Back Home

I came back home this week, leaving New Orleans to face a new issue -- their first deadly tornado in 40 years. After toiling under 70 degree weather (sometimes on the roof), the ice and cold of New York is quite a shock. But at least I could help shovel the snow/ice for the wife (a major concern I had was we'd get a huge storm and she'd have to shovel herself). I guess I will have to wait until it is warmer before I go back (and I do plan to go back if the wife is okay with it).

In my time in New Orleans, I saw several houses go from having no roof and or walls to having shingled roofs and sided walls. But, I never had the chance to see a house get finished. That, I think, is the piece de resistance for a Habitat worker. Instead, I will have to just show you a picture of the finished houses. These are in heart of Musicians Village and were the first to have people living in them.

I really liked the fact that they adopted the New Orleans style -- with their brightly colored exteriors and large (relative to the house) front porches. They really do represent a beacon to the neighborhood of hope and progress. As soon as a Habitat house is started, repair and construction on surrounding houses begin. In this, the effect of building one house magnifies to the whole city.