Week Four, Day Six

Friday ...
We wake and four of the six of us pack up. I've become quite good at traveling light and being able to pack quickly (and in the dark, no less) thanks to these trips. Raymond, Lonnie, George, and Doug say their goodbyes and head off to continue working on siding and the day looks like a good one for the task. The camp cat, Lady Marmalade, stops by and says her goodbyes, too.

She's a stray that was rescued and adopted by the crew here. She's very friendly and very bold and seems to be at ease with the amount of energy and activity going on around her. She is NOT shy, and is aptly named.

Ella, Mark, Nate, and I hit the road at 8:10am and by 9:40am, we roll into Cafe Du Monde, where a parking spot right in front seems to be waiting just for us.


Along the way through the French Quarter, I point out The Court Of Two Sisters, Pat O'Briens, and Royal and Bourbon Streets. After Mark drops us all off at the airport, I hope he'll head back to Royal Street and maybe find the Hurricane Museum that Kevin and I visited during Week #2 '06.

Nate is the first out of the van. He'll be leaving for Europe ... tomorrow ... so our wishes for safe travels are for all the planes he'll be on in the next 24 hours. Ella hops out at the American gate and I look forward to seeing her in the office as we swap photos and references from this past week. I depart at the United gate and hand the keys over to Mark. I envy the day that I think he'll have, but I'm ready to go home to my family, my shower, and to meet by brand new Niece.

Soooooooooo ... waddya say we meet up again in August? I know this great little town that has lots of really cool things to do that'd keep ya' plenty busy all day long and has some pretty terrific food, too ... plus the Starbucks on Pass Road will probably be open by then. ;-)
************************************************************************************** My thanks to the company for agreeing to continue to stand behind this program for 2007. My gratitude to my division's sales team in the Americas, led by Tom, for their (and specifically *his*) unwavering support and encouragement.

A large round of applause as I introduce the first 2007 volunteers: Raymond "Hula Hoop" M., "Right On" Lonnie M., Ella "Peanut Butter" M., Mark "Broccoli" K., and Nate "Red Dog 2" H.

Enthusiastic gushes to my inner-circle of support, who provided me a lifeline to the goings-on outside of Biloxi, along with e-mails, jokes, and positive vibes throughout the week.

Take fun. Have care. Be good. - Jules

Week Four, Day Five

Thursday ...
We really hit our stride today as a group. We were back at the siding at the Parker Home, assisted by great weather, and finished up one side as far as needed (we don't know the trim detail for the roof line, so we stop a few boards shy of the top) and move around to the other side of the home and start again.














Ella spends most of the day working with Doug (our first Hands-On worker) and, before long, she becomes queen of the nail gun.



I'm significantly impressed by this because I still don't have the courage or confidence to use a power tool and Ella just dives right in like it's second nature to her. (Yes, I *did* use a power saw during Week #3 '06 ... for all of about 45 seconds when I realized how much serious trouble it could get me in.)










Nate and George (our second Hands-On worker) are the two quiet teammates in the group. They make very little noise and just get the job done, silently and effectively.

Nate earns the nickname of "Chocolate Man" for his perfect timing with chocolate treats in the afternoon, just as our energy starts to fade.


Mark and I work on finishing one side of the house,
and then take down the scaffolding with Ella's help. In the afternoon, we spend about an hour cleaning out the equipment storage pod and wind up finding a few items that we could have used earlier in the week but, better than that, we made the space a little neater and allow for more room. (This probably won't last long but we won't be here when it gets messed up again.)

Raymond and Lonnie are our cutters,

and they really do a great job of keeping up as we call out requests for board lengths. At every 6th board or so, the length tends to change ever so slightly so we can't just assume that a space is always going to need a board that measures 52 13/16ths (and yes, we get THAT precise). Just like Jackie Washington's home that Jim told me about in Week #2 '06, this home doesn't have walls or corners that are dead even or at perfect right angles, though it is a brand new structure. The nature of the soil, the materials, and the stability requirements for the framing don't equate to perfect walls or corners.

At 4:40pm, we decide we've done all we can on the outside (and we figure we'll leave the interior for another team).

We start to pack it in and take a team photo.
The eight of us treat ourselves to a stop at The Pub prior to heading back to camp and we decide to head to Ocean Springs for dinner. Happily, George and Doug will join us and we agree to meet after showers.

As I'm cleaning up, another volunteer shows up injured and bleeding. She was running outdoors in open-toed shoes and stubbed her toe badly. I help her clean out the wound, get some peroxide to sterilize what we can't flush out, and have her ice her foot to keep the swelling down. As I help her to a table with bandages and antiseptic ointment, she sighs heavily. "I can't remember when I was treated this well", she says. Her leader runs into me as I get ready to go and thanks me for my assistance. "These kids forget to take care of themselves because they're focused on everyone else", she sighs. "Even doing the obvious nicety pushes them right over the edge, after working so hard all day." I agree with her and thank her for helping me figure out why I'm embarrassed to accept a simple "thank you" for being here ... I consider it an obvious nicety.

The team meets up and we roll into The Shed BBQ shortly after 7:30pm for some seriously good eats. I show Ella the ceiling in the back where John made sure to document our Week #3 '06 visit and I add the first 2007 visit.

I suppose we've started a tasty tradition here.

We spend time over dinner getting to know our Hands-On folks better. George, 24,

will be wrapping up his shift here in June, at which time he'll then go to work on his Masters in Architecture.

Doug, 32,

will be here until November and then ... well, he's not sure what that "then" will be. He likes the friendships he's developed here and takes great pride in his work (as well he should).

We say goodnight back at camp, where some of us hop onto the available computers while others read. Even after the work we did today, we all seem pretty energized. It could be because the day we'll return to the comforts of our homes is rapidly approaching, or it could be the satisfaction that only really good potato salad can bring ... but I suspect it's because we *know* we did good work today - and quite a bit of it, too.

Tomorrow, Ella, Mark, Nate, and I will drive to New Orleans and go our separate ways but first, we'll have breakfast as a team at camp one last time.

Week Four, Day Four

Wednesday ...
Well, it wouldn't be Wednesday in Biloxi if it wasn't raining. It (apparently) started raining last night. I wouldn't know as I fell asleep at 10pm and didn't come-to until 6:15am when my alarm went off.

After a brief mocha run and breakfast at camp, we head over to Mike G.'s office. We obviously won't be working on the siding project but he'll find something else for us to do. The rain is nearly done by the time we're assigned to move the office space that houses Architecture For Humanity, as well as Biloxi City Councilman and Executive Director of the East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center Bill Stallworth, and the rest of the East Bilxoi Resource Center.

I'm plenty happy with the idea of assisting on anything that helps Bill - he has done a tremendous amount of great work for the people of East Biloxi and he never hesitates to lend a hand, no matter what the task. In fact, after we realize that we have a trailer but no vehicle to tow it, Bill tosses another staffer the keys to his pickup truck. It's this kind of "doing what needs to be done" attitude that's allowed this area to make the kind of progress it has. Yes, there is lots more to be done, but there's also lots that HAS been accomplished. (Even the new offices they'll be moving into aren't totally done, but they're "done" enough.)

I'm reminded of those accomplishments when I stop into the village at lunch and run into Richard C. from the Beaverton crew. He happily gives me updates on all of the projects we worked on in 2006, just like Jim did last year. He also asked me how Bruce is doing (a 2006 Week #2 volunteer) and I let him know that I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Bruce sign up for our August or November '07 weeks.

During the afternoon, I also get to catch up with Curtis, my very first boss (Paula and I painted the interior of a home with he and Emily during Week #1 '06.) He tells me that he'll be heading home to Portland in June and wants to work in a construction crew. I have no doubt that he'll have his choice of job offers, considering his experiences here.

Unloading the trailer takes considerably less time than loading and we're all very happy to see that there are no flights of stairs to deal with at the new offices (unlike the two flights at the old location). I also notice that the new space seems familiar ...
and then it occurs to me: Patricia, John, and other members of the brick cleaning crew worked on this site on Week #3 '06. I remember John talking about the floor sealing process being pretty labor-intensive, so I should state that yes, the floor looks great. Nice work, you guys!

Tomorrow will be my last work day in Biloxi for the time being. It looks like it may rain tonight but I know that if it does, we'll find something to do.

********************

I'd like to end today's entry with a quiet round of "Happy Birthday". Today, shortly after 8amPT, my sister and brother-in-law welcomed their second daughter, Sophia Nicole, into the world. I've been told that everyone is happy and healthy.

What more could ya' ask for?

Week Four, Day Three

Tuesday ...
This morning, four of us went to breakfast at ... ... ... wait for it ... ... ... Waffle House, and then we all went back to our site from yesterday. We'll be putting up siding with Doug and George, who are here with Hands-On. (I think that's right. It's hard to keep track of who is here with which volunteer organization, to be honest.) This is going to be good for us because yesterday we all noticed that not too much got done on the siding while we were there doing landscaping work. I know that I thought we could probably have done much more if we were doing it.

Fueled by our Waffle House experience (complete with grits), we head to work on the side of the home, visions of completion - or at least measurable progress - dancing in our heads.

I'm happy to say that yes, we DID achieve measurable progress, once we realized that we work in offices ... at desks ... with phones and computers - and maybe we could learn from the guys who have been doing this work (and a LOT more) since they arrived last year.

We learned that putting up siding takes time, multiple checks, and patience.

We also learned that taking DOWN siding is considerably easier, takes less time, and requires far less strength, all of which is a bummer, but a worthwhile lesson just the same.

Both Doug and George were very gracious, taking the time to be an extra set of eyes and helping us double- (and triple-) check to make sure we're keeping the boards level and the seams tight.

When the day comes to an end, we head back to camp to have dinner and an impromptu chat session, discussing the work that waits for us tomorrow.

Oh - and I forgot to let y'all know that I drove the team by Miss Cora Reddix's home on the way out yesterday afternoon. Wait 'til ya' see it!! Wow, it's really gorgeous. And yes, it appears to be done and move-in ready. In fact, I see appliances are waiting on her front porch.

There's still much to be done throughout the city, of course, and there are homes that haven't been touched at all ... or were started and stalled (for various reasons)
but things ARE changing.

On the ride home, I notice that demolition has begun on Sharkheads. Yep, changes are definitely happening.

(When I got these photos developed, I asked myself why I noticed the work on Sharkheads but NOT the big dark clouds overhead. Hmmmm ...)

Week Four, Day Two

Monday ...
It's 7:30pmCT in Gulfport, MS. Our co-volunteers are at various tables catching up on their day (as Ray Charles sings "The Right Time" on the boom box) so I thought I'd catch up with you on our day here, too.

I woke early, walked around camp for a bit

(mainly to say hello to the camp pooch, Helicopter), treated myself to a mocha at PJ's Coffee and returned as breakfast is being served. We followed a Hands-On volunteer to today's work site, the Parker Home on the corner of Division and Brown streets. It's about a block away from Miss Dickson's and, as we drove past, I expected to see Jim, Emily, and my other Oregon friends outside.

Instead I saw a home - a neat, brick building, white door ... look at it and you'd never know it from any other home on YOUR street. The only exception is that the Katrina search information is still spray painted in white paint on the exterior.

Our morning started off when Mike G. from Architecture for Humanity told us we needed to pick up stacks of wood and siding, shovel and rake dirt, and generally do landscape maintenance because the Parker Family (mom, dad, and their 6 kids) would be coming by to film a segment that will air on Oprah (either on Earth Day or Arbor Day, Mike isn't sure which). I recall that Jim and his team were asked to film a segment for "Extreme Home Makeover" and him telling me that it was a lot of "hurry up and wait" - but we hustled all morning ...

... and when we broke for lunch, the site looked pretty close to "camera ready".

I couldn't help but visit the village and recognized Russ and only a handful of other folks. The super-nice gal, Aisha, who runs the cafeteria there recognized me, 'tho, and I wasn't ready for that. She's so kind and is so thankful that "that nice company you work for" hasn't forgotten this area. She smiled wide when I told her that we'll be back in August and in November, too.

On the way back from lunch, I took the team to the dry dock, which sadly but not surprisingly, hasn't changed at all.

However the "roof with no house" from my previous visits is complete - and gorgeous!!

We went back to work and, around 2pm, Mike pulled us together and walked us through how the rest of the day will go. We're asked to sign waivers (required by "Harpo Productions"), and then we ... hurry up and wait. Unfortunately, after working like we have, sitting around only serves as time for our muscles to tighten up so when we're given something to do about 40 minutes later, it takes us a bit to get the juices flowing.

Before you get too caught up in "wow - you guys are going to be on OPRAH!", realize that this is all about the Parker Family and telling their story. We get to meet everyone but Mr. Parker - and even the youngest kids in the family are super well-behaved. Mark and I work with Natalie Parker to plant a tree and we talk to her for a bit. She's really looking forward to being back home - the Oprah thing isn't even a secondary idea ... it's not even mentioned. The best part about today is that the whole family gets to plant trees as their new home nears completion.

We decide to grab dinner straight from the work site, with hopes that we'll get hot showers while everyone else is eating dinner.

OH - and that "new normal" I talked about yesterday? All four of the showers here now have hot water.

Progress ... it's a marvelous thing.