitors of his own at the work camp. It’s his New Orleans native family that he hasn’t seen in years. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rMoMRWvZI/AAAAAAAAB9I/GwpcV-vkBzU/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rMoMRWvZI/AAAAAAAAB9I/GwpcV-vkBzU/s320/2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159661313967177106" /></a><br />People say that pictures speak 1,000 words. Well this picture shows how this extremely large sand pile attempted to break 1,000 backs. Everyone puts in their work and shovels loads of sand.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rMRcRWvYI/AAAAAAAAB9A/kSQXpG9igBs/s1600-h/1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rMRcRWvYI/AAAAAAAAB9A/kSQXpG9igBs/s320/1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159660923125153154" /></a><br />Today we had to move a sand pile that weighed approx. 106,000 pounds. Knowing us, and with all the competitive people we have here, a competition between two teams was inevitable. Here Elijah (team 1) is running the returning leg of his wheel barrel run.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rLkcRWvXI/AAAAAAAAB84/7wEek-OlroY/s1600-h/e+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rLkcRWvXI/AAAAAAAAB84/7wEek-OlroY/s320/e+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159660150031039858" /></a><br />Matt and Scott head back to the sand pile to get another load. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rLCcRWvWI/AAAAAAAAB8w/4l_rRWw10Z8/s1600-h/e+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rLCcRWvWI/AAAAAAAAB8w/4l_rRWw10Z8/s320/e+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159659565915487586" /></a><br />Everyone “takes five” after finishing the Parkway Partners job. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rKs8RWvVI/AAAAAAAAB8o/E241pxfc9ZA/s1600-h/e+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rKs8RWvVI/AAAAAAAAB8o/E241pxfc9ZA/s320/e+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159659196548300114" /></a><br />Shawny and Linzy shovel away at the mountain of sand we moved today. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rKVMRWvUI/AAAAAAAAB8g/A3utcmpr2y8/s1600-h/e+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rKVMRWvUI/AAAAAAAAB8g/A3utcmpr2y8/s320/e+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159658788526406978" /></a><br />Look at Lindsay go! We all took turns pushing wheelbarrows of sand to help level the lots. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rJ1cRWvTI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/DVJ-sdLCU6c/s1600-h/e+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5rJ1cRWvTI/AAAAAAAAB8Y/DVJ-sdLCU6c/s320/e+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159658243065560370" /></a><br />Today we worked at a Parkway Partners Community Garden. Hopefully the farmers will soon be able to provide organic food to the neighborhood.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-75148031048897895412008-01-20T22:38:00.000-08:002008-01-26T09:17:31.876-08:00Day Thirteen: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aeGh7d_te6M"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aeGh7d_te6M" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Thirteen: Sunday, January 20<br /><br />What a warm and balmy morning we had this morning! We awoke to find that the temperature was 27 degrees. Ouch. We knew that it would be cold, so we were pretty ready for it. Still, as soon as the air hit our faces, it felt like quite a chilly slap. Our breakfast crew, Chicas and the Men, made pancakes for us and we drank much more hot chocolate than usual. The BLOKEs prepared breakfast as everyone figured out what their warmest work clothes were. <br /><br />We were all at Rosie’s house again today and because it was clear we could actually make some progress in the yard. We waited to do so, though, as this morning we took a special break: most of us went to mass with Rosie. It was a real treat for us, but an even bigger one for her. Things all just aligned perfectly, as today’s theme was a celebration of service, and today’s hymns seemed like they were speaking right to us. The first hymn was “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You” and it featured lines about opening to the sun and melting the clouds. Another line says, “Teach us how to love each other” and a few of us glanced at each other knowingly. An even more striking hymn was “The Servant’s Song,” which starts with the line “Will you let me be your servant?” and has another verse that says: “We are pilgrims on a journey, we are trav’lers on the road, we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.” We not only glanced at each other on that one; we got teary-eyed. <br /><br />The whole service was a special one as it was a celebration of the deaf and all parts of the service were done in sign language. It was also special because the church (Francis Xavier Seelos – a blessed but not yet sainted New Orleanian) is very beautiful. The church suffered an awful fire in 2003, it parishioners were relocated for about a year, and then Katrina hit in 2005. Happily, the church only sustained damage to its floors, which were quickly restored. The building has wonderful stained glass windows, some of which were dated to the 1860s. We see why Rosie loves her church so much.<br /><br />The priest called Rosie up to the altar and asked her to introduce her friends. She called us “California Angels” and talked about how much we had done for her houses, but how much more we had done for her life and her spirit. They asked us all to stand and they applauded for quite awhile; we just bowed to them and thanked them. <br /><br />After church we kicked into high gear and capitalized on the sunshine and clear skies. The air was crisp and very cold, but if we moved around enough we could handle it. Today was Jack’s last day so he cranked the kitchen cabinets into place in 4009 before he headed for the airport around noon. Our student experts jumped all over the trim job in 4011 without any guidance from Jack. Others stayed on the arduous job of sanding the porch; we really look forward to seeing the fruits of those labors. <br /><br />Still another group kept plugging away at the huge backyard that we have now emptied out. Our friend Jean Fahr from Parkway Partners (the greenspace agency that was our first major work contact when we came here in January 2006) gave us some trees and other plantings to contribute to Rosie’s whole new world. We also got a boost from our dear friends at Happy Hollow Elementary, the sixth grade class taught by Shawny’s sister Sherry. When they heard that we had no budget for Rosie’s yard, they took up a collection to add to our materials. With all of these sources combined, we have now planted six young trees and lots of other plantings in both the front and back yards of Rosie’s houses. We still have tons of work to do there, but this is another place where we look forward to the fruits of our labors (hopefully literally).<br /><br />Throughout our day we were reminded that today is the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of Rosie’s neighbors, David, played tapes of some of King’s most famous speeches on a public address system for most of the day. David’s house is easy to spot in the neighborhood, as he went around after the storms and collected all of the musical instruments that he found. He placed them all over his house, especially on the roof, and turned his entire property into a tribute to New Orleans and its musical culture. Today, his tribute turned to the life and work of MLK. Though tomorrow is the holiday celebrating King’s life, we got a nice day of reflection about his important ideas in advance. Thanks, David!<br /><br />As for our labor today, we tallied about 254 hours, bringing our running total to 3399.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tfQ8RWvrI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/Xqp3YW9Zahk/s1600-h/DSCN1691.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tfQ8RWvrI/AAAAAAAAB_Y/Xqp3YW9Zahk/s320/DSCN1691.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159822542744501938" /></a><br />Matt and Aaron show off the NOLA ping-ping ball they found while moving dirt outside. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5teysRWvqI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/fnrBJ30WmoE/s1600-h/DSCN1688.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5teysRWvqI/AAAAAAAAB_Q/fnrBJ30WmoE/s320/DSCN1688.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159822023053459106" /></a><br />Mark takes the measurements to cut the window trim in the 4009 house. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5teXcRWvpI/AAAAAAAAB_I/2fU7Ff2afJU/s1600-h/DSCN1678.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5teXcRWvpI/AAAAAAAAB_I/2fU7Ff2afJU/s320/DSCN1678.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159821554902023826" /></a><br />Bri sweeps the front porch, which was covered in paint chips after we sanded the awning and doorframes.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tducRWvoI/AAAAAAAAB_A/l18CeAtdm9o/s1600-h/DSCN1668.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tducRWvoI/AAAAAAAAB_A/l18CeAtdm9o/s320/DSCN1668.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159820850527387266" /></a><br />Emily, Katie, and Bryan worked hard all day shoveling dirt outside of the houses. With the new tree and less dirt, the front of the houses look brand new.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tc-8RWvnI/AAAAAAAAB-4/Zh9J7PaYr7M/s1600-h/DSCN1658.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tc-8RWvnI/AAAAAAAAB-4/Zh9J7PaYr7M/s320/DSCN1658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159820034483601010" /></a><br />Justin and Aaron lay bricks and cinderblocks outside of 4009 and 4011 to make a planter for a tree.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tqr8RWv2I/AAAAAAAACAw/b1-PEEZH25U/s1600-h/statue.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tqr8RWv2I/AAAAAAAACAw/b1-PEEZH25U/s320/statue.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159835101228875618" /></a><br />There were a couple statues outside of Rosie’s church that reminded the group of how important faith is to the people of New Orleans. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tqKcRWv1I/AAAAAAAACAo/QFg15zQqr4I/s1600-h/rosies+and+church.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tqKcRWv1I/AAAAAAAACAo/QFg15zQqr4I/s320/rosies+and+church.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159834525703257938" /></a><br />Rosie appreciated the members of the group who joined her for Sunday morning mass. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tpn8RWv0I/AAAAAAAACAg/YQ16dPhognY/s1600-h/kitechin+.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tpn8RWv0I/AAAAAAAACAg/YQ16dPhognY/s320/kitechin+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159833932997771074" /></a><br />These are the new cabinets that are going in Rosie’s rental house.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tpSsRWvzI/AAAAAAAACAY/JconeK2BLo0/s1600-h/David+and+Justin+.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tpSsRWvzI/AAAAAAAACAY/JconeK2BLo0/s320/David+and+Justin+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159833567925550898" /></a><br />David is working at sanding down the walls and prepping them for paint as Justin works on trim.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5to8cRWvyI/AAAAAAAACAQ/hoFQ__riOPM/s1600-h/Aaron+and+Justion+working+on+plot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5to8cRWvyI/AAAAAAAACAQ/hoFQ__riOPM/s320/Aaron+and+Justion+working+on+plot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159833185673461538" /></a><br />Aaron and Justin work on leveling out an area in front of Rosie’s rental house for a planter box.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-23725458734185445462008-01-19T21:38:00.001-08:002008-01-19T22:54:32.605-08:00Day Twelve: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AOtVgXf15tw"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AOtVgXf15tw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Twelve: Saturday, January 19<br /><br />Special Note: If you didn’t see the “Puppy Love” video below, check it out at the bottom of Day Eleven. (Sorry about the bad sound; we’ll try to fix it. All of you oldtimers will crack up.) <br /><br />As for today, we started the day with rain, rain, rain, rain, rain. A big storm came through and made our bus shake and rock while lightning flashed and rain poured down. The boys who sleep in the bins got wet, as they leave the bin doors cocked open a bit to help them get fresh air. The rain found its way right into that opening and dripped onto their pillows or their feet, depending on which way they sleep. For those who don’t understand this part, there are six guys who share three under-bus storage bins as their sleeping quarters. Sometimes they have the best beds in the house; sometimes they’re the worst. <br /><br />Our Habitat gig was canceled because of the rain, so we all piled into Rosie’s house to see what we could do. The first house that we started working on (4009) was the farthest one along. Yesterday we textured it, meaning we (that is, Justin) sprayed bits of drywall joint compound all over it to help cover whatever flaws might have been visible in our taping and mudding of the drywall sheets. From there, others go through with flat “knives” (like wide putty knives) and knock off the bits that stick out so that the texture (supposedly) resembles an orange peel. All the while, Julie and Katie moved from room to room offering to do whatever odd jobs needed to be done. <br /><br />Because that whole process was complete in 4009, we made the unusual move of installing the trim around the windows and doors and the baseboards. Many of us were involved in this process, measuring, cutting, and installing them with great skill. Lindsay S., Kate, and Brad took the lead on this important set of jobs. Scott and Mark and our visitor Erik Robert installed closets and shelving, while Alec, Chris, Jed, Tommy, and a few others learned the ins and outs of hanging doors (pun intended). The door-hangers struggled mightily, as they learned that the doors that had been purchased did not match the size of the holes that had been left for them. Jack was very impressed over how quickly they learned what needed to be done and adapted the doors and/or spaces to make things work. <br /><br />Another group finished the feathering of the drywall in 4011 then took on the slow (and MESSY!) job of texturing. Lindsay R. was the primary mud mixer (a tough job, as the boxes of powder weigh 48 pounds each). Matt P. was the mud delivery guy and assistant sprayer, and he got covered with almost as much of the joint compound as the walls did. Linzy, Aaron, Erik, Briana, Josh, and Shawny all joined in to knock off the drying texture, so they all had big white chunks all over themselves as well. That work group completed its job right as darkness fell, meaning that on Sunday that unit will be ready for the treatment that 4009 got today. <br /><br />Another crew, headed up by our visitor Dave Blanchard, meticulously sanded parts of the porch shared by 4009 and 4011. They struggled with sanding blocks, handheld paper, scrapers, and a belt sander to try to make a difference in the crackled paint. (Mark had a strange strategy for contributing to this job, as he held the electric belt sander over his head and scraped away at the chipping paint, even though he had no extension cord and therefore his electric sander was not plugged in.) After a couple of hours of work, they had one stretch of the porch scraped, but there is still a long way to go. Once finished, though, the porch will definitely look fabulous. <br /><br />The other big crazy job that a few folks undertook was the leveling of the backyard. When we returned after the rains had fallen, we realized that our stump hole was a new low spot in the yard, along with the holes we left when we dug for Rosie’s buried (and still undiscovered) treasure. Our friend Jean Fahr from Parkway Partners came by to give us some ideas about how to deal with Rosie’s yards and even offered to help us acquire some trees and plants. She encouraged the yard team to move dirt from the front yard to the backyard to help even out the space. Because we didn’t have wheelbarrows at first, the team on the yard (Emily, Bryan, Sergio, Sam, Amanda, Matt W., and Elijah) carried the dirt from the front yard to the back in five gallon buckets. Matt and Elijah were the main dirt mules and they were covered from head to toe in muck. If we have a clear day tomorrow, though, we should get pretty far in laying out Rosie’s new lawn and gardens. <br /><br />It’s been interesting for us to endure the storms this year and the cold that fell over us tonight. We are very focused on providing shelter and the comforts of home. We think about these issues constantly, especially as we live in our relatively primitive conditions in camp. We have begun to notice the obvious things like how wonderful it is to use a flushing toilet or to have running water in your kitchen, but we have also become aware of smaller issues, like how different it is to wash your hands under a warm faucet than in a cold garden hose. We’re learning a lot about what we love, what we want, and what we need. When we head home and pass the enormous homeless encampment mostly made up of people who were evicted from FEMA trailers, all of these issues flood our minds and we wonder what to do. For now, we intend to just keep working. . .<br /><br />Hours today = 284. Running total = 3145<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll4lbpbPI/AAAAAAAABwQ/Gg-Ou4Gf0-Y/s1600-h/Blanch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll4lbpbPI/AAAAAAAABwQ/Gg-Ou4Gf0-Y/s320/Blanch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157437283576147186" /></a><br />Dave and Nicole sanding the deck in the freezing cold but still are having a good time.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll41bpbQI/AAAAAAAABwY/KgioUhix_oQ/s1600-h/Juilie.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll41bpbQI/AAAAAAAABwY/KgioUhix_oQ/s320/Juilie.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157437287871114498" /></a><br />Julie helping sand the pillars on the porch. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5FbpbRI/AAAAAAAABwg/O5QkOOTiJXs/s1600-h/Kate.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5FbpbRI/AAAAAAAABwg/O5QkOOTiJXs/s320/Kate.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157437292166081810" /></a><br />Kate doing a fine job at caulking.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5FbpbSI/AAAAAAAABwo/MoxLL7sjFNY/s1600-h/Matt.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5FbpbSI/AAAAAAAABwo/MoxLL7sjFNY/s320/Matt.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157437292166081826" /></a><br />Matt covered in mud from texturing the house.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5lbpbTI/AAAAAAAABww/EGmaBAhTo_M/s1600-h/teamwork.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Ll5lbpbTI/AAAAAAAABww/EGmaBAhTo_M/s320/teamwork.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157437300756016434" /></a><br />Bryan, Emily, Serg and Elijah digging the front yard after the down poor of rain.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqoFbpbUI/AAAAAAAABw4/PLWA2pOiqvs/s1600-h/DSCN1628.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqoFbpbUI/AAAAAAAABw4/PLWA2pOiqvs/s320/DSCN1628.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157442497666444610" /></a><br />Emily washes a trowel to prepare for mudding the last of the drywall. We were able to finish texturing the walls in the second part of the house. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqolbpbVI/AAAAAAAABxA/3pfs3qULMpc/s1600-h/DSCN1629.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqolbpbVI/AAAAAAAABxA/3pfs3qULMpc/s320/DSCN1629.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157442506256379218" /></a><br />Bryan, Erik, and Lindsay put finishing touches on the wall before texturing. All of us had to work in the cramped quarters of Rosie’s due to the rain, so everyone had to get nice and cozy.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lqo1bpbWI/AAAAAAAABxI/s5h5mXBKUBQ/s1600-h/DSCN1632.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lqo1bpbWI/AAAAAAAABxI/s5h5mXBKUBQ/s320/DSCN1632.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157442510551346530" /></a><br />“Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen.” The dumpster outside of Rosie’s gave an inspirational message while we worked.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqpFbpbXI/AAAAAAAABxQ/I1RR17cHvoo/s1600-h/DSCN1633.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqpFbpbXI/AAAAAAAABxQ/I1RR17cHvoo/s320/DSCN1633.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157442514846313842" /></a><br />A shot of North Claiborne, the street we work on each and every day at Rosie’s.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqpVbpbYI/AAAAAAAABxY/KR66SnvhElg/s1600-h/DSCN1652.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LqpVbpbYI/AAAAAAAABxY/KR66SnvhElg/s320/DSCN1652.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157442519141281154" /></a><br />Mark and Dave sanded off the old paint and wood on the porch that went through the hurricane.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtElbpbZI/AAAAAAAABxg/PbKn2DVZtPQ/s1600-h/elevater1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtElbpbZI/AAAAAAAABxg/PbKn2DVZtPQ/s320/elevater1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157445186315971986" /></a><br />Lindsay, finishing off an amazingly done job of mudding and taping, before we were able to texture.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtE1bpbaI/AAAAAAAABxo/583qHY5t9Gw/s1600-h/elevater2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtE1bpbaI/AAAAAAAABxo/583qHY5t9Gw/s320/elevater2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157445190610939298" /></a><br />The “Buddy Pro,” what we use to heat the rooms and dry the sheet rock.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFFbpbbI/AAAAAAAABxw/KguJGVfDTJw/s1600-h/elevater3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFFbpbbI/AAAAAAAABxw/KguJGVfDTJw/s320/elevater3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157445194905906610" /></a><br />Dave finishing off sanding old paint so we can apply new paint.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFVbpbcI/AAAAAAAABx4/nOtGXyX61J0/s1600-h/elevater4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFVbpbcI/AAAAAAAABx4/nOtGXyX61J0/s320/elevater4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157445199200873922" /></a><br />A five minute break is hard to come by, but we managed to find some time for ourselves. Everyone took a break for some much needed caffeine, which was provided by Shane Keane.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFlbpbdI/AAAAAAAAByA/WsJhreYDx6Q/s1600-h/elevater5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LtFlbpbdI/AAAAAAAAByA/WsJhreYDx6Q/s320/elevater5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157445203495841234" /></a><br />Alec and Jed work hard on the water heater door. They had to make some masterful cuts in order to customize this and perfectly fit it.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LvhlbpbeI/AAAAAAAAByI/V2xLXsbH_9g/s1600-h/Bry,+linds,+and+ec+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LvhlbpbeI/AAAAAAAAByI/V2xLXsbH_9g/s320/Bry,+linds,+and+ec+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157447883555433954" /></a><br />Bryan, Erik, and Lindsay smoothing over the walls with plaster<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lvh1bpbfI/AAAAAAAAByQ/K4WWVJ2cTNE/s1600-h/dave+and+mark+sanding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lvh1bpbfI/AAAAAAAAByQ/K4WWVJ2cTNE/s320/dave+and+mark+sanding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157447887850401266" /></a><br />Dave and Mark sanding on the porch of Rosie’s house<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LviFbpbgI/AAAAAAAAByY/5BrVclBdxic/s1600-h/matt+p+texturing.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LviFbpbgI/AAAAAAAAByY/5BrVclBdxic/s320/matt+p+texturing.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157447892145368578" /></a><br />Matt Pelascini texturing the walls<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LvilbpbhI/AAAAAAAAByg/Kj1maqiHGNU/s1600-h/serg+and+bry+shoveling.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LvilbpbhI/AAAAAAAAByg/Kj1maqiHGNU/s320/serg+and+bry+shoveling.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157447900735303186" /></a><br />Emily, Bryan, and Serg dig out the mound in front of the duplex and move the dirt to fill in a pond that formed overnight in the backyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lvi1bpbiI/AAAAAAAAByo/xMu0dmwNLIE/s1600-h/Serg+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Lvi1bpbiI/AAAAAAAAByo/xMu0dmwNLIE/s320/Serg+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157447905030270498" /></a><br />Serg mudding the ceiling of Rosie’s houseUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-53125643180322546202008-01-18T21:13:00.000-08:002008-01-19T22:24:32.846-08:00Day Eleven: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WstP4FFfqgc"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WstP4FFfqgc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Eleven: Friday, January 18<br /><br />We have visitors today! Shawny’s sister Sherry is here from Indiana, and Dave Blanchard and Erik Robert are here from SMC. They are all taking advantage of the Martin Luther King Holiday to spend time working with us in New Orleans. Lucky us!<br /><br />Because we had a late night in the French Quarter last night (everyone was in by 11, but not necessarily asleep), we decided to eat granola for breakfast (no prep time!) and take Ramen noodles for lunch, using our electric tea kettles to cook them. Thus, we slept in for an extra half hour and hustled madly to get to work at Habitat. <br /><br />First, though, we had to face the fact that we were out of propane both in our showers and in our kitchen. It’s a good thing that we had already decided to have an easy breakfast, as we were completely unable to cook until someone made a propane run. That person turned out to be Shane, who ran into a whole series of difficulties that took practically all day to solve. He was nice enough, though, to run the tanks back to camp and hook them up so that we had lovely hot showers as soon as we arrived home at the end of the day. <br /><br />Back to the subject of our Habitat day: most of us had jobs that we had already started, so we got back to those tasks. Something just clicked in and everyone had a pretty satisfying day. One big group went crazy on the roof, installing shingles and other edge pieces that meant they were dangling twenty feet off the ground fearlessly. Scott in particular picked jobs that had him hanging with only about 25% of his body on the roof and the rest just hanging over the sandy ground. He wasn’t at all worried and even believed that if he happened to fall, he would be able to roll out of trouble in the sand. Insane. Sam managed to conquer her fear of the roof from the other day and just shingled away all day; she says she actually loved every second of it. Amanda and Lindsay S. also remained unshaken by their time up there, as did a whole series of other people who made quick work of that assignment. <br /><br />Several people joined forces to take on the next phases of the double hip roof, which continues to be one of the most complicated jobs we’ve ever done. Though it is confusing and frustrating, none of us seemed to mind today; that crew felt like it got a lot done, even though they realized at the end of the day that some of their work would have to be taken apart. Oh well. <br /><br />Nine of us skipped Habitat altogether today, instead focusing on more progress at Rosie’s house. Jack was the king of the world as usual, outworking our entire group put together. By the end of the day, the first house (#4009) was fully drywalled, taped, mudded, feathered, sanded, and textured. Justin, too, was covered with every substance involved in this whole process, and when the big group arrived he looked like he had been through some tribal mud ritual that none of us quite understood. Even though he looked kind of crazy with splatters of drywall compound speckled all over him, it’s probably true that most of us wished we were just as dirty. <br /><br />In the second house (#4011) the crew got pretty far on mudding and taping, so that we should be able to finish those jobs on Saturday and prep for texturing on Sunday. We measured for kitchen cabinets in 4009 and brought home floor samples so that Rosie can decide what kind of floor she wants us to install. She has a very low budget for these improvements, so we have to be very judicious in picking out materials that won’t cost much, but that will last. It’s great at these moments to have Jack with us to help us understand the options. He leaves Sunday and we will be greatly diminished when he goes. <br /><br />We left Rosie’s house exhausted by our day, but as usual we got a second wind as the BLOKEs cooked dinner. These times just hanging around in our tent, listening to music, talking, playing cards, and waiting until it’s time to go to sleep are really precious to us. It’s like we have a very happy low-key party every night. Wow. Who knew that a fenced vacant lot could make us so happy?<br /><br />Today's total hours were 324, which, when added to our previous total of 2537, gets us to 2861. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oVDXzSx9eIc"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oVDXzSx9eIc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNglbpbKI/AAAAAAAABvo/7RZPkQf9eR0/s1600-h/kate+em+say+on+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNglbpbKI/AAAAAAAABvo/7RZPkQf9eR0/s320/kate+em+say+on+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157410482980220066" /></a><br />Kate, Nicole, and Lindsay Swoboda start to nail shingles<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNg1bpbLI/AAAAAAAABvw/g8epy4VslJ4/s1600-h/kate+on+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNg1bpbLI/AAAAAAAABvw/g8epy4VslJ4/s320/kate+on+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157410487275187378" /></a><br />Katers conquered her fear of heights and spent the day on the roof at Habitat<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhFbpbMI/AAAAAAAABv4/j2yqeI_9lZg/s1600-h/scott+and+say+hammering.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhFbpbMI/AAAAAAAABv4/j2yqeI_9lZg/s320/scott+and+say+hammering.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157410491570154690" /></a><br />Scott and Lindsay risk their lives to nail on the drip lines on the edge of the roof.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhVbpbNI/AAAAAAAABwA/w2hfEj-BSds/s1600-h/sleep.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhVbpbNI/AAAAAAAABwA/w2hfEj-BSds/s320/sleep.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157410495865122002" /></a><br />Nap time for Alec after a long days work mudding<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhlbpbOI/AAAAAAAABwI/m0vgqUthrl4/s1600-h/view.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LNhlbpbOI/AAAAAAAABwI/m0vgqUthrl4/s320/view.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157410500160089314" /></a><br />A shot from the habitat house roof made possible the combined efforts of the efforts of the Nola ‘08 group. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMHVbpbFI/AAAAAAAABvA/eYVi6zOR4Po/s1600-h/alec.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMHVbpbFI/AAAAAAAABvA/eYVi6zOR4Po/s320/alec.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157408949676895314" /></a><br />alec has spent a lot of quality time and effort into the drywall in Rosie’s house.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMHlbpbGI/AAAAAAAABvI/gJOpEuaZecY/s1600-h/bry+helping+scott+on+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMHlbpbGI/AAAAAAAABvI/gJOpEuaZecY/s320/bry+helping+scott+on+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157408953971862626" /></a><br />Bryan helping Scott get a 65 pound bag of shingles, up a ladder and on s too the roof.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMH1bpbHI/AAAAAAAABvQ/L2JWYup3QJg/s1600-h/flame.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMH1bpbHI/AAAAAAAABvQ/L2JWYup3QJg/s320/flame.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157408958266829938" /></a><br />We used a special heater to help the mud dry faster so we could get as much work done as possible.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMIFbpbII/AAAAAAAABvY/FDxEngVjdmU/s1600-h/group+on+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMIFbpbII/AAAAAAAABvY/FDxEngVjdmU/s320/group+on+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157408962561797250" /></a><br />Erik, Julie, Scott, and Bryan nailing in shingles on the roof<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMIVbpbJI/AAAAAAAABvg/4RDfeaQIU_A/s1600-h/justin.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5LMIVbpbJI/AAAAAAAABvg/4RDfeaQIU_A/s320/justin.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157408966856764562" /></a><br />Evidence of a day of hard work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-38066204907838726152008-01-17T20:25:00.000-08:002008-01-18T20:47:45.509-08:00Day Ten: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-PwyI_oOzE"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9-PwyI_oOzE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Day Ten: Thursday, January 17<br /><br />Another chilly morning started with banana pancakes and powdered eggs. Skies were grey but no rain fell, so that counted as a solid return to our Habitat worksite. A few of us split off and continued work at Rosie’s as well.<br /><br />At Habitat, one group (Brad, Lindsay, Obi, Amanda, and sometimes Jed) started making boardwalks for the worksite, to help all of us navigate the mud puddles that pervade the space without sinking in. The muddy pathways are particularly annoying when someone is carrying lumber or heavy loads of nails. In fact, we have learned very quickly that much of the work at a construction site involves moving things around and organizing them. We spent one morning this week digging piles of lumber out after they had sunk in the mud. In a wet and humid climate like New Orleans, this shifting happens all the time, so every once in awhile, everything just needs to be moved. <br /><br />Another group installed hurricane brackets that pin down roof trusses from the inside. As a member of this group, Nicole suffered a painful (but not catastrophic) injury when she hit her finger with a hammer badly enough to make it gush blood. She was obviously in a lot of pain at that first moment, but she managed to shake it off and continue working pretty quickly after Aaron helped to clean and wrap it. We are sorry that Nicole got hurt today, but it helped us to appreciate how few injuries we have experienced on this trip. <br /><br />Another group continued to struggle with the trusses on the double hip roof. Frankly, that group is about to lose its collective mind. Each truss needs to be raised in a way that meets four criteria: 1) the pieces should line up properly and be flush with the parts of the house on which they rest, 2) the truss should have a ten and a half inch overhang at the point, 3) the angles should be square, and 4) the truss should be level vertically. Because of issues that preceded our arrival, almost no truss that we raised could meet all of those criteria. We overlapped with one college group (that shall remain unnamed) who might have contributed to some of the goofiness of the structure. Thus, whenever the truss rests on the beams looking crooked, we can all grumble in unison and blame it on _______ College. That helps.<br /><br />Another group got the triumphant job of laying tarpaper on the roof that was completed last week. Matt W., Sam, Lindsay S., Matt P., Mark, and Aaron all contributed to the completion of that job. Many of those people have spent their entire Habitat worktime on some roof somewhere and at least one of them admits that he is getting a bit sick of heights. They might not be thrilled to know that we will be installing decking on that maddening double hip roof tomorrow. <br /><br />Oh, yes, and we saw the puppies again today! Lots of notes are asking about them and we are happy to report that they are getting stronger and stronger. Their eyes are still not open, but it seems that things are progressing just fine. Someone will probably post a photo of the pups below. (Teams pick their photos and write captions as we are coming home each day, so their tastes at that moment determine which photos get posted. Elijah gathers them all up then posts them late at night, assuming that all of our systems work as they should.) <br /><br />One person from each team went to Rosie’s today to help back up Jack as we prepped the first house for texturing tomorrow. The whole group joined that early team after the Habitat day ended, and we actually finished hanging the sheetrock for the second house by the time we left. The incentive for getting it done was a trip to the French Quarter tonight. Even though we were tired and had to come in early, it was fun to take the ferry for the first time this trip and then wander the streets that most tourists associate with New Orleans. <br /><br />We ate at Bubba Gump’s then had about an hour to check out the Quarter. Some hit the souvenir shops, some went to Café du Monde for fresh beignets, some hit Bourbon Street, and some went straight back to camp after dinner to get some sleep. No matter what anyone chose, we all knew that we had to hit the worksite again at 7:30 a.m. We should be ready after a night of blowing off steam. We hear it might rain again tomorrow, so we’re not sure how that will affect our plans. We’ll be ready, no matter what. . .<br /><br />Oh yeah! By adding Josh and Jack in to the mix, we now have 330 hours to add to our grand total, which is now 2537!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axd1bpa2I/AAAAAAAABtI/amUcVFJk9KY/s1600-h/A%2B+Matt.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axd1bpa2I/AAAAAAAABtI/amUcVFJk9KY/s320/A%2B+Matt.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156675961968225122" /></a><br />Matt Wheeler had a great day today – he followed through with all of his jobs, setting a great example for all! A+ Matt!!!!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5AxeFbpa3I/AAAAAAAABtQ/jRYcujQHqQ8/s1600-h/dry+wall.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5AxeFbpa3I/AAAAAAAABtQ/jRYcujQHqQ8/s320/dry+wall.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156675966263192434" /></a><br />For the second half of the day we all met at Rosie’s to continue work on dry walling and taping. By the end of the day we had completed all of the dry walls and nearly all of the taping!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5AxeVbpa4I/AAAAAAAABtY/nASgYtYCXeg/s1600-h/nicole.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5AxeVbpa4I/AAAAAAAABtY/nASgYtYCXeg/s320/nicole.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156675970558159746" /></a><br />Nicole Sweeney began her morning nailing in the hurricane braces to the trusses. These braces are so strong that they can stand up to 150 mph winds! <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axelbpa5I/AAAAAAAABtg/QsjT0TNIRzQ/s1600-h/Roofing+Pic.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axelbpa5I/AAAAAAAABtg/QsjT0TNIRzQ/s320/Roofing+Pic.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156675974853127058" /></a><br />Mark, Matt Wheeler, Aaron, and Sam laid out tar paper on the roof this morning. This is one of the first steps for roofing. By the end of the day they <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axe1bpa6I/AAAAAAAABto/U0f00PIpqro/s1600-h/trusses.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5Axe1bpa6I/AAAAAAAABto/U0f00PIpqro/s320/trusses.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156675979148094370" /></a><br />Brad, Matt Wheeler, and Jed helped move the trusses that were delivered today for one of the houses. The trusses for Habitat homes are built elsewhere and delivered to the worksite by truck.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9AVbpbAI/AAAAAAAABuY/E9qeRW887Ds/s1600-h/Alec+w:+eye+drops.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9AVbpbAI/AAAAAAAABuY/E9qeRW887Ds/s320/Alec+w:+eye+drops.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157040493022505986" /></a><br />Alec is taking a break from the severe sheet rocking of 4009 and 4011 to moisturize his dry eyes. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9AlbpbBI/AAAAAAAABug/uPDSaZcEE1s/s1600-h/Eric+w:saw.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9AlbpbBI/AAAAAAAABug/uPDSaZcEE1s/s320/Eric+w:saw.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157040497317473298" /></a><br />Eric saws to precision as he cuts a 2 x 4 for one of the houses. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9A1bpbCI/AAAAAAAABuo/aFTJKxyYOqQ/s1600-h/Jed+with+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9A1bpbCI/AAAAAAAABuo/aFTJKxyYOqQ/s320/Jed+with+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157040501612440610" /></a><br />Jed is working hard by tucking in the creases of the mudding in the corners of the walls as we work to finish the walls in Rosie’s house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9BFbpbDI/AAAAAAAABuw/2LqgdC7iIBk/s1600-h/Shawny+and+Lindsay.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9BFbpbDI/AAAAAAAABuw/2LqgdC7iIBk/s320/Shawny+and+Lindsay.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157040505907407922" /></a><br />Lindsay and Shawny work diligently on trying to finish to trusses on this house. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9BVbpbEI/AAAAAAAABu4/jq499mA7vZk/s1600-h/Tommy,+Z,+and+Jared+with+the+truss.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5F9BVbpbEI/AAAAAAAABu4/jq499mA7vZk/s320/Tommy,+Z,+and+Jared+with+the+truss.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157040510202375234" /></a><br />Tommy, Z, and Jared lift one of the many trusses as the roofing of the next house comes into focus.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-42920301749807472552008-01-16T21:03:00.000-08:002008-01-26T14:19:11.475-08:00Day Nine: January 2008<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pD_Qdn5wGUY&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pD_Qdn5wGUY&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />Day Nine: Wednesday, January 16<br /><br />Hallelujah! We woke up and it was raining! Though we usually wish for clear skies, we knew that rain this morning would mean we could sleep in for the first time. The banging of the raindrops on the roof was a lovely little lullaby for us at 5:45 today. Shane, Chris, Justin, and Shawny decided to surprise us with a special breakfast. As it turns out, their late night grocery run was all about real eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, potatoes, milk, orange juice, and pancakes. <br /><br />They got up early and laid out the tent like it was a dining room with table settings and candles, and they started cooking an hour before any of the rest of us got up. For the most part, we all got to sleep as long as we wanted. (As it turns out, our early morning schedule means that none of us managed to sleep all that late anyway.) Jack and Josh showed up with huge bags of beignets from Café du Monde to add to our feast. Everyone was awake by 10:30 and we ate huge amounts of food, listened to music, and just had our own little morning party in the still-dry tent (our gutters are holding!). We praised our own ingenuity in installing the temporary kitchen floor, as the water did its usual trick of rising up from underground and flooding our tent from beneath. Because we raised our floor, though, we had no trouble functioning. <br /><br />We finally got things moving and headed off to Rosie’s. We all managed to fit inside the house, with the exception of Alec, Lindsay S., Mark, and Kate, who started up the job of scraping and sanding the porch so that we can repaint it before we leave. Otherwise, people were spread out over both houses working on all of the parts of drywalling. Most of us worked to tape and “mud” the sheets we had hung yesterday. Once we got the mud ready, we made a little ritual out of marking almost everyone’s face with two stripes of drywall compound and declared ourselves the Mud Club. <br /><br />Some of us got very professional at mudding very quickly, especially Briana, Julie, and Katie. Tommy, Jed, and Josh took on the job of taping the inside corners of all of the rooms, while virtually everyone else taped seams. Late in the afternoon, our new supply of sheetrock arrived, so we got to move toward finishing the other side of the house. Justin, Sam, Bryan, Mark and Scott got moving pretty quickly and covered another room in record time. Aaron and Matt W. tackled the laundry room and its maddening angles while Obi, Chris, and Briana took on the bathroom on that side. None of these jobs got completed today, but they got far enough along to make it much easier to complete them tomorrow. <br /><br />We spent a long time making dinner tonight (Chicas and the Men made some fabulous soupy chicken stew) and people spent quality time with their buddies. Every day we rotate partners to check in on each other’s days and on our general states of mind. It really helps us to process what we’re doing. We also write individual journals and we do quite a bit of processing and talking in our group meetings. <br /><br />We’re glad we had a slowed-down day; we needed it. We’ll be ready to hit things hard again tomorrow when we return to Habitat to continue jobs we started on Tuesday. A few of us will go to Rosie’s all day long, as we have some big jobs to finish while Jack is still here. <br /><br />Because we had a shorter day than usual, our total hours for today are 189; that brings our running total to 2219. Let’s see if we can make it past 5000. . .<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8Clbpa7I/AAAAAAAABtw/3Al2D_APDMA/s1600-h/katie+and+amanda+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8Clbpa7I/AAAAAAAABtw/3Al2D_APDMA/s320/katie+and+amanda+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156687588444695474" /></a><br />Amanda and Katie try to mud a wall while in a crowded hall way.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8C1bpa8I/AAAAAAAABt4/sACh9GXVF0w/s1600-h/linzy+and+nicole+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8C1bpa8I/AAAAAAAABt4/sACh9GXVF0w/s320/linzy+and+nicole+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156687592739662786" /></a><br />Nicole and Linzy laughing at Dane Cook jokes while mudding a wall. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8DFbpa9I/AAAAAAAABuA/G8E3OApOh70/s1600-h/Linzy+tilling.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8DFbpa9I/AAAAAAAABuA/G8E3OApOh70/s320/Linzy+tilling.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156687597034630098" /></a><br />Linzy and Nicole tilling Rosie’s backyard and building a path. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8DVbpa-I/AAAAAAAABuI/DL0lVOt_7QM/s1600-h/matt+on+ladder+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8DVbpa-I/AAAAAAAABuI/DL0lVOt_7QM/s320/matt+on+ladder+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156687601329597410" /></a><br />Matt gets over his fear of heights while mudding his side of the wall. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8Dlbpa_I/AAAAAAAABuQ/5lF5Z2E_d1E/s1600-h/mudding+in+the+dark.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5A8Dlbpa_I/AAAAAAAABuQ/5lF5Z2E_d1E/s320/mudding+in+the+dark.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156687605624564722" /></a><br />We work till dark as Matt keeps mudding in the dark.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3MRWwUI/AAAAAAAACEg/NGfA2o7Sp_s/s1600-h/E2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3MRWwUI/AAAAAAAACEg/NGfA2o7Sp_s/s320/E2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159899066176815426" /></a><br />Everyone entering Rosie’s to finish mudding.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3cRWwVI/AAAAAAAACEo/v_7zywhIrVg/s1600-h/E3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3cRWwVI/AAAAAAAACEo/v_7zywhIrVg/s320/E3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159899070471782738" /></a><br />Mark and Matt working on taping and mudding.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3sRWwWI/AAAAAAAACEw/O7R19fPlOUo/s1600-h/E4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk3sRWwWI/AAAAAAAACEw/O7R19fPlOUo/s320/E4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159899074766750050" /></a><br />Kyle delivering the final pieces of dry wall. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk38RWwXI/AAAAAAAACE4/oqPGbVe8pJE/s1600-h/E5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uk38RWwXI/AAAAAAAACE4/oqPGbVe8pJE/s320/E5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159899079061717362" /></a><br />Julie and Briana working on the mildew resistant dry wall in the bathroom. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ujUcRWwTI/AAAAAAAACEY/me4Bf4F2nMA/s1600-h/E1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ujUcRWwTI/AAAAAAAACEY/me4Bf4F2nMA/s320/E1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159897369664733490" /></a><br />Mark removing the window bars so we are able to give it a fresh coat of paint.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5urWsRWwhI/AAAAAAAACGI/_s3JCy23MM8/s1600-h/scraping.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5urWsRWwhI/AAAAAAAACGI/_s3JCy23MM8/s320/scraping.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159906204412461586" /></a><br />Kate and Lindsay sand the posts on the front porch so that they can be painted in the coming days. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uq88RWwgI/AAAAAAAACGA/wcGIOzJUJK0/s1600-h/Mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uq88RWwgI/AAAAAAAACGA/wcGIOzJUJK0/s320/Mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159905762030830082" /></a><br />Katie cleans up the messy mud that splattered all over the window. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. Thanks, Katie!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uqosRWwfI/AAAAAAAACF4/VwrJ5jNHV54/s1600-h/matt+mudding.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uqosRWwfI/AAAAAAAACF4/VwrJ5jNHV54/s320/matt+mudding.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159905414138479090" /></a><br />Matt muddes the window in the front from to prep for painting.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uqWsRWweI/AAAAAAAACFw/NXUEECgNu24/s1600-h/julie+cords.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uqWsRWweI/AAAAAAAACFw/NXUEECgNu24/s320/julie+cords.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159905104900833762" /></a><br />Julie uses the roto-zip to cut out a hole in the drywall where an electrical outlet will go. Go, Julie, go!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5upYcRWwdI/AAAAAAAACFo/I4-EKQELZ54/s1600-h/drywalling.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5upYcRWwdI/AAAAAAAACFo/I4-EKQELZ54/s320/drywalling.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159904035453977042" /></a><br />Alec and Serg take a break while Nicole sweeps the floor before installing the next piece of drywall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-55277056913110988302008-01-15T23:02:00.000-08:002008-01-16T21:48:04.664-08:00Day Eight: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/accA5EuhN4E"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/accA5EuhN4E" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Eight: Tuesday, January 15<br /><br />5:45 came very early this morning, but slightly warmer weather meant that we managed to drag ourselves out anyway. We got to have an excellent breakfast that included some leftover taco fixings from last night, including taco-flavored TVP and canned chicken and even a big bucket of actual sour cream. The Elevaters (Emily, Alec, Lindsay, Erik, and Mark) were responsible for the great tacos; they are often our most creative cooks. Chicas and the Men (Julie, Kate, Briana, Jed, and Tommy) capitalized on their leftovers by making them into some scrambled eggs. We were about to make it to work on time, but we had to jump the bus with the rental truck, so we got there at 7:45. <br /><br />Most of us went to Habitat and continued jobs that we had started last week. That meant that lots of us were up on ladders putting up roof parts. Sergio, Shane, and Erik worked on fasciae (facing under the roof eaves). Lindsay S. joined with some volunteers from Boston to do trim work. Bryan, Matt W., Aaron, and others were finishing the decking of one roof, and Nicole, Linzy, Kate, and Sam worked on the undersupports for that same roof. Emily, Tommy, Elijah and Shawny kept plugging away at that crazy double hip roof (one that has all four sides sloping up to a pointed top). Jed, Brad, Katie, Obi, Amanda, Lindsay R., and Justin put the finishing touches on the floor system at Anne’s house, which was a major triumph for our group. <br /><br />We’re all dragging a bit today, so a pick-me-up seemed necessary. When Justin and Shane went to pick up our 310 pounds of laundry, they also picked up a rare commodity: Cokes! We needed some caffeine and just something special to keep us going when we went to Rosie’s house. One crew had already started the day there: Matt P., Briana, Alec,<br />Julie, Scott, and Mark. Jack and Josh were there too, as well as Chris. They kept the drywall process rolling as fast as they could, though they pretty quickly ran out of full sheets and had to work with lots of scraps. They still did incredible work and got a couple of full rooms finished before the rest of the team arrived. Once we all were there, some of us continued the yard and garden work while others threw themselves into sheetrocking. <br /><br />A fun diversion for the day was Rosie’s acquisition of a metal detector, which she hoped would help us find some jars of coins she and her mother had buried long ago. The metal detector had a depth of only six inches and it kept going off practically everywhere we used it in the yard. Still, Shane, Elijah, Bryan, Amanda, and different random other folks dug diligently when the signal seemed particularly strong. We haven’t found any real treasures yet, but it seems likely that we will. <br /><br />We expect big rain tomorrow. Honestly, we are praying for big rain tomorrow, as Habitat will not work in downpours and that would give us time to catch up on some morning sleep. We just can’t seem to stop talking, hanging out, looking at pictures, and planning projects at night, so we never get to bed early enough to get substantial rest. Maybe tomorrow morning will be our time. If it’s not pouring, we believe that we must meet our obligation to Habitat and get there as close to 7:30 as we can. Come on, rain!<br /><br />We put in another ten hour day today, meaning we have added another 295 hours or so to our running total, which has now reached 2030 hours! That would be a full year’s work for one person, but we managed it in just seven work days. For those who are interested, we are also keeping a tally of the number of u-turns we take in the bus. Some of them are necessary parts of our path, while some of them are corrective measures. In any case, turning our huge bus around on the road is a pretty impressive feat. So far, we have taken 13 u-turns. Way to go, Leo!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47rzlbpaeI/AAAAAAAABqM/1dljbiZ6D5Q/s1600-h/group+photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47rzlbpaeI/AAAAAAAABqM/1dljbiZ6D5Q/s320/group+photo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156317894839724514" /></a><br />The “Next Top Model” has nothing on the crew from SMC as the NOLA volunteers pose for the camera. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oD1bpaZI/AAAAAAAABpk/uHCXIbYoGtA/s1600-h/Aaron+Z.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oD1bpaZI/AAAAAAAABpk/uHCXIbYoGtA/s320/Aaron+Z.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156313775966087570" /></a><br />Aaron explains how to make a difficult angle to Z at the Habitat Site<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oEVbpaaI/AAAAAAAABps/TZU9xNynINs/s1600-h/B.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oEVbpaaI/AAAAAAAABps/TZU9xNynINs/s320/B.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156313784556022178" /></a><br />Bryan concentrates as he accurately slices the board like butter.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oFlbpabI/AAAAAAAABp0/sRT9jEkOyU4/s1600-h/Matt+W.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oFlbpabI/AAAAAAAABp0/sRT9jEkOyU4/s320/Matt+W.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156313806030858674" /></a><br />Matt W. Working hard putting in Support on the trusses at Habitat.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oF1bpacI/AAAAAAAABp8/FwGYZ6iTBoE/s1600-h/Leo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oF1bpacI/AAAAAAAABp8/FwGYZ6iTBoE/s320/Leo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156313810325825986" /></a><br />On a nice day in New Orleans Leo works hard putting up siding even after he drives us around.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oGlbpadI/AAAAAAAABqE/5maL99I_tok/s1600-h/Matt+scott.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47oGlbpadI/AAAAAAAABqE/5maL99I_tok/s320/Matt+scott.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156313823210727890" /></a><br />Matt P. and Scott prepare a sheet of dry wall to be put into Rosie’s rebuilt house.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kilbpaUI/AAAAAAAABo8/naQo0Uwk_VA/s1600-h/aaron+z+bryan+wood.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kilbpaUI/AAAAAAAABo8/naQo0Uwk_VA/s320/aaron+z+bryan+wood.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156309906200553794" /></a><br />Aaron instructs Bryan and Linzy on how to use the speed square inside the habitat house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47ki1bpaVI/AAAAAAAABpE/_w0KvE0ribk/s1600-h/finished+drywall.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47ki1bpaVI/AAAAAAAABpE/_w0KvE0ribk/s320/finished+drywall.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156309910495521106" /></a><br />Perfecto! Time to start taping.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kkFbpaWI/AAAAAAAABpM/20HmAag-glQ/s1600-h/mark+and+obi+measuring.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kkFbpaWI/AAAAAAAABpM/20HmAag-glQ/s320/mark+and+obi+measuring.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156309931970357602" /></a><br />Matt Wheeler hangs from the roof as he nails in the wood braces for the trusses. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kmFbpaYI/AAAAAAAABpc/wr-LKZnx6e0/s1600-h/wheeler+on+roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47kmFbpaYI/AAAAAAAABpc/wr-LKZnx6e0/s320/wheeler+on+roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156309966330096002" /></a><br />Matt Wheeler hangs from the roof as he nails in the wood braces for the trusses.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-52806647338618161532008-01-14T21:04:00.000-08:002008-01-16T22:40:17.628-08:00Day Seven: January 2008<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rGmP7-dRgOw"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rGmP7-dRgOw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br />Day Seven: Monday, January 14<br /><br />We got a little extra sleep today, but still found ourselves slowing down a bit after our day of 150% performance on Sunday. Maybe it was the 35 degree temperature to which we awoke; maybe it was the fact that we are just plain tired. Maybe we are tired because one member of our group has started some very high-volume cartoon snoring (like the loudest, log-sawing spoof version of snoring you’ve ever heard). Another group member seems to be responding sympathetically to this snorer by matching his rhythm (but happily, not his volume). In short, things have gotten pretty loud in the bus. <br /><br />In any case, we had another full day at Rosie’s, where we finished hanging sheetrock on one whole side of the double. Everyone on the inside of the house did every job available, including measuring, marking, scoring, cutting, and hanging the drywall. On the other side, we almost finished the ceilings and we covered some of the walls. There’s still a lot of work to do there, but it is possible that we will be able to finish it tomorrow. <br /><br />We got more evidence today that Jack Verrips is the most impressive worker we have ever seen. Yesterday one of our teams spent most of the morning struggling with the complexities of a very tight closet that houses the heating unit. Jack, on the other hand, covered the parallel closet in the other unit in about 30 minutes. Sure it was demoralizing on one level, but it was so awesome to see that we didn’t let it get us down. We’re glad Jack is here to show us the standard to which we aspire. <br /><br />Erik showed some excellence too, as he went through and finished all the insulation in the center wall between the two units. Now no one has to deal with little fiberglass bits all over them for at least a little while. In general, lots of people have developed some pretty advanced skills. Most of us actually look like real pros while working, especially because we all have flat pencils behind our ears and tape measures hanging out of our back pockets. Some real standouts on the drywalling have been Samantha, Briana, Bryan, Aaron, Emily, Serg, and Matt W. Another team that dealt with some of the trickiest spaces was Matt P., Obi, Mark, and Scott; they sounded like a comedy team as they tried to conceptualize why there is a difference between the way a piece of sheetrock looks when it is lying on the floor and the way it looks when it is hanging from the ceiling. <br /><br />Out in the backyard we conquered the stump once and for all. Serg, Linzy, Brad, Jed, Tommy, Nicole, Justin, and many others hacked at it for hours to reduce it down to near ground level. And then we rented a stump grinder. A stump grinder is like a huge oversized circular saw with enormous teeth that take off layers of the stump by scraping it across the top. We took this huge chunk of tree that had been occupying the center of the yard ever since the tree toppled (and even when it stood) and reduced it to a pile of sawdust in no time at all. <br /><br />The rest of the yard crew spent the morning digging dozens of bricks out of the dirt so we could till the entire space and make it level. We also dug for buried treasure, which we still expect to find because we know that Rosie and her mother buried it about thirty-five years ago. We spent much of the afternoon running alternative scenarios for how to lay out the landscaping across the three backyards. Rosie was right in the center of it all and we discussed and drew option after option for how to arrange things. One of them even involved a fleur-de-lis-shaped patio. When we realized that whatever we did had to be done with no budget whatsoever, we decided to make use of those muddy old bricks and every other piece of usable debris that we could find. The plan now involves the use of bricks, blocks, extra roof tiles, rusty metal poles, and lots of seeds to bring beauty back to the space. We think it will be an entirely different place when we are done. Rosie is pretty excited and so is Nicole, who has taken on the role of the prime designer of the yard. We hope that our grand plans aren’t thwarted by the expected rains later in the week. <br /><br />Tomorrow we will split our group. Some of us will return to the Habitat site where we’ve been working and some of us will go to Rosie’s to finish the drywall. It’s better when we are all together, but we will make things work until we all return to Rosie’s at the end of the Habitat day. <br /><br />Today was a nine and a half hour day. That means we did 280 hours of work, to take our running total to 1735 hours of manual labor so far. Whew!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-TVbpaKI/AAAAAAAABns/bdjY0THOjDA/s1600-h/boys+grinding+trunk.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-TVbpaKI/AAAAAAAABns/bdjY0THOjDA/s320/boys+grinding+trunk.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155916019044804770" /></a><br />Chris shows the boys how it’s done as he grinds down the trunk of a 60 year old pecan tree in the middle of Rosie’s backyard. The stump is stubborn but so are we.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-UFbpaLI/AAAAAAAABn0/TfaaPWEgVC4/s1600-h/matt+carrying+drywall.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-UFbpaLI/AAAAAAAABn0/TfaaPWEgVC4/s320/matt+carrying+drywall.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155916031929706674" /></a><br />The sun shines in on Matt as he carries the drywall and ladder from the front of Rosie’s house to the back room.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-UVbpaMI/AAAAAAAABn8/CLz7DEToj00/s1600-h/nicole+working+in+garden.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-UVbpaMI/AAAAAAAABn8/CLz7DEToj00/s320/nicole+working+in+garden.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155916036224673986" /></a><br />Nicole lays down the bricks for the patio in Rosie’s backyard.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-U1bpaNI/AAAAAAAABoE/fmE9UObeG3s/s1600-h/shawny+grinding+trunk.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-U1bpaNI/AAAAAAAABoE/fmE9UObeG3s/s320/shawny+grinding+trunk.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155916044814608594" /></a><br />Shawny grabs hold of the stump grinder from Chris and shows the boys how it is really done.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-VFbpaOI/AAAAAAAABoM/azwj6MQxfpg/s1600-h/tommy+measuring.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R41-VFbpaOI/AAAAAAAABoM/azwj6MQxfpg/s320/tommy+measuring.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155916049109575906" /></a><br />Tommy measures the small space in the closet in order to lay down the drywall.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47w_1bpaiI/AAAAAAAABqo/lWM2ePQOT4g/s1600-h/Elevaters+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47w_1bpaiI/AAAAAAAABqo/lWM2ePQOT4g/s320/Elevaters+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156323602851260962" /></a><br />Everyone joined outside to watch the stump grinder do in an hour what we were able to do in a few days. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xAFbpajI/AAAAAAAABqw/krZE3EBbSCQ/s1600-h/Elevaters+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xAFbpajI/AAAAAAAABqw/krZE3EBbSCQ/s320/Elevaters+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156323607146228274" /></a><br />Shawny taking control of the stump grinder.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xAlbpakI/AAAAAAAABq4/3QAj0H8-qrg/s1600-h/Elevaters+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xAlbpakI/AAAAAAAABq4/3QAj0H8-qrg/s320/Elevaters+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156323615736162882" /></a><br />This group gets to work putting sheet rock on the ceiling of the second house. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xA1bpalI/AAAAAAAABrA/iKWBWNVwYDc/s1600-h/Elevaters+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xA1bpalI/AAAAAAAABrA/iKWBWNVwYDc/s320/Elevaters+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156323620031130194" /></a><br />Rosie looks over her soon-to-be new garden. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xBFbpamI/AAAAAAAABrI/BlRAfyvDLG8/s1600-h/Elavaters+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47xBFbpamI/AAAAAAAABrI/BlRAfyvDLG8/s320/Elavaters+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156323624326097506" /></a><br />Putting up sheet rock isn’t easy, but here everyone works hard to get it up. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472dVbpasI/AAAAAAAABr4/Dj0-eMp003M/s1600-h/Cutting+the+stump.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472dVbpasI/AAAAAAAABr4/Dj0-eMp003M/s320/Cutting+the+stump.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156329607215540930" /></a><br />Day two of the stump and almost gone…<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472eFbpatI/AAAAAAAABsA/PA7rz3fhtUc/s1600-h/Fiberglass.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472eFbpatI/AAAAAAAABsA/PA7rz3fhtUc/s320/Fiberglass.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156329620100442834" /></a><br />Emily finishes putting the insulation in one of Rosie’s houses<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472eVbpauI/AAAAAAAABsI/NBM4uIeHW_I/s1600-h/hug.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472eVbpauI/AAAAAAAABsI/NBM4uIeHW_I/s320/hug.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156329624395410146" /></a><br />At the end of another looonngg day, what’s better than a hug? Matty and Shawny celebrate as we clean up.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472e1bpavI/AAAAAAAABsQ/Z8n-ewNSSGU/s1600-h/Soulja+Serg.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472e1bpavI/AAAAAAAABsQ/Z8n-ewNSSGU/s320/Soulja+Serg.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156329632985344754" /></a><br />Soulja Serg raising some dry wall up to the ceiling.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472fFbpawI/AAAAAAAABsY/XQJrPUc0Fkc/s1600-h/The+Longest+Yard+.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R472fFbpawI/AAAAAAAABsY/XQJrPUc0Fkc/s320/The+Longest+Yard+.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156329637280312066" /></a><br />The longest yard… Julie and Jed measure out one of the many pieces that will make the ceiling of Rose’s houses.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zTFbpanI/AAAAAAAABrQ/CqecqDKk5WM/s1600-h/backyard.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zTFbpanI/AAAAAAAABrQ/CqecqDKk5WM/s320/backyard.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156326132586998386" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zTlbpaoI/AAAAAAAABrY/YGWI5FOreTc/s1600-h/Lunch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zTlbpaoI/AAAAAAAABrY/YGWI5FOreTc/s320/Lunch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156326141176932994" /></a><br />Our meal of quinoa. It’s a healthy grain that everyone actually happened to enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zT1bpapI/AAAAAAAABrg/UCVkvGmM_L8/s1600-h/roof.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zT1bpapI/AAAAAAAABrg/UCVkvGmM_L8/s320/roof.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156326145471900306" /></a><br />Everyone is putting up installation and drywall.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zUFbpaqI/AAAAAAAABro/uKEnDpUpaxo/s1600-h/sitting+at+lunch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zUFbpaqI/AAAAAAAABro/uKEnDpUpaxo/s320/sitting+at+lunch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156326149766867618" /></a><br />Yummy Lunch at Rosies prepared by the SOULJAS!!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zUlbparI/AAAAAAAABrw/tpL73U_kPqo/s1600-h/sun+set.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R47zUlbparI/AAAAAAAABrw/tpL73U_kPqo/s320/sun+set.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5156326158356802226" /></a><br />After the other part of the group removed the massive tree stump and continued to landscape the backyard of Rosie’s rental property, the sun begins to set on the pee pee tipi :) .Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-60143704954332958372008-01-14T08:11:00.000-08:002008-01-26T11:48:15.865-08:00Day Six: January 2008Today was a slower day. We were all getting <br /><br />Day Six: Sunday, January 13<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZ0lGunR9n0"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qZ0lGunR9n0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Today is Shane’s birthday! This is the third birthday that Shane has spent with us in New Orleans, including his legendary 21st birthday two years ago. It’s hard to believe that now Shane lives in New Orleans and is working to improve things here along with his longtime girlfriend Brianna Hardy. We are very lucky to have him as part of our team, not only because he lends a helping hand, but also because he is hilariously funny, deliriously happy, and exceptionally skilled at some of the tasks that we are undertaking. Happy day, Shane!<br /><br />Today we started the big push at Rosie’s other properties next door to the house we moved her into last May. As we’ve noted before, Rosie is unable to cover the taxes and insurance on all three houses that she inherited from her family unless she can rent one or both of the ones in which she is not living. We hope to get them ready for occupancy by the time we leave. If today is any indication, we will succeed. <br /><br />We slept in just a bit since we didn’t have a deadline for our arrival set by Habitat. We decided to wait until 8:00 or so to go to work, rather than our usual 7:30 start time. We got moving so fast once we got up that we made it to Rosie’s right on time. She was gushing over our group, as she had not yet seen all of us working at the same time. Actually, the word “working” doesn’t even begin to capture it. The level at which we were laboring exceeded our sense of our own capabilities.<br /><br />Most of us jumped right into the job of sheetrocking, whether or not we had ever been trained in drywall before. Jack helped us to figure out what we were doing then he, Chris and Justin each took a section of the house and supervised as we learned what to do. All of them were astounded at the speed with which we learned the ropes. We started with the ceilings, which are, of course, the most difficult parts to install. Thirty of us shared a total of only five ladders, which complicated our ability to do everything we wanted to do as quickly as we wanted to do it. Because we have an abundance of very tall team members, though, we managed to make do. <br /><br />We had all gotten the bare basics on drywall installation from Chris and Justin, but we had not thought carefully about a number of things: 1) the walls of houses in New Orleans are generally not square, making lots of difficult cuts a necessary part of any job, 2) there are dozens of little places like switchboxes, light fixtures, vents, and door frames that require very difficult precision cuts, 3) to install drywall on a ceiling, it is necessary to hold your arms over your head for a long long time, 4) there is quite a bit of math involved in installing drywall, and 5) it is not at all difficult to break the corner off of a brand new piece of sheetrock. <br /><br />Another primary job of the day was to finish the installation of insulation. Lindsay S., Briana R., Brianna H., Emily, Alec, Mark, and Erik were particularly dedicated to this undertaking. They had to learn once again that fiberglass is, in fact, glass. They had little bits in their hands and even on their faces, but they all followed instructions and washed with cold water to remove it. <br /><br />The final big job at Rosie’s was the continuation of clearing the back yard, including stump removal and elimination of a series of fences. As it turns out, in the days that theses fences were installed, the practice was to drop some concrete into a deep hole then drive the poles four feet deeper than the concrete blob. We decided to remove them entirely rather than just cutting them off at the ground. We have a tendency to choose the more difficult path. We rocked them fiercely in all directions until we looked like we were stirring dirt cauldrons, then dug under the concrete blobs until we thought they were free. Then we employed our most powerful weapon of the day: Alec. <br /><br />Once we were ready to pull the huge poles and their anchors out of the earth, Alec would squat all the way to the concrete blob and just slowly lift it all by himself. It was like Hercules had joined our crew. Once he had cast them aside, it took two or three of us to drag them out front and lift them into the dumpster. We had to make sure that they didn’t fall down vertically or they would stick out over the top, so we had to javelin them into a container that was higher than most of our heads. We managed.<br /><br />Whenever someone needed a break, they didn’t sit on the porch or hang out on the sidewalk; they went into the backyard and hacked at the massive pecan tree stump with an axe. We have made quite a difference in just one day, but we are considering renting a stump grinder to get the thing all the way to the ground. Still, we like hacking at it so much that we might just leave it there and chip away at it day by day. <br /><br />Our special guest worker today was our friend Jerrad from Habitat. He brought the puppies, who are now named after Mardi Gras crews: Bacchus and Isis. We took turns cuddling them and feeding them, and those of us who have been here a few times before started realizing that there was a metaphor unfolding before us. That is, in our first trip, we made the sad discovery of a dead puppy in one house we were gutting on this same street; at that point, the city, too, was lifeless, hopeless and sad. Last year, we were visited by a three-legged dog that managed to get itself around even though it had been abandoned; the city then seemed to us to be getting somewhere, even if things weren’t at all “normal.” This year, we have these sweet puppies in our world, and we can see that it will take lots of love and care for them to survive and flourish; we sense that hope is growing in New Orleans too, and we are glad to provide some of the love and care that this grand city needs. <br /><br />We finished another ten-hour day today, with a couple of extra crew members helping us out. That means we did 335 hours today, bringing our running total to 1455 in five days’ work. We hope to put in 5000 hours this month. We’ll see. . .<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tyVMRWwAI/AAAAAAAACCA/mWdnRWKAwzQ/s1600-h/Teamwork.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tyVMRWwAI/AAAAAAAACCA/mWdnRWKAwzQ/s320/Teamwork.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159843506479874050" /></a><br />Everyone helping to put up drywall on the ceiling.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tx7MRWv_I/AAAAAAAACB4/uofzPpUbrOo/s1600-h/Pups.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tx7MRWv_I/AAAAAAAACB4/uofzPpUbrOo/s320/Pups.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159843059803275250" /></a><br />Shawny and her motherly side<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5txcMRWv-I/AAAAAAAACBw/ZGrXvtXHM54/s1600-h/Measure.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5txcMRWv-I/AAAAAAAACBw/ZGrXvtXHM54/s320/Measure.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159842527227330530" /></a><br />Lindsay and Tommy measuring out a piece of drywall.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tw5sRWv9I/AAAAAAAACBo/Mi4el6u0aBc/s1600-h/Justinator.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tw5sRWv9I/AAAAAAAACBo/Mi4el6u0aBc/s320/Justinator.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159841934521843666" /></a><br />Justin putting in a last piece of insulation.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5twhMRWv8I/AAAAAAAACBg/x-cJVMkNWu4/s1600-h/Before.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5twhMRWv8I/AAAAAAAACBg/x-cJVMkNWu4/s320/Before.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159841513615048642" /></a><br />Before the yard was torn out.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0ycRWwFI/AAAAAAAACCo/rso7bCTKtA0/s1600-h/E5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0ycRWwFI/AAAAAAAACCo/rso7bCTKtA0/s320/E5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159846208014303314" /></a><br />As you can see what used to be three yards is now one, and is almost completely cleared out and ready to be landscaped.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0c8RWwEI/AAAAAAAACCg/imzi0EqHYB8/s1600-h/E4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0c8RWwEI/AAAAAAAACCg/imzi0EqHYB8/s320/E4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159845838647115842" /></a><br />We had quit the feast today! Angel hair pasta, meat sauce, and homemade tomato sauce, left over birthday cake, and ice cream from Rosie. Thanks Chicas and the Men!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0DsRWwDI/AAAAAAAACCY/xt5dJ6gJGzw/s1600-h/E3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t0DsRWwDI/AAAAAAAACCY/xt5dJ6gJGzw/s320/E3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159845404855418930" /></a><br />As darkness quickly approaches everyone works diligently to complete the sheet rock in the front room.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tzvsRWwCI/AAAAAAAACCQ/RlPJ4ifMarw/s1600-h/E2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tzvsRWwCI/AAAAAAAACCQ/RlPJ4ifMarw/s320/E2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159845061258035234" /></a><br />Mark and Emily put up their very last piece of insulation in the ceiling.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tzacRWwBI/AAAAAAAACCI/77Lb32wati8/s1600-h/E1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tzacRWwBI/AAAAAAAACCI/77Lb32wati8/s320/E1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159844696185815058" /></a><br />Here Rosie is looking out over her backyard while we work to clear it. In the background you can see Sarah’s beautiful house, which we painted last Jan Term, and the amazing ramp we built over Spring Break 07.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t8qsRWwOI/AAAAAAAACDw/sYzTySXc11A/s1600-h/Elijah+is+hot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t8qsRWwOI/AAAAAAAACDw/sYzTySXc11A/s320/Elijah+is+hot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159854870963339490" /></a><br />Elijah is taking a break from work on the roof.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t8TMRWwNI/AAAAAAAACDo/xXXJCksjiVY/s1600-h/Tired+at+lunch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t8TMRWwNI/AAAAAAAACDo/xXXJCksjiVY/s320/Tired+at+lunch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159854467236413650" /></a><br />Today was a slower day. We were all getting a bit tired. During lunch Amanda, Eric, and Brad take a quick nap during our lunch break.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t4RcRWwKI/AAAAAAAACDQ/pIQW57ruPrs/s1600-h/blokes+and+wild+dogg.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t4RcRWwKI/AAAAAAAACDQ/pIQW57ruPrs/s320/blokes+and+wild+dogg.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159850039125131426" /></a><br />The BLOKES and Wild Dogg (Zac) have formed a pretty tight group.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t3tsRWwJI/AAAAAAAACDI/EVzJn0MQsGA/s1600-h/Moving+wood.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t3tsRWwJI/AAAAAAAACDI/EVzJn0MQsGA/s320/Moving+wood.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159849424944808082" /></a><br />The Morning began with the whole group moving wood across the site. Lately people have been stealing wood from the Habitat site so we had to make it harder to get to.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t3TcRWwII/AAAAAAAACDA/UnfJYwxdizc/s1600-h/floor+is+done.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5t3TcRWwII/AAAAAAAACDA/UnfJYwxdizc/s320/floor+is+done.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159848973973241986" /></a><br />The floor is finaly done so all its artists stop for a fun picture with their beautiful masterpiece<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uOQ8RWwSI/AAAAAAAACEQ/zddGLPsCCB0/s1600-h/chicas+1.13.5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uOQ8RWwSI/AAAAAAAACEQ/zddGLPsCCB0/s320/chicas+1.13.5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159874219791008034" /></a><br />Erik and Brad cut into one of our favorite New Orleans delicacies. A treat courtesy of Rosie after a long day’s work. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uN68RWwRI/AAAAAAAACEI/rj1alWmkXyw/s1600-h/chicas+1.13.4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uN68RWwRI/AAAAAAAACEI/rj1alWmkXyw/s320/chicas+1.13.4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159873841833885970" /></a><br />We wanted to get one full piece in before sundown. The entire crew worked hard to get it done.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uLrcRWwQI/AAAAAAAACEA/7UPrinU20js/s1600-h/chicas+1.13.3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uLrcRWwQI/AAAAAAAACEA/7UPrinU20js/s320/chicas+1.13.3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159871376522658050" /></a><br />Kate and Lindsay R. work by floodlight. Kate sports a genuine Justin Verrips original; it’s said to bring superb sheetrocking skills to anyone who dawns it.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uLQsRWwPI/AAAAAAAACD4/97QzqECe7hg/s1600-h/chicas+1.13.2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5uLQsRWwPI/AAAAAAAACD4/97QzqECe7hg/s320/chicas+1.13.2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159870916961157362" /></a><br />We wanted to get one full piece in before sundown. The entire crew worked hard to get it done.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-39182802825094829412008-01-13T07:25:00.000-08:002008-01-26T09:32:59.323-08:00Day Five: January 2008Day Five: Saturday, January 12<br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/710lYwELVLU"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/710lYwELVLU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />Today is Justin’s birthday! This is the third birthday he has shared with us in New Orleans and we are honored that he has chosen to spend his day here. Thanks for all you do for us, Justin, and happy, happy day!<br /><br />As for the rest of the group, we actually almost made it to work on time today. Almost. Five more minutes and we’ll be there. Soon. Soon. The breakfast and lunch crews started cranking things up just before 6 today, with everyone else keeping their heads on the pillows until about 6:05. Elijah headed up the BLOKEs as they served some mean chilaquiles while the Souljas got up a big pot of TVP and couscous for lunch. (TVP is texturized vegetable protein, a soy product that looks a bit like sloppy joes if you drown it in barbecue sauce. They added hunks of tofu to make it a bit more nourishing, along with some pieces of water chestnut just to make it interesting.) <br /><br />The day was beyond beautiful as we went from a clear 39-degree morning into a sunny and breezy afternoon. We started the day by visiting with the still-healthy puppies from Thursday, who were staying warm in Jerrad’s car and waiting to be fed through a syringe at appropriate intervals. They make sweet little moaning sounds that we imagine to be signs of contentment. We hope we’re right. <br /><br />We cranked more floors, shingles, and roof trusses today, and we even got out a sledgehammer and removed some huge boulders of leftover concrete that had been set aside as the foundations were poured. One group re-stacked and reorganized lots of wet lumber that was finally drying out. As we were figuring out the system that would better organize the lumber, a neighbor (Miss Varela?) came to one of our houses and told us that people with trucks had come in the night to steal the wood that was there. She and her husband called the police and scared them off. As she was telling the story, we got to introduce her to our new friend Miss Anne, who will soon be Miss Varela’s immediate neighbor. As they met for the first time, they exclaimed like they had been eager to meet for a long, long time and held each other in a warm embrace. It was a beautiful thing to watch and it helped us to recognize that we are not just building houses; we are building communities. <br /><br />Miss Anne is a full-time missionary who was born in Jamaica and who now lives in New Orleans. Today is the day that she will complete the 350 hours of labor that constitute her “sweat equity” in her new home. Most of those hours have been spent working on houses that are not her own. Though she plans to continue working on her own house (along with those of her soon-to-be neighbors), this day is a huge milestone on her road to home ownership. We are happy to be here to celebrate this day with her. <br /><br />It was a pretty happy day all around, as just before lunch the target game that is played from the rooftops really took over the site. Whoever had been working on the rooftops in the morning took turns taking shots at the targets with their shingle scraps. Once again, Mark was the champion who pegged the 250-point sign, complete with a bonus for knocking over the water bottle and the sign that were attached to that target. Shane and Julie also combined for a double-whammy on the 250, meaning that they got to leave at lunch with Jerrad and eat McDonald’s for lunch. Most of us thought that eating at McDonald’s didn’t sound too appealing anyway, but we were still proud of our teammates. Along with those two 250’s, Katie also hit the 50-pointer so solidly that her shingle just rested right on the sign marking the spot. <br /><br />Whether or not they hit the targets, our rooftoppers are all aglow, mostly because they are getting some serious sun exposure. We have some spray-on sunblock that everyone shares, so we are doing what we can to avoid awful burns. We heard that during the week before we arrived, volunteers were working in temperatures in the low 20’s, so we are very grateful to have such clear and beautiful skies, at least for a few days. We even capitalized on the dry weather last night by clearing out the lower level of the bus and vacuuming up the scrunge that had accumulated on the floors. We know that this state of cleanliness won’t last long, but it was nice to see, if only for a moment. <br /><br />In the afternoon, the floor crew finally found its groove with their house leader, <br />Zac, aka “Wild Dog.” Their secret weapon today was specialization. They paired up and operated as an assembly line of sorts and they found that their system moved way faster than any method they had tried before. They were very proud at the end of the day. <br /><br />The shinglers were proud too, as they finished their job with the exception of the ridge cap. Their lines were incredibly straight and their overall work was truly professional. The roofers next door created lovely ratruns and facing all around the eaves of the house. A few others did some beautiful siding work, while another hearty team braved the confusion and complexity of a double hip roof. <br /><br />Everyone was so drained by the sun that we decided to go straight from Habitat to camp. We got the special privilege of taking the puppies home with us for the evening, as Jerrad needed to go after a crawfish pot for us to use for Justin’s birthday party. Justin decided he wanted to stay “home,” so we had our own crawfish boil with 80 pounds of live crawfish that we soaked, prepped, boiled, peeled and LOVED. Serg made up some great hamburgers and Emily and Lindsay S. put some vegetables on the grill that were a perfect compliment to our feast. <br /><br />The crawfish lessons were a hoot and our best student seemed to be our beloved busdriver Leo. We can’t get enough of Leo and his stupid jokes and we couldn’t be more impressed with his driving skills. Every time we wonder if we can cut a corner or fit into a space, we all just say, “don’t worry – it’s Leo!” Jed is the chief navigator again and the two of them make an excellent team. So far they have tried (and accomplished) nine u-turns in the crazy streets of New Orleans. All that we do here would be totally impossible without Leo’s presence. Thanks, Leo (and Loretta, his wife, who lets him join us, and Dan, the owner of the bus)! <br /><br />Our night ended with two birthday cakes: one for Justin and one for Shane, whose birthday is Sunday. We’re planning a full day of work at Rosie’s house on Sunday, but we’ll still find a way to celebrate Shane at the end of the day. Our secret whammy is here now: Chris and Justin’s dad, Jack! He will take our productivity to new levels, along with our overall work hours. Today we worked an 8-hour day, meaning that we have already worked more than 1000 hours in total on this trip (1120 or so). Thus, in four days’ work, we have accomplished as much as an individual worker might do in months’ time. Wow.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_bVbpZsI/AAAAAAAABkE/BsPV57Ve6cU/s1600-h/JUST.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_bVbpZsI/AAAAAAAABkE/BsPV57Ve6cU/s320/JUST.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155002462321075906" /></a><br />Birthday wish come true for Justin as he was able to spend a whole day of floor work with Jed.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_b1bpZtI/AAAAAAAABkM/ie4t8uF77mc/s1600-h/NewNEighbors.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_b1bpZtI/AAAAAAAABkM/ie4t8uF77mc/s320/NewNEighbors.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155002470911010514" /></a><br />It was a really special moment when Anne, the Habitat homeowner, met her new neighbor. We kinda cried a bit.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_c1bpZuI/AAAAAAAABkU/vrhYZW1mucw/s1600-h/WILdDog.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_c1bpZuI/AAAAAAAABkU/vrhYZW1mucw/s320/WILdDog.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155002488090879714" /></a><br />Wild-Dawg. The Blokes' pack leader.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_dFbpZvI/AAAAAAAABkc/tbkPmsYvd_Q/s1600-h/WildDog.Obi.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4o_dFbpZvI/AAAAAAAABkc/tbkPmsYvd_Q/s320/WildDog.Obi.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155002492385847026" /></a><br />Tongue and groove frustration moment: 3,487,429; but Wild-Dawg and Obi use the power of two heads to work as a pack.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT21bpZwI/AAAAAAAABkk/sAMXpoUj4HE/s1600-h/elevater+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT21bpZwI/AAAAAAAABkk/sAMXpoUj4HE/s320/elevater+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155376768720922370" /></a><br />After working hard on the roof, the group takes a quick break to inspect their work.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT4lbpZxI/AAAAAAAABks/VImpAiGKIVw/s1600-h/elevater+2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT4lbpZxI/AAAAAAAABks/VImpAiGKIVw/s320/elevater+2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155376798785693458" /></a><br />Emily and Matt put up some trusses, so that the group can begin decking the house next week.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT5FbpZyI/AAAAAAAABk0/Ibrt6ilgo08/s1600-h/elevater+3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT5FbpZyI/AAAAAAAABk0/Ibrt6ilgo08/s320/elevater+3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155376807375628066" /></a><br />With the precision of professionals Kate, Bri, and Leo put up siding on the house. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT5lbpZzI/AAAAAAAABk8/4mZFtcKSvyU/s1600-h/elevater+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT5lbpZzI/AAAAAAAABk8/4mZFtcKSvyU/s320/elevater+4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155376815965562674" /></a><br />A lot of work was done to complete the flooring of this house for the homeowner who gave a helping hand with the student workers. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT51bpZ0I/AAAAAAAABlE/mjVGX3e8SOg/s1600-h/elevater+5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uT51bpZ0I/AAAAAAAABlE/mjVGX3e8SOg/s320/elevater+5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155376820260529986" /></a><br />After a long day of work everyone was exhausted, especially Mark and Scott who caught a few ZZZzzz on the way home.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWDlbpZ1I/AAAAAAAABlM/aOHsW1s1E_w/s1600-h/Kate.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWDlbpZ1I/AAAAAAAABlM/aOHsW1s1E_w/s320/Kate.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155379186787510098" /></a><br />Kate working to help create a support beam for the trusses in a Habitat house. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWEFbpZ2I/AAAAAAAABlU/J6DqBOa3iS4/s1600-h/Kate+and+Nic.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWEFbpZ2I/AAAAAAAABlU/J6DqBOa3iS4/s320/Kate+and+Nic.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155379195377444706" /></a><br />Nicole and Kate enjoying themselves on an “adult jungle gym.”<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWEVbpZ3I/AAAAAAAABlc/jXGt2NseerU/s1600-h/Lunch.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWEVbpZ3I/AAAAAAAABlc/jXGt2NseerU/s320/Lunch.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155379199672412018" /></a><br />Some of our crew enjoying lunch on a beautiful day in NOLA.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWElbpZ4I/AAAAAAAABlk/UQa6bs-0ono/s1600-h/Morning+Talk.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWElbpZ4I/AAAAAAAABlk/UQa6bs-0ono/s320/Morning+Talk.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155379203967379330" /></a><br />We work with many other volunteers when working with Habitat. We are getting instructed on our daily tasks. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWE1bpZ5I/AAAAAAAABls/xBe040DrDOQ/s1600-h/Raising+Truss.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4uWE1bpZ5I/AAAAAAAABls/xBe040DrDOQ/s320/Raising+Truss.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155379208262346642" /></a><br />Some members of the crew raising trusses and putting them into the proper place.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tuhMRWv7I/AAAAAAAACBY/Y77fKbjPQuc/s1600-h/Wheels.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tuhMRWv7I/AAAAAAAACBY/Y77fKbjPQuc/s320/Wheels.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159839314591793074" /></a><br />Matt concentrates on getting the correct measurements.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tt48RWv6I/AAAAAAAACBQ/fRnNW3EPbMg/s1600-h/Trusses.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tt48RWv6I/AAAAAAAACBQ/fRnNW3EPbMg/s320/Trusses.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159838623102058402" /></a><br />Z and Nicole climb on the trusses to nail them into the framework.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ttfsRWv5I/AAAAAAAACBI/ypJ0-ysJyU8/s1600-h/Speed+Square.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ttfsRWv5I/AAAAAAAACBI/ypJ0-ysJyU8/s320/Speed+Square.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159838189310361490" /></a><br />Aaron uses a speed square to line up his cut on a custom piece of decking.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ttEMRWv4I/AAAAAAAACBA/aTcfIwwwQH0/s1600-h/Reaction.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5ttEMRWv4I/AAAAAAAACBA/aTcfIwwwQH0/s320/Reaction.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159837716863958914" /></a><br />We couldn’t help but laugh and cheer on Em as she held her breath in the crawfish tubs.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tscsRWv3I/AAAAAAAACA4/gVA58VqllAA/s1600-h/Crawfish.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R5tscsRWv3I/AAAAAAAACA4/gVA58VqllAA/s320/Crawfish.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159837038259126130" /></a><br />Justin fills up the tub holding enormous amounts of live crawfish, read to be boiled and eaten.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-91831966219580934012008-01-11T21:06:00.001-08:002008-01-13T08:36:40.431-08:00Day Four: January 2008Day Four: Friday, January 11<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EnR9wwrk7RQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EnR9wwrk7RQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />[Special Note: We are still struggling with our photos. Sorry they are a bit out of place. We're trying hard, but the posting of these things tends to happen at about midnight or so, when we are desperately in need of sleep. We'll keep trying.]<br /><br />Well, our punctuality plan failed, so tomorrow we have to wake the breakfast crew at 5:45 and the rest at 6:00. Apparently that’s what it takes to make it to work by 7:30. Oh well. No matter what the time, we were thrilled to wake up to clear skies. Even though it was a very cold 45 degrees, the absence of rain automatically made it a great day. <br /><br />We had GREAT jobs at Habitat today, with lots of sledgehammer-swinging, lots of daring roofwork, beautiful precision siding, and even a few games thrown in on the side. We learned that we are pretty quick learners, even if we are terrible at fractions. (Here’s one team taking measurements: “It’s 4 and a half inches and three lines.” This measurement might also be stated as 4 and 11/16 inches, but what’s the difference if the board comes out the right size?) <br /><br />We also learned that a lot of the members of our group are entirely fearless. They walked confidently on the edge of the roof installing decking or laying shingles, and some had so much fun up there that they created their own target game on a foundation and floor next door. They placed some targets on the subfloor and gave each other points if they could hit the target with their shingle scraps from the roof. By some miracle, Mark hit the orange that was there three times in a row, making him a legend on that rooftop and throughout our group. <br /><br />Almost everyone took a turn on one of the rooftops, including Sam, who is at least a little bit intimidated by heights, if not outright scared of them. Emily, Alec, Julie, Mark, and Shane stayed on one roof shingling practically all day long, while Sam, Aaron, Matt W., Bryan, and Amanda diligently laid decking on the roof next door. They claimed that visions of sliding down the slope involuntarily just never entered their heads, but for those who are afraid of heights, that image was all that was on their minds. <br /><br />One team stayed away from Habitat today and instead went and finished up the last work on the gutting job at Leroy Palmer’s house. Matt P., Nicole, Serg, Scott, and Linzy knocked out that last parts of the bathroom and the linoleum floor, and cleared the final debris from the little house we demolished there yesterday. From there they went to Rosie’s to clean up the house in preparation for the installation of sheetrock. First, they had to unload 100 sheets of 4’x12’ drywall, a job that is especially challenging because the sheets will break if they bend too far. <br /><br />By the time the rest of the group joined them, it was getting too close to dark to start the sheetrock job, so we decided to make quick work of Rosie’s thoroughly messed-up back yard instead. There were posts and links from a number of different iterations of fencing back there, along with lots of leftover debris from the storms. Rosie told us not worry about the huge pecan tree stump that was there because it would be “impossible” for us to remove it. Of course, hearing that the job is impossible means that we are determined to complete it. We’ll let you know.<br /><br />We came home to find that Shane had bought us actual fresh broccoli and salad greens. Jed, Kate, Julie, Briana, and Tommy added some rice-a-roni to our fresh foods to make an almost-normal dinner. After dinner we had our group meeting, where we gave out our “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” Awards. Last night’s winners were Matt P. for all of his labor in prepping gear for the trip, Scott for his work in bringing down Leroy’s little backyard house with his bare hands, Briana for taking some bold steps in our group and on the jobsite, and Emily for being a daring beamwalker during insulation installation. Tonight’s awards went to Katie L. for her cheery attitude despite her lack of sleep, Mark for his target prowess from the roof, and Nicole for overcoming some deep fears. Lots more awards could have been doled out, but we need to save a few for the weeks to come.<br /><br />The night ended with a great treat: individual letters to each of us from the students in the sixth grade class at Happy Hollow Elementary School in West Lafayette, Indiana. Whether they were fully decorated with elaborate drawings or just notes of encouragement, they brought great warmth, joy, and laughter into our lives. We’ll sign off in the same way that one of them did. . .<br /><br />Until the cows come home,<br /><br />SMC NOLA 2008<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljs1bpZnI/AAAAAAAABjc/em6_7N5lgMg/s1600-h/action+shot.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljs1bpZnI/AAAAAAAABjc/em6_7N5lgMg/s320/action+shot.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154760870410675826" /></a><br />This is our action shot of the day – while an assembly line moves sheet rock into Rosie’s duplex, others take the time to get to know Rosie.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljtVbpZoI/AAAAAAAABjk/U4uuFmMz7nk/s1600-h/Lindsay.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljtVbpZoI/AAAAAAAABjk/U4uuFmMz7nk/s320/Lindsay.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154760879000610434" /></a><br />As we wrapped up the last of our projects for the day Lindsay Ryberg kept the girls thoroughly entertained!<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljt1bpZpI/AAAAAAAABjs/qHu3QIQ1mu8/s1600-h/Matt+Aaron.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljt1bpZpI/AAAAAAAABjs/qHu3QIQ1mu8/s320/Matt+Aaron.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154760887590545042" /></a><br />Not only do we have each others back but we also have our feet… Matt Wheeler and Aaron Arnold helped each other out after a long day of work.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljulbpZqI/AAAAAAAABj0/uUFXaXu2-As/s1600-h/pulling+debris.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljulbpZqI/AAAAAAAABj0/uUFXaXu2-As/s320/pulling+debris.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154760900475446946" /></a><br />Brian, Matt Wheeler and Aaron Aarnold kept on working even after dark as they helped clear out debris from the back of Rosie’s duplex. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljvFbpZrI/AAAAAAAABj8/ptyvVzeZkQo/s1600-h/the+view.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4ljvFbpZrI/AAAAAAAABj8/ptyvVzeZkQo/s320/the+view.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154760909065381554" /></a><br />The Souljas got a special ride home, this is the view from the ferry.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liRlbpZiI/AAAAAAAABi0/_a8BtsbaDkw/s1600-h/E1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liRlbpZiI/AAAAAAAABi0/_a8BtsbaDkw/s320/E1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154759302747612706" /></a><br />Emily, Mark, Julie spent the day with four others nailing shingles on the roof of a Habitat house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liSFbpZjI/AAAAAAAABi8/Kb1uEM-_DWI/s1600-h/E2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liSFbpZjI/AAAAAAAABi8/Kb1uEM-_DWI/s320/E2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154759311337547314" /></a><br />Lindsay, Kate, Bree, and Leo learned how to cut and hang siding on the same house while others were roofing.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liSlbpZkI/AAAAAAAABjE/krSd02wyJoo/s1600-h/E3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liSlbpZkI/AAAAAAAABjE/krSd02wyJoo/s320/E3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154759319927481922" /></a><br />After our day at Habitat we all went over to Rosie’s to finally meet her. Her close family friend, and ours, Lisa Trigo, was there to welcome us to New Orleans.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liTFbpZlI/AAAAAAAABjM/bQ03n2Z7FbM/s1600-h/E4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liTFbpZlI/AAAAAAAABjM/bQ03n2Z7FbM/s320/E4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154759328517416530" /></a><br />We ended the day at Rosie’s cleaning up the backyard. We did not have much time before sunset, but we accomplished a lot before we had to leave.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liTVbpZmI/AAAAAAAABjU/th3LUPtdTgI/s1600-h/E5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4liTVbpZmI/AAAAAAAABjU/th3LUPtdTgI/s320/E5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154759332812383842" /></a><br />Matt, Aaron, and Bryan worked hard in the backyard pulling out an old rusted pole. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lgy1bpZdI/AAAAAAAABiM/6E3WLKLrkHU/s1600-h/jed+working.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lgy1bpZdI/AAAAAAAABiM/6E3WLKLrkHU/s320/jed+working.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154757674955007442" /></a><br />Jed, the stud that he is, takes a break from nailing down the flooring and builds the stairs for the stoop of the home.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lgzVbpZeI/AAAAAAAABiU/u3OeZOlfPTM/s1600-h/julie,+em,+mark,+shane.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lgzVbpZeI/AAAAAAAABiU/u3OeZOlfPTM/s320/julie,+em,+mark,+shane.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154757683544942050" /></a><br />Julie, Emily, Mark, and Shane work in sync on a roof at a house on the West Bank.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg0FbpZfI/AAAAAAAABic/1s-aOsyxETA/s1600-h/Obi+working.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg0FbpZfI/AAAAAAAABic/1s-aOsyxETA/s320/Obi+working.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154757696429843954" /></a><br />Obi works in the warm New Orleans sunshine after days of rain on the work site. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg01bpZgI/AAAAAAAABik/gtUFX9CDUcc/s1600-h/ppl+on+the+roof+and+side+of+the+house+.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg01bpZgI/AAAAAAAABik/gtUFX9CDUcc/s320/ppl+on+the+roof+and+side+of+the+house+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154757709314745858" /></a><br />Alec, Julie, Erik, and Mark team up on the roof as Kate and our Habitat friend, Stephanie, install siding on a house.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg1FbpZhI/AAAAAAAABis/sEODCmaOZJY/s1600-h/shawny+on+the+roof+.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lg1FbpZhI/AAAAAAAABis/sEODCmaOZJY/s320/shawny+on+the+roof+.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154757713609713170" /></a><br />“Goddess” Shawny puts her muscles to the test as she nails the final shingles into the roof of a Habitat home. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcQ1bpZYI/AAAAAAAABhk/mr9BTRV0An4/s1600-h/conANN.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcQ1bpZYI/AAAAAAAABhk/mr9BTRV0An4/s320/conANN.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154752692792944002" /></a><br />Along with the BLOKEs, Anne stops by to help with her own floor. She’s so enthusiastic and is almost done with her 350 sweat equity hours.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcRlbpZZI/AAAAAAAABhs/SIwQttjSvZg/s1600-h/ourfloors.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcRlbpZZI/AAAAAAAABhs/SIwQttjSvZg/s320/ourfloors.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154752705677845906" /></a><br />Lindsay shows off the incredible work of the day. We’re almost done with the floors.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcR1bpZaI/AAAAAAAABh0/3S-hccynL-I/s1600-h/ourToools.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcR1bpZaI/AAAAAAAABh0/3S-hccynL-I/s320/ourToools.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154752709972813218" /></a><br />These are the essential tools used to do flooring. There is a tool for every job!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcSVbpZbI/AAAAAAAABh8/-_qiEL_qiuk/s1600-h/Stairs.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcSVbpZbI/AAAAAAAABh8/-_qiEL_qiuk/s320/Stairs.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154752718562747826" /></a><br />In addition to installing the floor, Justin takes the lead in building a staircase which will lead up to Anne’s front door. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcSlbpZcI/AAAAAAAABiE/RO7joCrlV-M/s1600-h/upTop.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4lcSlbpZcI/AAAAAAAABiE/RO7joCrlV-M/s320/upTop.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154752722857715138" /></a><br />A bunch of studs are up there finishing decking and attaching shingles to the roof.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4540604017860318641.post-7499363789987173892008-01-10T21:14:00.000-08:002008-01-11T21:32:00.054-08:00Day Three: January 2008Day Three: Thursday, January 10<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I-TGtwcz-9c"> </param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I-TGtwcz-9c" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"> </embed> </object><br /><br />[Special Note: Please go back a couple of days and look at the still photos that we collected over those days but failed to post. We are still getting our technological groove together and we are catching up for three days of accumulated pictures now. . . Please forgive our inability to rotate the pictures that need it; we hope to figure out this technique soon.]<br /><br /><br />6:00 a.m. That’s when the breakfast and lunch crews agreed to arise so that we could make it to work by 7:30 a.m. The rest got up at 6:15 and agreed to really hustle so that all of the jobs involved in getting out of camp would be done in plenty of time. The plan started perfectly as the first two teams got up at 6. Things got a little shaky, though, when rain started to pour down at 6:02. No one flinched, as we just kept moving no matter how wet the world became. The breakfast crew ditched its plan to make oatmeal and convinced everyone to eat granola instead. We hustled and hurried and moved like little worker ants, but we still didn’t pull out of the gate until 7:20. With the traffic we hit going to work, we arrived only slightly late at 7:40. Just a little tweaking of our plan and we should make it on time tomorrow.<br /><br />Our first unusual experience of the day was the discovery of two newborn puppies under one of the houses at our site. Linzy and Amanda quickly became their surrogate mothers as they snuggled them close to keep them warm. Some nurses on site said that the puppies needed to get to a shelter if they were going to survive, so the puppy-mamas, a Habitat staffer named Jarred, and Justin went to find a place. Once the shelter turned them down, they decided that Jarred would take the puppies home and try to keep them alive. They stopped by the site first, though, and had Aaron remove the still-attached placenta from each puppy. For anyone who has been reading our blogs in years past, you might recall that we had a very moving situation involving a puppy in January 2006, so for some of us the rescue of two puppies is a very moving bookend experience. <br /><br />As the puppy drama unfolded, most of the rest of us returned to the same jobs we had yesterday. The floor crew got the unfortunate news that they had to undo most of their work from the day before and stagger the floorboards differently. They were pretty cheery about the whole thing, especially because they really liked the other volunteers that were working with them and their house leader, Zac. <br /><br />Another group finished installing almost every single window in all four of the houses that are in progress at the site. Alec, Scott, Matt, Mark, and Tommy were the expert crew who could go into business for themselves once we return. A different group helped to install facing and decking on the roof we helped raise yesterday. Don’t get too scared, parents, but we have gotten quite skilled at operating from the tops of 20-foot ladders, even when there are large sheets of plywood involved. Wow. <br /><br />The last group finished jobs on a different house then added their talents to the raising of another roof. Several of the newcomers helped to bringing the trusses onto the roof, including Scott, Mark, Nicole, Briana, Julie, and Erik. <br /><br />Throughout all of these jobs, we endured very confusing surprise cloudbursts where rain would suddenly dump from the sky with no warning or buildup, leaving us running for cover but still getting soaked to the bone. We actually enjoyed this happy juxtaposition: just as we were laboring to provide shelter for deserving families, we were reminded again and again of the importance of shelter and protection from the elements. <br /><br />The cloudbursts got a bit stronger in the afternoon and a Habitat staffer finally told us to call it a day. We, of course, did NOT call it a day even though we left the Habitat site. We divided into two groups: one that began to install the insulation that will rest behind the sheetrock we will hang this weekend at Rosie Boitmann’s house, and one that went to finish the gutting job at Leroy Palmer’s house. <br /><br />The group at Rosie’s house climbed into the attic and stapled insulation throughout and also covered about half of the interior walls. The group at Leroy’s house took out two layers of linoleum tile flooring, finished debris removal in a garage and another outbuilding in the backyard, and then followed Don’s request that we remove that outbuilding altogether. In California, that small building might be called a “mother-in-law” unit, as it was a small room with a tiny porch that might have been a guesthouse at one time. At this time, the room was clearly used for storage. It was a cute little building with a lot of character, but its instability meant that the safest move was for us to bring it down. <br /><br />After clearing the space very carefully by using the bucket brigade method, Chris, Matt, and Scott realized that a few well-chosen cuts with the sawzall would make it possible to push the building over by hand. It wasn’t exactly a breeze for them, but it turned out that a lot of rocking and then a few big pushes brought the building to the ground. Everything unfolded very safely and according to the plan. The cutest part of the whole operation happened right at the end of it all. As the very last move, Matt and Scott turned their backs to the building to push off of a shed in the neighbor’s backyard. Once our building began to give, their backs were literally against the wall, so they just rode the house onto its side with their feet in the air. <br /><br />Our ten-hour workday finally ended just before 6 p.m. We headed home and melted some Velveeta, added jalapenos, and ate it with our main pantry staple: Ritz crackers. The Elevaters whipped up some curry and rice for dinner as a favor to Team Team, who was assigned to cook tonight. We held our group meeting early (around 8:00) and agreed that it would be good to go to bed early and perhaps get eight full hours of sleep. At 10:30, we all realized that we had lost track of time in our enthusiasm to plan projects, flip through pictures, and just plain talk. Shawny keeps telling us she just can’t believe how outstanding our group is so early in the trip. As usual, we’re just happy to be here. Thanks for your support!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKU1bpZTI/AAAAAAAABg8/YAdbIP5JQKg/s1600-h/DSCN1394.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKU1bpZTI/AAAAAAAABg8/YAdbIP5JQKg/s320/DSCN1394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154451495326410034" /></a><br /><br />Two puppies found under Habitat for Humanity home. Aaron came to the rescue and cut the umbilical cord of one puppy and Amanda cared for the other. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKVFbpZUI/AAAAAAAABhE/7zygH36u29k/s1600-h/DSCN1399.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKVFbpZUI/AAAAAAAABhE/7zygH36u29k/s320/DSCN1399.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154451499621377346" /></a><br /><br />Erik and Kate diligently prep for the installation of a window. After much hard work, very window was installed in all four Habitat for Humanity homes.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKVlbpZVI/AAAAAAAABhM/J2rUCv7AEcI/s1600-h/DSCN1402.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKVlbpZVI/AAAAAAAABhM/J2rUCv7AEcI/s320/DSCN1402.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154451508211311954" /></a><br /><br />As the New Orleans storm poured down, Bryan, Katie, Aaron, and Shane ducked for cover under one of the Habitat houses. We endured three thunderstorms throughout the day.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKV1bpZWI/AAAAAAAABhU/H29VzfJBngc/s1600-h/DSCN1413.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKV1bpZWI/AAAAAAAABhU/H29VzfJBngc/s320/DSCN1413.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154451512506279266" /></a><br /><br />Linzy and Lindsay help each other cut the panels for the side of a soon to be completed house. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKWFbpZXI/AAAAAAAABhc/Ljm5hci9QXI/s1600-h/DSCN1424.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4hKWFbpZXI/AAAAAAAABhc/Ljm5hci9QXI/s320/DSCN1424.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154451516801246578" /></a><br /><br />Bri and Julie persevere through hours of pulling up linoleum flooring in Leeroy’s home in the lower ninth ward.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-3VbpZOI/AAAAAAAABgU/CjfvtNkzVyA/s1600-h/groupONfloor.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-3VbpZOI/AAAAAAAABgU/CjfvtNkzVyA/s320/groupONfloor.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154438893892363490" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday’s hard work didn’t quite pay off like we thought. Upon arriving at the Habitat site, the BLOKEs found that the floor was done incorrectly and had to be removed and re-done. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-3lbpZPI/AAAAAAAABgc/f2a48eTC1nQ/s1600-h/LUNCH.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-3lbpZPI/AAAAAAAABgc/f2a48eTC1nQ/s320/LUNCH.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154438898187330802" /></a><br /><br />The group crowds around the truck for a great lunch of lentils, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-4FbpZQI/AAAAAAAABgk/ipDwX7EcVB0/s1600-h/roofinsulation.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-4FbpZQI/AAAAAAAABgk/ipDwX7EcVB0/s320/roofinsulation.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154438906777265410" /></a><br /><br />Emily and Shane couldn’t wait to get off the ground again; they’re always eager to climb into the rafters. Here they are installing all the roof insulation at Rosie’s place.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-4lbpZRI/AAAAAAAABgs/PEuu9FbitpI/s1600-h/Shelter.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-4lbpZRI/AAAAAAAABgs/PEuu9FbitpI/s320/Shelter.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154438915367200018" /></a><br /><br />The rain was pouring on and off all day at the Habitat site. Elijah ducks for cover during one of the many downpours. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-6FbpZSI/AAAAAAAABg0/EpVPvYmxf6A/s1600-h/wallInsulation.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4g-6FbpZSI/AAAAAAAABg0/EpVPvYmxf6A/s320/wallInsulation.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154438941137003810" /></a><br /><br />The BLOKEs and Elevaters happily install insulation in Rosie’s duplex.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2FbpZJI/AAAAAAAABfs/eaon22Hsnnc/s1600-h/photo1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2FbpZJI/AAAAAAAABfs/eaon22Hsnnc/s320/photo1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154098023812916370" /></a><br /><br />Relentless.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2VbpZKI/AAAAAAAABf0/A_miPBfQz6o/s1600-h/photo2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2VbpZKI/AAAAAAAABf0/A_miPBfQz6o/s320/photo2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154098028107883682" /></a><br /><br />After the first of four down pours that lasted about five minutes made about two inches of water across the floor of one of the habitat houses.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2lbpZLI/AAAAAAAABf8/M6hQjE3v5DE/s1600-h/photo3.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI2lbpZLI/AAAAAAAABf8/M6hQjE3v5DE/s320/photo3.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154098032402850994" /></a><br /><br />Some Jan Term classes use notebooks to write, this is ours.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI21bpZMI/AAAAAAAABgE/hwdcW-l26ds/s1600-h/photo4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI21bpZMI/AAAAAAAABgE/hwdcW-l26ds/s320/photo4.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154098036697818306" /></a><br /><br />Potential from the ground up; foundation is key to a stable and great home. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI3VbpZNI/AAAAAAAABgM/cI40lKP-5RE/s1600-h/photo5.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cI3VbpZNI/AAAAAAAABgM/cI40lKP-5RE/s320/photo5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154098045287752914" /></a><br /><br />Everyone sitting on the floor of the bus since we were all soaking wet.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHM1bpZFI/AAAAAAAABfM/y0EDYTyWCu8/s1600-h/DSCN3287.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHM1bpZFI/AAAAAAAABfM/y0EDYTyWCu8/s320/DSCN3287.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154096215631684690" /></a><br /><br />With Chris, Matt, and Scott pushing from the back of the house down it went<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNFbpZGI/AAAAAAAABfU/DuvXo_UAlzQ/s1600-h/DSCN3265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNFbpZGI/AAAAAAAABfU/DuvXo_UAlzQ/s320/DSCN3265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154096219926652002" /></a><br /><br />Bryan cutting pieces for the sub-fasciae<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNVbpZHI/AAAAAAAABfc/ajxwQGl1Qzs/s1600-h/DSCN3274.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNVbpZHI/AAAAAAAABfc/ajxwQGl1Qzs/s320/DSCN3274.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154096224221619314" /></a><br /><br />During the break due to bad weather Aaron whittles away the pencil and the time. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNlbpZII/AAAAAAAABfk/nukAULeulPQ/s1600-h/DSCN3278.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VcRWdHfKE-c/R4cHNlbpZII/AAAAAAAABfk/nukAULeulPQ/s320/DSCN3278.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5154096228516586626" /></a><br /><br />“Measure twice, cut once” as the saying goes. Linzy and Aarom double check their numbers before cutting a piece of siding.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1