almost upon us

If all goes well, the volunteers that arrive this Saturday to work on the 'Beat the Heat Week' blitz will have everything ready for them to build ten houses in Baton Rouge and four houses in Plaquemine. There has been a lot of activity running up to this event: clearing lots, building forms, pouring slabs, ordering materials, assembling prebuild, operating heavy machinery - and all of it under a warm Louisiana sun.

We've had plenty of help the last several weeks, and this past week we've been joined by five teams of AmeriCorps NCCC.

Let's just call this period a little frantic.

The Baton Rouge development is named Hidden Cove, and eight of the houses are spoken for. Several of the new home-owners are displaced New Orleans residents that have been residing in one of the FEMA parks here in Baton Rouge.

Anyway, we've one day left before we can either pat ourselves on the backs, or get busy blaming one another. After June 3, and if all goes well, we'll have build twenty houses this year.

Oh, and you should see my tan.