Patience Monday

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.