Tales from the trailer

Sure, we're all busy working down here. But one of the best parts each day is when the nine of us gather in our trailer and tell stories -- stories of the day or stories of our lives.

John H, John VanO and Jim spent the first three days working at the site of a new house under construction in Gulport, about 10 miles away from Biloxi. This has been ... er ... a challenge. It's a huge, complex house, being built for three related families. This is not a typical project for Back Bay, but it is one the mission took on. It is a project, however, beyond the scope of volunteer labot. So it has not gone well, or, as John Hilliard said, "That place is nothing but trouble." The rafters are not going up well, the doors and windows don't fit, the list goes on and on. So today, at one point, our intrepid trio went to Home Depot to buy a tape measure. Once they got back to the work site, they realized that none of them had picked it up off the counter at the store. Back they went. And so it goes.

Last night, Mary had us all in stitches as she read selections from the Wisconsin Outdoor News that John Van O brought along. As she read through "Cuffs and Collars" about DNR arrests and citations of hunters and fishers, she combined naivete about hunting with deadpan delivery. Why would someone be arrested for hunting bear with seven dogs, she asked, in a tone that suggested maybe even one dog would be too many. (John Van O explained that hunting rules say you can only use six dogs.) By the time the evening was over, we figured if we had taped the conversation, we could have given "Guys on Ice" a run for its money.

Denise has managed to set up a running battle with John Rodgers, the leader of the St. Charles, Ill. group. John doesn't think much of Spook, our adopted black cat outside the trailer. So he needles Denise, who in turn needles him. We think ... think ... they will both survive the week.

Dave, Howard and I have been working on the inside of a house of a man who violated historic preservation rules by painting the exterior of his home blue and white because he is a Dallas Cowboys football fan. We've been fantasizing about repainting it green and gold just before we leave on Friday (and just before Dallas plays Green Bay at the end of this month).

This a group that loves a good story ... and the stories never stop. What a great bunch to be with.
Phil