We're home from Biloxi now, so this will be my final post to catch you up on Friday and Saturday.
People couldn't wait to get out the door on Friday morning, as this was the final push before going home. This crowd is full of high-achievers who want to feel the satisfaction of accomplishing their goals, and today we have a hard stop at 3 to return to BBM for the wrap-up meeting with Craig.
Doug and three of his Oak Streeters, Zack, Lauren and Katy...
.....only needed half a day to complete the exterior trim on their house; so the rest of the crew were redeployed to Fountain Street. Jim's gang had the goal of completing half the siding, knowing there just wouldn't be enough time to hang it all. In the end, they did more than half, which, considering where they started, is a phenomenal accomplishment.
And they were delighted to meet their homeowner.....
The Seal Street house was left much tidier than we found it...much less daunting to the next group who will pick up where we left off.
At 4 we had our final meeting with Craig to debrief the week. This was our chance to share our suggestions for how BBM could have done things differently before we arrived as well as during our work week. While all felt satisfaction for the work we had done, the major annoyances were power tools with dead batteries, tools gone missing and inadequate power sources. Suggestions included providing more detailed descriptions of the work needing to be done, especially for those who are not in the building trades nor have experience doing this kind of work.
We had the chance to share our personal reflections on the week, and Steve asked each of us to capsulize in a single word what it meant to us: comraderie, friendship, collaborating, inspiring, fun, satisfying, fulfilling...and on and on. Frustrating as it was at times for some, an awesome amount of work was completed in one week's time. In Craig's words: "One nail hammered this week leaves one less for next week."
We were thrilled to be able to confirm the week of January 1-8, 2012, for our next visit to Biloxi. At 5 a.m. on Saturday our caravan set out for New Orleans and the flight home.
I think all would agree that, as much as feeling the satisfaction of making a difference in Biloxi, we are blessed by the precious gift of friendships formed and deepened and an appreciation for the unique and special qualities we each brought to this amazing week.
BILOXI 2012!!!
The sun came out again on Thursday, and everything went into high gear. The Oak St. Gang finished sheet rocking the entire house; Doug will need only 4 workers to put on the finishing touches Friday. Amazing productivity!!
Jim's crew returned to Fountain St. to begin putting up the new siding, and hope to finish 2 sides by end of day Friday. That also has been a huge job, stalled by Wednesday's rain.
By noon on Thursday, one room on Seal St. had been completely taped, mudded and sanded, and several others were mostly done. Good progress will be made on this house, but there is still much to do -- and work has already been underway for a year! Unlike installing siding, it's hard to see progress in this kind of job.
Back at BBM, the kitchen crew began the process of cleaning up our living areas. Before we leave at the crack of dawn on Saturday, we need to leave our quarters reasonably clean for the next group of campers coming in on Sunday.
Thursday is our traditional night out, so we crossed the bridge to Ocean Springs for dinner at McElroy's. It was a good thing they put us in a private room, because there was much merriment....we would otherwise have been "those obnoxious people" disrupting other diners' peace and quiet.
Despite the long day and another early morning on Friday, some of us stayed up past midnight playing Setback.
Some photos of our work so far...
We awoke to torrential rain and dark, which altered plans for the day. Hal and Karen bundled Heather into the car at o'dark hundred for the drive to New Orleans and Heather's flight home.
Jim's group went to Seal St., abandoning their own project for the moment, since it required being outdoors. Once there, Jim put his superior organizational skills right into action to make significant headway on this huge project. In his usual patient way, he taught the crew some new ways to tackle the taping and mudding, and they were off and running.
Doug's group on Oak St. nearly finished the sheet rocking, and, despite the rain, set up staging and began installing exterior trim. Doug described Zack as Mr. Precision with a chop saw, and Lauren as awesome with the air nailer. Everyone contributed, and Doug's leadership inspired his entire crew!
How many work campers does it take to hold up a wall?
Meanwhile, Rita, Karen and I did our best to fill Heather's Crocs, making and delivering the lunches reasonably timely, then venturing to Wal-Mart to replenish the pantry. Following Heather's explicit instructions (but also free-lancing a bit, because I can't resist when it comes to feeding people) we made a dinner that drew a round of applause.
All day long, when she wasn't actually in the air, Heather was texting me, and her spirits seem good. We are gratified to know that she arrived home safe and sound and, thanks to Dr. Lou's good care, did not have to be rushed to the hospital. She'll see a specialist tomorrow and hopefully be on the way to finding a remedy for this chronic -- and now debilitating -- condition. Many thanks to everyone who has been holding her in their prayers.
Wednesday night is very special for all of us, as we drop in on the Main St. Missionary Baptist Church to deliver a greeting and sing a couple of hymns.
Rev. Kenny welcomed us warmly, as always, and offered a short inspirational message. Gary delivered a heartfelt reflection about the joys of service that inspired us all, and we proudly followed with a more-than-respectable performance of Great Is Thy Faithfulness and a rousing I Danced In The Morning, which drew appreciative applause and Amens from our hosts. Pretty good for only one rehearsal!
At the conclusion of the service, everyone formed a circle to say The Lord's Prayer, followed by warm introductions and thanks all around. We were captivated by two darling children, a boy of three and a girl of 5, who were generous with their hugs and delighted us with their smiles. I could have taken both of them home with me, and I don't think I was the only one who fell in love!
A million thanks to Suzy, our gifted photo-documentarian!
Another lovely day in Biloxi, and everyone is up and out early to continue their work. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so those working outside are anxious to accomplish a lot today. Craig may redeploy many of the group to Seal St. tomorrow if it materializes.
Mudding continues at Seal Street, and seems endless. But we are able to begin sanding, which breaks the monotony. The challenge, however, is that sanding reveals flaws that need to be patched with mud, which means waiting for it to dry and sanding it again. Our kindly chef, Heather, delighted us with pastries in mid-morning, and we welcomed the chance to enjoy them outside.
Lunch at the beach was another highlight for us (are you getting the drift of our priorities?), but unfortunately we attracted a huge flock of seagulls. One of them snatched the very sandwich out of Sarah's hand, and we were dive-bombed mercilessly.
Stories of catastrophic injuries are circulating, though mercifully none of them are true. Doug's amputated finger was, in fact, only a blood blister....
Back at BBM, "appreciations" are rapidly accumulating on the lounge wall. Ryan started this tradition last year, and it's a wonderful one. We write tiny little notes showing our (anonymous) appreciation for another person and stick them on the wall. It's heartwarming to see the impact that little acts of kindness have on others.
Tonight Gary led us in practicing the hymns we'll share at the Missionary Baptist Church tomorrow night. We're surprisingly tuneful, and I'm sure we all appreciate Gary for selecting familiar and sing-able songs.
Unfortunately, our hard-working chef has just been ordered off her feet after dinner tonight, due to a serious circulatory problem in her right foot that needs immediate medical attention. With great regret we are putting her on a plane to Hartford on Wednesday morning. No one, however, is more disappointed than our beloved Heather. We will all pray for her safe travels and swift recovery, and urge our blog followers to do likewise.
On a lighter note, our campers will henceforth be subject to the amazing culinary magic of Karen, Rita and myself, and we will suffer no insults, thank you very much! Hope to have more photos tomorrow -- too much going on tonight.
We call it Patience Monday because it normally takes hours to get organized enough to have a productive day. We have a 7:30 briefing from Craig, who coordinates all the projects for BBM. We organize into 3 groups: Team Black will hang drywall in a new home being constructed; Team Day gets to remove old siding because their house doesn't have any sheathing, then replace the siding with new; and Team Williams will tape and mud drywall in a historic home being rehabbed. We're all at out respective worksites taking stock of the work ahead before 9 a.m. So much for Patience Monday! And it's a beautiful day in Biloxi -- high in the 50s.
Above is Team Williams' project, built in 1909. It's been gutted and will be rehabbed, but not restored to historical standard. Though it looks small from the front, it has at least 6 rooms off a long center hall, plus a section we can't see where the owner is living (!) during the process.
Gary spends most of the day on a ladder.
I now know why there are groans all around when the subject of mudding is broached. This is not easy!
Lunch al fresco for Team Williams. A treat!
Team Black had a bird's-eye view of the Gulf from the porch of their house, on 6-foot pilings, and saw black smoke in the near distance. Zach and Lauren decided to investigate and discovered a quickly spreading brush fire, which, given the strong onshore breeze, could have easily gotten out of control. They notified the fire authorities, who were able to extinguish the fire before any damage was done to nearby structures.
Everyone loves staying at BBM. The common eating/lounge area promotes great fellowship, as proven tonight when Ryan and Suzy, our social directors, had us impersonating frogs, chickens and dinosaurs..... As I write this, a spirited game of Setback is underway ....Karen, Janet and Mary are tuning their voices to coach us through our hymns for Wednesday night....and another group is watching Monday Night Football. Heather and Karen made us a great dinner of pasta with a choice among 3 sauces, salad and bread. All in all, an experience far superior to staying at SUMA last year.
No mishaps or serious injuries today (unless you count Ed's near-miss, being winged by a nail gun as he hurled himself forward to take the nail for his Team Leader Jim Day). But some of us are feeling some muscles we haven't used in awhile.
Doug and three of his Oak Streeters, Zack, Lauren and Katy... 
