A horse - and a house - of a different color

In true Lutheran style, we have become creatures of habit here. After three days, we are already sitting in the same places in the car, sitting at the same table for meals, even sitting in the same corner of McDonalds to eat our lunch (it's the closest place with restrooms to our worksite). Part of our morning ritual involves passing by some of our favorite houses. One is lime green with a dark purple porch. The house next door is a bright, almost fluorescent orange. Within shouting distance is a creamsicle house bearing teal trim. These are all vibrant signs of New Orleans' rebirth.

Before we drove through this kaleidoscopic neighborhood, we paid a visit to Patty's house, which the St. Stephen delegation helped renovate last October. Her house looks habitable from the outside, but there is still a trailer in front of it. We wondered if anyone at St. Stephen's had heard anything from Patty, if anyone knew whether she had moved into her home.

Today, Marcia and Maryann switched places. Marcia stayed back at Peace Church and Maryann went to the worksite. The other team members returned to the work they'd been doing the day before. At Karen's house, we sanded and mudded, applied beading (aka., the "metal thingies" used to reinforce doorways and curved edges) and framed a closet. We think Mom got a little *too* into her work!

Maryann says that Mom looks like she belongs in that Rice Crispy Treats commercial where the mom splashes flour on her face to look like she's labored all day to make her family a snack.

Throughout the day we washed our tools in buckets of rainwater from Monday's storms. It's nice to see that the rain actually helped us with our work. We also marveled at the sunbeams entering some of the bedrooms in the early afternoon. I'm hoping that a cat will be lucky enough to live here and take advantage of the warm rays.

At Pauletta and Joseph's house, Randy, Norm, and Bob spent the day framing a window and the vanity space. They also fixed the door they had started to repair yesterday. Their trip home was slightly detoured by a touch football game being played in the middle of a street. One of the players threw the ball right into the van windshield, though nothing was damaged. In fact, the van's catch was so good that rumor has it that it's now being recruited to be the starting quarterback for the (2-4) Oakland Raiders ...

All in all, it was another packed day of work with tangible evidence of our accomplishments. While there is still a great deal to do throughout the area, New Orleans is returning to its former self. On previous trips, Mom was impressed by what seemed to be miles and miles of uninhabitable apartment complexes. She was pleased to see that many have escaped the wrecking ball and are now bearing banners inviting new tenants. People are returning the area. They've finally made it back home.

New Orleans is a vibrant, colorful city that never fails to impress and surprise us. My personal discovery of the day came in the most unexpected place. After we had finished our work and before we were ready to drive home, I took a walk around the neighborhood. I turned a corner and saw ... this lovely creature:

It was a surreal, delightful moment to see this horse in the middle of an urban, residential neighborhood. We think this horse might pull a carriage in Jackson Square, and this is its home in the off-hours. We're planning a night on the town tomorrow, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for this beauty.

A personal note to Sandy: we miss you and wish you were here!! Big, big hugs from Slidell!!