Fwd: Blog material

June 12, 2006

Vicki and I are sitting here, after being showered and refreshed from the heat of the day. The house we were working at today had been flooded about four feet up the wall outside. As David mentioned, it looks like the bathtub ring. The mold in the kitchen and elsewhere was incredible. We all had on our masks, and were glad for them. We didn't wear the white suits. It was hot enough without them. The pile of trash that we built out front of the house was getting pretty high. We have pictures, but unfortunately, this computer doesn't have a USB port to download anything. Please check back next week after we return home. We have lots of shots of our work. Helen, the home owner, is a delightful lady. She is a former elementary school principal who has just retired on June 1st. In her retirment, she hopes to set up a day care.

I'll let Vicki add a few words...
- Marty

We have a great crew of really hard workers. Half of us completely removed the panaling (two layers) in a lower level family room, and laundry room, which had been under 4 feet of water. Also removed the the ceiling tiles and wallboard . The kitchen crew removed the cupboards and appliances. Lara was so impressive with the crow bar in the kitchen! She's one sturdy demolition expert. It was quite a feat for David and Woody to get the stove out, but they persevered and succeeded. After that, the flooring (three layers) was stripped down to the bare wood. We are hoping that Helen gets to keep this, and we don't have to go to the joists. The kitchen and living/dining room were under about 1 1/2 feet of water. Tomorrow we'll be working on the lower level bathroom, removing the kitchen walls, baseboards and at least 2-3 feet of plaster in the living room.

As we worked we would cheer each other on as big pieces of panaling came down and the deconstruction continued, and then I would be sobered by thinking, "This is her home. I'm tearing apart this woman's home." I can't help but wonder how she is dealing with the emotional trama of watching this happen. According to Helen Sr. (Helen's very perky 81 year old mother who spent the day with us also.) it's been hard, but the support they have received from the many people like our team has made it possible for them to continue to be resilient. Remember you all are a part of this too, because your support and prayers as our family and friends have made it possible for us be here.

- Vicki