Saturday, October 24, 2009
Those wild and crazy electricians got up early to complete two “small” projects before departing. The rest of us slept in – grateful that we can’t tell one wire from another.
12:15 PM: Time to leave for the airport.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The last day was spent tying up loose ends. Every now and then, we are fortunate to be the group that drives the last screw, paints the last wall, and sweeps the floor on the way out. Mostly, we move the project along. We pick up where the last group left off, do as much as we can in a week, and then pass the hammers, screws, drills, and paint to the next group. The mood of the group is subdued as we prepare to disengage and return home. It is a place that is difficult to leave and easy to return to. Liz DeLuca kindly provided Subway sandwiches for us to ease the pain of departure.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Miles (seemed like) of insulation were hung in the Sunset Boulevard house. Ten staple guns in use simultaneously create quite a racket, but it’s the sound of progress. Once a house is insulated, it starts to look more like a home. Next we wait for the inspectors to check the electrical work before sheetrocking can begin. Yet, slowly, progress happens, and families, one by one, are returned to their homes. Renovation has more challenges than new construction, but giving a family their repaired home back has its own special rewards.
The last room in the Wiltshire house was sheetrocked and is ready for next week’s group to tape joints, fix the windows, and, finally, paint. The owner, a widow (Mrs. B), kept herself busy cooking for the volunteers. Food is the universal “thank you” here in Biloxi. While most folks are unable (for a variety of reasons) to assist in the repair work, they are quick to express gratitude in the form of shrimp plates, King cake, sweet potato pie, sweet tea, and whatever else they love best and want to share. We typically gain weight on these trips, but not for lack of work – just an abundance of gratitude.
Repairs on the cracked walls in Miss Fanny’s home were begun. A few of us had sheetrocked her house last February. Since then, part of the foundation crumbled and the wall joints opened, needing to be retaped. She remembered us, and that made us feel good as many volunteers worked on her house. Maybe being unforgettable works both ways.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday was a satisfying day for all. The deck was completed and is now safe for the owner's grandchildren.
The electricians finished wiring the house and have already spent part of this evening reviewing plans for their next project. There is no "down time" for the electricians. We learned today that the Orange electrical team is the only group in the entire country that is allowed to do electrical work for Back Bay Mission! How cool is that?
The landscaping team (recently known as the painters) transformed the yard from looking abandoned to tidy and welcoming. It was an enormous task. Many wheelbarrows of prunings and weeds were emptied into the dumpster before the landscape was tamed.
Heather Rosborough, Carol Treat, Diane Mericnyak, Sue Cambria, and Lisa Jenkins (several of us from OCC built her house two years ago) hung insulation on a house a block away from Sunset. At dinner tonight, we pondered the half-life of fiberglass splinters in our skin as we scratched our prickly arms and necks. The woman who owned the house was a bit doubtful as this group of women showed up with the masks and goggles to insulate her room. Now she is a believer!
More tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The deck is progressing quickly as Bill Petrillo, Bob Terni, Ed Caruso, Kate Boujid, Heather Rosborough, Sue Cambria, and Kathy Nolan work their carpentry magic. Inside the darkened house, the electrical team of John Caldwell, David Stagg, Dave Condit, Elaine Sonderegger, Jerry Cambria, Dennis Kelcourse, and Liz Appel snake hundreds of wires up, down, and through studs. Soon their work will be covered by insulation and then sheetrock, paint, pictures, and furniture. The lights and appliances will be the only visible evidence that they were ever there.
The painters -- Diane Mericnyak, Carol Wade, Carol Fineout, Carol Treat, Liz DeLuca, and Mary Jaensch -- completed painting the exterior of the house today and plan to do extreme landscaping tomorrow.
There is a house a block away from Sunset that needs insulation and sheetrock, and there are rumors of a house near Back Bay Mission with a crumbling foundation and cracked walls. With the poverty, remaining Katrina damage, and unconsciousable behavior of some contractors, the need for volunteer help will continue here for many years to come. There is always another project waiting in the wings.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday evening began the week with Team Lasagna making dinner for 55 of our new best friends. Full and travel-weary, everyone was asleep by 10:00 PM to rest up for Monday.
Today the OCC group was assigned a house on Sunset Boulevard in Biloxi. This was a house ineptly repaired by a contractor who took the owner's insurance money and skipped town -- an all too common post-Katrina story. The house had been stripped to bare studs, and the electricians led by John Caldwell began laying wire and installing outlets within ten minutes of their arrival.
Another group began painting the exterior of the house, while a third group led by Bill Petrillo built a 14-foot deck off the back of the house.
We got far more accomplished than we would have thought possible at breakfast, but that's how it goes down here.
Tomorrow we may begin insulating the house and hope to hang sheetrock on Wednesday.
Stay tuned.
Skills Workshop, October 10, 2009
Today we had the first, ever, skills clinic for the work group going to Biloxi next week. Bill Petrillo showed great courage and infinite patience as he taught 8 of us how to drill sheetrock, set screws, tape joints and fix the "occasional" mistake.
It was a beautiful thing to hear 8 women discussing what to look for in a drill as well as what drill bits to take on the trip. Several went straight to Lowes after the clinic.
What we learned today will save hours of repairs and re-dos once we get to Back Bay Mission. Everything goes much more smoothly when folks are comfortable with the equipment they'll be using and have an understanding of the correct way to do the job.
We will fly to Biloxi next Sunday and begin work on Monday. Check back here to see the progress that has been made each day as we continue to put people back in their homes.
