Dispatch # 4 from our intrepid blog reporter in New Orleans, Jayawalker residential manager Buckley Bailey-Gates.

Today started off with a rainbow (see photo above), which should have given us a hopeful vibe, but instead…

Our stalwart crew struggled through a mid-week slump in enthusiasm. Though these happen often during our service trips, we always pull out of them. How do you pull out of such slumps? Barbecue! Is the facility equipped for grilling? Nope. Dan and Art were given a suite, a measure of gratitude offered by Super 8 staff, which has a deck with ample space for grilling (see photo below). The rest was good old fashion Jaywalker enthusiasm and ingenuity.

On the menu: Snapper, Tilapia, Ribeye, Chicken Legs, Crawdad & Alligator Sausage… and of course, tons of Potato Salad. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves in no time. Again, I’m so proud of these guys, who chose to join us for this trip to help some people who are really in need, and continue to rebound into positive thinking.

N’Orleans BBQ – Crawdad and Alligator Sausage et al

On that note, our site supervisor, Kathryn, a 23 year old college student earning $1000 dollars a month, baked cookies for Ernie to celebrate his 90 day recovery milestone.

We’re over the hump now. Only 2 more days of labor, and it’s off to the French Quarter for a day to take in the culture before returning to JWL.