4.3.16
Sunday
Coffeeville
to Tuscaloosa, AL
150
miles
Time to move on again! However, we will put Corp Parks on our list
of ‘check it out’ from now on. This has
been very nice for a VERY nice price! I
make use of the excellent shower (best showerhead for flow and pressure and
hottest water of the trip!) to wash my hair.
We don’t rush as it is a beautiful sunny morning again. A stop to empty the tanks and garbage and we
pull out right at 10:30am. We anticipate
about 130 miles, but it turns out to be a little further!
The terrain is pretty much the same….rolling
hills lined with trees, broad green fields and pastures, and swollen muddy
rivers with flooded side channels! More
logging is done here than I expected and since most of it is on private lands,
they haven’t exactly done a lot to clean it up afterwards.
We head north on Route 43 toward
Demopolis and our rendezvous with I-20.
We haven’t driven the trailer on an interstate since a 20 mile section of
I-20 in central Texas! But today we log
a whole 31 miles!! The interstate puts
us in easy search of the Sunset RV Park where we check in and pay for our two
weeks.
But first, a stop in Demopolis for
gas, which turns into the Subway in Walmart, which turns into….we need to go
grocery shopping, so why not do it now?
We stock up for the week, learning later it is a good thing because we
need to provide our lunches.
 |
| Our spot at Avalon RV Park....pretty sterile! |
 |
| 111 Juanita at beginning of build |
Back to trailer to make our phone
calls, unwind, and prepare to go back to work!
The skies are still clear and blue, and it should drop down into the low
40’s tonight! YES!
ADDENDUM: Best discovery of the night! My LTE tether is faster than ANY internet I have had so far this trip! Hurray!
4.4.16
Monday
Tuscaloosa
CAV Build Day 1
Today's PICTURES
Whew! This build may kick my rear! I am a little sore tonight, a little
sunburned,
 |
| Beginning gathering: Mem, Larry, Presby guy, Brandon, and Mennonite leader, Tyler |
A beautiful morning, brisk, but
sunny. We drive the 3 miles to the house
site on Juanita Ave, a street prior to the tornado had the reputation of 12% of
the Tuscaloosa crime. The side effect of
the tornado, which pretty much wiped out all the houses along the street, was
to ‘clean house’. Rentals have been
replaced with homeowners and the whole feel of the neighborhood has
changed. It is still predominately a
black neighborhood, but a great deal of pride shows in the upkeep of the homes,
crime is WAY down, and truly we are building HOPE!
 |
| Doesn't take Rick long to get up on the roof! |
We learn a little tornado
history. It cut a half mile wide path
through southeast Tuscaloosa. Over 60
people were killed. The Habitat
affiliate gained considerable momentum from the tornado, however, and has used
that to up their building program from 1-2 houses a year to 10 or more. They are currently involved in at least one
other new build project, finishing up another house down the street, and just
completed a rehab project. Churches have
‘bought in’ and together are sponsoring homes financially. They have quite a program going for now.
 |
| Ging helps put up roof supports |
 |
| Wooden stairs to scaffolding |
My first project is to help build a
wooden access ladder up to the scaffolding.
Rick takes off for the roof and spends all morning up on top. I ended up on the roof somewhat by accident, but
that was ok. Both of us were working to
complete the roof supports. After lunch
Rick was involved with the roof sheathing in the areas where the supports were
finished. They also got the foot rail up
on top of the layer of ‘felt’ or a synthetic substitute. After lunch I ended up working with Brandon and
Tyler on the last section of roof. After
a quick lesson, Brandon left and Mennonite Tyler and I were on our own. We did get three supports cut correctly and
in place by ourselves, but oh, the brain power it was taking!
 |
| Crazy roof lines |
 |
| End of Day 1 Photo |
Larry worked inside the house most
of the day, finishing some of the framing there. Another gal was inside installing the
hurricane clips on each stud (a job I did on my first build in Las
Cruces). Everyone else was outside. Mimi, the other CAV gal, was ground support
for most of the day, hauling a few sheathing boards (with help) and acting as ‘gopher’
much of the time.
 |
| Our CAV crew: Larry, Mem, Ging, Rick |
We quit at 3pm, largely because the
roof was finished. I think some of the
locals were working later to get another layer of roof sheathing down. I cleaned up the roof area of all the scrap
wood from the cuts and called it a day!
 |
| University of Alabama Bryan-Denny Stadium |
Rick and I then headed on down University Ave toward
town in search of the post office. Well,
we finally determined that maybe Google is still showing the Eastside PostOffice
from before the tornado, because the spot marked is a vacant lot and there was
no building! So….we drive on down
University, past the college and Bryant Stadium and find the main post
office. I mail my postcards and walk
inside to buy some more postcard stamps.
Oh my! There must have been 15
people waiting in lines. I turned around
and said I’ll buy them somewhere else!
We drove back out on Bear Bryant Ave which took us right behind the
stadium. I hope I got some good
pictures!
A quiet evening settling in to the Tuscaloosa environment.
4.5.16 Tuesday
Tuscaloosa
CAV Build Day 2
Today's PICTURES
 |
| Angel |
Another beautiful day dawns, with
the forecast for a bit cooler but still filled with sunshine! We have a half hour reprieve today, with the
schedule calling for a 9am start due to a construction meeting prior. We get to our house at 111 Juanita and are
told to report to House 18 down the street – we will be helping with paint or
landscaping. We go down there and find
things bustling with activity. I meet
Angel and Anthony, the homeowners. Angel
has the most incredible dreds – beautifully coiffed and down to her buttocks. She was delightful to meet. I helped unload a few plants from the nursery
trailer. Rick was sent on an errand down
to the other house to get something from the trailer.
 |
| Nail gun in action |
And hammer we did. I can’t even begin to count how many nails I
hammered by hand today and how many times I reloaded my power nailer. I was on the roof all day helping Barry and
Dave with the sheathing. They were
basically getting the board in place, cutting to fit, putting in a couple of
nails to hold it, and then I would go to work.
A nail every 4” on the edges and every 6” on the studs. I hammered by hand for awhile, but then
realized I couldn’t keep up and my arm was going to die! The only reason I don’t like a nail gun is
because you can’t feel when you miss
the stud and hit a shiner.
 |
| Rick hammers in elephant skin |
Rick started out helping with the
sheathing and then shifted to continue applying the ‘elephant skin’ (a
substitute for roofing felt) on the back side of the house. It had been started yesterday. Rick worked with Jenna, an AmeriCorp intern
for much of the morning, but then alone after lunch as Jenna was sent out on an errand. Both of us will feel it in our backs
tomorrow!!
The design of the Habitat houses
includes a ‘safe room’ – a large closet built into one of the bedrooms. It has anchors six feet deep into the
foundation, steel walls, a steel reinforced door, double plywood, etc. It is made to withstand up to a Level 4.5-5
tornado. Hard to imagine, but if I lived
down here I would want such a room in my house.
 |
| Progress...End of Day 2 |
We CAVs quit around 3pm – tired and
beat. I think Barry and company were
going to continue working for another hour.
The roofers are coming on Saturday (a company donated the labor to put
on the roof) and we have to have everything sheathed, faced, etc. by then. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain from 2pm on,
but we will have a full crew again as the Mennonite boys will be back
again. (They volunteer at a hospital on
Tuesdays!)
We are passing a MacDonalds on the
way home and Rick says he could use a Frosty or something. I concur and we veer into the turn lane
quickly to sit for 45 min air conditioning eating an ice cream cone (me) and a
McFlurry (Rick).
We heard from Children, Inc. again
this afternoon. Apparently the problem
with getting the parent signature for our visit is because Austen’s mom and
stepfather have been arrested. He is
bouncing around at various homes, not attending school regularly, and life is a
bit of a mess. Not good. The school is hoping to keep him long enough
to graduate. The CI counselor feels our
visit would be impetus to help that happen and she remembered that Austen has
celebrated his 18th birthday is a legal adult. We don’t need parental permission to visit
him! He is on spring break right now, so
hopefully he’ll sign papers next Monday and we will be a go for a visit on
April 26.
A nice late afternoon sitting
outside the trailer with Mem and Larry and visiting. I guess it was our Happy Hour without food or
drink! The nights are cooling off, so we
get the heavier sleeping bag back out!
4.6.16
WEDNESDAY
Tuscaloosa
CAV Build Day 3
Today's PICTURES
 |
| Lou Ann, from Presby church, worked with us today |
Ah!
This will not be a quiet campground.
A whole series of trains and whistles during the night, garbage trucks
dumping at 4:30, sirens and the traffic noise from University Ave, and the
back-up beep of the truck that leaves at 5:30 and the one that returns at
6:30. Sleeping in mornings is not an option! But we were toasty again last night with the
heavier bag! While there are clouds this
morning and a cool breeze, the forecast is for some sunshine and temps in the
70’s BEFORE the storm hits tonight.
And the rain did come, but well after we were home for
the night, dinner eaten, and we were prepared to listen to raindrops!
Tonight as I write I am as tired as I have ever been
after a CAV day. Rick and I were both
back up on the roof all day, in 20-30 mph winds, trying to get more of the
elephant skin down. We have a ‘deadline’
of Friday or Saturday when the roofers are scheduled. Today was a beehive of activity at the house
site with a good crew present, especially in the morning. The Mennonite boys tackled the job of
finishing the decking (sheathing) of the rest of the roof – a tedious job of
intricate hips and valleys, weird cuts.
They were still working at it when we quit the roof at 2:30, saying the
winds were too strong and we were too tired to continue safely! Other groups were putting up the fascia trim,
cutting out window opening and nailing all the edges. The masons were back to work on the steps and
finish the pillars. Late in the
afternoon, the windows arrived, insulation was delivered, and the plumbers
arrived.
 |
| Mem took our picture as we rested on the rooftop! |
For the morning, Rick and I had the pleasure of
working with Dennis from the Methodist church and LouAnn, one of the associate
pastors at First Presbyterian Church.
LouAnn stayed through lunch and talked extensively with Rick and I. We told her we would hopefully see her again
this weekend at church…especially since we have met at least 4-5 people from
that congregation. Services at 8:45 and
11am! Also an organ concert to ‘blow out
the pipes’ on Friday evening .
Anyway….our work.
We laid down a lot of the elephant skin on the roof. It was windy and hard to keep in place. A lot of hand nailing. I hit my fingers a lot at the beginning and
appreciated Mem’s ‘Thumb Protector’ which is magnetized to hold the nail in
place. Worked like a charm. I think I shall ask Santa Claus for one! Mostly it was a lot of up and down, knee
work, arm and shoulder work, and of course, staying on the roof work! After lunch we worked with a young man named
Joey. Between the crazy roof lines and the
wind, we made some progress, but…..we were hampered a bit by the fact that the
boys hadn’t finished the decking yet in the back corner.
 |
| End of Day 3 Progress |
Home by way of Win Dixie, a supermarket where we pick
up a few items. Showers and relax. As I type the storm has hit full force. Thunder is rumbling, lightning is flashing
all over the place. Fortunately though,
the wind doesn’t seem as bad. I just feel
very exposed out in this ‘parking lot’.
Should be over soon….I hope! G’night!
4.7.16 Thursday
Tuscaloosa
CAV Build Day 4
Today's PICTURES
Ah, the storm was over by 8:45 last
night and we had a peaceful night’s sleep!
Yes!
Up
and ready to go this morning, but had to find out from Larry where we were
headed. He had an address and his GPS to
guide us there – a house in progress in the southwest portion of town. It was right across the street from
Tabernacle Baptist Church!
 |
| Finished job at Tony's house |
 |
| Marking my story boards at 21st St. |
 |
| Rick and Barry finish covering the peak. |
 |
| End of Day 4 Progress |
Visit time with Halsteads outside
for abit, a phone call to Fessels, and early to bed! I had a text from T Mobile saying I had used
up my high speed allotment for the month, so my tethering was MUCH slower
tonight, but tolerable! Maybe I should
have clicked to see what an upgrade would cost!
4.8.16
Friday
Tuscaloosa
CAV Build Day 5
Today's PICTURES
A restless night as it was warm when
we went to bed, but around 1:30 the cold front moved in with a good wind storm
that shook us up abit. The temperature
in the trailer dropped 20 degrees from 12:30am to 6 am! But the day dawns sunny, albeit breezy
still.
 |
| Larry worked with Rick |
 |
| Mem on cleanup patrol |
 |
| Supervisor Barry and Larry models their suspenders! |
So….it is a bustle of activity and
people try to stay out of each other’s way!
Rick and I help CAV Larry to finish the soffits supports and fascia on
the east side of the house. We basically
spend all day on those efforts, but we finish!
Groups are applying blue board insulation, windows begin to get
installed, someone is working inside the house on the safe room, and after
lunch some gals show up to paint a primer coat on the panels that will be
ripped into soffits. In the meantime,
the south and west ends of the house get metal roofing applied.
Just before lunch we broke to pray
for one of the roofers who had to leave because his wife was heading to the
hospital, situation someone unknown. I
added them to my prayer list. The
Methodists brought lunch – Fried Chicken and Ice Cream. I have noticed in the south they don’t
necessarily provide what I would consider a complete
lunch – like fruit, etc. But we had
plenty of chicken!! And rolls!
A good day. I can’t believe the progress on the house
over the past week. Andrea, the
homeowner, should be in to work tomorrow and she will be amazed at the changes.
 |
| End of Day 5 Progress |
 |
| The pipes at FPC |
 |
| Front of sanctuary |
4.9.16 SATURDAY
A Day for Relaxin’ in Tuscaloosa
We slept HARD last night! But up early for a Saturday to scoot over to
Sunset RV where we originally checked in as they have 2 machines in their
laundry and we can get it all done at once!
Five dollars in quarters and an hour and half later, we are done! Back to the trailer to relax a little before
heading into town. I worked on my ‘organ
drawing’ for today’s prayers – a tough one to draw and even worse to
color!
Around noon we drove downtown to
where the Druid City Arts Festival is taking place along with the First Annual
BBQ Cook-off to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
All was taking place downtown at Government Plaza, a perfect venue for
such events. We walked around the vendor
circle first, amazed at the range of artwork and the eclectic nature of much of
it! We met up with Larry and Mem in front
of the Habitat BBQ station. Bought beers
(pop for me!) and found a table on the sidewalk. You purchased 10 tickets for the cookoff for
$10 donation and then could sample each station. With your ballot there was a people’s choice
award. The judges had already made their
decisions! More meat than I have eaten
in awhile and some stations provided side dishes as well. We had various forms of BBQ pork, chicken,
and beef (I don’t think I had any beef).
Sides included macaroni and cheese, turnip green cornbread, beans, and
corn. We were full when done! It was fun.
Another round of the vendors and I
bought a pair of ear-rings. Music was
being played on the stage and the crowd was enjoying the sunny afternoon. Weather was perfect.
 |
| Riverboat moored on the Black Warrior River |
Backtracked to head down to WalMart
on the south edge of town for a little grocery shopping and then home. Found a post office down there, plus a Dollar
Tree! Still haven’t found postcards at
any of the stores we have been in. That
is a MUST buy tomorrow!!
Back to the trailer around
4:15. Phone call with Luke, then a
couple hours sitting outside visiting with Larry and Mem eating veggies and
dips and drinking wine. It’s cooling off
this evening!
4.10.16 SUNDAY
Church and Fish Fry!
Another good night’s sleep! We arise and by 9am we are on our way to find
a place for breakfast. I am using my
phone to search as we head west toward downtown. We stop at the Wayfarer, but it is too
crowded and a long wait. So I find a
nearby IHOP which serves us well! Arrive
early for the 11am worship service, so we wander the halls of this massive
church. There is a full size gym with a
jogging loop on the balcony. Beautiful
chapel as well as the massive sanctuary with the pipe organ. We chose to come to the late service to make
sure we got the organ again, as I read somewhere that the 8:45 service was in
the chapel. Talked briefly with LouAnn
and Ellen Potts (Habitat director) after the service. Ironically, it was Youth Sunday here as well
as back in Baker City! Theme was ‘Leap
of Faith’ with the text from Peter walking on water.
 |
| First Pres Tuscaloosa |
After church we stopped at three
drugs stores, two souvenir shops, a Dollar General, and two grocery stores
looking for postcards! Zilch! Bummer!
Our last chance is the Cracker Barrel gift shop. We’ll try there tomorrow. I did pick up some elephant earrings for Mem,
plus an elephant set for myself. The
elephant is the mascot for U of A and there are elephants ALL over town.
 |
| Catfish a frying in the pan! |
 |
| Rick chats while Larry fries! |
Lazy afternoon and then around 4pm Larry started cooking our dinner. What a feast. Our contribution was a bottle of wine and one sweet potato (plus ice cream for dessert!) Larry was cooking Southern style: fried catfish, fried taters, Sweet tater fries, cole slaw, grits, and hush puppies. It was all delicious! Mem saved some grits from their breakfast just so I could try them! We sat around and chatted until 7 or so.
Talks with Mom and Jed during the
evening. All is well!
4.11.16 Monday
 |
| Tony's brick house on 21st St. |
We are back at the 21st St. brick house for
Tony today and I finally get a chance to meet Tony! He has taken all week off work to put in some
hours on his home. A single man, Tony
gets emotional every time he comes to the site and sees the progress
happening. Today Rick and Larry were
putting the ramjet nails into the Safe Room wall and Rick asked Tony if he
wanted to give it a try (basically it is a 22 shell that ‘bullets’ the nail
in). Tony witnessed parts of the 2011
tornado – he saw a bus and semi spinning in the air. I couldn’t help but think that Tony had a
sense of security to be installing his safe room – his place to go in the event
of another tornado.
 |
| Tony fires nails into his safe room |
 |
| Mem and Shonda paint the panels |
The Mennonite boys were on the job,
as well as 3 college men from one of the frat houses. Before the mid-day storm hit, we were able to
get some of the metal roofing in place, Rick and Larry were finishing up some
details on the front porch in the rafters, and Mem, Shonda, and I were painting
4x8 boards that will be soffit material and the underside of the porch
roof. We devised a drying rack (I used
some of the skills learned in Kalispell from Kathy and Diane!) that handled 14
sheets eventually! We even managed to
get it covered with plastic sheeting and held down with bricks before the rains
fell too hard.
 |
| My scribble of Tony and Shonda at work |
We made a quick stop at the post
office so I could purchase some stamps on the way home. Arrived back at the trailer to find all well,
the fix in the air conditioner still dry as ever. Rick was glad that he dropped the front
slightly more this morning – something he does when we suspect rain to make
sure everything drains forward and off rather than puddling around the AC
unit.
Afternoon and evening (I suspect)
will be spent listening to the pitter patter of raindrops! (And hopefully not a lot of thunder and
lightning!)
Addendum….yes, it rained and
rained! A good bout of thunder and
lightning between 7 and 9, but seemed to settle down to JUST rain then. Rick had braved the wet to go out and unplug
the trailer….just to be on the safe side.
One good power surge could burn out our system.
4.12.16 Tuesday
 |
| The red is the actual tornado path, the pale orange is the area of devastation. |
A cloudy morning but the rain has
stopped! Tuesdays are a late start on
the job site, as the supervisors all have a meeting in the morning to determine
who is where with what crews for the rest of the week! Barry is with us today and we have a small
crew. Mennonite boys are at the hospital
on Tuesdays. So its just Barry, Joey, a
local volunteer, and us CAVs for today!
Joey leaves at lunch and another young man comes in during the afternoon
– his first time to volunteer. He got
the job of shooting the nails into the safe room, only the ‘gun’ wasn’t working
so he sledge hammered it all! Whew!
 |
| Rick and Larry's handiwork for the day |
The site is muddy but
tolerable. We worked inside all day
trying to get ready for the electrician, plumbers, and heat crews coming in
later this week. The roofers had
finished all but a few peak caps, and they were back during the day to finish
up. Rick and Larry tackled the job of
putting some framing up above the wall on the porches and then blue boarding
over it. A tedious job to cut around all
the 2x4 beams, etc. But first…. The 4x8’
sheets of plywood in the attic area had to be dropped down, and then Rick was
up in the rafters (after we took the walk boards away of course!) to nail in
about 6 cross braces that were missing from the roof supports.
 |
| Working in tight quarters |
I was given the job of blueboard,
only on the inside of the walls at the very top. I was cutting 5”x22.5” pieces of blueboard
and then wedging them into the space, the purpose to prevent the spray-in
insulation from leaking into the soffits.
I was working from the top of the ladder (due to my height challenge
status!) and could only do one opening at a time. So it was up ladder, insert, down ladder,
move ladder, repeat. I would cut about 6
at a time and then go install them. I
figure there were about 40 plus opportunities.
It wouldn’t have been bad except I was working around some huge bolts in
places, plus all the nails and screws the roofers had shot through that missed
a stud!
 |
| Fuzzy photo...but rods we glued in to hold the safe room in place. |
 |
| End of Day 7 Progress |
Two more attempts to purchase
postcards today – we went to Cracker Barrell gift shop AND Pilot – both places
we had been assured carried cards. In
each we got the line, ‘We used to have them….’
So alas, everyone will have to wait until next week when we go to
Huntsville. SURELY the Space Center will
carry postcards!
The skies have cleared and it is a
cool but beautiful evening out. Larry
cooked collard greens and cornbread pancakes tonight and brought us some so we
could savor a bit more of true Southern cooking!
4.13.14 Wednesday
These two weeks have flown by so
quickly! Only three more days of labor
and the rest of the trip is playing tourist and family time! We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Barry
as our supervisor most of the time.
 |
| Part of my upper tape job. |
 |
| Larry and Rick worked hard on this section of blueboard! |
Once I caught up with Rick and
Larry, Mem and I went to work on
marking the blue board with siding lines. Barry made us a story board which is
basically a two by four marked with the 7” increments. Line it up with the OSB on the bottom and
mark the wall. Stretch the chalk line
between the marks and snap. Check to be
sure it is level every now and then.
Make sure the two sides of a corner are lined up with each other. All this would have been MUCH easier if the
scaffolding hadn’t been so close to the walls!
We basically finished with two sides of the house and got the third side
marked but no chalk lines snapped yet.
 |
| Hanging around on the scaffolding chalking lines for siding. |
 |
| Mem and I on the scaffolding! |
The inside of the house today was a
zoo. I was glad to be working
outside. The heat and AC boys were in, a
group was finishing up the safe room, and Jenna was up in the rafters during
the afternoon to put in some final
bracing.
When I walked in, it was a MESS!
Ducting everywhere!! The plumbers
and electricians are still on schedule for tomorrow I think.
 |
| Rafter rat Jenna |
The Methodists brought pizza for
lunch today and we brought a little home for dinner – there must have been 4
medium pizzas left over! Halsteads went
to Home Depot after work and picked up a portable circular saw that we are
going to donate to the affiliate. We’ll
put in half on it.
 |
| Final Day 8 Progress Picture .... too bad you can't see our red chalk lines all around! |
Rick got a call yesterday from PERS
that he signed his supplement forms a few days too soon, so we got the page run
off on Mem and Larry’s printer and will get it in the mail.
4.14.16 Thursday HAPPY
BIRTHDAY LUKE!
 |
| Saban House |
 |
| Boardwalk to potty |
We had a list to work on….miscellaneous
painting, both large surfaces and small.
I did most of that. Rick painted
the driveway outside door, Larry cut some molding which then had to have the ends
painted. Joey, a local, showed up mid
morning and worked to install the rod in the wardrobe. He left at lunch with the project unfinished,
returned, and we think went to the other house to work. Hmmmm….
So we finished up that as well!
 |
| Repaired gap! |
 |
| A gift for the affiliate |
Earlier in the morning, Brandon stopped by and Larry took that opportunity to present Barry and Brandon with the saw we had purchased for the affiliate. Barry quickly said it could live in his truck! Larry's was invaluable on the roof to make cuts without having a cord hanging over the edges!
 |
| Mem, Rick, Ginger, Brandon, Barry, Larry at 19 Juanita, the Saban house |
Mem and Larry drive us out to Peter’s,
and after a couple of wrong turns and then a phone call, we find his little
caretaker house set in an old YMCA camp slightly NE of our Avalon RV Park. It is off a small gravel road in the trees! Peter, in exchange for fixing things up at the
rarely used camp and using ReStore materials, lives in the renovated house and
is a presence when Habitat has groups coming in and needing housing. He had the table (a large piece of glass set
into the counter) all set and ready for us.
Also joining us was Scuba Steve, a former Habitat volunteer who is
visiting for a brief time, and Peter’s son, Alex. It was amazing hearing Peter’s story of his
involvement with Habitat and how he came to have a job with the local
affiliate. (He felt God urging him to go
to Biloxi, MS for a year following the hurricane. He ended up staying 2 ½ years, and then
another 5-6 on the road at various other locations) Peter has already bought his RV so he can join
the CAVs in a few years! We had a
wonderful dinner and dessert, plenty of wine, and a rousing game of Bananagrams
afterwards.
 |
| Our crew at Peter's. Steve took the picture. |
Another story I want to share from
today. Monique was back this morning to
volunteer for a couple hours. Monique
has already received her home, even though she still has a few hours left to
fulfill. She is probably the last
homeowner who will get the keys prior to completion of hours. Monique’s family was in the hurricane. Their home, uninsured, was a tiny little 3
room building that was in the direct path of the tornado just a couple blocks
from her current home on Juanita. Monique’s brother and mom were injured, not
seriously, but Monique was thrown from the house, found on the other side of
the street. She coded twice in the
hospital and was in a coma for a month.
Peter said she was one of the last tornado survivors to leave the
hospital. She lost the vision in one eye
and seemed to have difficulty at times forming her words. I asked her if she remembers anything from
that day and she said, ‘Nothing. Not
until I woke up after the coma.’
Wow. I can’t imagine. But here she was, trying to finish her sweat
equity obligation.
 |
| Neat leaf shadows from lights at Peter's |
Sadly, we discovered
that Angel and Anthony, the homeowners for the Saban house, have only a
fraction of their required hours completed.
Their house will be done and sit empty until they get finished. Barry couldn’t give me a good idea of how
long Habitat will hold that house for them.
We shared that some affiliates require at least 100 hours before you can
get on the list for a house – a down payment on the interest to truly partner
with Habitat.
The rain for today didn’t really
materialize – thankfully. We heard some
pitter patter last night but nothing during the day. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same and we
can get some outside work down on 111 Juanita.
4.15.16 Friday
Our final day as a Tuscaloosa
CAV. Rick and I discussed our options
last night and we have decided to stay an extra two days at least, three at the
most. That will still give us time to
spend a day in Huntsville and a day at Mammoth Caves, before we have to be in Paintsville
on Tuesday afternoon.
And it is a busy, productive day on
site! The Methodists are out in force,
with even more coming later in the morning.
Some college gals show up this afternoon. Jenna and Barry patiently orient everyone and
get them busy, regardless of when they arrive.
Larry and
Rick tackle the soffit installation. The Methodist install exterior doors and the
final window and then get started putting up siding. Mem and I, with the help of Edie, a late
coming Methodist, finish the chalking of the entire house for the siding. After lunch Edie and I mark all the studs to
assist the siding installers. And then….
 |
| Look at those beautiful soffits! |
 |
| Edie helps clean the corners |
 |
| Shot-gun corner edges to 'repair' |
 |
| The Methodist siding crew took off on the front of the house. |
 |
| End of Day 10 Progress ...you can barely see the siding and just a peek of all that soffit work! |
We go out to dinner tonight with
Larry and Mem at the Jalapeno Grill – it is a pretty good little Mexican
place. A pleasant time and we voice some
of our past concerns about ‘Safety Trainers’ which they have fortunately helped
ease! They will head out in the morning
for Indianapolis to visit their daughter and grandkids.
No rain is forecast for the
weekend! Yea!!
Rick’s report was the game was a fun
experience! He especially enjoyed the
fact that it was such a great opportunity for families to come – the price
being affordable! Little kids cheering
‘Roll, Tide, Roll!”, etc. Last year’s
Heisman Trophy winner, a ‘Bama player, was awarded the trophy that will remain
at the University. From Rick’s pictures,
it appeared 95% of the crowd was wearing their RED shirts!!
Our campground is emptying! We heard a couple of the big rigs leave early
this morning and by the time we got home at 3:45pm, we were absolutely alone in
the center of the space! By dinner time,
only 2 other 5th Wheels are located on the outer circle. It’s rather lonely!
Rick was given a crew of 3 others to
help finish up the soffits. He said they
did great and were eager to try all aspects of the job. One gray haired lady shot the nail guns and
cut holes with the jig saw. I got a
picture of her on the saw with GREAT concentration! Three teams tackled the siding, one on each
side of the house that hadn’t been finished.
Others put in the porch ceiling, began work on the porch supports. After lunch the Mennonites were to tarp a
lady’s roof who was having leakage
problems.
I worked with a gal from Florida, Teresa, who was on the trip solo and a
first-timer. She enjoyed the job of
caulking! We also had Monique working
with us for awhile and then another gal, Lindy, from the local community. We had windows to caulk, doors, soffit trim,
etc. I did all the caulking on the
soffit going around the inner edge of the roof-line. It was awkward to twist around to see into
the spot. I will have a crick in my neck
tonight!
Today was also the warmest day of
our time here – a beautiful, sunny, but warm 80 plus degrees. Lots of water and we were shade seeking by
the end of the day. Working with one
hand on the metal roof for stability, also told me ‘this roof is hot!’
days and from scraps, they build children’s playhouses, dog houses, and bird houses! I guess it just depends on the size of the discarded material! The playhouse is adorable with a porch, an L floor plan, etc. They sell them for $2000. Pretty neat! I thought of Suzanne Fouty – she would appreciate the Habitat for all Living Things!
Rick on fascia trim this morning,
helping some of the others get started on the project. I have two other women helping to caulk, one
a novice, but she does pretty well! The
older gal took a fall from the ladder this morning. I was concerned about her. We were caulking trim work on the porch, and
then up to caulk the fascia trim as soon as it was installed. Shanda also showed up this
morning to paint,
along with her friend Sam. They just
stayed for the morning. Shanda is
determined to have all her hours done by the time her house is ready to
go!
We debated, but decided to join the
staff and Mennonites for Brian’s ‘Goodbye’ lunch at Jim and Nick’s BBQ
downtown. It was a chance to see Jenna
and Brian plus Peter one more time. We
left around 11:30 and didn’t get back until 1:30! Rick and I both had pulled pork BBQ
sandwiches plus a side. I gave Jenna a
pair of tie dye shoelaces! We met
Mennonite House Leader Tyler’s wife and 2 year old son. It was a good time.
Back to 111 Juanita to find most of
the Methodists had given up on us! But
the boys showed up for an hour, plus another young college man, Jose and Rick
and Barry and I. I continued to caulk,
while the ‘frieze’ was installed so that they could start work on the gable. By the end it was just the four of us
working, but the one gable got done.
A ‘fake’ window had been framed to
balance the window at the left of the front door. Behind it are the shower stalls. Barry had been debating all week on how to
finish it off. In the meantime, he kept
thinking a face looking out would be fun, so I said I would take care of
it! I found some heavy white plastic,
used tape to outline the window lines, and drew one of my Scribble figures
(with eyes and a shirt!) I mixed the red
dirt with some water to rub on and at least color the shirt with a big A on
it! Barry loved it! At least it will give the neighbors something
to laugh about for awhile. And it was a
temporary break from caulking!
We stopped at McDonalds for some
wifi to get our tickets for a cave tour this weekend, but Mickey D’s didn’t
have working internet. Rick drove down
to Wendy’s and from the parking lot, we got the job done! Gas into the truck, and then back to start
the pack up process – mostly cleaning up the back of the truck of work tools,
etc.
4.16.16 Saturday
Alabama Spring Football! WIFI!
 |
| Bryant-Denny Stadium |
 |
| Band section! |
What was that last line I wrote last
night? Shortly after Mem and Larry
pulled out around 8:30, the raindrops fell!
Nothing major and a relatively short shower. Just enough to make the day humid later
on! We spent a lazy morning, somewhat
planning our next few weeks. Each fixed
our own rendition of an egg dish for a hearty breakfast. I think that’s twice the propane stove has
been used on this trip– both times by Rick cooking his eggs. At 12:30 ish we headed into town so Rick
could attend the Alabama Crimson Tide spring football game. It was FREE to the general public. Rick really wanted to see what the 100,000
capacity Bryant-Denny stadium was like!
So I dropped him off about 5 blocks away and drove a mile or two down to
a MacDonalds where I spent two hours using fairly good speed wifi to download
my pictures from the past week and to surf for some campsites in Kentucky.
 |
| A few people opted for the nose bleed section! |
When we left for the game, our
trailer was a lone little island in the center section of the park. Tonight we are surrounded by ‘Big Boys’ – 5th
wheelers and large RV’s. Most have not
unhitched, so I expect them to leave in the morning!
Weather tomorrow is forecast for
80’s and sunny! I think we are going to
God’s Chapel…. In the form of the UofA arboretum just across from the RV
park. Lots of trails to roam and a
wildflower garden!
4.17.16 Sunday
University Arboretum
 |
| Arboretum entrance |
We spend a leisurely morning watching all the rigs
around us depart! Many of the pipeline
workers have left as well. It could be a
lonely few days here!
Around 10:30 or so we head over to
the U of A Arboretum. The boundary of it
is probably within a football field of us – just across the highway and the
railroad tracks, but we have to drive a couple miles to find the main
entrance.
 |
| Signs for Wildflower Garden were better than flower markings! |
 |
| Tree pod with colorful markings I found on the trail. |
The site is located adjacent to what was the
University golf course and the VA Medical Center. We saw evidence of both! In fact, we didn’t know the part about the
golf course until much later, but as we walked some very old paved pathways
amid some long cleared areas, I told Rick it looked like an old golf course
with cart paths. We ended up walking a
number of those paths, moving further away from the main Arboretum area and
eventually ended up at the far boundary by the VA center! We backtracked and finally found the center’s
greenhouses and pavilion. Maintenance
has not been a high priority in the past few years and things are rather run
down: signs overgrown, etc. I did find
the wildflower garden and was able to identify several flowers. I used the new ‘Garden’ app on my phone for
that! Rick took off for awhile and found
the Tree Platform for his ‘church time’.
I saw on the map that
there was a labyrinth and was excited to spend my
prayer time there. Unfortunately, I
never found it. I think it was probably
a mowed path and it hasn’t been created recently. But while the facilities appeared a bit
haphazard, the trails and the trees themselves were wonderful. We saw some families out for a picnic, but in
general it was pretty quiet. Since we
parked up by the dog run area at the entrance, we added to our ‘hike’ with a
good half mile in to the Arboretum trails.
 |
| Flame azaleas |
 |
| Tree Platform |
The ponds were full of water iris,
the trails laced with various pines, tulip poplars, sweet gum, and magnolias
(not in bloom yet! L) I found the rhododendron garden (not in bloom
except for azaleas!) and a HUGE magnolia tree.
In the wildflower garden I found columbines, wild geraniums, sweet
William, trilliums, meadow rue, fleabane, and more. Rick found a new red flower that I used my
phone app to identify: firepink. All in all, our time was a good two hours of
activity and reflection.
 |
| Purple water iris |
We left to head on a new road,
Woodland Drive, down to the Walmart Neighborhood Market off Skyland to do a
little grocery shopping. Our efforts
included a rotisserie chicken which we ate for ‘linner’ at 2:30pm! We stopped at the Sunset RV office enroute
home to pay for our additional four nights.
Can’t beat a rate of $10 a night!
Also got our quarters so we are ready to hit the laundry again before we
leave.
Afternoon of phone calls to Moms and
Luke. I spent at least 20 minutes
cleaning house – sweeping, shaking rugs, sinks, toilet. I even dusted! This is a sized house I can handle!
4.18.16 Monday
Tuscaloosa Habitat Drop-In Day 1
 |
| Our trailer all by itself! |
 |
| A big crowd gathers to work on Monday. Barry was challenged to keep everyone busy and answering questions. 'Barry!, Barry!' |
Tuscaloosa probably did not NEED our
help this week. A crew of Episcopalians
is here for a week, 11 from Michigan and 11 from Florida. Apparently a father-daughter connection
between the two groups! They are a fun
loving group and worked hard. For
several this was their first Habitat experience, others have made the trip to
Tuscaloosa before. Barry recognized a
few faces.
 |
| Margie makes a cut... |
 |
| While I was on top scaffolding level, I took a picture of the crazy roof, now finished. |
 |
| My caulk partner Teresa |
I counted up over 30 people on the
site today. Twenty two Episcopals, 2
CAVs, 2 locals, 4 homeowners, and 6 Mennonites!
A lot of people to keep busy on one house, but Barry did a great
job.
 |
| Progress Photo, End of Day 11 |
4.19.16 Tuesday
Tuscaloosa Habitat Drop-In Day 2
 |
| Progress has been made on Tony's house! |
We are back at Tony’s house on 21st
St. today, at least to begin with! Barry
and Jenna are working on punch list at 19 Juanita, the Mennonites are at the
hospital on Tuesdays, so all the Episcopals went to 21st as well. They will be there for the rest of the
week. Peter quickly gives us a job to
do: transportation detail! We are to
drive back over to Juanita and pick up ‘Buck’, the Habitat truck, pick up the
nibbler cutter for the siding, and come back.
We do so, with a brief pause to visit with Barry and Jenna! Back across town with the truck, we pick up
Peter and head to the Habitat warehouse to pick up some trim board. The warehouse is NOT the office or the
Re-Store, but a big building where they store the donated materials, extra
materials, AND where they build on rain days!
I discovered this is a Habitat, not just for Humanity, for also for
Caninity and Avianity! On off
 |
| Bird houses |
 |
| Playhouse |
days and from scraps, they build children’s playhouses, dog houses, and bird houses! I guess it just depends on the size of the discarded material! The playhouse is adorable with a porch, an L floor plan, etc. They sell them for $2000. Pretty neat! I thought of Suzanne Fouty – she would appreciate the Habitat for all Living Things!
 |
| Shanda's 'Slab' |
We delivered the trim boards,
dropped Peter off, and then went over to Shanda’s bare concrete slab ‘house’ to
pick up some saw horses. Two houses are
being built in this location – Shanda’s and one other.
Rick quickly went to work with the
soffit crew, who were excited to see him back.
They had spent the whole time preparing scaffolding and hadn’t done any
soffit yet! I searched for a place to
tap in prior to lunch, and eventually spent some time preparing seats for the
crowd to eat on under the big tree. Boards
across bricks, etc. It worked pretty
well and we left them up for their use the rest of the week!
 |
| Lunch in the 'park' |
After lunch I helped set up a paint
station for the trim boards we had obtained and then redesigned my drying rack
for that purpose. Then….it was time to
caulk and paint up on the eaves. If I
thought Rick and crew had left some gaps over at 111, I changed my mind. They were nothing compared to some of the
grand canyons I had to fill with caulk.
It was hot and muggy today. My
first real taste of the southern humidity.
At 3:30, Rick reminded me we still had to return the Habitat truck to
Juanita St. and pick up OUR truck! So, a
few goodbyes to the Episcopals – we might not see them tomorrow- and off.
 |
| Rick catches me caulking the soffit cracks from the scaffolding. |
We didn’t do laundry this weekend,
so it was a must do this afternoon. We
arrived at Sunset seconds after another car which meant we wouldn’t be able to
use both washers (if even one!) So off
down Skyland to a Laundromat I had found earlier. Seems we got there just in time, as a number
of people showed up after us (probably having just gotten off work!) I am so glad to have a washer/dryer at
home!!!
I talked to Dave while waiting for
the dryer (Liz wasn’t home) and then Cherrie called as we were driving
home. A good chance to catch up with folk! Quiet evening! (Of course it is quiet, there
isn’t anyone else in the campground!)
4.20.16 Wednesday
Tuscaloosa Habitat Drop-In Day 3
Our last day of Habitat work this
trip (unless we hear from one of the drop-in sites at the last minute! ) The big group is over at 21st
Street, but the Methodist slowly straggle in and eventually there are probably
about 10 there. Three of the Mennonite
boys are here, Brian missing as he is packing for his trip home. Brian leaves and a new young man arrives tonight. Barry has to leave for awhile in the morning,
but Brandon shows up to supervise our crew!
 |
| Front of house is looking done! |
 |
| Lunch crowd at Jim and Nicks BBQ |
 |
| Gable Rick worked on |
 |
| I'm Trapped! |
 |
| I grabbed Brandon and Peter when they stopped by to take a picture of the Tuscaloosa 'Supervisors'! Barry, Brandon, Peter |
We are now one of TWO rigs in the
lot. One of the 5th wheels
left today while we worked. The other is
still here, but we haven’t seen a truck with it for days. So basically, the camp area is ours alone as
we sit in the middle. But tomorrow we
shall leave!
So I wrap up the Tuscaloosa post on
this blog! This has been a great
experience. I only wish Tuscaloosa was a
little closer and we would be back. We
have been treated very well. I told
Barry he ranked right up there in my top three favorite site supervisors! Experiencing the racial mix of Tuscaloosa has
been good for me. I haven’t interacted a
lot with African Americans – certainly not in 99% white Baker City! I have enjoyed meeting homeowners and
visiting with them. Their stories are amazing. All have been black. All have appreciated my ornament gifts. I’ve received hugs. Am I always comfortable when I find Rick and
I are the only ‘white folk’ in the Laundromat?
No, but I’m better than I used to be!
We head north from here…..stay tuned for CRUISING APPALACHIA COUNTRY!
Progress pictures from our two plus weeks:
111 Juanita
 |
| ' Beginning of Build |
 |
| Day 13 - All Siding finished, but one gable. Caulking done. Painting begun. Safe Room done. |
21st Street - Tony's House
 |
| The day we arrived to put up the trusses. |
 |
| After two weeks...Interior framing done, roof done, Front gable done, Siding on back half done. |
No comments:
Post a Comment