The week that was...

We didn't have internet access last week at the rental house we stayed in.  I could have tracked it down but I decided not to add that level of stress to the week.  I didn't NEED to write on the blog, though some of you may have been waiting and waiting and waiting...

You will have to wait a little while longer for the photo's.  I'm not quite awake enough to deal with getting them off the camera and to the computer.  I can give you a quick rundown of the week.

1. Ben had us drive from NOLA into Pearlington on a different route to view the damage better.  There were piles and piles of debris along the roadway, vegetation and household debris, along with multiple boats that washed up along the road and just stayed there.
2. It's disheartening to walk into a home that one helped to rebuild and see sheet rock one helped put up being taken off the wall.  Very disheartening.
3. The week was about work, which we did.  The sheet rock was cut 16 inches from the floor in Ben's house, the insulation removed from that level as well and the walls framing was bleached throughout most of the lower level by the time we arrived.  We took out the miscellaneous nails and screws and then cut out new pieces of sheet rock and replaced them.  Laurel and Jolynn did an amazing job of taping and mudding as well!
4. We helped Ben take off siding and OSB from the exterior of the house and got a very small portion waterproofed as best as possible.  The latter was hard work, my fingers have the scraps to prove it.
5. This trip wasn't just about doing physical labor.  We offered a lot of emotional support, walked down memory lane a little and did all we could to lift the spirits of Ben and Sue.  That emotional support involved A LOT of Southern Cuisine.  Pictures will tell the story.
6. This 12th trip (for me) was the first time I had been in the Lower 9th Ward of NOLA.  I'm still working on my thoughts about that but I can say that Brad Pitt plays a part in those thoughts.
7. This 12th trip I also saw the levee that was built after Katrina...more thoughts on that are coming as well.

  There is more but my brain has decided it's time to stop for the night and go to sleep.  Pictures and further thoughts to come!