Tourist day in Mississippi

After leaving Baton Rouge, we headed north and stopped just north of Jackson, Mississippi and visited this "tourist trap" recommended by a friend.  It was very interesting and enjoyable for both of us and for our puppy.

The museum entrance provides a sample of what we will see on the trail.

The rocks (trees) on the ground in front are petrified and unearthed by natural erosion.

In some pictures, they just look like rocks but in person they are clearly petrified wood.

This one is more obvious although some chemical reactions from exposure to the air and elements are turning the stone into dirt.

Given the height of the mound behind  Stel, erosion has been quite extensive in order to expose these fossils.

The forest, both petrified and alive, is truly beautiful.

This huge tree was rotted inside before it was burried and subsequently petrified.

What a beautiful walk for all 3 of us.

Week of April 1 Baton Rouge Disaster Project

Final Week for Stel & Jodi in Baton Rouge

We lost 2 couples but gained 3 more so we have a full team.  Front row from the left are Butch, Cheri, Jodi, Stel, Jo, and back row from the left are Jayne, Bruce, Suzanne, Susan, Joe, and Mark.

On Monday, Suzanne sets up her new tool, a battery operated table saw at the house on Baker Dr. while "Newbie" Bruce looks on.

Inside, Jo, Susan and Suzanne discuss the project to repair these simulated ceiling beams with lights in them.

They are using vinyl floor tile to match the existing boxes and replace missing pieces.

 

Finished ceiling boxes.  You would never know they were damaged.

Bruce repairs an outlet/junction box and attaches a cover we just received for it.

Mark clears the kitchen area to accomodate the new cabinets

Susan cleans the back bedroom floor and ceiling fan so the room is ready when the floor tile arrives.

Jo adds caulk to the door frame that was recently installed.

The kitchen cabinets just arrived so Bruce and Mark unload them.

With the design sketches in hand, Bruce, Stel and Mark discuss how best to incorporate the existing plumbing below and above.

Bruce breaks in Suzanne's new saw by ripping a board to use to install upper wall cabinets

and Bruce installs that board while Mark reroutes the upper plumbing so we don't have to cut the top cabinet open.

Works.

We got some new light fixtures so Mark installs them before we add the Base cabinets.

That half wall was not installed "squarely" so Bruce and Mark discuss how to adjust the cabinets.

Meanwhile, while they were working on the base cabinets, the floor tile was delivered, so we start installing it on the opposite end of the house.

Stel is helping Jo get the floor installation started

and Jo is learning how to cut door jams to accomodate the tile.

Before we can go further in the bedroom, we have to move down the hall partway.

Then Jo takes over in the bedroom while Stel teaches Susan and Suzanne how the installation is done.

The bedroom floor is finished, so Mark and Bruce begins installing the baseboards and Suzanne is there to teach them how to "cope" the corners.  A new method for them.

Mark finishes the baseboard while 

Bruce caulks the finished baseboard.

The finished room looks beautiful.

Susan and Suzanne are fast leaners and they move quickly across the living room while Jo enters the second bedroom.

We had to patch a ridge in the subfloor in bedroom 2 so while it dries, Jo moves out to the living room to help with the floor there.

Meanwhile, we had to move that wall to square up the cabinets, put on new drywall and mud and now Stel paints it so no one will ever know it was crooked or moved.

By the end of the week, the cabinets were completely installed and they move into the kitchen with the floor.

The rest of the team spent the week elsewhere.  Cheri inspects temporary steps for this new mobile home which she and Jayne and Joe and Butch had moved from the front so they could build a new deck and steps in the front.

Joe and Butch are cutting stringers for the steps,

Jayne using her driver to build deck,

and Cheri is getting direction from Butch to install treads on the steps.

The progress on the new steps at the end of day 1.

Next day they were able to finish the steps and

held a Bible presentation ceremony with the owner while Joe does the photography.

Next day was a total wash out due to heavy thunderstorms so the 4 had their work plans changed to work at the church indoors.  They are tasked with dismantling more of those bunk beds from last week.  Butch and

Cheri 

and Joe and Jayne dismantle the frames and

all 4 stack all the parts.

At the end of the week, we all went out for a farewell dinner but returned to the church for a surprise birthday celebration for Cheri with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen which 

was a sweet ending to a very productive week.

This is the end of the project for Jodi and Stel.  We are planning on taking a few weeks traveling, resting and finishing our taxes so it's so long for a while.