Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right Project”

Aha!  Bet Brad Pitt caught your attention!

We’ve moved on from New Orleans but I was so impressed with the “Make It Right Project” in the Lower 9th Ward that I wanted to share my photos.  According to the website they have completed about 50 of the planned 150 sustainable green homes.  The whole area was completely devastated by the 2005 hurricane Katrina and still looks very barren but the construction activity throughout adds a lot of life.

Quite an architectural feature-is that a swoop or a. . .?

The roofline of this yellow home appears to soar!  I wonder if the interior ceiling does the same?

Each family picks from thirteen architectural designs and also chose their own color palettes. It makes for a colorful 16 block area!

The homes are designed in a traditional New Orleans shotgun house style – narrow to fit the long skinny lots in the Lower 9th Ward. They also all include porches -- a feature highly valued in the neighborhood that places a premium on sociability and connectedness to the community.

An example of a New Orleans “double shotgun” house-two shotgun houses joined by a wall. A single shotgun house would be half this house.  The difference between a shotgun and what we would call a duplex is that there are no hallways- the rooms are lined up one behind the other.

All of the homes in the Make It Right Project are elevated--raised high enough to be above the Katrina-level flooding.  On previous trips through the gulf area we’ve been impressed by the many raised houses but there seems to be a movement to raise many more. Both here and in Galveston we noted many businesses devoted to elevating homes and businesses.

My thought about this house is that if not on “stilts” it would be a typical modern home.

Blue and yellow - very cheerful!

The Make It Right Project is an income-based program in which no family pays more than 30 percent of their income, including taxes and insurance, towards their housing costs. On average the contribution at closing from a family is typically about $75,000. Sometimes that's made up in the form of grants, but often by external financing sources like banks: traditional loan sources.   That $75,000 cash at closing helps offset the cost of the house, and then usually the difference between the resident's contribution and the sales price, which averages about $150,000, is made up in the form of a forgivable loan. The longer the family lives in the house, the more of the loan is forgiven.

Another interesting curving feature over the door, actually the whole length of the home.  All of the homes have solar panels on the roof.  In an interview on Treehugger.com, Tom Darden, Executive Director of the project, stated that the energy bills for the homes average $35 per month (versus $350 in a traditional comparably-sized home in New Orleans.)

Interesting filigree ironwork and zigzag roofline on this home.

Another colorful home.

New Orleanians like their porches.

Our first impression was that these homes are WAAAY OUT architecturally and we wondered why they weren’t designed with a  more “New Orleans” flavor?  Somewhere I read that an attempt at conforming to traditional architecture would result in a faux and not authentic looking neighborhood.  Makes sense but they are still WAY OUT!

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

Have a lovely lovely day!

Journaling. . .revisited

Among the many many impressive items I noted in the display cases at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans were the journals and diaries.  Just think that it was important enough for them to write about their experiences that they made space for the books, notebooks, or pads in the heavy backpacks or sea bags they carried on their backs!  They often wrote in adverse conditions, maybe sitting in a foxhole, in the jungle, or even in a Higgins boat.

Here, surgeon Major Karlin recorded information about those he cared for.  He recorded the name and rank of the patient, date and time and the procedures he performed.

In 1942 P-40 Fighter pilot Randall Keator wrote in a little spiral notebook. “…  picked up a flight of bombers approaching from the north so all present squadrons took off to try and intercept them.”

In this Jan 28th entry in a pre-dated diary the writer notes “13th Day”, and writes “During the past couple days I have been busy on the flight deck…”

Very fine handwriting in this tabbed journal. Interesting knife handle isn’t it?

April 1944:  “The landing itself was slightly opposed. Our Buffalo and combat boat lead by some over anxious officers & NCO’s…”  I wonder if this beautiful leather-bound journal was a gift from a loved one?  Note the printed motivational quotes on the bottom of each page.  One reads “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Oliver H. Perry and on the opposite page is “A sound mind in a manly body.” Homer

The nurse who kept her journal in this three-ringer binder had access to a typewriter.

PFC James Aloysius kept a diary that eventually filled 12 of these little flip pads. After the war he refused to talk about his service and destroyed 11 of the 12 diaries.  (One of his aunts snuck this one out before he could destroy it.)  His grandson said that the mere mention of the subject was enough to drive him from the house. On this page PFC Aloysius writes “Gosh, it is hard to describe the way it felt. It was a sensation I’ll never forget.”

A member of the British Airborne kept his diary in his New Testament.

I’m guessing that this is just a sampling of little wartime diaries and journals.

Oh my gosh, they are heavenly!

You probably know that one of the things New Orleans is famous for is little deep-fried puffed squares of dough  blanketed with sifted powdered sugar called beignets. 

We’ve been in New Orleans for a week and a half but, since we don’t get going very early, we haven’t gotten around to having beignets. . .until today.  Well, we didn’t get a very early start so didn’t drive down to the “Quarter,” locals speak for the French Quarter, but headed over our local Café DuMonde Coffee Stand.  We each had an order ($2.25 for three) and watched as they took them out of the big fryer, placed them on a saucer and sifted a generous amount of powdered sugar on top.   Oh my, a little puff of steam escaped as I took my first bite of this light warm pillow. . .heavenly!  I don’t drink coffee and Gary is a plain black coffee man so neither of us tried their famous coffee with chicory.

Even though we didn’t have chicory coffee I did buy a blue Café Du Monde mug.  My morning Earl Grey tea will taste quite special in this mug.

I do love New Orleans!

In the median-Metairie, Louisiana

Saw these cute sculptures in the street median on the way to Whole Foods (LOVE Whole Foods and hadn't been to one for a long time!)

I’m thinking this red dog may be a George Rodrigue dog?. . . the dog on the other side blue (and I think the third side is yellow.)

Journaling. . .a helpful habit

As I designed the cover for my 2011 Journal I started thinking about how my Aunt Freda’s daily diaries were an inspiration for me to keep the assorted diaries, journals and other  recollections I’ve kept throughout the years. I just wish I’d had the self-discipline to keep them up as regularly as she did!

My aunts Freda (right) and Genevieve in 1976.

She, the busy mother of thirteen, made time to keep a daily diary her entire life.  In a book for each year she recorded the daily happenings of her life. This “pie crust” entry was written sometime in the early years of her marriage:  “. . . so tough we could only eat the filling.  Finally after about five years I was listening to a radio serial, sponsored by crisco, and they were telling how to make a good crust.  Well, I got a can and made two pies.  John cut through as usual into the pie, with a lot of pressure, and he almost broke the plate.  He always tried to eat the crust so my feelings wouldn’t be hurt.  The crusts were now so flaky and nice; talk about a surprized look from him. I have used crisco ever since.”  This 1943 entry relates how they decided to leave North Dakota and move out west to Washington:  “We were getting letters about war work and high wages out West, so we made plans and left.” 

The family found her journals to be useful when it came to settling disputes: “What year did we all have the measles?” Aunt Freda would check her diary (no one was allowed to read them) and settle the “discussion” once and for all.

When I was growing up I loved to write in my little Five-year diaries.  Each day’s entry had about four closely spaced lines to squeeze in thoughts and activities.  Since, at some point, mine were lost this isn’t my diary but it is very similar.  Does anyone else remember these little diaries with the little lock and key?

For years I didn’t keep a journal per se but documented my life in other ways.  A journal of sorts, I kept a little book of the trips we made in our Itasca motorhome.

I copy and throw snippets of paper with quotes I like in another little book.  This is often the source for the “A Thought” section on this Blog.

One of my other “journals” documents my sewing projects.  The cover is pretty shabby (chic? No, not in the least!) and inside I’ve taped or stapled in samples of fabric, idea notes, patterns, who I made the project for, and other comments.

The left side details how I refurbished Denise’s childhood rocking chair for newborn Stanley.  Making race marshal flags for my friend Dale is described on the opposite page.

This very pretty blue blank book was my journal of choice when I got serious about daily journaling during planning stages of going full time RVing.  I have a terrible memory and thought I’d better document the many places we would go.  I’m glad I did!

We officially began full time RVing on November 2, 1994 and beginning with 1995 I switched to a three-ring binder. The flexibility of a three-ring binder allows me to add pages/pictures of interest and doesn’t limit me to a certain number of pages for the year.  I had a small laptop computer (no internet yet at that time) and my plan was use it to record and print my daily entries for inclusion in the journal.

I did that for awhile but found that my natural rhythm for journaling is writing in bed at night before I go to sleep so that didn’t work for me.  Since then I write every night with one of my fountain pens (each pen is filled with a different color ink: Blue, Tobacco, Nightshade,  Lie de The, Martin, Lierre Sauvage, Chocolat, Turquoise) - colorful!

Beginning in 1997 I decided to use 6”X9” 3-ring view binders which gives me the opportunity to design my own covers.  Sometimes I use clip art but usually chose photos I have taken.  Because I won’t be in California most of the year, my  2011 cover is California poppies and lupine I photographed at Laguna Seca in Monterey.

 

Below is my 2010 journal.  The front cover is a photo I took at Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa, California and the back cover features some words of inspiration I found in a Whole Living magazine.

My journals focus on daily activities rather than personal feelings and thoughts (although they do creep in at times!)  I write pretty much what did I do, where did I go, what happened that day.  Journaling has gotten to be part of my routine which I very rarely skip. 

NOW. . .the challenge is, with so many books of journals and my bad memory, how do I find what I’m looking for, i.e. “when did we eat and listen to Cajun music at Landry’s in New Iberia?”  Answer: I’ve started a timeline spreadsheet! (Is that another sort of journal? I don’t know!)

Galveston Island’s Tree Sculptures. . .a second life

Last week  we stopped at the Galveston Island Visitor Center in the historic Ashton Villa.  It was a spur of the moment stop--we thought we pretty much knew what we wanted to do and see but were happy we made the stop.  Not only did we learn a little more about post-hurricane Galveston, we picked up a brochure about the tree sculptures.

Bit of trivia: see the short iron fence surrounding Ashton Villa?  That fence is 6’ tall!  Following the devastating 1900 hurricane half of it was buried when the owner built the soil up around the mansion.  Consequently the first floor windows are at ground level .

Galveston experienced extreme damage on September 13, 2008 when hurricane Ike slammed onto the coast and the city.  Many of the island’s trees were uprooted by the wind and surge waves but salty sea water was responsible for killing thousands more.   Remaining after the salt water killed many of the huge old oak trees that lined residential streets were the stumps, many of which have taken on a new life in the form of sculptures.

Brochure in hand, with my chauffer Gary doing the driving I jumped in and out of the truck to take photos of as many of the twenty-six sculptures we could find.

This informational sign is posted in the yard beside the impressive “Herons” sculpture.

This is titled “Birds of Galveston.”   I can only imagine how majestic this oak tree must have been!

A creature of the sea:  “Mermaid Holding Clam Shell.”

“Great Dane” is Gary’s favorite.

I only got a back view of the mermaid (in Christmas hat) on “Dolphins and Mermaid.”  Note the cute little Victorian house in the background.  Most of the homes in the area are huge beautifully renovated Victorians.

Ah, isn’t “Squirrel” cute?  Appears that he was carved and then placed on the stump.  Most of the sculptures are carved in place in an existing stump.

These two, “Owl” and “Wildlife Totem Pole” are in the side yard of a home.  I didn’t feel that I should go tromping into the yard to get my photo! (Plus there was an unfriendly-looking barking dog guarding his property!)

I’m guessing that the deck was built around the oak from which “Dolphins” emerges.  It is in the same yard as “Owl” and “Wildlife Totem Pole” (and the barking guard dog!)

“Fire Hydrant” and. . .

looking up at the fire hydrant is “Dalmatian”  Wonder what he’s thinking about?

Frog?  No it’s “Toad!”  A clear example of carving in place on a tree stump.

“Yellow Lab” is SO cute!  The expression on her face is priceless. . .I think she knows what a handful she has in that basket!   (The puppies and basket aren’t carved.)

Interesting bit of trivia about “Tin Man & Toto”

Tin Man appears to have been carved in place while Toto was carved, then moved into position.

Close-up of the adorable “Toto.”

“Monument to Galveston’s trees”

“Large Pelican” I would have titled it “Large Pelican with fish!” Note that this Victorian is still undergoing “Hurricane Ike” repairs.  This is a typical scene throughout Galveston Island.

“Geisha” is in the parkway and. . .

“Sister Angels,” my favorite, is in the yard.  Love the lacy Gingerbread woodworking on the porch in the background.

 

“Pelican Sitting on Piling”

Found one under construction!  I wonder what it will be titled?  Elvis related? Fender guitar? Home on the Range?

All of the above are located in a residential neighborhood of Victorian homes.

“Hand Clutching Diploma” is behind a fence at a neighborhood youth center. The inscription at the base reads “education is power.”