Tuesday August 8 - Ask more questions!

We got a new house to gut today, so we were very excited. Mike and I co-rented a van with a woman named Rose and so our crew had a ride to the site.

We arrived at the site around 8am. It was a double sided shot gun house. One side was habited while the other was where we were supposed to gut. Mike went to the door and it was locked, he went all around and then met the resident who lives next door. The resident was not too friendly and yelled at mike. We decided to head back to Common Ground.

As we waited for a new house, a man named Gary had spoken to MIke about helping move a fridge. Mike and Greg were going to go, then i poked my nose in and said i was up for it too. So Greg and I get in the back of Gary's red truck. We're going along, all content, when we notice that the truck is getting on the major highway, 1-10. We kinda go with it until 20 minutes pass and we're near the airport. Greg and I start making jokes that we're going to die, that we were shipped of, that it was common ground survior and greg and i lost. Finally, we take an exit and drive for another 20 minutes and pull in to a McDonalds. Gary says we can get whatever we want. Greg and I both want shakes and I wanted a salad. However, McyD's is only serving breakfast right now. So Gary and his woman, Dorothy tell us to get back in to the truck and we'll get the fridge and stop some where else. We get back in the truck and drive for another 15 minutes. The truck stops at a warehouse and they tell us we have to go to the showroom, which thankfully is across the street. Its about 9:30, and ths store opens at 10. So now we have to wait. So Gary and Dorothy start looking at all the furniture and talking about which stuff they want in the house. We do this for 30 minutes. The store finally opens and we go inside and pick out a fridge. The woman, Dorothy is paying with a Salvation Army voucher, so my understanding is that she can only pick certain ones. She decided on a black one, which was really nice. Then she decided that she needed to look at stoves. And that she needed to look at couches, and that she needed to look at end tables! Greg and i gave up and just sat on the amazing couches for the rest of the time. I tried out a few beds just because i have missed the feeing of sleeping on something other than a cot. The fridge is paid for and Gary and this store guy load it up on the truck. The store guy says, "how far you goin'?" and Gary says, "not far". Then greg and i jump in back and the store guy says, "if those 2 are riding in the back, you'll need more rope" (thank god for that guy!!!!). We get on the road. Picture a fridge, standing up in the bed of a truck, with 2 young adults, with their backs against the fridge and their feet against the truck, hoping that they have positioned themselves enough that the fridge won't fall over. We're driving about 10 minutes, when we pull over at a McDonald's again. We get our shakes, and i get my salad, and we're very content. We get back in the truck and we're driving for a while, but it looks like we're heading back in to the city. So greg and I assume we're going back to New Orleans.

Did your math teacher ever tell you not to assume things? It makes an ass out of you and me (or in this case, greg and I).

So, yes, we were going back in to the city, yet again, on i-10. But wait, we've now passed the city and we're heading towards... Baton Rouge/Slidell? Greg and I decide here that it's important to ask more questions, always. So we're on this road forever. The wind is starting to push the fridge and we can feel it and now cars are looking at us and laughing. Greg and I in the mean time wave to most cars coming by and try to get all trucks to honk. 2 cops come by and tell us to atleast ride in the middle lane. I also took notice of the surroundings and its very clear that the hurricane damage does not stop in new orleans. Our trip to Slidell was about 45 minutes to an hour and the destruction can be seen along the highway. Still outside the city, commercial areas like malls are closed, apartment complexes have no tenants and still have the words "HELP" written on their roofs. Despite the hilarity of the situation, it was heart breaking to see what we drove through.

I realized about 20 minutes in to our trip to Slidell that this was where i went for the swap tour and we would be coming to a really big bridge. I was right. We were crossing lake ponchatrain when we noticed a very large rain cloud heading in our direction. We barely missed the rain when Greg and I spotted a funnel cloud to our far left. LUCKILY we passed that too. Eventually we get off the high way and end up at a self storage place. Greg and i are excited to put the frige in and then leave. Would it be that easy, of course not!

The storage door opens and it is full to the brim with crap. Ok, not all of it is crap. Some of it is legitimate stuff, but not in an orderly fashion, just thrown together. Gary takes things out and deems some items "chuckable" meaning they can be chucked to the back of the storage spot. Things like wood, machetes and tin are "chuckable". Gary won't take much advice from me, but we eventually get everything arranged and got the fridge in. When we walked back outside, it was pouring. So greg (who's about 6ft) and myself were to squeeze in the cab of the truck, in those little, made for 3 year old seats. It was a tight ride. But it only was a 15 minutes ride, because we arrived at their fema trailer. We got in their spacious trailblazer and headed back to new orleans.

Or so we thought. We ended up at their new house in the 8th Ward. They wanted to show us the house and how it was progressing. It looks a mess, but thats ok. It will eventually get better. FINALLY WE GOT DROPPED OFF AT ST MARY'S (where we are staying).

Greg and I found our crew and gut for the rest of the day (for about 2 hours or so). It was a long adventure. Our lesson learned: ask more questions.

Mike, Alice, Alisha and myself then did some laundry because we smelled like funk. The laundromat was next to a really sweet little cafe/restaurant. I had phenominal stewed chicken and rice and we drank Albita Restoration Ale (if you can get your hands on it, its really good!).

We then went out to Cajuns for Christina and Gregs last day :( Bye Christina and Greg, we'll miss you.

Also thanks for all the packages, they brighten my day!!!