Merry Christmas, Everyone

May everyone have a Merry New Orleans Christmas.

Happy Blueroof

So Lakeside Shopping Center, like shopping centers all over the country, if not the world, puts up a Christmas village in the atrium every year.

But this year the designer decided to localize it. FEMA blue roofs, piles of trash in front, front end loaders and dump trucks to haul away the debris. And even signs advertising housegutting services.

Home sweet home.

The Joads return

Well, the traveling minstrals are back in New Orleans. This is the second of many loads to haul back to the Crescent City from our country estate in Zachary. I'll still be commuting for a month or so until the office is ready to move back into, but the family is officially home!

They're Baaack!

Jake, Jessie, Jerome and Josh cleaning out another flooded house

Four of the magnificent 31 just couldn't stay away from New Orleans. After heading home for a few days they've come back for more. They, and Laura when she's not at work, are taking up where they left off, working at Ben Franklin High School and gutting houses, and they're finding no shortage of opportunities to help.

Maybe next month we'll invite another letter back.

Roofers!

It just keeps getting better. This morning the roofers showed up! We might even be able to keep the rain out, now.

Life is good.

The Magnificent 31

Times-Union Photo Gallery

Click Here to read the Albany Times-Union story on this great group of Union College students.

Wow! What a group!

30 Union College students just left New Orleans after spending a week of their winter break gutting houses, cleaning out a flooded church, painting Lusher School classrooms, painting the Audubon School cafeteria, relocating the library at Franklin High School, and touching many New Orleans hearts.

When the idea first developed of a group of Laura’s college classmates coming to N.O. for a week volunteer work, it was natural to offer our house to stay in. We’re still living in Zachary, so it’d be available. Jay, our neighbor, is still living in Vermont and he immediately offered to let them use his house, as well.

Our family was in N.O. all Thanksgiving week working on the house & generally cleaning up. We left for Zachary on Sunday and the group arrived Tuesday. Since we weren’t planning to go back in the following weekend we didn’t expect to see them though Laura told us several times they wanted to meet us.

I had business in town Monday, and had to fly out the next day, so I drove in Sunday and got to spend Sunday & Monday evenings with them. How I wish Bunny & the kids had the opportunity to meet the group. These young people were a joy.

The focus of the trip was to help at the three schools but they spontaneously offered to help people gut out their flooded homes and joined the group working at the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. Their humor, energy and eagerness to help was an inspiration and a joy to all they met. At the evening group meetings they spoke less about their work than how grateful they were for the opportunity to help and their admiration for the pluck and optimism of those they helped. Through it all they kept up their good humor and cheerful demeanor. Right up to the moment they crashed.

I’ll have more on these wonderful people but I wanted post my appreciation as soon as possible.

If any of U read this, I get to say Thank You last -- So There!