UUAC Rebuilding New Orleans

2011-11-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

NOLA 10 by Molly Howes

Something cold has seeped into my heart.

It feels like grief.

Salt water surprises me, rising sometimes slowly like a tide,

Sometimes suddenly,

surging to find an outlet in my tears.

We pounded and lugged and taped

and sanded and painted and loved

with our strength, with our biceps.

We laughed and sang.

Our boots were on the ground

and we made the house strong,

strong against another storm.

But, now, afterwards,

feeling runs through me like a river,

finding its path through my own history,

through my frustrated compassion,

through my fear for the future of those children,

through the canyon of immense need we cannot fill,

through respect for the gifts Ms. Bailey

brings to her family and to us.

This grief is the second part of the gift.

First we do.

Then we feel:

We soak in the sad, slow floodwaters of misfortune

too great for us really to comprehend.

We try to take it in.

We try to love them more because of this pain they share with us.

Will we make the right kind of sense of this grief?

These tears?

This disorientation and distractibility?

Will it lead us to a higher ground,

a place we can stand with the Baileys

and the other families we have come to know?

What they give us is this chance to feel and grow,

this liquid, churning question

of our place in their lives

and their place in ours.

We've done all we could do

2011-11-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hello. Friday night is here. We are all tired and sore, but we got to the point of the project we wanted to achieve. We placed outer vapor barriers, placed insulation, inner vapor barrier, hung the walls and ceilings. We placed the tape, spread the mud, and sanded until we couldn't sand for another minute. Terry sprayed the primer on walls and ceilings. The kitchen cabinets and counter tops are in. Today, we were able to paint every interior wall, ceiling and floor. We painted the floor because we didn't have time to install any flooring, but the code requires a cleanable surface. The further away from Katrina, the more strict the building codes.

Individuals from our groups donated a stove, hood and dishwasher. We placed them, but couldn't install them.

The kids made two giant cookie cakes for us this afternoon. The whole family was excited and thrilled to see that they are so much closer to having their home back. The kids loved their room colors. Shawntae's room is lilac. Antonio and Christopher's room is as blue as the sky on a perfect day. Janice's room is bright, sunshine yellow.

Terry spent the last two days making friends with the chicken. He was frequently seen carrying her around and petting her. We joked that he came to New Orleans to get plastered and pick up chicks! We found a stash of about 2 dozen eggs hidden under Janice's house this afternoon. The kids are excited because they hope to be able to get fresh eggs. That chicken is going to miss us! She seemed to love being with us.

Alas - the work is done and we are feeling quite proud of the work we were able to accomplish. There were 25 of us in a single shotgun house and there were very few occasions where we were bumping into each other.

It is always sad to say goodbye to the homeowners, Quo Vadis and the Americorp Volunteers. It will be good to get home to our loved ones.

See you soon.

a few photos

2011-11-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

Kitchen/dining/living space.

You have to LOVE Craig's reaction to getting her ceiling finished!

Happy Veterans Day

2011-11-11T04:28:00.000-08:00

No NOLA post last night. After a day of inhaling dust created by a swarm of sanders, we went Jacques-Imo's for dinner and I got to go to Cafe DuMonde for beignet's! This is my 4th trip and my first visit to the cafe. It was quite an experience and the beignets were fantastic!

We sanded the walls and ceilings, then cleaned the dust and Terry sprayed a coat of primer to the walls and ceilings. Note: do not get in Terry's path when he is ready to spray something.

The carpenters kept busy installing kitchen cabinets. The home is starting to come together. A team even cleaned all her windows. Janice came over late in the day with hot apple cider. It was delicious.

We were also treated with a visit from Jyaphia (bearing a tasty gift). She is formerly the diva chef for our groups.

Today's mission: Don't get in Terry's way and paint as much as we can.

We will be shedding tears of joy and sadness (because we have to leave).

Who is here working

2011-11-10T03:21:00.000-08:00

Who is here... Terry Combs, Darrah Bryans, David (Sparky) Hatton, Sally & Roger Demler, Nancy (birthday girl) Levy, Molly Howes, George Clattenburg, Don Keiser, Kate Landis, Craig Cohen, Jocelyn Francis, Kathy Copplestone, and me. We have Ann & Stan, Lori and Phoebe from Follen. From Bloomington Normal, IL we have Ken, Rosie (associate minister), John, Jack, Barbara, Betsy and Julie.

We also brought all our loved ones and church community members with us in our hearts.

The work progresses

2011-11-09T18:36:00.001-08:00

Hello blog readers. We had a very busy day, again. When don't we when we are here? We are determined to get as much done as humanly possible.

It rained overnight and a little bit during the morning. Otherwise, it was quite cloudy and a lot cooler. Much better for working. We finished the last little bit of wall boards first thing and then everyone became a mudder for the day! We taped all the seams and spread mud in every nook and cranny. We broke for lunch and then went in for the 2nd coat. The house is really coming together.

At the end of the afternoon, there were many of us in the yard cleaning up debris. What a difference it made to the appearance of the house!

Antonio, Christopher and Shawntae came to work with us after school. They really gravitate to the men in our crew and the men have been taking them under their wings and showing them how to do very productive work. I am so impressed.

The ice cream truck arrived later than promised. He does a great business with the group!

There were a couple of local contractors putting the last 2 windows late in the day. Now the house can be secure. Onward and upward! Terry and George made a late run to Lowe's to buy cabinets and countertop. Janice will be so thrilled!

Molly got to visit with Ifama today (NOLA 4). She said that Ifama looks better. She gave Molly some sunflower sprouts for our salad tonight. A little love and sunshine with our meal tonight!

Today was Nancy's birthday and we had cake and ice cream after dinner. Big fun!

We are still anxious and raring to go, but we might not be as spry as we were on Monday.

Please keep our aching muscles and sort feet in your prayers!

Rainy morning...send us some sunshine!

2011-11-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

I have been slacking with the camera duties. There is so much to do that I would feel guilty talking pictures instead of sanding.

It's raining this morning. We are hopeful that it will pass on by. There is a cold front moving in. It will be as cool here as it is warm at home. Actually, at 60 degrees, they break out the winter coats.

Antonio, Christopher and Shawntea will be with us all da...y. Their grandmother thinks it is important for them to be a part of the rebuilding of their home. Shawntea is excited about being able to pick the paint color for her room (light purple). The boys want to learn how to use the tools and really gravitate to the men. Their dad (Janice's son) was killed in a car accident. Today, they will be "home schooled." I am excited to hear their stories. They must have told all their friends on Monday and Tuesday about the work they did on Sunday and will do today.

I will try to take more photos. There will be plenty to share when we get back, and everyone organizes their photos.

More ice cream

2011-11-08T18:52:00.001-08:00

Phoebe (from Follen Church) and Jocelyn have a date with Ben & Jerry tonight.

Ice cream!

2011-11-08T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hello readers. It was another very full house today, but it is surprising that we are not climbing over each other as we have in the past. Each room has been buzzing with activity. Some were finishing hanging the ceiling boards, some were still hanging wall boards, some were filling in the gaps at the bottom of the wall. Then the taping and mudding began!

The ice cream man drove by late in the day and hit pay dirt! Terry bought ice cream for all who was there packing tools into the van! He asked the driver to come by every afternoon this week. It makes you feel like a kid again - waiting for the familiar music of the ice cream truck.

Jambalaya for dinner tonight. Yum! Sad news is that Jayaphia is no longer cooking for us. I believe she is ok, but focusing on other opportunities. This week's guest cook happens to be a friend of Ifama's. Small world.

Terry got plastered this afternoon

2011-11-08T16:24:00.001-08:00

Literally!

2011-11-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

I was wondering why Sally had her light on this morning. That never happens and I was concerned that she was not feeling well. When I actually looked over there, I realized it was the sun! I slept until 6:30! I NEVER do that here! No time to waste - the "Mutha Board" has been posted! Y'all have a good day.

Photos

2011-11-07T15:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many I can post here, but here are a few from the first couple of days. The three grandchildren, Christopher, Shawntea, and Antonio. Ms. Janice is in another and a quick "before" picture.

Monday afternoon

2011-11-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

Don Keiser has arrived safely. We are one. We are one tired, dusty group. More than half of the sheet rock has been hung. We are excited about the changes. I am TRYING to download pictures for you. All of us worked inside again today. An amazing crew!

Ready to go!

2011-11-07T04:34:00.001-08:00

Good morning! We are one big group of UU's here! When Don arrives, there will be 26 of us...all working at Janice's. We found out that she is also a UU, and a member of the First Church. Today will be drywall day. Some of us will be working in the yard. It needs a lot of attention, and 26 people in a single shotgun house will be cramped. The temp. is predicted to approach 80 degrees.

Sunday work report

2011-11-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog readers! We had quite a full day. First of all, the weather was perfect for us. It was warm enough, but not humid. We arrived at Ms. Janice's house at 8:30. She was there to greet us, along with her three young grandchildren. We unloaded and staged the tools, and took a few quick "before" pictures. The insulation began and we were able to insulate about 90% of what will eventually be done. We had to leave a few places undone because the outer clapboards haven't been done.

We put up the vapor barriers and got the ceilings insulated. The first dozen or so (of 120) sheets of drywall were hung.

You would be so proud to see Terry, Sparky and George working with these young children. They wanted to help so much, and the guys showed them how to use the cordless drills, staple guns, and many different hand tools to help rebuild their home. They were with us all day and helped quite a bit. They are 14, 13 and 11 years old. They are very polite and excited to learn.

We were also entertained by the neighborhood chicken, who seems to like the activity of a lot of people around. She especially liked eating the lettuce and bread crumbs we dropped in the yard as we were eating lunch.

We got a lot accomplished today, and everyone seems to be tired, yet happy.

The rest of the crew from Follen arrived tonight. There are 4 of them. We were also joined by a group of 7 UU's from Bloomington -Normal, IL. 6 are first timers. They are looking a bit wide-eyed at the moment. They will be joining the rest of us at the job site tomorrow.

The joint is jumping!

Check the blog for photos. I am exhausted and don't have the energy to download tonight.

It's nice to have Kate Landis with us. She started the work day with a circle prayer and ended the day with check in, a short story about changing the world and a hymn. There is more love somewhere - and we'll keep on until we BUILD it.

More tomorrow.

Sunday morning

2011-11-06T04:10:00.000-08:00

5:45 AM. The troops are starting to shuffle into the dining room. Day One plans: Unload/stage the tools. Get out your knives and staple guns because we are going to be insulating! Terry was being proactive (as usual) and bought the first 40 sheets of drywall along with the insulation and vapor barrier. Ms. Bailey's story will open your hearts. Sally said that she is incredibly happy that we are here to help. I can't wait to meet her.

Pizza Delivery

2011-11-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Craig ordered pizza a day in advance (from Sherborn) to be delivered tonight (in NOLA). The door was locked, so the pizza place called Craig's number. Rich Cohen called us from Sherborn to say that the pizza delivery guy was at the door at FUUNO. Thanks Rich!

We have arrived

2011-11-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Most of us are here. Don Keiser is coming in a day or two. Howard and Pam Teibel greeted us as we deplaned...along with Marco Kaltofen. What a wonderful greeting committee! We found out that Nancy Levy has Lady Gaga as a ring tone on her phone! Call Nancy and we'll be dancing!

2011-11-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Note from Sally:
Saw the house - it's perfect! Nice visit w Quo Vadis, Maggie and Lindsay, a treasure. Cold here they say at 64 but warming over next days. Can't wait to see everyone!

Note from Sally and Roger

2011-11-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Do you know where your tools are?
They are in Trussville, Ala listening to c&w at Lone Star steak house. It's all good.

Note from Donna:
Somehow, I get the visual of my boots doing a boot scoot boogie with Roger's moose pants, surrounded by some swinging drywall square dancers...

The van is rolling

2011-11-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sally and Roger packed the van and headed Southwest this morning. I don't think they could have fit one more thing in.

Taking the blog for a 2011 test drive

2011-10-24T13:16:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow members and friends. The crew will be well into a NOLA project by this time in 2 weeks. We will do our best to keep you posted.

2010-11-01T12:05:00.001-07:00

Cris here - I wanted to write down the thought that I expressed during joys and concerns, more precisely.

This thought occurred to me in a flash while painting a room. The thought was that it was not a group of volunteers that was acting, but the church itself. The moment would not have existed apart from the UUAC (and Follen Church too, of course). We were acting as agents of the congregation. Of course we could act as individuals, or even as a group, which we might imagine in some fantastical thought experiment (individuals and simple groups have clearly done similar work), but the outcome would be much different, and in my case, probably not at all. All that the members of the congregation do, no matter how insignificant it may seem, contributes to the life of the church in ways that cannot always be measured, and the NOLA missions are but one outcome of the life of the church. No truly accurate appraisal of anyone's contribution is possible. Nobody can know, not even I can, the sum total of the factors that keep me attending church and that converged to motivate me to go to New Orleans along with the others. Of course I am conscious of some of the factors. I always remember that it is something of a privilege to have the resources to leave my family for a week. Also it is clear that the actions of some individuals are more causally effective than others, in ways that can be observed. But beyond that, I was aware at that moment that I was most of all the agent of a body of human beings whose united effect is larger than the sum of its parts.

At the same time we are drawn to New Orleans by a powerful force. This force can't be known precisely either. But the community of New Orleans as such, visible to us in isolated glimpses, has a power that draws us to them and takes us in, accepting our offer of help and enriching us at the same time. (Anybody who has spent a few minutes talking to me about community knows that I do not use the word lightly.) Just as in the situation on our side, sometimes we can see the contributions made by some people. The individuals and families who graciously accept our help, the mostly anonymous members of the FUUNO congregation, the NOLA based workers, and others are the people we can identify who exemplify the New Orleans community. Beyond that one can only imagine the vast numbers of people whose actions indirectly draw us to this glittering city with facets that range from nightmarishly terrible to supremely beautiful, and which unfortunately happens to lie below the sea level.

Home again

2010-10-30T17:46:00.001-07:00

Most of us are home. We were beginning to show the early stages of separation anxiety when we were saying our good-byes to each other. We get so close to each other (literally and figuratively) during these trips.

Thanks to all who read the blogs. I hope I was able to paint a picture of a day in the life. I can only reflect on my own experiences which are very different from every other person's. When I write, I am sitting amid a room full of people having conversations (in which I am frequently engaged). I typically write early AM before coffee or at the end of the work day. I normally sit at a desk 8 hours a day, so the level of activity makes me tired at the end of the day and my head isn't clear because I am tired and hungry! My grammar suffers because of all those things.

It's all worth it.

Thanks for the few who commented. It's encouraging to know that people are reading.

My own bed will feel great tonight, but I will miss the comradery we shared night and day.

We celebrated a new grandchild in China (George Clattenburg's) and mourned a sudden death of Karen Zhan's (Follen Church) mother-in-law, Zehra Khan's grandmother, in Pakistan. We also felt the pain of a mother, grandmother, brothers, sisters and cousins as we listened the story of one of the Vaughn family members who was murdered 6 months ago as he was riding his bike to get ice cream.

I overheard a conversation between a person of deep Christian faith and our Polly Leland-Mayer discussing the beliefs of the UU faith. The two women are as different from each other as they are alike. It was a beautiful moment for me to hear that conversation. Polly's presence was a gift to all.

Thank you to Terry and Molly. Your abilities to organize and guide us with love and compassion is extraordinary.

To all the fellow team members from the UUAC and Follen members as well as our extended friends - thank you. Each person gave me strength and support. Each one of us was a piece in a puzzle that interlocked perfectly.

Anyone who questions why we continue to go - talk to any one of us. If you think you want to go, but don't know if you could do the work - talk to any one of us.

Thank you to all of the members and friends who continue to support this beautiful work. You make the difference.

The Road Home

2010-10-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

I will re-use the title from my last post from NOLA 6. The Road Home. A federal program to get people back to their homes in NOLA (but I won't get into the politics of that program). Today is our road home.

At 5:30 this morning, there were two people down in the RE classrooms working away, trying to finish up a couple of projects. Diehards! I suspect that we may have to pry them away from this place.

We had dinner at Ifama's last night. She looks so much better than she did a year ago! She has put on some of the weight she had lost and her color was much better. Her sister Lydia made us green salad, potato salad, rice, gumbo and fish/veggies. Of course, her famous cakes that she loves so much (via Sam's Club).

It was a late night for us after a hard day's work, but it was worth it to see Ifama. I told her that being there was like being home. We have such a personal connection to her home. It was my first NOLA trip. George's Hall brought back so many memories.

This morning, the dining hall is a buzz with people chatting about the NOLA memories, along with chatter about the last few chores cleaning up behind us.

We are looking forward to coming home. We won't be hitting the Ibuprofen bottle so hard, and will be able to sleep in our own beds. We'll be showering indoors. Cooking for ourselves. Making our own lunches. Back to friends and family.

However, we know what it means to miss New Orleans. Most of us will be back, and hope that you can come, too. This is a special place.

Ahhhhh......

2010-10-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

As I write this message, everything is winding down and we are relaxing before our sacred circle and then off to visit Ifama. Her sisters and brothers are helping her cook dinner for us.

What a day! Friday is always very hectic, and today was just that. Paint this! Fill that! Plug that in! Everyone was driven to get it done.

One of the Vaughn sisters works at a Po-Boy shop and we all ordered po-boys from her shop. They clearly aren't used to getting an order for 25 sandwiches. I am sure that it made for a busy lunch hour for them. The Po-Boys were great!

We were able to finish all of the items on Terry's Mutha Bored (yeah - it's a joke). We were also able to buy her a new gas stove and water heater (via private donations). We presented them to Mary shortly after lunch and she was so happy. She was moved to tears. I know that the family was really happy that we helped their mom.

Bourbon Street was really jumping last night. What fun! Many people were wearing Halloween costumes. Halloween is a big celebration around here. Many elaborate decorations. Tomorrow night should be a scream. It should be like being in Salem, MA...only with extreme decadence and good music.

The weather has made a drastic turn and many of us were wearing sweatshirts this morning. It was comfortable all day. Low humidity.

We are all buzzing around now, showering, finishing things up and getting excited about seeing Ifama.

Roger is counting up all the Home Depot receipts. I'll bet that there were no fewer than 50 trips there this week. Kathy Copplestone was there so many times that they gave her a contractor's card!

We are tired but feeling good about the work we did and the bonds we formed with many of the extended Vaughn family.

We are all looking forward to seeing our loved ones tomorrow.

See you in church!

2010-10-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you know, Donna, that I'm reading and very much enjoying your NOLA blogging! Go team! See you soon. XOXO Maureen

How did it get to be Thursday?

2010-10-28T16:48:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how fast time flies when you are having fun. OK, so it's not all fun, but this is a wonderful group of people with whom to work. Today was pretty much like every other day. The weather was much less humid and we are completing many tasks.

Sally and the Library Floor Team sealed the floor and buffed it. Done. Most of Mary's house has been painted and it looks great. Two toilets work. Two sinks work.Most of the doors are in. The kitchen looks like a kitchen. The cabinets are up and painted.

It is fun to work elbow to elbow with each other and the family members.

Gotta cut this short - headed to Bourbon Street!

Godzilla Meets Fried Green Tomatoes

2010-10-28T02:56:00.000-07:00

Go find a pencil and write this down. If you ever find yourself in New Orleans, you MUST eat at Jacques-Imos. Write it down, etch it to memory. Put it on your bucket list. One of our team members referred to her scallop dish as "orgasmic." Polly also had the scallops, and I have been told that after every bite, she made that Mmmmm--mmm sound and a smile came to her face. So, let me suggest, when you go to Jacques-Imos,try the scallops! They have a great menu that ranges from several different types of fish, shrimp, duck, quail, alligator...and there was a steak dish. I had a local fish called drum. It was encrusted in potato and had an amazing white sauce with capers. The cooks excel in delicate sauces. My favorite appetizer was alligator/shrimp sausage cheesecake. It sounds weird, but was incredibly delicious. The waiters brought desserts for both tables. They have 2 dessert items: bread pudding and creme brulee. Both beyond delicious.

A few people ordered a signature dish called: Godzilla Meets Fried Green Tomatoes." It was a layered dish. Fried soft shell crab, fried green tomatoes, crabmeat stuffing, fried green tomatoes, fried soft shell crab. To keep everything in place, a knife was stabbed through the top. No dainty little toothpicks for this meal!

It was Quo Vadis's birthday, so we invited her and her husband, Raymond. Also, Jyphia and her husband Eric Paul. We all had a grand time.

A word of note: Unless Marco Kaltofen can pull a few strings for you...be prepared to wait in a long line to get into Jacques-Imos.

Wow. It's after 5 and I am still the only one up. That is rare. It was a late night by our crazy work standards.

I think that the humidity is sapping the energy from most of us, but once we hit a stride, the momentum keeps us going.

For those who have done work like this, you know that you get back a lot more than you give. I saw the Vaughn family on Saturday afternoon and they were very apprehensive about who all these strangers were going to be and how we would judge them. Now, she is praising Jesus for bringing her all these angels! She told me that she felt blessed that we came to help. I told her that there were more than the 27 of us who are helping. The members and friends of UUAC and Follen Church are all helping. We are the ones who are blessed.

Did I say it was hot yesterday?

2010-10-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

I thought it was hot yesterday. Today made yesterday look meek. There wasn't a dry shirt in the crowd today. In spite of the heat and humidity, we made great progress again today. The Vaughn family was working just as hard as yesterday. They are an inspiration! They are happy, always smiling and very appreciative of the help.

I learned something from Quo Vadis that I was able to share with the family. Our work is solidarity, not charity.

Thank you all for supporting us in this ministry.

Today, we went through 10 gallons of exterior paint and 2 gallons of trim. Cabinets are hung,countertops are in, there is a 2nd working toilet. More doors were hung. Some floors are done.

I sit in awe of those who worked harder than they should.

Oh! Funny word of note: The house across the street from the Vaughn's has 4 flags in front. American flag, Saints flag, Celtics flag and a Red Sox flag! We haven't been able to meet him, yet.

I'll cut this short because I have a load of laundry to do and get ready for dinner.

Bleary-eyed and bushy-tailed

2010-10-27T04:15:00.000-07:00

Good morning, all. Everyone looks a bit more tired today, after a full day working in the heat, but once we get moving (and enough coffee), we will hit our stride and become a semi-well-oiled machine! I think that there will still be some work being done on the library floor today and the rest will be headed to the Vaughn home.

I forgot to tell you that Molly's brother Bill and his wife Lynn joined us to fill in the gaps by two people who left. Who left? David Rabinowicz had to go back to work and Karen Khan (from Follen) had to go to Pakistan after the sudden death of her mother-in-law.

We also learned of the death of Rev. Mary Harrington who has been a driving force in making changes in New Orleans and the world. She was very close to many of those here in the volunteer community.

We are also celebrating the birthday of Quo Vadis Breaux! We hope she will join us for dinner at Jacques-Imo's tonight. Marco Kaltofen was able to call in a favor for us. It helps to have friends in Louisiana. Marco is not with this group, but he has spent so much time in the gulf, he has made many friends.

It's 6:30. Time to get to work! We love and miss you, but we have a great support system in each other.

Hot, Humid, tired

2010-10-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Holy Guacamole! It was HOT! HOT! HOT! today. Hot, I tell you. It was so hot that even the homeowner agreed that it was hot. A few of us stayed at FUUNO to grout the library floor, while the rest of us went to Mary Vaughn's house. What a parade we were walking down the street. We were greeted by Mary and about 8 family members who worked along with us. Scraping paint off the exterior walls ,hanging doors, laying flooring. Dwight spent most of the day in the Jacuzzi today! OK - he was really trying to install the Jacuzzi.

At the end of the day, everyone was sweaty, dirty, tired, and feeling accomplished. Amazing day.

Monday night

2010-10-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! What a day! The anthill was buzzing like crazy. We were able to finish many of our projects around FUUNO. The tiles were laid in the library. Amazing job buy a couple of our Follen friends (Zehra and Tim). Walls were scraped, repaired, painted. Bamboo flooring is covering most of a classroom (it will be completed by the end of our stay). Major changes were made and little changes were made. It's all good. Our crew has been resourseful in finding items within the church to reuse as needed. The storage room had been piled high with stuff that "we might need someday." After clearing and organizing that area, we were able to find those things.

I posted quite a few pictures on my Facebook Page (Donna Allen - the profile picture is my cat). Please friend me if you want to see them. I will accept your friend requests as soon as I can.

I will try to publish them on the Sherborn UU facebook, but it took me 20 minutes to download them already. I am not sure I am up for waiting that long again!

I will look into downloading some onto this blog, but I don't think that the blog will take the whole album.

We had our circle time tonight, then ate jambalaya, collard greens, and succotash. The food was incredibly delicious! Diva Chef "Phia outdid herself tonight.

Tomorrow,we will march down the street to Mary Vaughn's house and fill the place with our team. Terry spoke with her today and she has cleared out the rooms where we will be working.
We will be elbow to elbow, but we are anxious to do it.

The heat and humidity is quite high (93 % humidity today). The Vaughn home is about 3 blocks from FUUNO, so we will be able to come "home" to use bathrooms and gather tools and supplies.

Off to party with the rest of the crew. Good night!

Monday morning

2010-10-25T04:11:00.000-07:00

Rested and raring to go! The first group of people haven arisen, eaten breakfast, and are getting ready to start working (it's just after 6 AM). Terry is already on his way to Home Depot. The joint is jumpin'. A new day is dawning and we will soon be buzzing around here like a nest of ants.

There is so much room at FUUNO, but we still manage to bump into each other. Working at Mary's house will be a challenge because there will be 26 of us working in 4 rooms. We will work it out.

Signing off to get some work done. I will try to post some photos.

Working at FUUNO

2010-10-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

We weren't able to start on our projects until church services were over, so we had a casual morning. Three vans went out on the self-guided tour which had been created by a UU minister from the area.

It is interesting to see how many new homes have been built, and amazing to see how many homes are still blighted. There are still many homes with the search team "Xs" or those with vegetation growing out of the windows and roofs.

A few members of the team went to the church service and came out energized.

As soon as coffee hour was cleared out, we all went into action. Clearing/organizing tool rooms and storage areas, hanging doors, laying tiles, grouting other tiles, laying a wood floor, scraping, hammering, scrubbing, cleaning, raking, cutting brush...and many other chores that I didn't see being done.

It is wonderful to be able to help those who have been working so hard for all these years to try to get their lives back together.

Tonight was Orientation and a dinner of red beans and rice.

Once again, I sit at this keyboard and can't believe how discombobulated my thoughts are. So much activity and conversation and thoughts of tomorrow's tasks...

We will be working hard to try to get as many projects done as we can.

Arctic chill

2010-10-24T04:02:00.000-07:00

There is something new at FUUNO......air conditioning! While the locals are enjoying the cool temps (81 degrees), we are running the a/c. I can't believe that I had to actually use a blanket last night! Someone must have turned the a/c down to "New England" temps.

My batteries are recharged. I was up at 4:30 and made the coffee. It's just after 6 AM,now and people are trickling in.

After looking around, there is so much to do in this building. There is so much to do in this city. There is so much to do in this world. We can only do a little bit at a time, but it will make a difference in someone's life. Especially ours.

Everyone has arrived at FUUNO

2010-10-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

It took many hours and a delayed flight to gather all 27 of us (20 UUAC, 7 Follen) today. Earliest arrival was 9 AM and the last 7 appeared around 7 PM. We spent the day get acclimated to the heat and humidity, new policies and procedures as well as getting organized.

I was able to go with the team to visit with the homeowner. Mary Vaughn and a few members of her lovely family. They lost everything they owned during Hurricane Katrina. The house is solid, and the walls are all painted. There is more work than we can do in a few days, but we will do as much as we can.

Tomorrow and Monday will be spent working on projects at FUUNO. Tuesday through Friday will be spent at the Vaughn's home.

I am so tired tonight that I can't think straight - you know how you can't sleep the night before a trip because you are afraid you'll sleep through your alarm and miss your flight? I sure do!

We have a project!

2010-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

According to Papa Terry most of us will be working at FUUNO (First Unitarian Universalist New Orleans) on Sunday and Monday. He will bring a small team to the home project on Saturday to assess damage, make a materials list and identify projects for each of us. Current plan is to start a small team at the home on Sunday or Monday with the rest of us joining on Tuesday.

According to Terry: The home is within walking distance to FUUNO! 6 or 7 people live there but might not be sleeping there while we work. Some of the residents may be working with us during the week. The house does not have a working kitchen; master bathroom and other bathroom need extensive work; needs interior doors throughout the house; siding damaged and missing in many areas; painting needed; some areas of the floor - able to see through to the ground.

We are ready!

The NOLA 8 journey begins

2010-10-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

Roger and Sally are on the road. The rest of us will be shipping out on Saturday. 17 of us will be arriving on 8 different flights and Molly has been busy making sure everyone has transportation to FUUNO from the airport. The Peters will be coming in from Phoenix and George's buddy Dave is joining us again. Rumor has it that he is driving. We have five "newbies" with us for this trip, including a couple of friends of Kathy Copplestone and a friend of Nancy Levy will be arriving from Philly. This is also Don and Judy Peters' first trip. We will be joined by 8-9 people from the Follen Church in Lexington. Personally, I can't wait to get there! Donna

Getting ready for NOLA 8!

2010-10-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Hello. I wanted to make a dry run on the blog to make sure that we could still post.
Hopefully, we will still have wireless access from the dining room at FUUNO so we can keep you posted. I will also be adding comments in facebook.

Better Late Than Never

2010-04-21T04:32:00.000-07:00

I finally remembered how to sign into the blog, better late than never. Today is Wednesday, the week is still passing by slowly. We went out to eat last night and ended the evening walking Bourbon Street and Cafe DuMonde a highlight for our youth. From here forward we will hear daily "can we go back to Bourbon Street"? We finished the home we were painting yesterday. We worked like a well oiled machine and the house and yard looked amazing when we were done, wait till you see the before and after photos. Quo Vadis couldn't believe we were finished. We are splitting the group up for the morning today. The larger group is headed to the lower ninth today to help clean a lot in the lower 9th and I am taking five of our first timers to Rev Josephines to assist her with her food pantry and some other odds and ends. Hope to post later. Love to you all.

Home Again

2009-11-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Most of us were on the same flight home. A few left earlier and Dave "Sparky" Hatton was scheduled for a layover in Dallas. Sally and Roger shoved off late this morning.

See you in church!

The Road Home

2009-11-14T04:52:00.000-08:00

Sort of a play on words. The Road Home is a federal program to get people back into their homes in NOLA. For me (today) it means going home. It's not really the same...or it is...only on a very small scale. Thankfully I have the means to go home, whereas many from here have not been able to find the means or get through the masses of red tape, barricading their road home.

Today, the work load shifts to cleaning, organizing, packing and one last walk around the labryinth. You may have seen the edges of it in our group photo. The tiles were donated and trucked in by a man known as "Brooklyn." Marcie Brennan is a parishoner who planned and laid the tiles. It took her six months, on her hands and knees after working full shifts as an welder. The woman is 100% dedicated to the rebuilding of her church.

Hey! Time to get crackin' here! See you in church!

Full and Tired

2009-11-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hello all! It's later Friday night (I am starting this at 10:30 CT).

One more apology to David RABINOVITZ....not Abromovitz. Jees. The poor guy.

We had a full day of work. The good news is that all six rooms and the porch have been painted! The windows are washed. The yard has been cleaned up (we found some really funky, rotted junk that was probably there since September 2005). Roger learned how to cut glass (to repair Jalousie windows) and how to drive down the street with an 8 foot ladder surfing on the roof, untied. Dwight put down the hawk (finally) and painted the wrought iron grating in front of the windows. He also got to use caustic chemicals and a wire brush to get the search team "X" from the bricks in the front of the house. After about an hour of scraping, Janie mixed some paint to match the bricks and it disappeared.

We got to meet April (the homeowner) and she brought us some goodie bags filled with candy and beads.

We were also treated with a visit from Ifama this afternoon. She is such a beautiful woman, and is very sharp, remembering most of our names. What a joy to see her.

After saying our goodbyes, cleaning the home and yard, and packing the vans, it was a mad dash back to FUUNO to shower and go out to dinner at Dookie Chase's. It was everything that was reported by earlier teams. Thank you for the suggestion.

SO, thus the title: Full (from Dookie Chase's) and Tired. Boy - am I tired!

It has been a wonderful experience to be together and part of the combined team with Follen Church in Lexington. It has been a joy to get to know them and work side by side with them.

Ann, Stan, David, John, Wendy, Karen, Zehra, Lori and EJ - we love you!

Tomorrow will involve cleaning, packing and rushing off to the airport to get home to our loved ones. Hank and Pat are already there. See you all soon!

Friday morning

2009-11-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

This is the hardest day of all. Our bodies are tired (MOST of us anyway - Dennis is still smiling!), and we know what is in front of us. There will be a massive push to get all 6 rooms painted. It is unlikely we will, and we will wish we had one more day. However, if we had one more day, we would spend it working just as hard as we did last Sunday.

I forgot to mention that we were filmed on Wednesday! How could I forget something so important? Greater New Orleans UU (GNOUU) has commissioned Tim Ryan to create a documentary about volunteerism and about the rebuilding of NOLA. I don't know if he filmed us as we worked on Miss April's house, but I do know that he videotaped one-to-one interviews with several of us in the yard. We don't have any idea when the film will be done, but we are thrilled to be asked to participate.

Off to the worksite! FYI, the time stamps are incorrect at the blogspot home base. I am finishing this just after 6:30 AM.

Hitting the Thursday Wall

2009-11-12T16:37:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the 20th member of the UUAC team here. David Abromovitz is a friend of George Clattenburg, and has been here with us, working elbow to elbow and living and sharing everything with us. I missed him in this morning's blog and apologized to him for that.

Secondly, I want to thank those who have commented (and/or figured out how to) to the blogs. It is nice to know that people are reading them. I have read each of your comments to the group. I can't post more pictures because this blog space seems to allow only one picture at a time. I will try to remember to post the picture of our group (both the UUAC and Follen folks).

I titled tonight's blog "Hitting the Thursday Wall" because this is the day that it really hits that we are at the point that we can see what the end-result will be by the end of tomorrow. It makes us happy to see the changes, yet very sad to see that the house will not be finished. Is a house ever finished? There is always more to be done. We are thrilled that that the drywall is completed. All of the walls are taped, mudded and mostly sanded. Terry was able to spray the texture in three of the 6 rooms before we left. We will be ready to prime and paint those rooms immediately tomorrow morning while we sand the other three rooms. The outside is finished, and the shed has been painted and roofed.

Today's weather was perfect. We have heard that you have been experiencing similar weather at home. It was near 70, total sunshine and a cooling breeze. I am extremely appreciative that the humidity has disappeared as the week progressed.

We are dusty and covered with mud and paint, but we are still smiling!

Who is here

2009-11-12T04:17:00.000-08:00

It dawned on me (about 3 AM) that you may not know who is here from UUAC.

Terry Combs is our on site construction manager (and the brunt of most of our teasing)
Molly Howes is our coordinator and compassion manager.
Nathan has just arrived and is still getting acclimated. We'll give him the dirty jobs today!
Dennis Woessner - always smiling, always willing to help.
Darrah Bryans - tiny, mighty, compassionate. She and Dennis are leading our daily check in.
Pat Manley was here until yesterday - against the wishes of her physical therapists.
Dwight Manley celebrated a "turning point" birthday here, and hasn't been seen without a hawk in hand.
Nancy Levy also celebrated a birthday here and has an incredible knack for keeping everyone smiling.
Sally and Roger. The dynamic duo. They are known to give spontaneous tours of the area.
Don Keiser is creating masterpieces with wood...but can't shake his darn cold.
Hank Rauch has the patience of a saint, and will help you figure things out with kindness.
George Clattenburg - Captain Tool Wrangler. He has been sent to find anything and everything, between doing many many other jobs.
Jon Treon - in house stand up comic....has been seen on his knees in the sanctuary for hours on end.
Dave "Sparky" Hatton, has learned that putting up drywall isn't as easy as it looks.
Kathy Copplestone - quiet but lots of fun.
Janie Howland - Always gets to be our Painting Diva. She also tackles a lot of the dirty work. As sweet as candy
Laura Jensen - Has been giving her hammer a workout - usually on the top of a ladder (we should have given her the top bunk).
And me! Donna Allen - always looking for different jobs. I learned how to drywall yesterday! Who knew I could do it? Usually found in the corner of the Dining Hall - typing on the computer.

We are off to a new work day! Enjoy yours.

Jambalya!

2009-11-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday night and we are still alive and kicking...only we aren't kicking as high as we were on Sunday. I think I smell the aroma of Tiger Balm.

Nathan has arrived!

It was sunny and in the 70's today. There was a nice breeze this morning, which disappeared as the day wore on. I am not sure if the heat drained our energy or if it was us pushing ourselves to get all the walls done.

We sheet rocked most rooms, and many have been taped. We should be ready to paint on Friday. We were concerned about having so many people in one small house. So far, so good! We are all focused on getting as much accomplished as possible.

There were a lot of people working on projects outside in the sun.

Hopefully, it will continue as the muscles get more weary and the temperature rises.

Tomorrow, our major push will be for taping, mudding, and then plastering.

Working in the Lower 9th Ward is different than in the church. We all got to go out and look around a bit. There is great joy at seeing the city coming back, but sad to see that there are still so many abandoned homes and lots.

Hump Day

2009-11-11T04:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a very important message: When you see Terry Combs in church, ask him where he found his wallet. If there is a NOLA6 team member nearby, even better.

Tuesday night

2009-11-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hello all. I hope SOMEONE is reading the blogs because there are few comments.

Today was another busy day. After all - that's what we signed up for. Many of us started with sanding and painting their long room called Memorial Hall. It had been used to store things and collected everything that no one knew where something belonged. They had cleaned it out in preparation for our work, and when the Property Manager/Church President saw today's results, his knees nearly buckled with absolute relief.

Closets were cleaned, shelves hung, doors hung, primer, paint, and so many more projects were completed. Jon and Hank worked their tails off to get as many tiles set in the sanctuary. Lots of sweat and tears and even a few trickles of blood. Then we had to clean - clean - clean as best we could. There isn't a spot in this building that wasn't covered in plaster dust.

Tonight's check in was held at the center of the labyrinth in the sanctuary. We were joined by Rev. Josephine (from Pray the Word Say the Word church), Reece (the Church President) and Marcie ( who is a member of the church and the creator of the labyrinth).

Tomorrow, we will be starting our new project at April's house. We will definitely be squished into this house, but we will manage! We have loved working at FUUNO and will also enjoy working on April's home.

I hope that all is well at home.

Reading the Blog

2009-11-10T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, team!

I'm reading the blog from here at home - thanks so much, Donna! I'm smiling and appreciating you all very much....wishing I was there and remembering last year's high and low points. I'm so glad FUNNO is getting the attention it deserves.

Many blessings this week!

Maureen

The storm has passed

2009-11-10T04:33:00.000-08:00

Hello!

The storm passed by late last night. If the outdoor shower doors weren't slamming, we may not have even noticed. Luckily, someone placed buckets of joint compound in front of each door, solving that problem. That simple task made a huge difference for everyone.

Terry's work load has doubled. He wants to complete as many projects today, here at FUUNO, as we can. He is also choreographing the dance to fit 28 people in a shotgun house and make it work.

The homeowner's name is Alice, and she lives in the Lower 9th Ward.

Terry also met with another woman who needs her roof fixed. It's a minor repair (by Terry's standards) that he and a couple of folks will take a couple of hours to go to her home and fix it. When he told her he would be back, she told him he was Jesus. When he assured her that he wasn't Jesus, she told him, "You have Jesus in you."

Gee - as if his head wasn't big enough already! (Terry knows we love him). He is definitely full of something!

Enjoy your day.

Monday Night

2009-11-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Another busy day. We are happy to see so many projects well under way or completed. We just got great news that we have a home to work on in the Lower 9th ward. It isn't Mack's house (he couldn't get the permits in time), but it is a home of a young woman who has been waiting to get back into her home since she returned.

The plan is to finish as much as we can here, tomorrow and then spend Wednesday through Friday to try to see how much we can accomplish in this woman's home.

More good news for us is that the storm has been downgraded and seems to be heading further east. We should hear some stronger winds and heavy rain, but it shouldn't be much worse than a summer Nor'easter.

Roger spent the day in the Men's Room.

Not to worry, he's fine. He was working away, and I happened to have my camera, and couldn't resist taking a photo!

I stole the idea for the next photo from Kathy Copplestone. Anyone who has been to FUUNO can relate to the boot line-up at the end of the day. It feels so good to get your boots off!

We miss you all and hope that all is well at home. We are enjoying our time working together and with the members of the Follen church.

Working on this church has been a spiritual awakening.

Monday morning

2009-11-09T03:59:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and families!

It's 6:00 AM and there are signs of life as the first few stragglers meander into the dining hall.
It's a lot easier to work at FUUNO instead of having to gather the crew into mini vans and truck off to the site. No rituals of packing and unpacking every day. When you finish your breakfast you can walk to the project.

No signs of Terry and the motherboard is missing....so I suspect that he is inspecting yesterday's progress and making up new lists for us.

Jon said that his joints ache and please send more Ibuprofen!
Sparky said that his first day was stimulating...he got a charge out of one his projects! He is happy to be working on his home away from home.

The morning news is a bit concerning for us. The gulf went all summer without a hurricane (Yay!), but Ida seems to be coming for a visit. Category 2 isn't as big a deal for the experienced folks in New Orleans. We don't get too many of those in Sherborn, MA, though. Glad I water-proofed my work boots!

We are expecting wind and rain, and another good reason to be working at FUUNO. We can all stay inside.

Our thoughts go out for the people who will have emotional trauma after suffering through Katrina, Rita and Gustav - or more.

My biggest concern today is loss of power. We won't be able to do as much as we would like without the power tools.

We will check in again as soon as we can.

Plenty of work to do

2009-11-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine 28 people working in harmony? No complaints, no proscrastinating, just working together to get as much done as we could do in a day.

We tried to be very quiet during the church service, but we were told that we made just enough noise to make everyone happy - knowing that long awaited projects were being tackled.

Tonight, there are a lot of tired folks, all very happy to be here and to witness the joy on the faces of the members of the congregation (except for one 7 year old girl who was not happy that we cut down a living tree).

Tomorrow should be a challenge to get these aching bones out of bed!

The work begins!

2009-11-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday morning and people are starting to arise. We are a little bleary-eyed, but ready to start the FUUNO projects.

We did receive some unhappy news. We probably won't be able to work on Mack's house. There have been hurdles for him to get the proper permits and inspections. Quo Vadis is searching for another residence for us. There are many on the waiting list.

If we can't find one that is ready for us, we can definitely stay busy at FUUNO.

Uh-oh...here comes Terry with the work schedule (aka his motherboard).

All present and accounted for

2009-11-07T16:22:00.000-08:00

We have arrived! Planes, vans and automobiles have all arrived safely, and we are just waiting for the pizzas to arrive. We are bonding with our new friends from Follen Church and making up our bunks. Note to Pat - we left lower bunk open for you.

It's warmer than expected and HUMID! Quite a change from the thick frost I had to scrape from my windshield this AM!

We love you and miss you and promise to do our best to help build a stronger New Orleans.

Message from Sally

2009-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post Sally's Friday afternoon email to the crew:

Here we are in N’Orleans, as of about 1:30 this afternoon. Temps in the mid-70’s, sunny, nice. We had lunch at a sidewalk cafe right next to Snug Harbor, where we had been hoping to go tonight to hear Ellis Marsalis, who plays there EVERY Friday night. Except tonight. Maybe we can get some of you to go with us next Friday.

Now, more than 4 years post-Katrina, it’s hard to find a blue tarp or a FEMA trailer, though there are a few around. There are still pockets of blocks where nothing has been done, but in general there seems to be a lot of energy about the place, even in the 9th. Even in the “bad” parts of the 9th. There are now 3 Brad Pitt houses across from the Williams’ house, one used by the green organizations as a demo, and 2 for sale – for $180,000, which is a bit steep for most who would come back. And there are still no schools in the 9th.

We went by Mack’s house, and met a couple of neighbors. One, Keith Calhoun (Google him if you have a chance) is a well-known photographer who is now chronicling the black experience in NOLA. He didn’t tell us that, Quo Vadis and Google did. Anyway, he’s very pleasant and we’ll probably be seeing him. We may end up in a book of his work, who knows! The house itself is clearly ready for some help but must have been a showplace in its day. The house next door has a grant from an historic preservation organization to help him get started; the home-owner was there but not talkative.

Wait till you see all that has happened at FUUNO in the last year! It is quite amazing: 3 showers in the courtyard that are, um, rustic (this from someone who LOVED the showers at First Pres.) and probably dark. Dave, bring light bulbs. Also wires and so forth. Lighting the courtyard beyond the Christmas lights currently strung is probably on Quo Vadis’ list. Anyway, lots more improvements – you will be in awe. And I would not have believed it, but there are even more bunks in the ladies’ dorm. (I didn’t look at the men’s.)

We’re dining in the Garden District this evening, getting ready for red beans and rice for the rest of the week. We’ll shop for beer and wine in the morning, also salad stuff, and be ready to greet all of you at FUUNO when you get here. And also to collect Don at the airport about 2.

Many hugs to everyone –

Sally

2009-11-06T13:06:00.001-08:00

Hello all blog readers. Tomorrow is the day that most of us will be traveling/arriving at FUUNO. We are anxious to get there and meet our friends from the Follen Church in Lexington, and to get started on our work projects. Keep the home fires burning. Thank you all for your support.

A seat for Don

2009-11-05T19:24:00.001-08:00

All that stuff and a seat kept clean to pick up Don at the airport. Sure hope he doesn't have a lot of luggage. They might have to strap him to the roof along with the 8 foot ladders!

The van is in Alabama

2009-11-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Received email from Roger and Sally. They are in Alabama. They sent pictures of the equipment van (sort of like the Red Sox and Spring Training!).

Testing the blog site for NOLA6

2009-10-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hello! We are getting excited about the upcoming trip and work assignments at FUUNO and Mack's house. One of us will try to add to the blog every night so family and friends can share the experience.

Donna

2009-04-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Massachusetts, I can't believe that it is already Thursday. We have accomplished so much on Miss Ifama's house. It has really transformed into something beautiful. She has been very sick because of her diabetes but I really think our efforts have given her some new energy and hope. Thanks for reading -Luke

p.s. Oh, has anyone heard about the word?

2009-04-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture to see it full size.

All the youth on a tree in Audubon Park. It's late, more pictures will be uploaded tomorrow.

-Luke and Jonah

Day Two Work Complete

2009-04-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

We completed our second successful day preparing Ms. Ifama's home for painting. We are all tired and feeling satisfied by a hard days work. Showers are going on, I'm waiting for now don't want to wait in line.

Our group has discovered that Girls have the magic touch when it comes to using a nail gun, especially the Nail Queen, Meg! The youth are learning great skills under Darryl, Dave and Jeff's tutoring. Papa Terry would be proud in hearing Darryl remind when he hands over a new task..."remember progress not perfection" Darryl is doing a great job!

We had some particular work heros today, Luke, Tyler, and Jeff. They worked up on ladders all day scraping the eves and roof joists without a complaint. It was a hard, hot and dirty job. They deserve the HERO OF THE DAY AWARD!

Everyone has sore arms and shoulders from sanding and scraping the house. The house already looks transformed, can't wait to see the finished product.

Dinner is soon. Going to try and get a shower while the troops all gather for chow.

Love and gratitude to all who supported us in making this trip possible.

Tuesday morning

2009-04-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Fantastic trip thusfar. I want to give some impressions from Sunday and bring you up-to-date on Monday. I hope others might find a window today to share their experiences and post some photos.

The walk on Sunday, from the volunteer center/UU church where we're staying to the Earth Day service and potluck in Audubon Park was wonderful. All 11 youth and most adults enjoyed glorious weather and company. The verdant foliage, coming into bloom in many cases, and beautiful distinctive architecture gave us an image of a unique, beloved place. The streets of New Orleans, the Tulane campus, the stunning park, and side trip to last year's youth residence made it a rich experience.

The gathering at the park of three UU resident congregations and 4 UU volunteer congregations (also from Lexington, Chelmsford and Duxbury) under a massive oak tree that must be several hundred years old was impressive.

The tour was sobering. We experienced sadness, anger, and hopefulness at the sight of some progress, among many other feelings. Some of the hardest hit areas have very few remaining homes. Established neighborhoods with houses that had been in families for generations are no longer. There is a lot of community organizing to try to help residents counter the many forces against them, hold onto some of what they had and get on with their lives.

Yesterday was our first work day. Great planning and organization, assisted by more glorious weather, meant that we had a productive start to our week. Our task this week is the exterior of Ms. Ifama's house, about 75 feet long and 30 feet wide, so space for all to be contributing, and a doable project for the week. We broke into youth-led, task-focused teams of two youth and one adult for tasks such as power-washing, scrubbing and sanding, removing termite-damaged clapboards, and priming clapboards. We made great progress. Some reported at the end of the day that it was fun, not "work" as they conventionally thought of it. The power-washer and sawsall (sp?) were highlights.

After dinner and showers, we went to Bourbon Street for coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde and to take in the sights and sounds of that one-of-a-kind place. It was a great end to the day.

For many, the most meaningful encounters have been with residents, including a very welcoming man on the tour who is setting up a museum about local musical traditions adjacent to some homes that have been rebuilt for musicians with in a Habitat for Humanity project.

Sunday Good Night

2009-04-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

I should be in bed, instead I wanted to take a moment to check in. We had a great first full day. It's crazy being here with 48 people staying at FUNNO together. This morning while Darryl went to see the exterior of Ms. Ifama's house the majority (Kate and Dave stayed behind) of the rest of us took a long walk heading toward Audubon Park. We went by and visited the house we stayed at last year on St. Charles . Walked and walked some more looking for the Great Grandma Oak Tree where the UU Earth Day service was being held. We made it for the end of the service and the potluck lunch. Great food, people and a beautiful park.

After the potluck we went on the self guided Katrina Tour. Visited the lower 9th. Still a heartbreaking sight sprinkled with bright specs of hope. More houses have gone up since we were here last year, but not nearly enough. I'm glad the group had the opportunity to see in person what they have heard so much about.

We came back to FUNNO and had the Racism, Class and Katrina class. It was a little long. After we finished the class we had dinner with all the UU Congregations here from MA. There were over 80 people here in two classes.

It's great getting to know the youth and adults from Fallon. Our yoots have quickly become friends. I'm one of 4 adults in the youth girls room, not used to all the chatting and giggles (being the Mom of boys). Teenagers don't seem to need as much sleep as adults.

Speaking of sleep, it's time for me to get to it! Love to all at home!

Sunday Morning Coffee

2009-04-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

We had a good sleep last night - everyone was so tired after the long day - waking to a dawn thunderstorm. Our youth and Lexington's have mixed well, hanging out together in the courtyard of First Church, talking and playing hackysack. Speaking of hackysack, there are three new outdoor showers in the courtyard, which will help immeasurably in getting all 50 of us down here cleaned up each day. However, they have proven to be in the line of fire of the hackysack games. Thankfully, we have Jonah, a chair, and a long stick to get the hackysack off the shower roofs.

Without work to rush off to, this morning is quiet and relaxing, with all of us getting up as we wish. We will join the other UU congregations for service this morning. If the weather cooperates, we'll have the service at Audobon Park to celebrate Earth Day. If it is still raining, we'll meet here at First Church. After service, we'll take the self-guided tour of the city and then head back here for the racism class.

Well, back to my tea.

Jeff

2009-04-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well we have made it to FUNNO and we have eaten our first Po boys so we are really here. I think we are all feeling the drop of adrenaline but are glad to be here and are ready to start our week!!!! We have orientation tonight and out to dinner with our fellow Fallon volunteers after that, all the youth have way more energy than I do.
Kate

We are here

2009-04-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

We have arrived at fuuno safe and sound...I still have not figured out how to sign in as myself...so I will post this way for now
Just trying to catch up with ourselves...3am started real early ...

off to our orientation now

We are going to work at Ifama's

2009-04-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

I just learned from Pam that the youth group has been assigned to paint and work at Ifama's house this next week. I hope to have an update on how she is doing and will try and post to the blog daily ( I will try to anyway).. perhaps we can paint the window frame that was a small issue left over from November????

I can't wait to get there....so excited I won't sleep tonight... feel like a kid again !!!!!!!!!

Less than 24 Hours....AHHHHHHHHHHHH

2009-04-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ok Murphy's law has hit both David and Andrew are home sick, or should I say at church sick, and I have a ton to do before 4:15am! Trying hard to breath, trying hard not to forget stuff, trying hard not to freak out, Trying hard to remeber why I am going to NOLA, Trying to breath again!!!!!!

Anticipation!!!!

2009-04-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday and there are two work days left to get all ready before I'm off with the Youth to NOLA 5. I am so excited it is hard to focus on the work at hand. I am eager to be there and to begin the experience! Off to work More latter!!!

Home again (most of us)

2008-11-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for reading our blog entries. I apologize for my bad grammar and spelling. I typically wrote late at night, pre-dawn, or in the dining hall in the path of people streaming by and stopping for conversation.

I want to say that you should seriously consider going on future trips. I had many concerns about living in a dorm, standing in line for a shower, not being able to do some of the physical work required to complete tasks, etc. Everything worked out significantly better than I anticipated.

Terry is a master at delegating jobs that match your abilities. He has a sixth sense to understand when you are ready for more challenges or if you need to step back and rest a minute.

Other than being tired, I feel guilty. Guilty you ask? Yes, because even though I gave everything to the best of my ability, I feel that I received much more than I gave.

We are very proud of the fact that we gave Miss Ifama the joy of being able to move out of her cramped FEMA trailer and back into her beautiful home.

Thank you all for being a part in the NOLA projects.

On the road home

2008-11-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

We are all headed home today. It will take Sally and Roger a couple extra days, but the rest of us are expected home tonight, and many will be in church tomorrow.

Friday night

2008-11-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

Alas! Our work is done for this trip. We put in a full day because we were focused on getting as much done as possible. We didn't finish all 10 rooms, but 8 rooms are pretty much done and the other 2 have been sheetrocked and the new ceilings are installed. She has an electrical system that functions well. The house is in move-in condition.

Miss Ifama fed us lunch today, and I'll say that, alone, was worth the trip to New Orleans! She made Cajun shrimp and rice, tilapia with steamed vegetables, sweet yams, mustard greens, okra, corn bread, and rolls for us. It was our Thanksgiving feast! On top of that, there was lemon cake and apple pie. Rev. Josephine stopped in with home-made pralines. It was tough to go back to work on such full stomachs.

As we said our goodbyes, she gave each of us small gifts of her artwork. She said that she felt that she had been on Extreme Home Make-over.

This has been such a bonding experience. We have gotten to know each other so much better than a hundred coffee hour gatherings could offer. The rewards and memories will stay with me forever.

To Molly, Terry, Dave, Brian, Nancy, Maureen, Barb, Roger, Sally, Dwight, George, Becky, Pat, Hank, Denis and Janie....it has been an honor to share this time with you. Thank you for your love and spirit. To Miss Ifama - you are a beacon of light and love for us. To Nathan and the rest of the congregation, we can't wait to share our stories with you. If you ever get the opportunity to go on a service project, I strongly suggest it.

Last Day on the project ahead

2008-11-07T04:22:00.000-08:00

Hello.
It's 6:00 AM NOLA time, and people are trickling into the dining hall in search of nourishment to get through the last day. Hopefully, Terry won't bring that darn whip today! Today's project...paint, paint and more paint. The ceilings are done in most of the house and the walls are primed. Did you know that there are 10 rooms?

This team is awesome!

Molly, if you are checking in, we are thinking of you and will carry you with us throughout the day.

The bandaid supply is getting low, and there are sore muscles all around.

We are looking forward to getting as much done as we can today, so we can leave with light hearts.

Enjoy your day and we look forward to filling the sanctuary with our New Orleans Spirit.

2008-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

OK, OK, so I haven't posted since Tues morning..... We are quite busy and accomplishing so much - we were thrilled at the end of our work day to be ready for painting 4 rooms tomorrow that started out the week with ruined or nonexistent walls and ceilings.

Dennis, Hank, Donna, and I went for a self-guided tour of the hurricane damaged areas today. It is truly eye opening to see so many empty lots and still abandoned homes, but we also saw some new/rebuilt homes popping up. Brad Pitt and the Green Project have supported building new spacious homes with solar panels.

Then we got to work! I have used more than one of those band aids Donna mentioned...... but I'm still standing. It is amazing to see everyone go to work in teams, each offering their contribution to the "ant colony". Ifama is quite the beautiful and warm person, and we look forward to seeing her every day. Molly had to go home early today - we were sad to see her go.

Many of us are off to the French Quarter.

Blessed be,

Mauree

Wednesday, Nov. 5

2008-11-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hello, all. A brief, late night update.

Another productive day at Miss Ifama's house. It is amazing at the scope of the work this group has done. Our leaders are incredible, as is every team member accomplishing tasks.

After we packed away all the tools, we did our circle in Miss Ifama's back yard. It was Molly's last night here and I don't think that there was as dry eye in the place. We are definitely feeling the love.

I would like to put Miss Ifama in my pocket and take her home with me. She is a special woman.

We stopped by Rev. Josephine's church on our way back "home" to see how much it has improved. She was as welcoming as we were told.

There are a lot of sore muscles in this group tonight, and a handful of bandaids are missing from the first aid kit, but we will be raring and willing to go in the morning.

The morning after

2008-11-05T04:17:00.000-08:00

Hello all! We had a very productive day yesterday with several small successes, and 2 huge rewards. The good rhythm continues as we all move like ants building their colony. There are frequently narrowed paths, but we find our way around the bottlenecks.

Our first big reward was moving Miss Ifama's bedroom set into the finished bedroom!

We had all had great expectations to spend Tuesday night in a place with a big screen TV to have fun and watch the election results. It's funny how three days of hard labor will change your plans. One by one each person decided that he/she would stay in to watch the little TV in the dining room. So, it turned out that we stayed inside, 31 people (the Sierra Club Group plus us) huddled around a 19" inch TV. OK, so we weren't exactly huddled. It wasn't very quiet in this room after 10:00 PM.

We can head off to work with smiles.

Election Day!

2008-11-04T04:01:00.000-08:00

It's election day, and we're off for another day's work.

I got to work with many small teams yesterday, learning to insulate, spackle, efficiently remove recalcitrant nails..... The house is really coming together quickly! Infama works by our sides, sharing her rich stories, her art, and sweeping up after our mess.

Thanks to Dennis, Hank, Terry, and Nancy for their patience in teaching me new skills. It is great to work side by side! Thanks to Molly, Becky, and Terry for their leadership. Thanks to Molly for beautifully moving music that brings what we're doing home to the heart. Donna, the Food Queen, has really taken care of us all.

Many blessings be in our brand new day....

Maureen

Day 2 at Miss Ifama's

2008-11-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Hi! This will be a quick post. It is late, and I am tired! As you can tell that the power came back. The neighborhood was without power for 3 hours last night.

Today was a full day of work (it was 80 degrees) and we are making progress. One room is officially DONE! Molly and Nancy got to put furniture in the room where it belongs.

We are falling into a rhythm and working together well.

After a long day of work, we went out to dinner to boost the local economy. One restauant on Magazine Street had a good night, as did we.

Brian even created a new piece of art to add to the broken pottery chalice. That was even before he ate an alligator Po'Boy sandwich!

We will have a lot to share with you when we return.

A Good Day's Work

2008-11-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

Most headed to Miss Ifama's house first thing Sunday morning, and a few of us stayed to worship with the church who houses us, and also to prepare lunch for the working crew. The service was similar to ours, and very different in many ways. The Introit was familiar to us all: "Spirit of Life." The entire congregation sang the words with their voices and signed the words with their hands. It was moving.

Day One at Miss Ifama's was productive. She is learning to let go of some things that she has held onto, because that's what she does. She collects art from every corner of the world, but there is a special place in her heart for local artists and budding artists. She is also a talented artist, herself.

When one of her own pieces of pottery got broken, we were heartbroken for her. Her response is that it wasn't broken, but it's art had changed. A mighty shield has been recommissioned as a loving chalice for 17 of us. We stood around it last night, sharing our thoughts from the day, just as the power went out.....

2008-11-02T03:53:00.000-08:00

Donna already gave a nice update, but I will add some here.... as I find the early morning time.

Some of us enjoyed some dancing with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans (FUUNO) members at their Fellowship Pot Luck last night. I had the opportunity to listen to some of the members' stories of Katrina (and Gustav and Ike). One family with children has evacuated 5 times or so in the past 10 years. They told me of a fellow member who, after being rescued out of her second story window during Katrina (losing her 2 dogs in the process) and being left on a bridge for 3 days with no food (buying water from the prisoners that were put there, also), decided to leave the city and not move back.

I also met Miss Ifama yesterday and very much look forward to getting her back into her house. She is a collector and a very interesting and inspiring woman!

Thanks to all who are supporting our ability to be here!

Maureen Gormley

Project is under way

2008-11-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

We all made it safely to FUUNO, although there were some bleary eyes at Logan airport due to our early flight. A group went to Miss Ifama's house to meet her and assess the priorities. She was extremely grateful for our presence and the hope we bring. It would be a blessing to get her back into her house.

We shared in a pot-luck fellowship dinner with the FUUNO congregation as they were celebrating the conclusion of their annual canvass. Jazz band, gumbo, and many homemade dishes and desserts!

A handful of us will be attending their Sunday service while the rest start organizing at Miss Ifama's house. I imagine that Terry will have half the project completed in his dreams tonight.

It is an honor to be here as a representative of UUAC.

2008-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

The tools made it to Slidell but we haven't seen Jim Cantori. Pictures show some of the highlights: Earnheart Drive, Gulf coast is still a mess, another oil derrick about to get launched, and the shrimp boats are back in business. Gas is $2.12!

Van of Tools

2008-10-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Much love and thanks to the drivers of the UUAC Toolmobile! It is packed to the ceiling.

Pre New Orleans Thoughts and Test of My Blogging

2008-10-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, All Readers -

I'm headed with the UUAC group to New Orleans on Nov 1. We're hoping to really make a difference in the life of one woman who will hopefully be back in her home soon because of work others have done before us and what we'll accomplish in the week we're there.

I'm testing my ability to blog on this site. Come and read about and share in our experiences!

Many blessings,

Maureen

NOLA 4

2008-10-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning and raring to go! I am working the bugs out of getting a new posting on the blog. I made an earlier comment.

Sally and Roger are packing the van today and heading southwest tomorrow morning. The rest of us are on the same flight on Sat AM, with an ETA of 10:30 in NOLA. We will be carrying you all with us in our hearts.

A few of us have signed up to keep you updated. Keep checking the blog!

2007-03-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Greetings from New Orleans.

Let me first request that my fellow bloggers post some "after" pictures. Part of yesterday was spent putting the icing on the cake - we applied the first coat of white paint to the walls and ceilings of four of the rooms that we restored, not including the kitchen and the bathroom. The paint in the colors chosen by the family will be applied by the team that follows us. Because of that one coat of paint, we were able to see the shape of things to come in actuality, not only in our imaginations, though we had to fill in a few details with our mind's eye, such as the casings around the doors and windows, the floor in the kitchen, the paddle fans reinstalled on the ceilings, etc.

When I thought about this trip beforehand, I thought I would probably be pulling down moldy sheetrock. In fact I did pull down a little bit of old sheetrock, but it wasn't moldy. Most of that had been done already in the house we worked on.

I didn't think we would be able to help a family that we would actually get to know. It was a delight to be able to do so. This family had something that I daresay many of us do not have. They lived (live!) in a true community, where generations of families live in the same place and know their neighbors across a broad spectrum of life. Speaking for myself of course, and leaving aside the obvious financial considerations, if my home in Sherborn were destroyed, I would be emotionally able to consider relocating anywhere in the vicinity, or even not in the vicinity, without feeling as if I were being wrenched from my community. Where I park myself and my belongings is optional. My "community" is spread quite thin, with friends and family all over the world. I can hardly even call it a community without feeling as if I'm compromising the meaning of the word, after I saw the real thing before my eyes this week.

There are many people here in the same position as this owner of this home. Without some toehold of momentum, grant money is not available. Various formulas determine who will and who will not get financial assistance to rebuild their home. For example, read this article or Google "road home" new orleans protest. Insurance companies have been very slow to pay claims, often denying them for spurious reasons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/11/us/11louisiana.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=5f8aae429b7fbb9a&ex=1320901200&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I believe we were able to provide that toehold for Miss Orean and her family to be able to continue the process of rebuilding their home. It once housed three families in two apartments on the second floor and one on the first floor, though I don't know whether the first floor was occupied when hurricane Katrina hit. At this point, Miss Orean's apartment is almost completely renovated, and the front entrance has been reconstructed. The front door was painted, and the corner door, which is unused, has been replaced (thought not fitted) with a beautiful hardwood door that the UU church here has not been allowed to replace in their structure due to fire codes. Previously it was covered with a sheet of plywood. We learned last night that the group who will follow us into that building includes individuals with considerable building skills, as did our group. They will be able to connect the kitchen sink, put the casing on the doors and windows, and deal with additional structural damage in other parts of the building, in addition to painting the kitchen and three other rooms that we only primed.

Thanks to all the people back home, who we were able to count on so that we could come. I am truly grateful - a week of hard labor is like a vacation for me. I loved hanging sheetrock - it's like piecing four giant solid quilts with holes for doors, windows, outlets and light switches.

Well time to pack and catch my cab to the airport! See you all on Sunday!

2007-03-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

SO the thing I've learned about deoderant on this particular thrip to New Orleans is, really, what's the point? It looses it's usefulness around 7:30 a.m. as we load the tools back into the vans, and if you don't have your dust mask covering your nose as your work partner reaches up to hold down the sheet rock you are drilling in, well.... whose fault is that?

Of course I've learned so much more, from so many of my new friends. From how to get a good angle on the drill and really put my weight into, to how to get spackle off my nose with the only spackle free part of my fore arm. The work of the house has been so much fun and inspiring. We have made such a difference in these four days. Yet each of us is conscious of how much work there is still to go to make Ms. Oreen's home habitable. And we will have to leave without seeing it in that freshly painted, new rugs on teh floor, ready for the furniture stage. The next group of volunteers will have that statisfaction, but we will leave knowing we did the grunt work to get it ready. Who knows what we can accomplish today. This is the kinda energetic work crew you only wish your contractor would bring to your renovation projects. Terry just left for his daily Home Depot run (the first of many) and that third pot of coffee is looking low already.

Something else we have learned, or been reminded of, is the importance of sitting with. For the last three days, 79 year old Miss Oreen, has sat with her grandson Deon, on the side stairs outside the house. Watching the occaisional cars go by slowly, some with former neighbor calling out to her from open windows. It has been 19 months since she has sat her, outside the house she moved into in 1959. And slthough she has moved from one relation to another with hotel rooms inbetween, her sense of being a home owner has never left her. " I always knew I'd get back in that house," she told us. "God sent you to me and i thank you both." SOme of our best memories are being made on those stairs, which we each pass (and often stop at) as we go down to the Genisis Baptist Church where we use the bathroom, set up our lunch and store our ladders each night. You will here more about this church, which has been so generous to us despite the fact that it's congregation has deminished by over 50%. (It's choir gone from 22 members to 5). We pull off our masks and take a cold water bottle to sit on those stairs with Miss Orren and her family. She greets us with a sparkled eyed smile that melts the fatigue.

Yesterday we heard more sirens that usual and there was actually a stop right outside the window where we work. AS we leaned out, trying to be discreet, we saw three young African American males, hands spread on the hood of their car while three police officers patted them down. They stood submissive, in what seemed like a familiar stillness, looking down or to the side for a long time...long enough for us to lose the end of their story as we went back to our drills and ladders. I asked Ms. Oreen about it later. She say they have "Jump Out" Tuesday and Thursday down here where police can stop a car for no reason and you gotts jump out and be searched. "It don't sound legal to me, but I'm g lad for it," she says. The crime in her neighborhood was worse before the hurricane and it's very bad now.

WEll, folks are heading down to start loading the van, and I'm still in my PJs haven't seen my daughter up here for breakfast. One more thing I have learned.....That your children really will eat Lucky Charms every morning for breakfast if you let them!!! (Sorry Timmy. Hello to my Honeys on Smith street)

Becky

2007-03-30T04:31:00.001-07:00

Part of what is so important about being here in New Orleans is "bearing witness". Part of it is being here, but another critical part of processing what we've seen/felt/tasted/heard/felt in such a way that it connects the people who did not come, you, to the experience.

One of the most powerful messages I take from here is the sweet elderly woman (whom I've befriended as my grandmother) and her neighborhood. These are people of color who, for the most part, have not been treated by whites in very honoring ways. They distrust them because of this. From the beginning we had a goal of bonding with grandmother and her family/neighbors and rise above the racism of our times. I wanted to connect with them but how to do this when we had such little time? I spoke to her from my heart, "I want to let you know that we are not out of pity, but rather because of love! We are here because you are OUR people. We are all Americans and when we saw what happened to you at each stage of the horror that this whole experience has been our hearts were breaking because although we did not know you we felt a bond to you! At the time I had a sick child and could not come. We are now to do our part to help rebuild your home. More importantly than that is to let you know that your people, Americans, care about you no matter what the color of your skin."

Grandmother and her family have watched over us and shared their experience with us. We all opened up our hearts and minds to each other. You could see things shifting before your eyes. We all learned a lot.

It was very emotional hearing their experience, how they were treated, what they saw. Some of it still hurts my heart like knowing they saw people in wheelchairs and the bodies of babies floating by.

They said, "You are the nicest white people we ever met." When asked about how she felt about racism and if grandmother was bothered that there were white people in her house she said, "Honey, I don't care if you were green with polka dots. I'm just thankful you are here."

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
:)

2007-03-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

So sorry we havent' blogged in a few days. The computer was down, and we've been darn busy.

Took a tour designed by the Hurricane Relief and Social Justice Project. Went through Upper and Lower 9th, other parts of the 7th ward, and up towards the 17th Street canal close to the west end of the city. Pretty eye opening. The hurricane and the levee breaches were equal opportunity destructors on some level. What is not so equal is that many homeowners have fewer resources to rebuild, and institutional help is slow in coming. It is shocking to see so many homes abandoned city wide after two years. Maybe social activist/tourists like us get an interesting visual snapshot of the city because as outsiders we are interested and willing to go everywhere in New Orleans to see what has happened after almost two years. Our government has been very slow to respond judging by the many, many homes standing empty, damaged, and destroyed all across the city. Is this what to expect if this happened in Boston?

The lower 9th, once you get off the main drag, and drive towards the area of the three levee breaches, is very desolate, like a graveyard. My guess is that about 5% of the homeowners, or less, have returned. Many houses, in what was probably a dense neighborhood, have been leveled, and the area has much grassland. The housing is mostly one story, cottage style homes. Brick homes have fared better than wooden structures. The upper 9th, being on somewhat higher ground, is a bit more developed. Where we are---in the 7th ward---the houses are standing, but the homeowner of our house said that about only 50% of the houses in her neighborhood are occupied. Our tour today took us from the extreme east end of Orleans Parish (lower 9th) to the very west end near the 17th Street canal into neighborhoods of 600k homes that had water lines about 8 feet high. Orleans Parish really isnt' that big, and the tour today revealed much, much city wide destruction. Areas near the Mississippi River (aka Up River)are on higher ground (inc. the French Quarter)and suffered wind and water damage but not necessarily levee flooding.

Our teamwork down here is extraordinary. Injuries have been minor, which is excellent for a group of 22, mostly average skilled workers. We have shimmed, screwed, hammered, plastered, shoveled plaster and pigeon poop, ripped up and built out, installed countertops, cut, measured, (not in that order) and fed each other. We have had to adjust expectations as Monday wore into Wednesday. We are leaving much fun and gratifying work to the next group who will follow us into this house, including painting and floor tiles. We have taken care of structural problems, sheetrocked 3 1/2 rooms, laid subfloors, and generously applied much plaster to our enthusiastic, if imprecise, sheetrocking efforts. We have arranged for a plumber to take care of a cracked waste pipe. (The two Rooter Men showed up wearing Yankees and Red Sox baseball hats.) We glance at the pigeons and hope they move out of the rafters soon before the house if fully secured against the elements. It is fun to watch the dynamics of the group emerge: how the men talk to each other vs. how the women operate, who works well together, and who are better separated to take advantage of their leadership skills. We have cultivated a generosity of spirit towards each other that we should remember to take back into our regular lives.

Some high points: the homeowner's daughter arranged for us to have an authentic crawfish boil, complete with SPICY sausages, potatoes, crawfish, shrimp and gumbo for lunch on Wed. Today we chased the ice cream truck (which our country girl teen called an ice cream machine) down the street with our minivan at the end of the work day. See pictures. Terrific food at Felix's. Had a rockin' time at Snug Harbor, and liked seeing one of our party members standing on her chair in this small jazz club. Thank you Becky.

The homeowner or her daughters (or grandson) have been at the house every day, which affords us easy excuses to take a break and chat. They are a lovely family with deep connections to the neighborhood and to each other. The house, which is quite large, is a gathering spot for the extended family, especially during the holidays. They have the respect of their minister (and keys to the Grace Baptist Church where we are eating lunch), who referred the homeowner to our organization. We did not expect to put a face to the house, and it has been a wonderful perk this week. The neighbors are either friendly and curious, or watchful. We stand out a bit.

When walking around NO in work clothes, it is relatively easy (not in the tourist areas but in neighborhoods) to get someone to talk about where they are at in the rebuilding process. Some strangers have said thank you to us for being here.

It will be very hard to leave Sat. a.m. Most of us feel this way. Five building days feel very short, and we quit the workday after 8 focused hours reluctantly.
Tomorrow is our last work day. We have adjusted expectations and will need to feel good about what we have accomplished: built a strong team of people who will bring this energy back to the church; learned new skills; made the house nearly habitable; made new friends of the homeowner and her family; and moved a bit closer to getting this obviously respected family back into their neighborhood and church; lent eyes, ears, heart, and foodie appetites to the people of NO; and witnessed the citywide damage and destruction which pictures do not do justice to.

Chris

NEW PICTURES!!!

2007-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

hey guys! this is Rory, you probubly don't know me but im Becky Sheble-Hall's daughter and i (although very late) have been uploading some pictures from our trip on to a web sight since i can't seem to figure out how to put them on the blog. So here is the web sight

http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/UUAC_NOLA/

I will be updating them as fast as i can so you can just keep looking at the sight. Have fun!!! (p.s. their not in order.. sorry)

Work day yesterday

2007-03-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

Greetings from New Orleans.
Yesterday we worked on the home of a woman who is a member of a Baptist Church some distance from where we are, the UU church in New Orleans. She lived there with some of her family. I met her daughter, son-in-law and grandson. Today we are going to meet her. The building was flooded, however she lived on the second floor which had wind and rain damage. Much of the damaged sheetrock had already been removed. I worked with several others to remove remaining nails and bits of sheetrock from one room. Others did structural repair on the first floor, others cleaned up the kitchen and bathroom, worked on the electricity, tore up a rug. I can't say more, because I was busy pulling nails. Today we will put plywood on the floors at least. I can predict we will be stunned by the amount of work that we can get done, same as yesterday. Some plumbing and electricity are working already.
OK today just the facts, and not a lot of them. Personally I was very impressed with the amount of work we were able to do. Coming down here with a contractor and an electrician has made all the difference. We are the first reconstruction project that has worked out of this church (the project up until now has been headed by the UU church in Baton Rouge) After a year and a half, the city will soon reach a point where most of the damaged houses have been gutted, so the task now is reconstruction, which requires specific knowledge.
Post questions! I'm not sure what people want to know, and between all of us we have lots of information to share.
See you on Sunday!
Cris

24 hours to NOLA

2007-03-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

See you all there!

Pat

Joint compound tool ready for action

2007-03-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

There is nothing intrinsically special about this tool, I just wanted to post a photo for practice.

Cris

Welcome

2007-03-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the blog of the UUAC at First Parish in Sherborn New Orleans Rebuilding Project. The team will be posting their progress and pictures here. If you want to contribute to the rebuilding project, contact the church at http://uuac-sherborn.org or call (508) 653-1422.