Pictures from the Crazy

Here's some photos from an average day in the gulf right now. I hope this helps you imagine the context that I find myself in, and that so many people are living in right now.

Having lunch in front of a highway bridge that was broken into a dozen sections when Katrina came through. Elsewhere in the country, someone is having lunch thinking things are "getting back to normal" down here... Or even more likely, not thinking about the gulf at all.

My new work clothes. Includes: steel toe boots, tyvek suit, gloves, respirator with mold filters (must be changed every two days), and some kindof eye protection.

A gutting BEFORE picture. The dining room of the first house we gutted. And so that you can see what it is I'm doing all day:

A gutting AFTER. The same room post-gutting, but pre-finishing and de-molding.

Another surreal moment in disaster relief. ( This comes up alot. ) This is a picture from the day that HANDS ON participated in the Biloxi Mardi Gras celebrations. We had a "float" (a pick-up truck) and we all made costumes from Tyvek suits, and threw beads.

Maybe not as "practical" as gutting a house, but happy days are few and far between for most people down here. I think to keep having the annual parades and the like, makes things feel a little more normal for people, and less like they're living in a disaster zone.