Leaving Buras, LA

We said goodbye to Emergency Communities today, to begin the journey back north. We finally have some pictures of our time there. Here is a picture of the (former) YMCA where we were staying and working.

This is the dining area. Open-air style. A few days ago I met a woman who used to work on this property, and it was the first time since the storm that she'd had the courage to come inside. We walked around the building, which no longer has any interior walls, and she pointed out where things used to be.

Many of the volunteers, including M and I, camped out in the building that used to be a school, behind the YMCA. The tents are set up on a stage, to the left is a basketball court, that some of the volunteers cleared and began using.

On the way out of town, we passed what used to be the school. There are not enough children back in the area to warrent reopening all the schools, so most of the kids are bused to the town of Port Sulpher. This is one of the few buildings that is actually standing and seems to have most of its walls and roof, but there is still a significant amount of damage. For now, the school board warns everyone to "keep out."

We met some truly amazing people while we were there; people who have been volunteering there for months upon months, residents from the area who come in and work at the community center; people from the area who stop in to offer whatever they have, even as they themselves are rebuilding.

Still in Buras, LA

We are still down here in Buras, LA...living in the open-air remains of the YMCA, cooking and cleaning at this community center. Emergency Communities is a group formed to address the longer-term needs of a community hit by a natural disaster. If you've ever been through one, I'm sure you know that the Red Cross is long gone, in fact, I'm not even sure if they ever made it down this far at all.

What they have set up here is a distribution center; a soup kitchen that serves three hot, home-cooked meals a day; free laundry; and free internet access, among other things, but the main idea is that this is a community center that belongs to the community of Buras and the surounding towns. The doors are never locked. Well, actually, there are no doors. Or walls. Anyone can hang out here at any time. Music is always on, or people are playing instruments. There are also a lot of long-term volunteers here - people that stay months and months.

Yesterday a woman I met at a community fair on Saturday came in to drop off some supplies. When she found out that I would be leaving this week, we started talking about the unmet needs of the community and what I could send down here, after I got home. As she was leaving, she called over her shoulder, "Tell everyone...we still have two to five years to go."

Buras, LA

Here's where we are:
Buras, LA

Houston, TX

We are currently in Houston, TX, visiting my Uncle Joe, Aunt Donna and Cousin Heather. Joe cooked a tofu feast for us last night and we watched a tv show called House. We also took a walk with them and their three dogs. I love visiting them because they have a very predictable routine (I think every time I've been here in the past five years, we've done the same thing - sans tofu), but it is not boring in the least. In fact, I would be a little disappointed if I came to visit and it was all different. Next time, however, we are going to check out their favorite Thai restaurant.

Heather is in her final year of law school and M was happy to have a chance to talk to her about her experiences. We wish we had more time to spend here, but we are off to Louisiana to do some volunteer work, the details of which are a bit vague right now. We are not entirely sure if we will have internet access or cell phone reception, so don't panic if you don't hear from us. Our first destination is Buras, LA, and then we might be heading north to St. Bernard Parish. My guess is the work will be messy, but we have our tetanus shots updated, so for the moms out there, don't worry. We still plan to be back in Pittsburgh by early October.

College Station, TX

Here We Go...

We got a call from my cousin Eric, who goes to school at Texas A & M, has HDTV, and stadium seating in his living room. We decided to stop by for the Steelers Monday night football. Sadly, we were defeated in a hard-hitting game, but we still had a blast with Eric.

Austin, TX

Well, we are still here in Austin, TX. The temperatures are quite warm, but luckily, Barton Springs is right across the street from the entrance of the music festival. Unluckily, I got so hot yesterday that I ran straight into the Spring with my clothes on. And my cell phone in my pocket.

We planned to turn our phones off in a couple of weeks anyway, so I'm not going to have it fixed. Call me on M's phone if you need to.

Direct from the Fest

Yes, technology is possible. We have entered the gates and are about to watch Ted Leo. Not before stopping by the air-conditioned tent of a Fortune 500 company to use their free internet.

Austin, TX

We've arrived a couple of days early to prepare for ACL. Mike and Kurt and Rocco are here...guaranteed good time.

Fredericksburg, TX

We stayed at the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park campground, which was remarkably calm, considering it was next to an airstrip. Well, it was a very small airstrip. I flew my Reddy Sleddy pocket kite for a little while before we broke down our camp.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

I don't like caves. I don't like being underground, the dark, the smell of bat guano, or the sound of dripping water. I would much rather be on top of rocks than underneath them.

M loves caves. He loves stalagmites and stalactites and other formations. He likes the dark, learning about geology, and little critters that live underground.

I think one of the reasons our marriage works is that I will go into a cave because I know he wants to see it, and M will hold my hand so that I will be less scared.

That being said, Carlsbad Caverns was pretty cool. The cave tour is self-guided. We walked down through the natural entrance (which is where all the bats come flying out of at dusk), and continued down a steep and slippery path - the equivalent of 80 stories, past all kinds of formations. It's not a very far walk, but it takes a long time and is not for those with weak knees.

Carlsbad Caverns was one of the earlier established national parks and, consequently, was developed during a time when people had a different understanding of conservation of resources. There is an elevator to the "Big Room" - which is basically the bottom of that 80 story trail, as well as restrooms and a cafeteria. That type of development would not occur today, quite the opposite in fact. Instead of a focus on public access, the approach is security and access for researchers only. When we asked a ranger about the nearby, recently discovered Lechuguilla cave system, she said, "I could tell you where it is, but then I'd have to kill you." Actually, it's not that secret...the cave location has been known for a long time, but nobody knew how big it was until a few years ago.