10-28

Slept late … I was the only one snoring in the trailer, so I slept well. The rain cleared out and it was a beautiful start to the day. Decided to go on the shrimp boat tour. Drove through Biloxi and through new areas. Life seems normal at the WalMart but homes are destroyed only a mile away. After the shrimp boat tour, I went to the Beau Rivage Casino. Again the contrast was amazing. Las Vegas style glitz and glamour across the street from devastation and destruction. I watched the Wake-UNC game on TV. Go Deacs!!! Dinner was a $1 hot dog at the park across the street. A Halloween event was being held for the local kids. Trick or Treated for a Snickers for dessert—doesn’t get any better than this. Watched the sunset over the gulf on the way home. A great day!

10-29

Went to Ship Island—a barrier island that is a part of the National Seashore. Went to Fort Massachusetts. Walked around the tip on he gulf side and back to the boat on the bay side. Picked up shells along the way. Returned in time to meet with Gary and the crew chiefs. Mt Airy/Dobson will help me finish the house we started.

10-30

Worked with Darryll and Greg from Dobson. They put up the sheet rock while I finished the floor in the bathroom. Then we put our heads together to come up with a solution to the sheetrock in the second bathroom. We ate lunch on the picnic table in the front yard. Essie joined us and we had a good conversation about the devastation after Katrina. She is a strong willed woman who works two jobs to make ends meet. After lunch we all worked on the bathroom. Terry came to get us around 4:30. We had a very satisfying and productive day. Tomorrow I leave for home knowing the job is in good hands. Derryl and Greg will finish the job and Essie will be able to soon be able to move out of the trailer and back into her home!

10-27

Went by the sheet metal place to pick up the pan that they fabricated—great job!!! It fit precisely—thanks Shelton for the idea and the drawing. We painted it and framed out the opening. Jeff finished the molding. It was very satisfying to look at the progress that was made during the week. We returned to the Armory and turned in some of the tools. Jeff said good by to everyone and was on his way. I will stay another day or so … Sad to see everyone go—there were a lot of good people here this week. I’m in the trailer alone, but looking forward to meeting the new group that will arrive on Sunday. Went to the St. John’s High School football game. It was homecoming! The home team dominated—it was an excellent win for the home team.

stjohns2gulfport

10-22

Left Meridian, MS at 7:05 enroute to Gulfport. Shelton said he would wait for me to go to New Orleans. Arrived at 9:30 and checked in. Our accommodations are dormitory style with 28 beds (bunk) to a trailer. Shelton, Willis, Billy, and I went to New Orleans for a tour. Along the way we could still see the devastation from Katrina. Many homes/businesses are still unoccupied or destroyed. Many of the neighborhoods that were still unoccupied because of the flooding. Golf c
ourses are overgrown, public parks are used to store debris. However many neighborhoods are revitalized and the tourist areas around Bourbon Street and the Convention Center are attracting crowns. We had Gumbo and played tourist. On the way home we drove along the coast—the devastation is incredible. Many of homes near the water are gone or destroyed and many of the residents are still living in FEMA trailers. We have a renewed sense of how fortunate we are and are looking forward to doing our part to help this week. When we arrived back in Gulfport we met people from Marion and Asheville who had also arrive to help this week. After a shower we were ready for bed, excited about the prospects of a new day.

10-23

Lights on at 6--time for breakfast! Scrambled eggs and bacon with a biscuit—it doesn’t get any better that this. Shelton stopped by the plumbing supply to get parts for the day. Willis and Shelton fixed the drains in the kitchen and bathrooms. Shelton also hooked up the bathtub. Billy and I put down flooring squares in the living room. Jeff joined us after lunch—we made great progress. After a hard days work we showered and went to eat at the Lookout 49 restaurant. A satisfying day and a good sense of accomplishment working for a worthwhile effort with friends.

10-24

The routine is becoming familiar. Lights on at 6—breakfast of scrambled egg, biscuit, and sausage. Load into Billy’s van and onto the house to continue repairs. Shelton completed the wiring for the fan and lights. Billy, Jeff and I continued on the flooring, and Willis did plumbing repairs. Much of the day was spent on the toilet from hell. Seems like the homeowner contracted with a shady contractor who did a poor job and took her money. An example of his work was the toilet. Apparently he bought the wrong toilet—it didn’t fit. His solution was to cut a hole in the wall any put most of the tank in the wall! Shelton and Willis spent most of the day fixing the previous plumbers mistakes. After a hard days work it was time for showers and dinner. After dinner
Jeff and I searched for a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Fairfield Inn was gracious to allow a couple of volunteers to access the outside world. The also offered us birthday cake from their 25th celebration. Thanks Fairfield!!! Our return to our beds in the bunkhouse found much snoring—everyone was worn out after a hard days work. Shelton gave me last minute instructions and the paperwork to be completed on our work. They plan to leave at 4am to return home. Jeff and I will be on our own to complete the work as best we can. Sad to see everyone leave us …

10-25

After breakfast I turned in the paperwork that Shelton had left and picked up some additional tools that we needed. The bad news was that we no longer had Billy's van some we had limited carrying capacity. The good news was that we were traveling in style in Jeff's Porsche! When we arrived, the homeowner was not there to let us in. Took a run to Lowe's a when we returned she still was not there. A phone call produced no answer--we were frustrated because we were eager to start. We returned to the Armory to get some supplies and called again. The homeowner was away and had left the key with her son to let us in ... she said she would come back (an hour drive) and let us in. By this time it was after noon.

Jeff and I worked on completing the flooring and laying the moulding. It was looking good and we felt good and finally accomplishing something. We bogged down on the toilet from hell. A previous contractor had bought a toilet that was too long. His solution was to cut out the wall and put half of the tank in the wall. Shelton left a drawing of a potential solution. It involved fabricating a sheet metal pan to cover the hole in the wall behind the tank. Jeff and I were to get the proper dimensions so we could have it made. Well that was easier said than done ... There were two flanges inside the wall that severely limited the clearance between the toilet tank and the pipe inside the wall. After hours of measurement and taking the toilet out and puting it back to confirm the measurements we hope to have it made tomorrow.

10-26