Lending A Hand

Dave and I enjoy volunteering. We've worked with Habitat for Humanity in Minnesota, and Camp Victor Katrina relief in Mississippi. We volunteered at many road races, including Grandma's Marathon, and Ragnar Chicago. Our current gig is in Connecticut, remodeling the kitchen and bathroom of the house I grew up in. Like all the other volunteering we've done, we're giving of our time and experience where it is needed. This time it just happens to be for family.

Working security at Grandma's Marathon

Taking a break from Katrina Relief
Mardi Gras Ocean Springs, MS

We pretty much had to gut the old kitchen in order to rebuild it. Dave replumbed and checked all the electrical connections while I caulked and painted. As I cleaned the walls I couldn't help thinking about the years I spent in this house in the Poquonnock Bridge neighborhood of Groton, Connecticut. As the murky water flowed down into the drain I felt as though I was washing away years of memories; or maybe they were just washing over me.

Old Kitchen

New Kitchen

When we visit Connecticut, we sleep in the room that my parents used when I was a child. I remember exactly how it looked back then. The bed was right where it is now with the dressers lining the wall. They fill the room up, making it feel smaller than it already is. When I was a kid, the room had wall to wall carpet; my mother tells me it felt warmer with rugs on the floors. We removed them to expose the beautiful fir hardwood floors which were painted years ago by my father. Some day I plan to sand them out and refinish them.

The neighborhood has changed a lot since I lived here. Our backyard is overgrown with what I call beach growth. It's thick and thorny and there is a lot of poison ivy which we do not notice until we break out with the itchy rash. Each foot of growth that we clear opens up the yard to what I remember as a child. My father had the biggest and best vegetable garden. There was always more than we could eat and neighbors were delighted to receive a care package from Dad's Garden. We loved to pick warm tomatoes and eat them fresh off the vine, the juice dripping down our chin as we laughed at each other. We often sat on the porch with my mother, shucking peas; one for us, two for the pot. Dad made us gather cow or horse dung to fertilize his plants. It was not a pleasant task. We also gathered seaweed to use as mulch. We hated helping with the weeding and watering back then but I love to garden now. I got that from my Dad.

When we lived in this house in the 80's with our two babies, Dave built a white picket fence, both for aesthetics and for a safe place for our toddlers to play. Since we left, it has stood untouched by a paintbrush, with some pickets broken or missing. We've started the mammoth task of bringing it back to life with a heavy coat of white stain. The difference is startling!

Before

After

Before on the left, After on the right

Each step of the remodel is rewarding. Every step takes a lot of time and hard work. In the end, we almost always feel like we come away from lending a hand with more than we gave. That's the cool thing about doing something for nothing. It feels good!

We wrapped up our projects and are heading out on our next sailing adventure tomorrow. We will be joining our friends, David and Susan aboard their Island Packet, S/V Veritas. Our first leg should take us 56 hours on an offshore run from Beaufort, South Carolina to Beaufort, North Carolina. Our final destination is Hampton, Virginia. When we arrive there, Susan and David will cross their wake, completing their Great Loop adventure. We are blessed to be a part of this incredible accomplishment.

Aboard Veritas the eve of our departure!