For a group of "old guys", the ten men in our Road Scholar group got a lot done this week. My husband Art came back to the motel room each night "beat", but a shower and a short nap brightened him up. This is the most exercise he's gotten since he retired last May. He told me yesterday that he would be interested in doing other Habitat builds. So we'll be looking to volunteer in our home area. And who knows? A visit to Mongolia is on Art's bucket list, and I found out yesterday there's a Habitat build there in June of this year. Probably not enough time to save up for it, but it sure is an interesting possibility.
Lauren led the women today at the second site, and Joe led the men on the house. Both of them full of energy and patience - a credit to the Habitat organization in Lafayette.
Our Road Scholar Habitat builders.
Our little group of builders, "Sisterhood of the Bent Nails".
This has been a week! I'm grateful for a healthy body in reasonable physical condition - for our stamina, our motivation, our persistence in the warm Louisiana sunshine, our recognition of each other's strengths and limitations. By today we were working as a team: hammering, nailing, sawing, loading and unloading the pickup with plywood and lumber and tools.
I had a couple of thoughts. I'd love to find a Habitat build in a new place and invite our grown children to join us in a family built. But I think, even more fun, would be to do a build with my blogging community. Maybe someplace in the central US?
I'll be doing this again, for sure. Check one more item off my bucket list.
Dinner tonight at another dance hall. I ordered grilled catfish, which came with cole slaw, jumbalaya, and bread pudding for dessert. Art and I tried dancing the Cajun two step with a tiny bit of success. The band tonight was an accordian, a guitar, drums and a fiddle.
Tomorrow morning we load up the car, go with the group on a swamp tour and then lunch. We'll leave directly after that for our 200-mile drive to the airport in Houston. We'll be home tomorrow night.
13 comments:
This is just too cool. I love your attitude of adventure and service.
Great pictures!
What an amazing experience you've had, and I give you the credit for making the most out of this act of generosity.
"Sisterhood of the Bent Nails"? That's a totally wonderful name for a book! Are you planning on writing it? Thanks again for these pictures and stories, Linda!
I think your adventures would make a wonderful book! And I second the vote for the title "Sisterhood of the Bent Nails." Thanks so much for sharing your amazing experience with us!
Sign me up for the blogging build, but give me some time to get in shape!
Linda,
I so admire your desire to help the world and actualy DO IT!!! It would be great fun to invite people in the blogging community to work together for such a positive common goal!
You have me interested and I am contacting my local chapters due to pets and garden needs.
Have you thought of doing one of those neat foreign county trips? Of course they require a long sign up period.
Djan is right, what a cool name for a book.
Proud of you all!
This has been an interesting experience to read about and I commend you for your work on such a project.
If you do a blogger build, let me know. I'll be in charge of the comments.
A blogger build? Hmmmm. Ditto DJan re: the book. Although, imagine bloggers building and writing together!
What an amazing adventure this has been. Who knew being of service could be so much fun? I love that you've found you're in good enough shape for it and that you're looking for other builds to do. You're a great inspiration.
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