She's a state record holder!!!!

Yes folks, she's a state record holder for being the largest female in the state!!

And she didn't go easily either! She had come up from being buried in the mud (underwater) for the entire winter, was nesting and NOT a happy camper when they caught her! She gave them quite the fight over quite a time but in the end they were able to load her in their boat and take her to safer waters. She was making her nest IN the campground -- thus the reason the last camper in that spot had one VERY nervous dog!

The things we never think about "up" home!

This morning was spent arranging orders for materials to be delivered to homeowners. This means that those homeowners are getting one step closer to having their homes done and ready to move into.

This afternoon will be spent checking on 2 teams of volunteers. One is working in the Coleman house and the other in Robin's house. Both teams are from different relief agencies who look for their work to come through us. This is what helps us get the jobs done. We do what we can to tap into resources and the volunteers bring in their labor so it's a perfect match -- or as close to it as we can get!

Robin's house is being gutted and will then be completely redone, starting with electric and plumbing issues. She had nearly 6 feet of water inside her home.

Coleman's house is getting close to being done. The call came this morning saying they were getting ready for interior doors and that is a great sign as those are some of the last things to go in.

Later this evening we will be doing a home visit with an employee of the local shipyard. We went into the work place to see who still needed help and the responses were amazing! The best part is that when we told them the documentation they would need to gather for us they did so immediately and are now calling ready to go. That's where Monty and I come in. We call and schedule the home visit appointment and at the same time look at the house and see what has been done and what still needs to be done. It takes care of a couple of things with one trip. With the shipyard working all sorts of shifts it means that some of these visits must be done in the evenings. Whatever it takes!!

We stopped by to check on Ms Darlene's neighbor yesterday. He had to demo his house and build a new one. I couldn't believe it until we actually stood underneath it -- he is 18 feet in the air!!! He is in the framing process now and although things are going slowly, they are going forward. We also checked on Ms Darlene and Art is wrapping up some of the things he needed to get done.

We also ran into Dane (our first "high and lifted up" house) and he said his wife is not doing well, a bit worse each day. If you remember, she is quite a bit older than Dane and sufferring from Alzheimer's disease. Please remember them in your prayers. He has been working in the local park getting the restroom facilities built back after the storm. Monty and I were at the park the other evening and it was good to see the kids playing on the new equipment, people walking along the water and some sitting in the swings that were placed facing the water. Seeing some sort of normalcy isn't normal for here. It brings a warmth to our hearts knowing that life is returning, slowly but surely.

Until next time . . . Bitty and Samson (our dogs) are quite glad we are not the campsite directly on the water) Susan and Monty