Since it's late I am going to do two days at once.
Yesterday was the first day of demolition. We are working on a 2 building apartment complex on the east side of New Orleans that has been empty since before Katrina. Each building has 5 apartments. Our first mission was to get the furniture, carpet, electronics, and other debris out. We then could focus on the drywall, insulation, and cabinets. You could tell how high the water was as the drywall would crumble when you tried to pull it. There was black (color, hopefully not type) mold all over the walls. The stentch was terrible. Overall I would say that we have a little over half of the first floor done in each building. We have not started on the second floors of the buildings. Those could be a little tricky as there could (and will) be leaks in the roof, causing soft spots in the floor. Some people would stop and look at the items that were left behind. It is really a shock to see so much stuff ruined and you feel for the people who had to leave. From what I have been told, the owner of the apartments did not have flood insurance, which explains why he is having a non-profit group gut the buildings after they have been sitting for almost 4 years. Quite a bit of the buildings in the area have been rebuilt and they are really nice. I cannot fathom living in New Orleans since most of it is below sea level and it is between a major river (Mississippi) and a huge lake that is connected to the gulf.
Our original plan for later in the day consisted of going to a youth shetler and spending time with children and then helping feed some homeless people. Turns out that the schedule got mixed up and the children weren't told to go to the shelter. We assumed we were going to a soup kitchen to feed the homeless when, in fact, we were supposed to prepare the food and take it to them. Since it had rained our facilitators said the people would be in buildings. We had to decline since we didn't have money in the budget for that and it would be dangerous for us to walk around with food and go into a building, that we have never seen, and look for homeless people. We then talked about going to the French Quarter, but that idea was pushed back to today. We ate supper (Muffelattas, an Italian New Orleans sandwich that is amazing) and then were given two options for entertainment. One was to walk to the Garden District and the other was to stay in and relax. I chose to stay in so that I could go to Wal-Mart with one of the other guys.
This day made me very thankful that I have the job that I do. I know there are people who like demolition, and I probably would too if it wasn't in the situation I am working in. I don't think I will get the bathroom and window demolition experience that I want/need but there are still 3 working days left.
Today we started at the house a little before 10:00. We were off the job site by 1:00 as we filled the dumpster and they only bring one per day. We mostly pulled drywall from the walls and ceilings. We will most likely start the second floors tomorrow afternoon. It is going really well and everyone is doing very well. Tomorrow we also get our laundry done!
After we were done with "work" we came back to the house to clean up and eat lunch. We then hung out until 3:00, at which time we left for the French Quarter. We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp, which was decent. After supper we broke into groups and traveled to the party known as Bourbon Street. Every block had at least one bar with live music playing. I received 3 strands of the famous beads and I didn't have to do anything terribly naughty to get them. Thankfully I got 3 so that all of the gils can have a strand when I get home. We also got to see part of the St Patrick's Day parade that travels through the Quarter. It was really interesting to see and hear the history of this great city. It is amazing to think at what happened under 4 years ago and how the city has come back to life. I really want to bring Molly down, just for a day on our way somewhere else, so that she can experience it as well.
Speaking of Molly, I wished she could have been here today as she would have really liked the atmosphere that the French Quarter and Bourbon Street have to offer. It would have been interesting to see if she would have gone with me or if she would have gone with some of the new people she would have met had she come along. I feel sorry for Clarissa and Kimberly because Daddy isn't coming home like he normally does. I know they will be very excited to see me on Monday morning. I can't wait for them to come in and wake me up!
That is all I have for tonight. Tomorrow will be another fun filled day of destroying things!
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