Hi: time goes fast when you are having fun

Well we have been here a week. Yesterday we started knocking down walls in a house that was damaged by Rita. It was a new undertaking for me. An eight year old boy lives in the house with his parents. The look on his face when he seen what we had done to his room was priceless. Dan is still working in the same house and they are starting to put the walls up again. We have a prayer request: Rense DeGroot and his wife lost a brother in law this week to cancer. Rense flew back to G.R. yesterday and will return to us on Tuesday. Tomorrow we will go to church next door. They own the building we stay in. Bye for now Love Dan and Gerda

Middle of the week and all is well

Hi everyone: We are having a great time. We are still working on the same houses. There is a lot to do. Dan took a bathroom apart and the daughter of the owner wasn't happy. She asked him how she would take her shower. Today they set the bathtub but no water. The guys suggested she fill it from the kitchen sick. They had to raise the center of the roof almost 4 inches. It was sagging that much. The house I have been working on we are starting to put back together. We started painting in the kitchen today. That house has the bathtub in the living room. The floor in the bathroom is no more. You see the ground under the house. The weather has been very warm but we are doing fine. We have air in the place we stay at. Will write again soon. Thanks for you prayers. We love you all..Dan and Gerda

Lunch in Slidell

I have to tell you about our lunch that we had today. Everyday Miss Francis fixes all 14 of us a variety of meals for our noon lunch. Today she fixed cabbage with pig tails plus some other foods to go along with it. They have very little meat on them with a lot of fat but they tasted just like pork (Doug said). We always get a few things different but this was the most different of all. Miss Francis is such a positive person. She fixes these meals in her FEMA trailer everyday and sweats up a storm doing it; but yet she is as happy as a lark, always with a smile on her face and so grateful for the work that we do. I'll send along a picture or two of us eating in her back yard. Til later-- Doug & Mary

Second Week in Slidell

Another week has begun and it is hot and muggy. The humidity is 96% and it's not supposed to get better for a couple of days. We escaped the tropical storm on the weekend and had rain on Mon. but sun again today.
Doug & group found a leak in the roof of the shot gun house when it rained yesterday so the drywalling stopped short. They hope the leak was found today so the other work can continue. Some of the guys are putting siding up on the house.
The third house that is being worked on is being painted on the inside and siding is now going up on the outside. That house is coming right along.
The house that I'm working on has the mudding done now and we have been painting on the doors and the trim. Tomorrow we need to paint the utiliy room where we mudded and then more trim. There are really low ceilings in this house and in the utility room the ceiling is slanted, so I can reach the ceiling standing on the floor.
Well, the group is ready to play cards so I guess I better get ready too. Last night we were so tired that we were in bed by 9:00, but tonight, I guess we can play a little. I'll write more in a few days and I'll take a few more pictures, too. Take care, Doug & Mary

First day of work at Port Arthur

There are two houses we are working on. One of the groups Dan is with and I work with the other. They have a lot of damage and need a lot of work. I cleaned cabinets with two other ladies and we only finished the top part. The still had dishes and food in them and it is two years since the hurricane hit. Dan was taking a bathroom apart all the way down to the floor. We have a very good group and work together very well and have a lot of fun too. It was a hot day but it went very well.We will write again soon Love Dan and Gerda

More News from Slidell

We made it through our first week. The tropical storm missed us except for a little rain but that just made it more muggy today. We checked out Plaquemines Parish where we did a Needs Assessment in January. We rode there on Sat. and found that not a whole lot has changed since we had been there. Today we went to church at the Presbyterian church where our trailers are parked and then rested the rest of the day.
Tomorrow morning will bring work again as we go to work on the three houses that are in progress. We are here with six couples and two men who came without their wives. We all hail from different places in Canada, Calif. and Mich.
We'll write more again as we work to let you know what we are doing. It's time to play cards now before bed. I lost big time last night so maybe I can redeem myself tonight.
Good night all-- Doug & Mary

We made it to Texas

Hi It is Saturday night we had a very safe trip. We got to know a group a little and plan to go to church nextdoor. The name is St Johns Lutheran church. They own the building we stay in. Bye for now Love Dan and Gerda

Hello again

We have now finished two days of actual work and we're kind of tired. Last night we played cards (and I won) but tonight this is just about all I can handle! It is still hot but the humidity has not been as high.
Doug has been working on a "shot gun house". This is a house that has the rooms one after the other with the front door on one end and the back door on the other. If you would shoot a shot gun through the front door; it would go right out the back. There are a lot of these houses here in the south, in the poorer communities. He has been doing some insulating, drywalling, and carpentry work.
I have been doing some taping, mudding and sanding on drywall on another house. This lady, Miss Frances, fixes a meal for all of the "green shirts" at noon time.
We are monitering the storm that is down in the gulf and are hoping that it does not come this way. We do have a place to go to evacuate, if necessary.
Time to go now and am sending love to all.
Doug & Mary

Texas here we come

Hi We plan to leave in the morning and get through Chicago before it gets too busy. Will let you know how it went when we get to Port Arthur. Love Dan and Gerda

Greetings from Slidell

(You can click on the pictures to enlarge them)

Hello everyone! Doug & I had a good trip down to the south country. We had beautiful sunny weather every day. We got about 30 miles from Slidell and I thought it was raining but Doug said that bugs were hitting the windshield. It is mating season for the lovebugs here and they are all over the place! Our truck and trailer were plastered with them. I'll include a picture of them on the trailer. They are also flying all over in the air. Yuk! The men said they usually last about three weeks and they should only have a week left. Does anybody want them for an insect collection? This site has been closed since May and everything needs a good cleaning. Our real work will start on Wed. It sounds like there is at least 6 houses to get started on with more in the works. There are still a lot of FEMA trailers and gutted out houses wherever you look. The temps have been in the 90's and the humidity is up there. I'm glad we have air conditioning for eating and sleeping. I'm going to try to put some pictures along with this. They are of the office, the shower trailer and our trailer parked with others. I don't know if I'm doing it right or not but we'll see. This is all new to me. I'll write more as we begin working and as more interesting things begin to happen.
Love to all, Doug & Mary