REFLECTIONS AFTER A WEEK OF BUILDING

As we reflect on the week just past, we realize that our success in completing a house in that time is due to many people.

We must thank: the dozen Americorps young people who are serving for ten months, working on this site and other assignements. They are enthusiastic and wonderful. Not only did they build along side the Paterson group, they were also instrumental in preparing all the "pre-build" aspects beforehand, so that everything was ready for this past week's blitz build.

We thank those, not able to be in Mississippi, who gave support and encouragement to our group.

We loved having the homeowners, Keven and Jahna Landry, as they worked with us and shared the process.

The entire group of thirty from Paterson, of course, we thank. Kudos to all for their participation. And lastly, we thank our own executive director of Paterson Habitat, Barbara Dunn, for putting this together. It was good work. Good for the homeowners and also good for us. We left the area feeling rewarded by our efforts.

Barbara Dunn and husband Andy, show off the beautiful sign, painted this week by the teenagers. Signed on the cut-out of the state of New Jersey by everyone in our group, it will hang at Laginappe to identify our three years here, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Postings by Nancy DeVries and the teenagers.

DEDICATION DAY -- FRIDAY

An exciting day for us and the new homeowners (above).

It has been lots of good work for our group of 30 volunteers as we finished the house in less than a week and in time for its dedication at noon on Friday. It was extraordinary this year to be building the 100th house in that county where Katrina made landfall. I just learned on this visit the awful statistic that after the hurricane, 80% of the residences in the county were uninhabitable following the storm. Clearly a terrible number.

After a few hours morning work, it became a big rush to clean up the residue of construction on the site in time for the arrival of dignitaries and others.

More than six dozen participated in the program of dedication for Landry House #100 and the adjacent House #99 (not fully finished yet). The entire Landry family, Jahna and Kevin with their three children were excited and emotional. It was a special moment for them and for those of us who felt honored to have worked on building their house.

Photo, right, of the homeowner family and Wendy MacDonald (top left), exec director of the Habitat affiliate here.

As we leave this area, we feel rewarded by a satisfying week and we take away lots of the Mississippi clay in our work boots as we look forward to some rest.

It has been a very full week!

FOURTH DAY -- THURSDAY

It is now a sure thing . . . our house will be ready for its dedication at noon Friday, the 100th house build here in the Bay St. Louis/Waveland area. We're told that it is the fastest built house that has ever been done, with end of fourth day and almost finished.

All rooms including four bedrooms have been painted with prime and two coats of paint, all trim molding with two coats of paint, interior doors hung, the kitchen cabinets installed with granite counter tops, bathrooms tiled (there are two). The photo with the ladder, is living room, still awaiting its completion. The steps to front porch and the ones to side porch are done and very neat looking. The step builders wave and celebrate their work. One of the last things finished today was cutting and then nailing in the baseboard trim.

We have teenagers with us on this trip. All eight of them. Here are some of the things a few of them have to say: ( Melanie, Dana, Nicole, and Matt)

1. This is a great week!

2. The back room of the 99th house is always a nice hiding spot from the work.

3. When someone asks if you need a job to do, always just say no.

4. Make sure to fit in some tanning time during the lunch break.

5. You CAN get away with taking naps in the van during work hours. (if you're sneaky)

6. Don't go to Shaggy's. (You'll end up at Sonic)

7. CLYYYYYDESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!! (The secret spot of all the adults with the spray painted sign)

8. If you're clothes aren't fully covered in paint, your boots not muddy, and your fingers not blistered, you have to work harder.

9. Last but not least, don't spill boiling hot water on your hand or else you'll end up like Dana and watch out for falling debris (which Nicole did not do) :)

Special thanks to these neat teenagers (below) for their comments.

THIRD DAY -- WEDNESDAY

At the end of the day, we were in a hurry for showers and clean clothes. Then out to dinner. It had been a long work day.

You can see from the photos posted, that a great deal of progress was made today. Rain threatened, so there was a "hurry-up" mood to get the exterior finished before the storms arrived. Cutting wood, making window trim boxes for trim, building the frame and setting a concrete base for the side steps and more.

Subcontractors on site today were the roofers, who completed shingling the entire roof by day's end.

The final touch and what makes this house really look like a real southern home, is the porch with its white railings. Painted and sanded to perfection. When we stand back and take a look at the finished product of today's work, we are pleased.

SECOND DAY -- TUESDAY

This is the end of another very productive day. To celebrate, the team has reservations at a local restaurant for dinner.

It was a Mexican dinner where we sampled the local beverage called "Lovely Magnolia". Good, but not a favorite.

Our morning began with a look at the list of work on the schedule for our day: a long list. Since the wallboard subcontractors were due in this afternoon, we had to move a three foot high stack of 12 foot wallboad into the front room of the house. Each sheet weights between 75 and 80 pounds and so it was a slow process with two people doing the carrying for each sheet.

Then it was on to the siding. With scafolding surrounding the house and many hands, the work went quickly and even allowed time to get the painting started.

The other good news today was that everything passed the inspections at noon today. So insulation was put in the walls and which means the wallboard would be installed as planned tomorrow. These local guys handle the boards easily, put it up, stay late and finish the spackling too before they leave!

Which means, you know it....we will be painting the interior on Wednesday. Also inside: hanging doors and putting trim around windows and these doors.

At the end of the day, house now has a front door! And siding which received one coat of blue paint....the homeowner choice.

FIRST DAY -- MONDAY

It was 8:30 AM on Monday morning, we've had our orientation and work begins at the 2009 site in Waveland, Mississippi. Foundation and deck are in place and by 9 we have the first walls up. You can see the studs laid out on the driveway to the right of the house. It didn't take long to get them constructed and raised. WOW!

The team of workers on site were rich in experience as many of the Paterson group were returning to this area for the third time. And, also, we have the benefit of a group of Americorps young people who have been working with Habitat here for many weeks, and some much longer.

Two very important people on site today were the new homeowners, Kevin and Jahna Landry. For the last three years they and their three young children have been living in very cramped trailer housing. You can imagine how thrilled they were to see their house beginning to take shape.

By the day's end, they were amazed at the progress, from a bare deck on a foundation to a framed, partially roofed and sheathed house. Photo below was taken shortly before work ended for the day.

IT IS TIME TO TRAVEL TO THE GULF COAST!

This year's trip to the Gulf Coast is scheduled once again for president's week in February. Our group of about 30 will be congregating in New Orleans on Sunday, the 15th. It is Madri Gras time so we will get a taste of that festivities and then head out to Bay St. Louis, our home for the week.

BIG NEWS this year. We will be blitz building BayWaveland's 100th House somewhat near where we built the first year (2007) but it's not a wet/swampy site. At week's end, they will be dedicating the house on Friday about 3:30pm