DONE! What a GREAT Experience!

Robin on the scaffolding....






Billie was the counterbalance for Robin on the scaffolding...







Saturday afternoon ... finished!






Saturday evening ... we cleaned up pretty well for our dinner out on the town!







Our last day at Ferry Place was hot as usual, but we were able to complete what we had started. We finished trimming out two houses ... baseboards, door trim, window sills, etc. Painting was finished earlier in the week. We left plenty of jobs for the next Rhino crowd, but we felt good about what we contributed.





We enjoyed a dinner out on Saturday night and strolled the French Quarter for a little while, ending up at Cafe du Monde for beignets ... no trip to New Orleans would be complete without it.

We continued to be touched by how appreciative EVERYONE was! Future Habitat Homeowners, St Charles Avenue Presbyterian congregation members, hotel and restaurant workers ... Everyone thanked us for coming to help rebuild their city.

Sunday morning, we were rolling by 7:30 am! Laura G and Billie "skyped" into the 8:30 and 10:30 worship services to update the congregation on our trip. This technological feat was a first, but hopefully not last! We arrived home safely around 8:30 pm Sunday evening, with many memories, new and re-newed friendships and some clothes splattered with paint, dusted with saw dust, markers of our new found skills!


What a GREAT experience!

Baseboards, Window stools and SAWs ... Oh my!

Today we did not touch a paint brush or roller ... a welcome change. It was all about power tools! Laura J and Dawn mastered the circular saw and the jig saw while Stevie, Robin, Billie, Laura G, Page, Judy and Libba are now skilled on the compound miter saw. Carol and Pat did not want to touch a saw, but they did join the rest of the group, firing the nail gun numerous times!! We have not quite finished the baseboards in one house, but the window stools/sills are complete and those teams moved on to the house next door.

The weather has continued to be beautiful. Hot, sunny, good breeze and not a drop of rain in sight since Monday. We took a break for lunch today, briefly visiting St Andrews Avenue Presbyterian Church. What a gorgeous sanctuary. The pipe organ is incredible, beautiful stained glass windows and leaded glass windows and doors from the narthex, looking into the sanctuary. We learned earlier that their sanctuary, dedicated in 1930, had major damage during Katrina and they did significant work to restore/enhance the space since the storm.

We have enjoyed the lovely dinners we have had in the homes of congregation members, but tonight we ventured to the Convention Center area and had an entertaining dinner at Mulate's. Several of our group took to the dance floor for some "authentic" Cajun dancing. We all tasted traditional foods including alligator (fried and blackened), sausage, catfish and other local delicasies.

We are sad to see our week coming to an end. Saturday is our last day of work and while we won't miss the heat or the labor, we wish we could continue the New Orleans experience a little longer.

Incredible people... special city!

For the first time, all eleven of us were on time for our 7:30 AM devotion and we were EARLY on the JOB, before 8 AM! Our day ran just past 4:00 and we accomplished a lot in those eight hours!

First thing we were split into two groups and Laura G, Dawn, Pat and Carol worked on painting, sanding and painting interior baseboards... outside in the SHADE and the BREEZE! The rest of us were in the "light blue" house, continuing the painting we started yesterday. Billie and Robin "owned" the upstairs - they even attempted to "brand" the subfloor with a Tarheel and Tiger Paw signature. Billie somehow reached the ceiling and walls of the stairwell! Laura J and Stevie completed their first floor bedroom, little ventilation, lots of conversation and work! Judy, Libba and Page caught all the angles of the living area, bathroom, laundry room and hallway, ensuring no spot went unprimed or unpainted, twice!

Today, Teresa, soon to be owner of the home that we worked on earlier in the week, joined us for much of the day. She is looking forward to moving her two children into the Ferry Place development late this summer. Laura, another WONDERFUL volunteer from St Charles Avenue Presbyterian, brought us iced coffee around 11:00 AM ... a welcome boost, both the caffeine and the cold refreshment! Our lunch once again came from the Loaves and Fishes ministry.

As the day began to wind down, and we emptied the 5 gallon buckets of paint we were using, Jeremy lured us to the outside for several "sawing" lessons... skills we apparently will need for Friday's upcoming trim work!?!? Several of us took turns on the chop saw and jig saw and we also learned the basics of using a circular saw. We are ready for those long and short cuts of the baseboards and even the window sills ... Friday will be different and fun!

Our dinner tonight was at the home of Sam and Pat Rosamond. A delicious meatloaf, made with beef and veal, accompanied by a great salad, green beans, brownies and a lemon pound cake for dessert. We have enjoyed all the homes and St Charles Avenue hosts ... what a warm welcome we have had, every evening!

Hoping for another good night's sleep tonight, as the heat does not let up and we have much more to get done. "Our" projects are really taking shape and we are anxious to get as much done as possible before we have to leave. What incredible people... what a special city!

Recover, Rebuild, Rebirth - learning about New Orleans

Today we began with an incredible tour of New Orleans. Two generous members of the St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church RHINO ministry each took a group and we had an enlightening 3 hour tour of this city that has endured so much and continues to need our help. We rode many miles that once were only reached by boat. We saw areas rebuilding and others that were abandoned. Cathy pointed out to several of us, flags that became a symbol of hope, displaying the traditional French fleur de lis and the hopeful charge to this city... Recover, Rebuild, Rebirth. We saw other Habitat developments, like Musicians Village, and the more contemporary homes in Brad Pitt's "Make it Right" development.

The time we spent only made our afternoon's work more meaningful. Today, Larika, another "Habitat homeowner to be" was a part of our effort. She spent over a year living in Dallas and looks forward to moving into her home by Christmas. There was more painting to be done as well as spackling, caulking and sanding of door casings. Because of the tour, our work day was shorter, but we still felt that we continue to contribute to the Recovery, Rebuilding and Rebirth of this city.

We ended our day in the home of Walter and Laurie Becker, another wonderful St Charles Avenue Presbyterian family. The dinner was wonderful and the Katrina stories of their lives, and those of their daughters were fascinating.

Ferry Place - first day of work

We started our day with our devotion at 7:35 am and were on the Ferry Place job site by 8:05am! It is like a little "rainbow row"... 2 story homes, some already occupied. Adam, the site supervisor gave us our introduction and Jermey briefed us on safety rules. We quickly learned about the 4 huge storage containers that house the paint materials, trim materials and many of the tools and supplies.

By 8:30 we were in teams - most inside, priming walls and ceilings, a few on the exterior, caulking and finishing the paint job. It was VERY HOT, but we were blessed with a breeze, when we could keep the doors open. Minnie, a future Habitat homeowner worked with us all day... it was fascintating to hear her stories about Katrina. Don Frampton, Senior Pastor from St Charles Avenue Presbyterian, came by for a brief visit. He is a Gamecock, originally from Orangeburg who knew Rob in seminary. We found that Lowes, .8 miles away, was a viable option, compared to the porta-potties! :-)

Midday, the Mobile Loaves and Fishes (a ministry of a local Episcopal church) came by to bring us bag lunches. We were able to finish almost all of the priming and first coat on all the walls and ceilings. The outdoor painting was completed. We worked until around 3:30, cleaned up and had a couple of hours of relaxation before dinner. At 6:30 pm we arrived at the home of Ken Davis and Lisa Eldredge ... incredible! Their home is in the Garden District, built in the 1860's and beautifully restored. Our meal, prepared by Lisa, was WONDERFUL! After dinner, we stopped for a little while at the Columns Hotel to enjoy the music of a local guitarist.

We will have NO TROUBLE sleeping tonight! It has been a productive and gratifying day, but we are all tired. Tomorrow morning we have a tour of New Orleans prior to beginning our work, mid-day. More later!

We made it to New Orleans!

It was an early morning start, but we had a great trip today - long (13 hours including several stops), but lots of fellowship! We have settled into our wonderful Brent House Hotel. We had our orientation meeting this evening and grabbed pizza for dinner. We were told that we will be working on mostly inside work this week as there are a few houses nearing completion. The weather will be hot, but we will have lots of water. More on Tuesday!

note: We picked up Laura Jordan en route so she didn't make this shot, but we will make sure all 11 of us are in the next one!

Who is going on the trip?

• Carol Beaty
• Pat Blumer
• Robin Brackett
• Judy Duncan
• Laura Griese
• Stevie Johnson
• Laura Jordan
• Billie Muthig
• Dawn Petricone
• Libba Shrader
• Page Sundby