Choose thumbnails for largers picture. My journal can be found here.
Andy Gulati - Systems Librarian
|
|
| Waiting for the Cresent, at 30th Street station, Philly; Sweet home Alabama; Week 1 crew departing Picayune, after a productive week; Linda Fritz first roof adventure; the transition crew of Andy, Tony, Linda and Ned assited Steve Hicks to re-roof a shed. Week 1 had re-roofed the house. |
|
|
| Tony is a shingle stud, hauling 70lb bags up the ladder; Bonsel (neighbor of work coordinator, Pat Spence) needed a new roof, after an 80 year old tree crashed through; our transition crew assisted a Virginia work crew, they constructed while we carted away the debris; that would be George Coons (work coordinator from NC, chainsaw wizard and cowboy!) and his 1951 Dodge; next day, first we stripped away the remaining roof at the front ends, then tar paper, then shingle. |
|
|
| VA crew master-of-ceremonies, Glen, kept everyone in good spirits - mainly pitting one team against another (for the record - our team beat Sonny's!); another 80 year old tree fell out back, fortunately AWAY from the house; Ken (VA crew) and Tony the trustee take a well-deserved break; Sonny thinks he's a field general, Nelson is the shingle king. |
|
|
| Ned and Linda at the tool trailer; finished roof (we had the BEST lunch - southern fried chicken, cornbread, gumbo - made us forget all about our turkey sandwiches); Tony, Linda and Ned; quite possibly the nicest yellow lab I've ever met; next day, students are here(!) Jayme moving branches to the roadside ditch, where FEMA will pick up. |
|
|
| Kevin is a natural at just about any vehicle, Meaghan rides shotgun; Pa and Ma Turnage; Steve and Ma talk about repairs - a fridge spill and water leak ruined the kitchen floor. The Turnages will be depending on this former hunting trailer, since their home in Benard Parish had been destroyed by flooding; Pa and son still manage a small herd; Pa doesn't get around too well on two feet, but is Fred Astaire on the tractor. |
|
|
| Meaghan lost a fight with an old oil can (there would be many such fights, with old metal scrap and lumber and branches and tires - Pa Turnage is a true pack rat); removing shingle at Momma Dot's; Kathleen and Erin completely clean out the yard; lunch time on a hot day - Jayme, Nate, Sean, Merlina and Elizabeth; that's 2 tons of old shingle, headed for the dump. |
|
|
| Another new roof, constructed by the VA crew - we learned a lot from these guys; Momma Dot and Duayne (Baptist minister, and our driver); Dot's dog; Nate and Kevin help Sonny cap off the roof. |
|
|
| Jayme finds a new home; Nate and Jayme the tree-huggers, joined by Ryan, Elizabeth, Sean, Kathleen, Merlina, Erin and Kevin; van one, on the way to tour the coast; flattened mansion; how can something so serene contribute to create so much distruction; Paul and Andy. |
|
|
| Mammals, birds and tides; (sand) bar-hopping; see-through church; houses in Gulfport, swept off their foundations. |
|
|
| Tangles of cars are still everywhere; Mexican crew, working to reconstruct the casinos - taking a lunch break (a lunch cart could make a killing in this neighborhood); sea-surge cleans out this McDonalds; touring more of residential Gulfport. |
|
|
| Scattered photos tells the story of scattered lives; Paul flees the scene like a looter; nothing but mold lives in these houses and businesses (just 2 blocks from the shore). |
|
|
| Tree completely slices this house, and still has leaves; Ray and Pat Spence (can you believe they've been married 42 years), Ray is a minister (and our driver), Pat coordinated our work out of the Baptist camp - the following Saturday would be her first day off since Katrina, working 10-12 hours days, matching work with volunteers and resources; Steve Hicks is from North Carolina, taught us all about roofs and floors, all-round great guy with a big heart; new house for John and his wife, fallen tree flattened their trailer home and meager nursery; north meets south, another VA crew - they specialize in commercial construction back home. |
|
|
| John's estate, a FEMA trailer will be their home till the house is complete - their first home ever; Andy gets in the way of Nate's fabulous MRE - these meals-ready-to-eat were the prime source of nutrition for many weeks, throughout the region, while electricity was out. |
|
|
| The Gallery, this was at our last job site, removing many fallen trees (videos will appear here soon!); beautiful sunrise greets us for our last morning; waiting for Amtrak at Picayune; Josh Zook, this was his seventh trip - front-end loader operator, can flatten a home in 20 minutes - hope to team up with him and the Mennonite Service Committee in the future; one of a zillion freights that would stretch our 26 hour trip to 35 hours! |
|
|
| Emerald the iguana, Daniel's pet - Daniel and his mom were on their way to Atlanta, their current home till they figure out what to do with their New Orleans condo; fresh faces at the beginning of our long haul home - Drew, Jayme and Nate; Jamie's 20th birthday, enjoys a tasty birthday muffin (Liam is having an out-of-body experience); eat that muffin! |