Last Day back at Pearlington

We left Pearlington after the catfish lunch at the First Missionary church. A 6'X6' deck is a lot easier to build than the 12'X24' deck that we worked on all week. We started in the morning and 5 of us finished it before lunch.

Billy and Harry J mowed the field in front of Shirley Thompson's house to help her set up an area to kick off the Adopt-a-Family program that she is starting. I think that Billy was just looking for another opportunity to play with the big trimmer, but for whatever reason, that trimmer had been taken to the shop for service. He had to settle for the regular weed eater.


We left from the Missionary Baptist Church and stopped a few times to gas and rest. Billy, Scott, and I arrived back at the church around 1 AM. All in all, a very long week, but we feel like we helped at least one family move closer to getting back in their home. Before we left, Kendra came over with her young son and her daughter Mia who turns 2 on Sunday to introduce herself and thank us. Just those few minutes getting to know her that you can help the three of them living in one room makes our sweat and blood and time sacrifice worth it.

We will be back to Pearlington during Spring Break 2008. I think that is March 21 - 28. Please join us.

Day 4 back in Pearlington

On Thursday, we finished the 12'X24' deck on Kendra's house. Don researched how best to build the stair risers. But, we found that the best way was to call in the professional. Pastor Glenn running OHAAT sent over Pastor Wyatt who cut one riser for us to use as the template for the other 2 risers needed. We worked with Pastor Wyatt for less than 30 minutes, and he probably saved use the day of measuring and contemplating the right way to do it. One group finished the other half of the joists, one group nailed down the deck planks, and another group worked on the stairs. What a fantastic team!
Norma and Marie used the nail guns on the steps. They are now known as the "Nail Gun Sisters." We had a tough time getting the nail gun from Marie to give Norma a chance. I think that they both had the same smile as Billy the other day with the trimmer.




Look at that straight line down the deck. Harry J designed a battleship that was exactly square with every line matching. For a 12' X 24' of anything to be exactly square is quite a feat, but we did it. We will be checking every 6 months to make sure that it stays square. I think that the house will move before that deck.

The deck is a huge step for Kendra's house. Now that the steps are there, they will be able to get the electrical and plumbing inspection done (the code inspectors will not climb a ladder and each house has to be built up to be above the flood zone) and then the insulation and then drywall. Kendra was able to watch the progress from across the street where she is living in one room in her aunt's house (single wide trailer) with her baby son and daughter who will be 2 this Sunday.

The other big event of the day is at the PDA camp. Two important mission activities occur while at the PDA villages. One activity is working on houses to get people back into their homes. The other activity is getting to know other Presbyterians (not everyone there is Presbyterian) from across the country. We set our date to go to Pearlington based on the date that Jane Els from First Pres in Garland, TX confirmed. To help recruit people you always need gimmicks. What better way to interest people than with food. Texans always do everything bigger and better (or so they say). So, Jane and I encouraged each of our groups by the food competition.

In Texas, BBQ means beef and they brought brisket. In SC, BBQ means pork. Harry D represented SC with fantastic pulled pork cooked in crock pots that we took. His presentation started with "BBQ means pig. Bringing beef to a BBQ is like taking a cow to the Kentucky Derby." Some of the Texas group conceded defeat during their second pass to the food line. I mentioned this yesterday but it still is important on Thursday when we had the Texas brisket. The brisket was very good and normally might beat a lot of people's BBQ. But not Harry's pork with the secret recipe sauce. The Texas group was staying on Friday night and had packed away some of the leftovers of the pulled pork for Friday night dinner. Harry D told Jane, "I liked your roast beef."

Texas had the better dessert - five pecan pies. We focused on the BBQ competition. Our dessert was Banana Pudding from a big can that we found in the village kitchen. (Some people even asked for the recipe for the pudding that night.) Jane has already called for a dessert competition for the next trip to Pearlington. Are we ready for that? I think that we can give it a try.

Day 3 Back in Pearlington

The post last night is this morning instead. The food tent becomes a gathering point in the evening, because you can't stay outside with all of the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes find you anyway, but it just seems a little more fair when you can see them under the light of the tent. Everyone was gathered around until I decided it was too late to think straight.

You should have been here yesterday. If anyone had a video on us yesterday, then they would have an instant YouTube classic. Seven men trying to square up a deck is very entertaining work. We spent a lot of time working on a 1/4" out of square. The house foundation seems to be about 8" out of square, but we want to be proud of our work when we leave.

We laid out the 6X6 posts. You can barely see the strings diagonally across the corners. The idea is to get the length of each to be the same. Once we figured out the right point to measure, we were right on.

Laying out the 2X10X12 to hang the joists.

The deck is taking shape and will be very strong walking out the door. We hope to finish today. We will need 9' for the steps (the deck is 66" off of the ground). The steps might end right at the street...

Tonight was SC night for dinner. Harry D, Norma, and Marie did most of the work. Harry's special sauce was fantastic. I do not think that anyone has had better BBQ in years or more. A few of the TX group were conceding defeat after their second pass through the line.

We have enough to share tonight with the TX shot in the cookoff.

We drove past Shirley Thompson's house last night and John and I stopped in to drop off the bags with the Dawsey's. I do not have the time to relate the visit. John and I almost didn't get out of there. They wanted to visit for a long time, feed us, get us drinks, just like they were when we came down in April. They remembered me as the guy that would come and go real quick. They remembered Mary and Valerie - Valerie was that older women that rides a Harley and jumped the ditch. JL made pictures for us. It was hard to get out of there, but we needed to get back to work.

I need to stop now. My group may wonder if I am shirking responsibilities. This morning we have Potty duty.

Day 2 in Pearlington

We are up late here at the PDA camp. Don and Scott are entertaining me as I write tonight's entry. Last night, I turned the lights off and was the last to bed (at 10:15 local time). Worn out people turn in early. This morning we learned that the other 2 groups have so far spent most of their time floating drywall. GA today said that they met Larry the Professional Drywall guy that showed them how to get things moving. They may be able to start taping and mudding by the end of the week.

After yesterday's success with the 6 windows, Billy, Harry J, and I followed up by putting in 2 doors at Kendra's house. Scott, Don, John, and Harry D were able to finish up the framing at their assignment when they found enough 2 X 4's to finish the work. Marie and Norma helped out at the church preparing lunch and cleaning up. I got a call around 3:30 from Norma that they were done with that work. I wonder if the cleanup took until then (I think that they sat down for a bit of rest and for good reason). Everyone had to work a bit slower today. It was hot, humid, and uncomfortable all day.

Kenny and Roger worked further on Sam's house with another group putting up insulation with One House at a Time. We are all getting to know Glen Locklin. The group has 6 houses that are currently framed. He just needs volunteers to help with the next steps and we are helping this week.

Tomorrow, the 2 groups will combine to work on a deck at Kendra's. Glen brought us materials all day, so I think that we will be good to go for the week. The deck needs to be 24' wide by 10' feet long to cover the original porch slab. To remove the original slab costs about $900 and then you have to wait and pay more to get the slab removed. So, we will cover over that slab.

Here are some pictures of today.

I had to get a picture of Billy and his new favorite machine: the power trimmer. We know what he would like for Christmas. Look how happy he is and how cleaned up the yard is from yesterday.








Here Billy and Harry are lining up the first door of the day. I did help. I only stepped away for a second to take the picture (and get a drink, and wipe off the sweat, ...) We needed the door in because it rained hard later and we kept the floor dry by getting everything put up.




Here, John, Scott, and Harry D arrive to survey the work for the rest of the week. The slab should be covered up when we are done. Notice that Billy is still working with his favorite trimmer. He went through 2 tanks of gas today with that trimmer. Don has probably already picked up a hammer and asked Harry J where he could help.

OK. I am back to being the last one up now and the only live target for the mosquitoes. I am fighting them off as fast as I am typing. I am losing the battle with a dead trail of mosquitoes on the table around me. Now, I need to think of the morning inspiration. Our group is responsible for breakfast and dinner tomorrow. Signing off until tomorrow....

We are back in Pearlington

Our group from Summerville, SC led by Dorchester Presbyterian Church is back in Pearlington at PDA Volunteer Village #6. More than half of the Mighty 13 that came down to Pearlington the first week of April 2007 came back. My first impression is the cliche: the more changes, the more the same. The first picture to the left is our group's first stop of the day. This picture still represents Pearlington. Rebuilding is happening, but the FEMA trailers are still here.





Check the picture to the left. I think that Greg Hazelwood is trying to have a sense of humor that he had riverfront for a time. His house was a stop for one of our group today.

Our group of 11 is joined by Jane El's group from Texas and 8 men from First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, GA. In our group, Roger drove down from near Boston to go with us. Not as large as the group in April, we have a bit more experience of how the rebuilding process works with the PDA in Pearlington. People that have been here before (which is most of us here this week - only a few newcomers from all 3 groups) has more patience with getting assigned to work at different houses.

I will save the soapbox and inferences about government help and people getting themselves together for another time. For now, here are pictures of our day working around Pearlington. TX and GA were sent to different houses.

Today, our group of 11 split into 3 groups.

• Norma and Marie helped cook lunch at First Missionary Baptist.
• Two years later, the church still feeds lunch to the volunteers. They clearly expect fewer volunteers - one row of tables is gone.
  
• John, Scott, Don, and Harry D went to Greg's house to help with framing.
  
• They stopped in the afternoon when they ran out of 2X4's.


• Billy, Harry J, and I went to Dallas Tremmel's next dooor neighbor to put in 6 windows.


• No big deal, according to Dallas. I had forgotten that "no big deal" for Dallas meant that we might spend the whole day there, and we did. Later in the afternoon, John, Scott, Don and Harry D came over to help us finish. Billy got an early shower trying to hammer the nails during the rain.


• Roger and Kenny helped at a "One House at a Time" house to build up the bracing.
  

Let me try to describe the pictures uploaded here.

Billy, Harry J, and I started at Dallas Tremmel's next door neighbor's house (Kendra MacArthur) with no windows installed. I didn't remember to start taking pictures until we had one window finished. That window is the only window screwed in. We ran out of screws and switched to nails. You make do with what you got. That window is also the only window that I screwed in. Billy did the outside work after that until the afternoon helpers arrived.





Help arrives in the afternoon on the church bus.













Harry D and John measuring. They were making sure to follow the rule "measure twice, cut once."












Do you know what Scott is hammering? Hard to tell from this picture...












It takes two on the inside and one on the outside. Billy has things under control with Scott and Harry J helping from the inside.












While we were there, Marie and Norma came over and with their help after Billy's inspiration to clean up the yard, we created 2 stacks of debris and recovered some good, usable building materials. We also destroyed some fire ant hiding places and they paid us back in kind.