We have six homes under construction as I write this. Last week, I was the "block leader", for three of them, one of which I also got to play house leader. These three new homes are part of the quadraplex that we are building. It is actually four separate lots but they are all adjacent to each other. Two and two. Like a four-square pattern. The first home, Keith and Amie's is completed and they are living in the home. Three weeks ago, the home that I'm house leader on didn't have the foundation poured yet. Laird came to help us and was house leader for March on the home just next to K & A's on 4th street. Dewayne was leading the third house, which was a coupla weeks ahead of mine. I don't know why exactly, but for some reason, I felt like I could catch up with the house next door. Brandon kept reminding us at our meetings that this is not a competition. So, on Saturday, I'm out putzing (sp?) around at Y's Acres working on the Lion's Den (my future abode) and who should I meet but Dave, Mark and Kevin from Duluth, Minnesota who have come to help us, and more specifically, me, since on the schedule, which I have no control over, it said that Salem Lutheran was working with me on Mya's home. These three men are married to three sisters and have been coming on missions to work with us six times in the past six years, in Biloxi after Katrina and Pass Christian, Bridge City Texas (after Ike) and Port Sulphur, La. Great Boomerangers and I was so happy to see them all. Dave's parents, Ralph and Myrna came as well and there was another father and son, Loren and Adam who came along as well as four newbies to the group, Carol, Sandy, Bill and Rick. Kevin is a house-building machine. He sheathed the whole 30' x 50' hip roof by himself ( a bunch of the gang was cutting and feeding pieces up to him). We finished the siding on three side of the house, only the dinky front side remains. We also got the black paper and 2x4 purlins installed so that the house is protected from the weather. Birthday girl Judy headed up the painting crew and painted all of the siding for the whole house before it was installed. Kevin and Loren also ran all the the fascia and we installed one long side of the soffit, which the painting crew had painted also. It was a great week. It is such a joy of reunion to see like minded friends coming back to help out. I shared a nice birthday dinner at local restaurant Epiphany with the whole group on our last night which was also Judy's birthday. Nice planning. Annie and A.M., two friends down from Virginny for the week came along also. They worked on Mya's home all week as well. Also Paul Kemp (my newest roommate) from Maryland worked on the home. They worked together on the safe room. Tedious but necessary job and done well.
       There was another group of boomerangers here this past week also . Mike Bultmeyer brought a group of 15 from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since they were working at another site, I didn't get to spend as much time as I would have like with them.. They were staying at Y's Acres with the group from Minnesota. Mike's been working with us for years also and I consider him a good friend as well. He also volunteers a lot with the Red Cross and had come to Tuscaloosa shortly after last years April 27th tornado to help clear out trees.   
     This morning said our farewells to Laird who went back to Texas after working with us a month. While he was here, he ran the house next to Amie's and got the whole outside completed and the inside ready for the trades and took all the scaffold down. Great job, Laird. Hope to see you back here again someday.
     I was out working at the Lion's den again today on my day off. Therapy, you know. I really love it out there, though, in God's creation. So peaceful. Thats all for this week- Happy Easter to all-   Peter