Day Thirteen

Team Mannschaft got to make the video on a VERY fun day. Click below to see real life in Louisiana when the SAINTS are playing!



Our plan for a Sunday morning job fell through, which meant we got to sleep in with no wakeup whatsoever. Strangely, the weather turned very warm in the night (it was almost 70 degrees by about 8:30 in the morning), which made our bus MISERABLE both in temperature and in smell. Even though we could have slept until noon, we were driven out of the bus by how gross it was this morning. If we know it will be hot, we can open windows, put mosquito netting on them, and run fans down the middle of the bus. If we think it will be cold, though, we bundle up tightly and try not to let the door stay open very long so we can hold in the warmth. We expected a deep chill, so we closed things down and bundled up. Ugh.

Once we recovered from our morning stinkout, we made canned ham and eggs for breakfast and did a thorough cleaning job on the trailer. Juan and Kate had already done the same on the storage holds under the bus, so we are now better organized than we have been for awhile. We got word that a big downpour was about to hit us, so we went into storm mode and moved things around in our tents to prevent things from getting soaked. Right when we got ready for it, the rain came down in buckets. No problem.

Just after noon, we loaded into the bus for the main event of the day: watching the Saints in the playoffs while eating enormous piles of crawfish, crab, and ALLIGATOR! We drove up I-10 and went to the beautiful Slidell home of Cindy and David Franatovich, whose house we worked on last Sunday. We cannot even describe what an amazingly beautiful paradise this place was for us today. The house is on the water, in some kind of saltwater channel that drains into Lake Pontchartrain (we think). They have multi-level decking off the back of the house and a big open living room (with a HUGE high definition TV in it!) attached to the kitchen.

To add to the glory of the place, we were met just inside the door by Cindy’s parents, Connie and Jerry LeRouge. They are the warm and wonderful people whose house we cleared near the end of last January’s trip and whose sheds and outbuildings we cleared earlier this week. They were as bubbly as ever, and both of them looked great.

Whether anyone in that house was ready for us or not, we took the place over. Everyone looked exuberant just arriving at the house, and we had not yet experienced all that was to come. One great feature of the highest back deck was an enormous crawfish and crab pot. Most of us would say it was the biggest pot we have ever seen, at least until David told us that it was his “medium-sized” one. (The large one is 4x4x4 feet and looks like a very complicated air conditioning unit.) When we arrived, David and his almost-identical brother Steve were draining out the crabwater from the pot, having already cooked two hampers full of crabs in it (that’s somewhere between 160-200 crabs). They were prepping the pot for its next occupants: 120 pounds of live crawfish.

We were totally unprepared for the fascinating process that revolves around a crawfish boil. We were engrossed in every step of the procedure and we found that David and Steve were great instructors on the finer points of Louisiana cooking. Everyone exclaimed over and over again: “This is SO cool!”

The next item on the menu was alligator tail, which had been scaled and marinated in mild and Louisiana hot sauce, then dipped in a light cornmeal batter and fried. All of us at least tried it and some of us had trouble keeping ourselves from eating it all. It does not taste like chicken.

We got to learn all of the locals’ secrets for eating the delicacies mentioned above and we all made big messes of ourselves as we tore into the shells of our various menu selections. We each ate between 50 and 100 crawfish (not counting Julie, Rachel, and Kate, who opted out for a variety of reasons). When we were finished with the shells, we could throw them right into the waterway, or, for a more fun adventure, throw them into the air and let seagulls dive and grab them before they hit the water.

On top of all of the fine food we were swimming in, the SAINTS were playing! We became superfans. Of course, our fanaticism did not lead to a Saints victory, but we cared enough by the end of that game to be really proud of “our” team, even if we hadn’t followed them (or football in general) for the rest of the season. We even stuck around for the Colts/Patriots game, under the excuse that all of the bath and dish towels we had brought along to wash were not yet dry.

While the football games unfolded, we ate like kings and queens (or, maybe more appropriately, pigs). Lisa Trigo, her husband Bruce, and their daughter Lauren joined us and brought two big king cakes in Saints colors. They also brought Julie back to us, who has made a miraculous recovery and can now rejoin our community on the bus. Yay!

Some people sat by the lake and stared into it. Some people cheered on the Saints or the Colts (one pair rooted for New England, but quietly). Some sat and talked with Connie, Jerry, Cindy, David, Steve, Debbie (Steve’s wife), or Cindy and David’s kids Dara and Dustin. Leo fished.

We had a wonderful day. A better day than this page can explain. We rested, we ate well, and we learned more about Louisiana and about each other. We even had floats made of vanilla ice cream and pink cream soda. Only a Saints victory could have improved this spectacularly decadent day. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh . . .

Leo and Rachel chat on a rocking bench behind the extra large boiling pot filled with Cajun spices, veggies, and seafood.



Feke shows everyone back home how to take advantage of the fried alligator. Mmmmm!!! Delicious!



Our host, David, prepares the alligator tail on the back deck of his house. We were pleasantly surprised with the seasoned chunks of meat.



The Trigo’s brought two Saint’s colored King Cakes for dessert. Although we were full from the gator, crabs, and crawfish, we made room for our new favorite pastry.



We all had a great time, but then the game “Blurt!” came out and the battle of the sexes began. Although it was a close game, the men prevailed, and of course it was in large part thanks to Tim and Tommy.



Our delicious meal consisted of two large baskets of crab with corn and potatoes and of course…. marinated in Louisiana hot sauce. This picture doesn’t even include the 120 pounds of crawfish we worked our way through while watching the Saints game.



The group is enraptured in the game as it begins at David and Cindy’s. Although the Saints didn’t win; we all had a blast. We were spoiled all day long with wonderful food, happy hosts, and one big screen TV.



To take a break from camp life, Rachel, Vince, Janeva and Juan opt for a stroll in the rain. We had an easy morning, and everyone used their spare time to the fullest.



At the home of Cindy and David Fernanavitch, their nephew Wes describes the marine life of the canal to Juan. Right in their backyard live crawfish, alligators, fish, and crabs, (three of which we ate that afternoon!)



In the biggest pot of boiling water we had ever seen, David made 120 lbs of crawfish for our group and his family. There was so much that went into the mix, including brussel sprouts, corn, lemons, bay leaves, onions, potatoes, and special Cajun seasonings – some Tony Chacheries.




At the end of a lovely and comfortable day, with great food and intense football, we gathered for a parting photo. It was nice to be all together and spending time with good friends in a home.



This is the view from Cindy and David’s home in Slidell! We were so lucky to have been invited over for the afternoon to enjoy some playoff football, fresh crab, crawfish, alligator, and the famous red cream soda.



Cindy and David set up an extra table, which simply summarizes everyone’s feelings about the storm over a year ago.



Kellie is served a plate full of delectable crawfish from the 120-pound pot.



Dara and Jerry are pained as they watch as their Saints lose the game Sunday afternoon.



Tommy, Vanessa, and Juan enjoy the seafood lunch prepared for us.

Day Twelve

Though the Transformers are down one member (Julie is still in the “hostage situation” at Lisa Trigo’s house as she recovers from her back strain), they still produced the following insights from today’s events. Click below to see what happened.



Another early morning took us back to Natasha’s Habitat for Humanity house on Dale Street in New Orleans East. It was cold again, but much less miserable because it wasn’t raining terribly hard at all and whatever rain we felt was not as freezing as yesterday’s. All of us were ready to roll even after our night out in the French Quarter, as we all made the 10:00 curfew with no problems.

Justin and Shane had a different day than the rest of us as Justin noticed a problem with his radiator that had to be addressed. These two spent the morning chasing down a new radiator on a Louisiana Saturday and the afternoon installing it. They finished in time to make a run to Don’s to apply a second coat of stain.

The Habitat groups this time distributed themselves across three different addresses, with some completing the steps they began yesterday on America Street, some finishing paint jobs further up that same street and others painting interior trim. The paint job that Janeva and Kellie did involved standing on 24-foot ladders and painting the under-edge of the roof; because they are both afraid of heights, this achievement is especially significant.

Tommy and Vanessa worked meticulously to level the new front steps, installing shims and other braces to stabilize the entry-point of the house. Virtually every house has steps at the entry, especially after the new building regulations of the post-Katrina “master plan” were released. To oversimplify the new specifications, all new construction (and reconstruction) requires that most houses be raised an average of three feet from prior standards.

Natasha was with the crew at her house for most of the morning. She talked about her plans for the house, including her recent purchase of furniture for her 6-year-old son. She said that her own furniture is in storage in Texas and that she looks forward to setting up her own bedroom early this spring. We asked her about plans for her large backyard and she said that she hopes to plant a garden there. She also said that she has always wished for a shiny gazing globe on a stand; she is considering whether to buy one.

Once we heard this wish, we did not hesitate. We asked Justin and Shane to make a run right away to find a beautiful shiny orb that will match Natasha’s soon-to-be-purple house. They agreed and brought one right away. Natasha had to leave early today for a funeral and didn’t return before we left. Thus, we didn’t get a chance to give her our gift. Because we expect to return on Tuesday, we hope to deliver it then.

The crew at Natasha’s was incredibly productive today. We got to start “decking” the roof and we laid down about 70% of it. We finished trimming all of the windows, and we finally got those crazy ceiling pieces cut at the absurd angles that were necessary to make them fit (Elijah and Aaron were the kingpins on the completion of that one). We almost finished the facia along the roofline and we marked the lines for the siding. We expect to hang much of the siding on Tuesday.

Courtney got a visit from her cousin Gail, whose place we cleared last January (it was the place where we found an intact picture of Courtney and her sisters and brother, though there were very few salvageable items in the whole house). Gail, her twin sister Kathy and Kathy’s husband Bobby brought us King Cakes (a coffeecake/Danish-like item that is a major New Orleans tradition) that were decorated in Saints colors. They had waited two hours in line to get these cakes for us. We are grateful for the treats and for the commitment that it took to get them for us!

Julie is feeling better finally, so we think we will bring her back to the bus with us when we leave Cindy and David’s after the game tomorrow (Go Saints!). We look forward to a day in front of the TV, especially with the chance to participate in such a major cultural happening for the city of New Orleans. The opportunity to eat barbecued alligator and crawfish sounds pretty good too.

We hope we get to celebrate a big Saints win tomorrow! Please cheer along with us.


Taking a lunch break from the daily grind of the Bringing Back the Bayou Crew, Shawny, Lindsay and Jed talk about the days work. Placing bets on Aaron and Elijah finishing linking the truss joints… After a long and grueling day of continuous work progress was made but the days work for Aaron and Elijah went uncompleted…Shawny won 10 dollars.



Elijah and Emily put the finishing touched on the links between the truss joints.



The temperatures were low, but our spirits were high. Brian breaks it down for some lunch time entertainment.



Bree and Shane work to raise the roof at a Habitat for Humanity house.



Our new “truck.” With Justin’s truck in the shop due to a busted radiator, we had to rent a Kia.



An example of a completed Habitat for Humanity house. Seeing Natasha’s house in other pictures, one can see the progress that is being made.



A vacant lot in New Orleans East. Many of the trees in the area have been uprooted by the storm.



Kellie and Janeva pose after a long day of painting with their Habitat for Humanity supervisor Caitlyn.



Kellie, Janeva, Vince, and Linzy paint the exterior with style and grace. By the end of our experience, they will be professional painters.



There are still many homes untouched in the city of New Orleans. Rebuilding the city is a long-term process that will take time, perseverance, and a lot of helping hands.



During our busy day at work, we noticed an abandoned boat on the side of the road. This is a typical picture in neighborhoods throughout the city.



Feke shows patience in every stroke with his paintbrush in a newly built in east New Orleans.



Bryan Navarro pays special attention to the trim on of one of the many houses built by Habitat for Humanity.



Yessenia is all smiles after a hard day’s work on Natasha’s house (look at its new roof!). In the background, Aaron snaps some more photos.



Vince and Lindsay apply a second coat of white paint on closet and door trimming.





In the two pictures below, we see Janeva and Kellie overcome their fear of heights to give a home its brand new coat of peach paint.





This blog includes a special Brian Navarro production. This video was made right before we came and we hope that you will be as entertained as we were by his creative short film!

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Day Eleven

The ONEders were watching what was going on through a video camera during this cold and miserable day. Click below to catch up on the action.



We had an early start today because we went back to work on Natasha’s Habitat for Humanity house in New Orleans East. The day was an awful one weather-wise, as it was cold, windy, rainy, and – sometimes – sleeting. We plugged away anyway to help make progress on Natasha’s new home. A small group finally finished off the sanding at Don’s house and actually got to the point of staining the floors. Even without the final finish, those floors already look great.

We got out to the house and had a strange set of duties on this rainy day. Two groups went off to a nearby Habitat house where they were asked to build steps and paint doors. At Natasha’s house, one group was also building steps while others were trimming out windows on the outside of the house. Another group was installing the facia around the roofline (the horizontal line of wood just under the roof itself). Chris and a few others made several attempts to cut a complicated angle on a diagonal roof piece, but it took almost all day to get even one of the four pieces that we needed cut right. We all seriously reevaluated our mathematical abilities, unless we were outright cursing the gods of geometry.

Of course, we have to make clear that there are no walls in Natasha’s house yet and that the roof trusses have been raised but the roof itself has not been laid. Thus, we were standing on ladders fully exposed to the elements while the wind and rain cut into us like icicles. The silver lining here is that we were not surrounded by dark clouds of mosquitoes as usual, so at least we could take some slight comfort in that temporary relief.

We had the easiest lunch ever: Ritz crackers and graham crackers, peanut butter, Clif Bars, and Nutella (a chocolate spread). We strangely loved it. We continued to toil away into the afternoon and our morale improved. Still, we needed some warmth, so we decided to run into the French Quarter this evening and sit in a restaurant rather than in our chilly tent. While there, we were joined by a few special guests from California. Renee Egan, an administrative assistant in the School of Liberal Arts at SMC, brought her son John along and joined us for dinner. Another, Jennifer Pigza of SMC’s Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action, found us as we were leaving the restaurant and joined part of our group for some wandering and shopping. After eating a boatload of shrimp, some of us rode the last ferry home at 8:45 while others decided to explore the Quarter and still make it back in time for tonight’s 10:00 curfew. We have an early morning with Habitat again tomorrow.

By the way, our patient, Julie, had a doctor’s appointment today and learned that she should be able to treat her back problems with some muscle relaxants and ibuprofen. She is going to stay with Lisa tonight to get used to her new medications and then re-join us on Sunday when we go up to Cindy and David’s house to watch the Saints game. We are all relieved to know that she is on the verge of getting real relief. We miss her on the bus but we know that she needs some rest to be able to get back into the swing of things. Get better soon, Julie! And thanks a million to Lisa Trigo (again!)!

Several students worked at this home at 4829 America St. We painted doors and window trim in several places around the home.



Natasha’s house is coming along. There’s much work to be done but we’ll be back tomorrow.



Shane takes a circular saw to the eaves of the trusses atop the same 24 foot ladder.



Hey mom look at me! Tim waves from the top of 24 foot adjustable ladder. Don’t worry mom it was only set for about 20 feet.



Waaazzzzaaaappppp!!! Feke and Brian holla at the camera while painting with Habitat for Humanity.



Vanessa Cornejo and Tommy Bell use a drill to assemble pieces of the steps that will lead to a front door that the homeowner will be step through, key in hand.





Our lunch, Nnutella, “The original creamy, chocolate, hazelnut spread.”



The pride of the city over the past three months has been the Saints! The Saints have been a team full of hope, a hope that has been contagious throughout the city. We will be watching and cheering them on tomorrow as they compete against the Bears for a chance to go to the Super Bowl!!



The group tries to unwind and thaw out from the days work in the frigid cold air. It was a relief when Alicia, the leader of our site, informed us that it was time to clean up and head home.



This Habitat for Humanity house is an example of what Natasha’s house will look like when it is complete. All the Habitat houses are painted with vibrant colors. Natasha will have the choice of what “Skittle” like color her house will be.



Although Natasha’s house will be brand new, her neighborhood is full of abandoned houses many of which have been untouched since the storm.



As the temperature drops in New Orleans, the roof continues to rise as Megan and Tim work on finishing up the details on the trusses.



Bree tries to avoid the cold and wet weather, while preparing wood for window framing. The weather may be miserable, but the job has to get done!



Linzy and Emily take a moment to pose for a picture while soaking up the sights and sounds of downtown New Orleans.



Choosing to stay on deck, Janeva, Courtney, and Kellie decide to listen up on Leo’s many stories and his favorite cellphone ring tones.



Linzy, Megan, and Soraya enjoy some tasty shrimp, buffalo wings, hushpuppies, and freckled strawberry lemonade at Bubba Gumps in the French Quarter.



“Who dat?! Go Saints!” Some young fans cheer for the New Orleans Saints at Café Du Monde. The city is alive and excited for this weekend’s big game.