Profound Despair

We are out of harms way at this time and in contact with friends who have escaped the path of this monster. I can't do anything but watch the coverage from WWLtv on the web.
This is the one.
The essential personnel in the city are in our thoughts as they stand by to deal with the damage. We are trying to come to terms with the total devastation that we will see once we can return.
We feel nothing but despair for our beloved city.

http://www.wwltv.com/ for a live feed of local news.

Stephen and Stafford's Huge Project

Stephen and Stafford, our neighbors next door inherited this creole style shotgun house. Stephen grew up learning how to shore up foundations and he is doing this to his house now. There was extensive termite damage.











Shoring is incredibly hard work and to pay a contractor is very expensive. They have to replace sills and piers throughout the entire house. I have been watching the progress over there and thought you should see it because it's not the fun type of esthetic progess that people enjoy but it is essential. It's hard to believe two guys can do this. Stafford spends all of his time under the house, it's tight under there but he says it's not too hot but actually somewhat cooler than the outside temperature. Unfortunately, Stafford had to return to college for the fall semester and Stephen's trying to find a contractor to help him get the job done. I always tease Stafford that he does all the work and Stephen just stands around talking to the neighbors and I said while he was gone Stephen would probably just put a lazyboy in the yard and be hanging out. We miss Stafford back in the ghet-to but I bet he doesn't miss being under the house all day. Stephen probably would like to have demolished most of the house and started from scratch and he teases the preservationists about it but he knows
he's doing the right thing.

Don't Faint.....

I know ! How about that ! ? I can't believe it either.....the guys from Arrow Fence took a long time to get here but they were good. Swweeet ! The ironwork is going to have to be replaced. The cost of repairing is more than buying it new so it come out but we're going to hold onto it.

I was in Colorado when they finished but my spy boy, Derryck called me. He's great that way. It's a team project. There are going to be many people to thank when we're done.

The architect is working on full sets of drawings then we must get approval from the HDLC. I love it that we have a YARD. I think I can plant one Oleander! It needs flowers. Can running water be far behind?

Joe's is Closed

Joe'sCozy Corner is closed. It's taken me a while from the day the announcement was made, to believe it. Joe Glasper owned this bar and our renovation home. In 2004, he went to jail for shooting a man who insisted on selling beer illegally outside the bar. Here's a link to a nice history of Joe's: http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2004/spitzer/1.htm

Joe owned our renovation project, he died in jail right before we went to the act of sale. It was in the middle of Jazz Fest. I went to Joe's jazz funeral, when they came through and they brought his casket in the bar. Then I went out Jazz Fest where I heard performers on stage acknowledging the loss of someone who had been a leader and good neighbor in Treme.

Much later that night, after that funeral, there were shots fired and someone was killed. Of course the neighbors caught flack from the hoodlums, accusing the neighbors of calling the cops. This rationale makes residents kinda crazy. Yep, we're the bad guys. We ain't the ones in the street shooting people. Unfortunately, Joe's had become one of the bad hot spots around the corner and while it used to be an institution, drugs and violence have taken it away. Now they have dismantled the shoe-shine stand out front and things are pretty quiet. It was Kermit Ruffins' favorite place.

Things change.

Check out the news about the incident that landed Joe in jail: http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=1533
This is a link to Nick Spitzer's first hand account. It's good.
http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2004/spitzer/1.htm
Having trouble locating the story about the shooting post-jazz funeral but I will keep trying.
Stay tuned !

The Old/New Clawfoot Tubs

In addition to working with my architect and trying to get the fence krewe out to the property, a friend sent me a notice from the Faubourg Marigny list-serve that these tubs were for sale for $100 each. Today I was very very lucky that I could get the refinishers to meet me at the site to pick them up. Refurbishing runs between $600-$800 per tub depending on their condition and size.