For the past six weeks in has been our own March Madness at Habitat Tuscaloosa. Each of those weeks had from 80- 100 volunteers working with us on four new homes on Juanita Drive as well as finishing up Jackie Bookers home on 7th street. What a delight it was on this past Monday morning to see only about 16 volunteers (which would be divied up into four houses). I love my job and all, don't get me wrong, but seriously, we needed this well deserved break in the action.   We have completed the last of seven homes in a row on 7th Street East and on Friday of this week had us a four family multi-dedication which was led by our new interim Executive Director, Ellen. Stay tuned for Ellen's last name. The four families were Colvin/Sterlings, Sonya Moore and her kids, Brenda Anthony (aka BA), and last but not least, Jackie Booker.   All of the families have colsed on their homes and are living in them but, since we have been without an ED for a bit, the houses kept getting completed but the dedications got backed up, so we had four all together. Two special guests were in attandance, the representatives from Lowe's ( who graciously sponsored the last 5 homes with a grant of $400,000) and Mary Vandeveld, who is the coordinator of the RV Care-A- Vanners. At the dedication Mary presented a check for $5,200 for updating our 8 RV hook ups at the Y's Acres camp. By this time next week, the electrical service update and the new dump station will be in operation. TheRV Care-a-vanners are a great group of folks who travel around the country in their RV's and help Habitat affiliates. Most of them are quite handy and many have no permanent home other that the RV they pull up in. I told Mary that I bet I will turn into an RV Care-a-vanner one day. For now, I plan to finish my three year stay here in Tuscaloosa, but who knows after that?
     I am now working on a new home on Juanita Drive for Nicki Bankhead . It's moving right along- we've been at it only a few weeks and the outside is nearly complete, the interior has all the trades roughed in and waitning inspections before insulationa and then drywall. I told Nicki that at the end of the month that I will be taking a week off to go work up in Atlantic City on Hurricane Sandy repairs at the Millard Fuller Legacy Build there and she axed me if I would be able to finish her home before I left for that. I'm pretty sure I said, "Let's see" but I think she heard "I can". Stay tuned.
      Got some tragic news this past week concerning the NCCC Americorp.   One of their members was fatally shot in New Orleans. The two team that were serving there have been pulled. Life is precious and fleeting and we never know when it's our time to go.
     Amy Schmidt, from Minnesota, eh, is back for her fourth tour with us. She is friends with the softball coach at the university here, but helps us when she's not watching the games.
      Great spring weather now except for (sniff, sniff) all of the pollen in the air. Itchy eyes and sneezy. That's all for this week- Ciao-   Peter