Fried Catfish and Alligator Tail

Most of our projects are winding down and some of us were assigned small tasks. Some were easier than others as you will soon hear.

Pete, Ed and Johan spent a day rewiring an old house. They removed the old wiring and replaced it with modern wire. Their task was complicated by having to work in the attic a large part of the time. You can imagine how hot it got in an attic under the Mississippi sun.

John spent a day and a half constructing (read digging)  a culvert and grate in a municipal ditch. It was definately not the 8th Wonder of the World. John was heard to remark: "Never in the annals of human endeavour has so much energy been spent accomplishing so little".

Skip's residence was a beehive of activity as team members pushed hard to complete their work there. Kelly installed cabinets in the kitchen, bathroom and ensuite. Janet cleaned the tile of grout while Evelyn was busy doing some touch up painting and applying a wallpaper border. Jessica and Chantelle assisted Henry in the installation of Skip's laminate floor. Adam installed some trim and helped others where needed so he got his hands dirty today.

Sid, Kees and Carl stuck close to home and did a little construction for Project Hope and Compassion (PHC).  A much needed overhang was built, placed and shingled over the concession stand. The concession is used every May during the Annual Lizana Catfish Festival which is a major fundraiser for PHC. In addition to building the overhang we painted it and the area around it. A true test of our workmanship occurred when someone had to get on the newly constructed roof in order to paint some trim. Carl offered to get on the new overhang but it was decided, for some reason, that Kees should go instead. I suspect it had to do more with Kees' painting skills rather than our 100 lb weight difference.

Ian, Ethan, Arlen, Ken and Ryan spread four truckloads of dirt by hand in an amazing feat of endurance on a landscaping project. In spite of their abuse of the equipment they were given (they broke a rake, a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a Bobcat) they manage to complete the task. They were also present during a "last nail" celebration the CRWRC hosts during the completion of a project.

Pretty much everyone was tuckered out by the time they got back to PHC. Much needed showers did a lot to rejuvinate everyone for supper which turned out to be a real treat and the highlight of the day.

As we are in the deep south it would have been a shame if we did not partake in some of the cultural delicacies that come out of this region. Other than the ice cream bar we had for dessert our entire meal was deep fried in the southern tradition. The highlights included deep-fried catfish and deep-fried alligator tail. Also eaten were deep-fried onion rings, deep-fried hush puppies, deep-fried corn balls, deep-fried  okra and deep-fried french fries. Does anyone sense a theme here?

Some of the people we have worked for during our time here joined us at the meal which was enjoyed by everyone including those who don't normally eat fish.

Tomorrow will be a day for tieing up loose ends in the morning and a group "road trip" to New Orleans, which is an hour away,  in the afternoon.

Y'all can e-mail us at team@lhcrcmissions.com

Until tomorrow....