Loading up to leave Naperville

Day 1  It’s about 5:30 am and we are some where between Jackson and Hattiesburg, Ms. We left Naperville at 4:00 pm Tuesday and have driven straight thru. Had quite a bit of rain going thru Mo an Ak and a lot of wind that seems to push the van all over the road.

While driving down I57 near Mattoon, Il I shot a really eerie picture of a cross that seemed to be floating in the air.  We arrived in Gulf Port, Ms around 7 am - all in all about 15 hrs on the road with 4 stops. Checked in to the hotel and plan  on getting some shut eye before the rest of the crew arrives later today.

Later today i will join a dozen or so colleagues from Ryan Hill Realty and head south to Pass Christian, MS to spend a few days helping to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurrican Katrina. I am excited to be going – it has been 10 years since I have had a “work camp” type experience. The community is located right on the Gulf of Mexico, a bit east of New Orleans. Six of us will be driving down in a van loaded with supplies and computers donated by Naperville. This is the second year that Ryan Hill Realty has sent a team as part of Naperville Responds commitment to our sister city.
After finishing up there the plan is to head to New Orleans, a visit to the Quarter, watch a few parades, throw a few beads (?) – ok, never been there, especially during Mardi Gras! I look forward to new experiences, getting to know my new teammates a bit better, and most of all thankful that we can lend a helping hand.

I hope to be posting during the trip as well as uploading a few pictures to my Flickr account. I finally figured out how to use my Blackberry as a tethered modem (Bluetooth works too), so if there is no wi-fi in the area I can still have connectivity. Until later, peace.