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 ...)