May 10. 2007: 11:00 PM

Today we were working on the yard of our houses. We cleaned up the builders' trash and regraded the yard so it was nice and even. Some people made stakes and placed them to mark where the fence will go later on. I also participated in putting together a patio for the future homeowners. I learned that I am an excellent stone setter. I can actually eye a level surface. I rock.

Also, I used a jackhammer. I really rock.

We saw a wall raising, wherein they raise the fourth wall of a home. It's a big old ceremony and the builders sign the walls and the company that donated money for the home has someone make a speech.

After we were done for the day, we toured the lower 9th ward. The upper 9th, where we are building, is one of the most devastated, only beaten in devastation by the lower 9th. The lower 9th is so devastated that no organizations will touch rebuilding, and many parts do not have electricity or plumbing, nearly two years later.

Having gone through that area, I now really wish I had a camera that hooked up to this computer. It was just breathtaking, the amount of damage that still exists. Houses had collapsed on their stilts and were leaning at 45 degree angles. There was a home that had the middle of it just washed away. Someone had picked up the steeple from a church that had been destroyed and placed it next to the remains. The worst was a neighborhood a street away from where the levee broke. There were foundations with concrete steps and porches with no homes. About a block away were a series of collapsed houses that had originally belonged to the isolated steps.

We spoke to a homeowner who was out trying to clear his house and yard. He told us that where he lives, the flood waters came up to the transformers on the tops of the telephone poles. He talked about the monstrous obstacles that people from the lower ninth ward must overcome to even be allowed to reclaim their homes. The government won't give them money to rebuild there because it was afraid that they would misuse it. You have to get permission from the city to reenter your home and be able to start cleanup. If your home looks abandoned, they may demolish it on you. This guy said, "We keep the flower beds up because we trying to let people know we coming home."

We went and saw the levee that broke and flooded the area. Someone had spray-painted in Spanish, "New Orleans has taught me patience and passion." Then we accidentally stumbled on the only organization that was rebuilding the lower ninth. They aren't sanctioned or sponsored by anyone because everyone thinks they shouldn't and couldn't rebuild the area.

Thomas, my professor, commented, "They say they can't rebuild the lower ninth ward, but they can send a space ship to Mars?"

The organization was Common Ground, and we happened to come upon the founder. He gave us a tour. He was currently working on the home of a 99 year old woman who lived a block away from the levee. That very site was where the barge landed. For those who don't know, a barge banged into the levee above the lower ninth and caused it to breach. There are conspiracy theories that the barge was let go on purpose so that the poor area would flood and would save the rest of the city. While I don't have reason to believe this theory, I understand where it comes from. In the 1940's, a hurricane came and threatened to flood the rich section of the city. They got together and spent days wiring the levee that was protecting the poor section so that they then blew it up and saved themselves at the expense of the lower class. So there is history in this rumor.

Malik was the name of the founder. They had planted sunflowers because they draw lead out of the ground. They installed a solar panel to create some electricity. They had a solar-heated pool of water for a hot shower. (It was run through garden hoses.) They had a composting outhouse, wherein you go into a metal trash can and then cover it with a scoop of soil. (The metal trash can is built into a bench with a regular toilet seat, and the outhouse had solar-powered lights so you could go during the dark. They had a series of metal drum barrels that processed water and made it fit for drinking. They had (obviously) a compost pile. They brewed what they called Toxic Tea. I don't know what exactly was in it, but it was all-natural and they then dispersed it into the soil so that it would destroy the toxins leftover from the flood.

I'm just not managing to do this group justice. Basically, they were figuring out for themselves how to live in a city where they had no access to electricity, phone, or even plumbing. Where there is probably still toxic matter in the soil and in the groundwater. They need help. Go to Common Ground to learn more.

I cannot wait to post my photos after I get home.
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And on to another subject . . .

We got home for the day, took showers, ate superb jambalaya, and then took the free ferry across the Mississippi. Best money I never spent. There was a nice cool breeze, we could see Jackson Square from across the river, it was just perfect. Then we walked down to a bar in the French Quarter called the Pirate something or other. I can't remember and can't ask Thomas because he's talking to one of the Church People. Anyway, it was cool. I had Absinte, which is actually a watered-down version of Absinthe, which is illegal. It tasted like licorice. We made it back before 10 PM so no car sleeping tonight. Woohoo!

The end.