Katrina Rebuilding

In my last post I talked about destruction.

But before you count me out, notice a couple of things in that post. Most of the houses were damaged or only slightly repaired.

In a small area of the Ninth Ward, you could see some unusual houses:



These are the handiwork of an organization headed by Brad Pitt called "Make It Right".



One goal is to find a better alternative to the "shotgun shack" which is still common in New Orleans.

Here are some of the houses they are creating:





















It won't be enough to change the world... but it is an effort. They even have a wetlands recreation project. I met some Tulane U. students come to work on it for the day, along with staff from the organization supervising them:



people are walking around with "Brad Pitt for Mayor" T-shirts!

Katrina Commemoration

The fourth anniversary of Katrina was actually at the end of August, but I'm only just getting around to posting these photos.

There were bigger "authorized" commemorations, but this one seemed to be the one advertised on the streets.



The event began in the Lower Ninth Ward. This section of town was the scene of incredibly destructive flooding which came from the industrial canal. The area is poor, and many folks had no car. The North Claiborne Street Bridge crosses the Industrial Canal and is the main access road in and out. Many folks decided to stay in their houses, often with their pets, and to hope ride it out.

The ceremonies began near where the levee breached.



Groups gathered for the march



Then, mostly to a drum beat, we headed across the lower ninth ward.



A group of students from Tulane carried lists of those who died that day:









We marched down a dozen blocks and across the lock bridge to Bywater... toward the Superdome, the French Quarter and Marigny.



A view back toward North Claiborne Street Bridge:


I didn't march the whole way. I had to walk back to my car. On the way, I noticed just how many houses had been wiped away. This once had houses shoulder-to-shoulder:

Charlie Preaching #1

Last Sunday I did my first "real" preaching.

This time it was at Community Church UU in New Orleans.

Immediately afterward I raced across the lake to attend an "Annual Budget Drive" meeting near Covington. That lasted until 4PM, then I drove home via Slidell, made bacon and eggs for dinner (I hadn't really had breakfast) and wrote a bit in my journal.

The snapshot is from my video of the service. I don't have the heart to watch it with sound, though I think it went well. Something about seeing and hearing myself on camera needs a bit more distance from the event. So I skipped around, and found a few places where I looked up instead of down at the podium.

The service included two rituals-- very unusual for Unitarian Universalist services. One is a ritual of combining waters brought from home, or from a trip, or some other life event. Each person gets to say where their water is from, and why the source is important to them.

We had stories of strokes, and trips to Canada and one about "the unpleasantness" as Katrina is often called (very sarcastically). I got to learn quite a bit about the 30 or so people who shared their water. It was very heartwarming.

The second ritual was to use that water to bless the hands of the teachers, recognizing the importance of their job in guiding our children. That ritual was not so smooth, but it went 'OK'-- in my opinion.

I have a committee of seven congregants drawn from the three congregations who will guide and evaluate me. Five of them were at the service. I talked to three of them, and they said generally positive things. I have lots of polishing to do! We will have a meeting in early October to share feedback.

One important note:

The New Orleans Saints were playing in the Superdome... game time 12 Noon! My service went over 10 minutes, to 12:10... Well, they missed the kick-off! (unless they have TIVO!)

Three random pictures of New Orleans...

And one nearby (of the Causeway)

Moving In to my New Orleans Apartment

Here comes the cube!



Here's where the stuff is going, my apartment is the back, one story portion.



The inside of the "Relo-cube" looked pretty much like it did when I packed it in Berkeley, back in June! Thanks to Karen, MarySue and Shams... and John!



This was two weeks ago... a few of the boxes of books are still not unloaded.

Tales of City Park #1

A couple of weekends ago I visited City Park in New Orleans and a few of the attractions there: The
Botanic Garden and the Sculpture Garden.

LETS GO!



The Sculpture garden is actually closed, but you can see in...







The Botanic(al?) Garden is open! It's a bit off-season for flowers, but there were a few...









I will have to come back to both of these... and maybe ride the train in from the streetcar station!

Renovations at First Church Unitarian Universalist of New Orleans

Back in 2007 I visited First Church in New Orleans, and took this photo of the interior:


The hall had been flooded about a foot deep, and all the pews were ruined.
Now it's 2 1/2 years later, and the place is starting to look different...



The changes are not dramatic... but the effect is.
The lighting works again.
The ceiling is now covered.
The place was painted.
And then there is this:


First, notice the wood... that's new wainscoting, made from the flooring of the stage which had to be torn down.

But what about the Labyrinth?


Bit by bit, and using donated tiles, the concrete floor of the sanctuary is turning into a huge labyrinth. It's about half done, with custom cut pieces and two different types of tile. It's going to be fantastic when it's done!

This is one of the three churches I'll be serving.