NOLA Week, Part 2: Finding Beauty

Five days down in the South, and there's been so much to take in.
I've been listening to stories, working with locals. and listening to local news radio. And like I just told someone back on the West Coast, the sh*t is bananas.

I'm here with a fantastic nonprofit called Relief Spark that has been here since November 2005. Sydney Ray and this grassroots organziation work with many of the other non-profits; providing donations, supplies, and volunteers. And in fact, its been a very effective way to see many different aspects of the Katrina fallout; as opposed to working with just Habitat or just Hands On New Orleans. Do not misconstrue as they are wonderful organizations... just different.

First up, we took a tour of the lower 9th Ward. Things are still eerily quiet....

And guess what? Sydney Ray also has a Westie(Chica)! ... She joined us for the tour too.
You can see here 1 dog was found on 9-29 by the SPCA... Although I was told by some people that the LASPCA really only picked up dogs that didn't seem too sickly and aggressive.. And let others to go it on their own. I couldn't believe my ears...!

It was heartening to see some rebuilding in action.
You can see where the floodline rose up to on the house below. This building was lucky...

And then we happened upon the Brad Pitt house! ... Well, thats what people are calling it. It's really the Holy Cross Project.The framing wood is entirely Forest Stewardship Council certified, and is 'blue' because of the use of a proprietary 'Bluwood' nontoxic borate treatment that protects against mold, fungus and reduces the need to use toxic pesticides to frequently spray homes for termites.
I will leave you with some beauty found in the Holy Cross District. The Doullut Steamboat House was built in 1887 by a riverboat pilot. In 1912 Milton Doullut's son built its twin across the street. On a beautiful sunny day, they were a sight to behold. I have not been able to get a story on how they were able to survive however. I think its just a testament to a house built with care and technique, as opposed to most of the Shotgun Houses that populate the area.