Thursday, December 23, 2010
Pearlington Cut Short
I left Wednesday morning arriving home Wednesday night. Kathy picked me up at SFO and drove me to Oak Tree to see mom and pick up my son John. All 3 of us spent the night at my house. I'll go back and update the blog for the last day I had in Pearlington tomorrow.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Day 4: Captain John's
Some random photos first:
Across the bayou from where we are staying you can see an abandoned house and some of the trees that had tops snapped off by Katrina
Ellen in the door way :) Brittany took out some frustration with a crow bar ( DJ in back)
Me--on the trailer bed.
Monday 12/ 20/ 10 : After breakfast and making lunches, we headed to the Purdy House for our morning rendezvous with Ben and DJ. We then split up into the same 3 groups and headed to work. At Captain John's his son Joel told me that Christmas elves had surely been at work to take that trailer down while he was at work the day before :) He said that it had been really tough living in that little space with his dad for 4 years and that when they moved into the house he had danced around.
Over the years we have learned to be innovative when we don't have materials we need to work with. Today we really needed a wheel barrow but I found the tub from the trailer.
It was light weight and we could fill it with debris from the trailer bed and then carry it to the infamous burn pile.
We celebrated small victories as we struggled to get the metal separated from wood and the roof cut up into pieces. I used my Geometry skills to get all the aluminum/tin evenly placed and flattened in the trailer that will haul it away :)
The ramp crew
got all of the posts in for the last part of the ramp before the turn to the driveway which was quite a feat in the mud where they would level a post and then the ground would move.
We went back to the Purdy House to join the others for lunch and then Ben arrived with 60 sheets of sheet rock to be unloaded and taken into the house.
It was really great to see the teamwork as everyone pitched in to get those unloaded and carried into the house--just formed teams of 3 for each sheet--I slid them out from the back of the trailer to them.
Our group came back a little earlier than the others and I was able to make a number of calls including a talk with the home health nurse about hospice care. I will be flying home a couple of days early leaving Bill and Douglas here. My older son John will fly home at the same time to be with me. I know that Mom would not want me to leave early but I feel I need to be there. Each morning when I've talked to her she has been so pleased with all the work we are doing here and she asks what each of us is doing so for those few moments I know she's with us.
Tonight after dinner we did our daily sharing and the talk turned more emotional than usual as we talked about how much we have grown, received, connected--with each other and this town during these trips and how sad it is that this will be our last group trip here. Bill talked about the stories you hear about angels among us and the ones that we have met here--especially Ben, Tom, and DJ who have given so much of their time and energy to the people of this town and who have helped us to accomplish so much in our time here.
There is an eclipse tonight that I'd like to see but don't think I can get up to see it. Tomorrow is our annual trip to Waffle House for breakfast--a Douglas institution. We will also take our annual picture at the Pearlington sign so that I can be part of it. Night!
Across the bayou from where we are staying you can see an abandoned house and some of the trees that had tops snapped off by Katrina
Ellen in the door way :) Brittany took out some frustration with a crow bar ( DJ in back)
Me--on the trailer bed.
Monday 12/ 20/ 10 : After breakfast and making lunches, we headed to the Purdy House for our morning rendezvous with Ben and DJ. We then split up into the same 3 groups and headed to work. At Captain John's his son Joel told me that Christmas elves had surely been at work to take that trailer down while he was at work the day before :) He said that it had been really tough living in that little space with his dad for 4 years and that when they moved into the house he had danced around.
Over the years we have learned to be innovative when we don't have materials we need to work with. Today we really needed a wheel barrow but I found the tub from the trailer.
It was light weight and we could fill it with debris from the trailer bed and then carry it to the infamous burn pile.
We celebrated small victories as we struggled to get the metal separated from wood and the roof cut up into pieces. I used my Geometry skills to get all the aluminum/tin evenly placed and flattened in the trailer that will haul it away :)
The ramp crew
got all of the posts in for the last part of the ramp before the turn to the driveway which was quite a feat in the mud where they would level a post and then the ground would move.We went back to the Purdy House to join the others for lunch and then Ben arrived with 60 sheets of sheet rock to be unloaded and taken into the house.
It was really great to see the teamwork as everyone pitched in to get those unloaded and carried into the house--just formed teams of 3 for each sheet--I slid them out from the back of the trailer to them.
Our group came back a little earlier than the others and I was able to make a number of calls including a talk with the home health nurse about hospice care. I will be flying home a couple of days early leaving Bill and Douglas here. My older son John will fly home at the same time to be with me. I know that Mom would not want me to leave early but I feel I need to be there. Each morning when I've talked to her she has been so pleased with all the work we are doing here and she asks what each of us is doing so for those few moments I know she's with us.
Tonight after dinner we did our daily sharing and the talk turned more emotional than usual as we talked about how much we have grown, received, connected--with each other and this town during these trips and how sad it is that this will be our last group trip here. Bill talked about the stories you hear about angels among us and the ones that we have met here--especially Ben, Tom, and DJ who have given so much of their time and energy to the people of this town and who have helped us to accomplish so much in our time here.
There is an eclipse tonight that I'd like to see but don't think I can get up to see it. Tomorrow is our annual trip to Waffle House for breakfast--a Douglas institution. We will also take our annual picture at the Pearlington sign so that I can be part of it. Night!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Day 3: Captain John's
The Bayou at Captain John's
A DJ and DJ
Jeff is a DJ for KPIG
DJ, Ellen, Jeff & Brittany
Sammy & Jonathon working on the post holes
The trailer--before
DJ working inside--note the mold on the walls! How sad to have to live in something like this for almost 5 years!!
Helping DJ rip off part of the side
Getting close!
Today the team split into 3 groups: 5 people stayed to do sheetrock at the Purdy House and the rest went to Captain John's to work on the ramp and to demolish the Katrina trailer for scrap metal. The group has worked on Captain John's house for years and finally had the satisfaction of seeing him move into his new home during their April trip. He is a retired river boat captain and his home is right on a bayou where he loves to fish. (This is the one where in previous years Douglas was on the 3 level scaffolding in the water painting the house.) Not being a skilled post hole digger or ceiling sheet rock expert, I chose the demolition team. It was 36 degrees this morning and we wore several layers along with masks and goggles. The day warmed up and it was beautiful on the bayou--sunny and warm. Someone had already taken out the floor --which made it really difficult to work on taking out the cabinets, doors, walls, inside layer, insulation, etc. so we laid some of the doors down to walk on. DJ was here from Falls Church, VA, a retired, electrician who has been returning to Pearlington ever since his first trip in Feb. '06. He came with us today to help with the trailer. I found that swinging that crow bar and prying off cabinets and wall studs was a great stress reliever. (Mom's condition remains about the same, Beth returned home to CT.) We soon had our team set up and working with DJ, Gail and myself inside and Ellen and Jeff outside hauling stuff to the burn pile and we switched jobs as the day progressed. Folks in California would have a stroke over what gets burned here--everything in the trailer except the tin siding! The inside of the trailer had a lot of black mold both on the walls and in the insulation. There were also a few nests of what must be fire ants that DJ had the misfortune to encounter when he ripped open one wall. I took photos before, during and after so you can see what we were doing. The team working on the ramp was having a frustrating time with the mud and the post leveling but got several more done. We went back to the Purdy House to meet up with the others for lunch. In the car on the way there Sammy, Gail, and I were talking about sunburn and skin cancer issues when Sammy said she was Scottish and that's where her fair skin came from and as I joined in saying I was Scottish, DJ said he was too and it turns out he's a Johnston!! (My maiden name!) Guess we're long lost cousins--both from the same clan :)
After lunch we were back at it. We had several open places in the trailer now and as each major section came away we cheered. Several of us had tried to pry the metal door off and weren't able to get it so Jeff took it on as a challenge. He worked on the wall until he finally got the whole thing off--with the door in it. Around 3pm DJ brought the roof down and tomorrow we will finish clearing the debris. Back at the houses we showered, had dinner, and then our evening meeting discussing the day, singing songs, etc. Too tired to finish posting pictures--hope this isn't too rambling...I also put up the link to Brittany's blog--our group leader. Night!
A DJ and DJ
Jeff is a DJ for KPIG
DJ, Ellen, Jeff & Brittany
Sammy & Jonathon working on the post holes
The trailer--before
DJ working inside--note the mold on the walls! How sad to have to live in something like this for almost 5 years!!
Helping DJ rip off part of the side
Getting close!
Today the team split into 3 groups: 5 people stayed to do sheetrock at the Purdy House and the rest went to Captain John's to work on the ramp and to demolish the Katrina trailer for scrap metal. The group has worked on Captain John's house for years and finally had the satisfaction of seeing him move into his new home during their April trip. He is a retired river boat captain and his home is right on a bayou where he loves to fish. (This is the one where in previous years Douglas was on the 3 level scaffolding in the water painting the house.) Not being a skilled post hole digger or ceiling sheet rock expert, I chose the demolition team. It was 36 degrees this morning and we wore several layers along with masks and goggles. The day warmed up and it was beautiful on the bayou--sunny and warm. Someone had already taken out the floor --which made it really difficult to work on taking out the cabinets, doors, walls, inside layer, insulation, etc. so we laid some of the doors down to walk on. DJ was here from Falls Church, VA, a retired, electrician who has been returning to Pearlington ever since his first trip in Feb. '06. He came with us today to help with the trailer. I found that swinging that crow bar and prying off cabinets and wall studs was a great stress reliever. (Mom's condition remains about the same, Beth returned home to CT.) We soon had our team set up and working with DJ, Gail and myself inside and Ellen and Jeff outside hauling stuff to the burn pile and we switched jobs as the day progressed. Folks in California would have a stroke over what gets burned here--everything in the trailer except the tin siding! The inside of the trailer had a lot of black mold both on the walls and in the insulation. There were also a few nests of what must be fire ants that DJ had the misfortune to encounter when he ripped open one wall. I took photos before, during and after so you can see what we were doing. The team working on the ramp was having a frustrating time with the mud and the post leveling but got several more done. We went back to the Purdy House to meet up with the others for lunch. In the car on the way there Sammy, Gail, and I were talking about sunburn and skin cancer issues when Sammy said she was Scottish and that's where her fair skin came from and as I joined in saying I was Scottish, DJ said he was too and it turns out he's a Johnston!! (My maiden name!) Guess we're long lost cousins--both from the same clan :)
After lunch we were back at it. We had several open places in the trailer now and as each major section came away we cheered. Several of us had tried to pry the metal door off and weren't able to get it so Jeff took it on as a challenge. He worked on the wall until he finally got the whole thing off--with the door in it. Around 3pm DJ brought the roof down and tomorrow we will finish clearing the debris. Back at the houses we showered, had dinner, and then our evening meeting discussing the day, singing songs, etc. Too tired to finish posting pictures--hope this isn't too rambling...I also put up the link to Brittany's blog--our group leader. Night!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Day 2: The "Purdy" House
Photos: Mary on Scaffolding, group putting up scaffolding, Doug after putting in floor in closet, some rescued items, Doug and Mary working in hall, lunch break outside, Bill, Ben and Doug working on closet, the Purdy house.
We first visited the "purdy" house in 2007 although we had often remarked on how pretty and abandoned it looked. (Purdy is southern for pretty :)) Today because it was chilly and overcast we had the unique experience of all 12 of us working on the same site. We prepped walls for sheetrock--ripping out or hammering in protruding nails, removing debris, etc. We cleared things out of the two rooms that would get ceilings sheetrocked first--lots of work on scaffolding but not by me! I'll post some photos to go along with this. My mom is not doing well so I may have to head home but both of my sisters are with her so I am waiting until Monday at this point. We returned to the two houses, that are side by side, in Bay St. Louis and after showering we had a nice dinner. Afterward, as we always do, we shared remarks about our day--things that had moved or touched us, etc. We all feel a certain attachment to this house. The owner and his dog escaped through the back door's window onto the deck which then separated from the house and floated away! He moved to Texas to be with his son's family and never came back. When we arrived in '07 we were shocked to have to "mud and gut" a house as we thought that was long past. We had to haul everything out and it had been a beautiful home--lovely canopy beds, chandeliers, antique furniture, pictures, etc. We sorted things to save and things to toss...and we all really loved the house. Now, Tom, one of the first responders after Katrina, has bought the house. He has been coming here every six weeks since the storm, and has organized countless jobs for volunteers from around the country. One of our team said tonight that by working on this house for him it was almost like helping Pearlington thank him for all he has done for them. For several of us the house and our connection to it is sort of symbolic of our work here in Pearlington and the need to restore things to the way they were--even though the post office and school will never be rebuilt here. Tired and sore we sang songs including Christmas carols and headed off for our daily trip to Walmart to get supplies for tomorrow---I know I know about Walmart but there just isn't an alternative here :) Night!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Day 1--Just getting there!
Left the house on time at 5:30 stopped at Starbucks in Saratoga parked the car and got to SFO on time--but the flight was delayed...more than an hour due to the weather. Then our direct flight ended up stopping at LAX--no change of plane--make sure you know the difference between non-stop and direct! Delayed landing at LAX so later still and when we finally got to New Orleans, we had to wait on the runway 45 minutes since there was another plane at our gate! Got the rental car and headed to Bay St. Louis arriving around 7:45--3 hours late but they had saved dinner for us. Sammie had to take a final today and her flight is currently delayed arriving around 1:30AM--her professor wouldn't let her take it a day early with the other class! There will be 12 of us tomorrow and Ben says he has 3 jobs for us to work on---one is sheetrocking at the "purdy" house--that beautiful old yellow house we've worked on before and we think a second one is to build Captain John's wheelchair ramp. The rest of the group went to Walmart today to shop (not much choice in stores and that's half an hour from Pearlington.) and the greeter recognized by their sweatshirts that they were volunteers and gave each of them a hug and thanked them for continuing to come... They also ran into Miss Shirley who was so excited to see them and promised some of her home made pralines before we leave! My mom isn't doing well so I may not make the entire week but one sister is there and the other is going there over this weekend... Still a bit sleep deprived but promise to provide photos and more interesting info tomorrow!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)