Monday Morning

One of the things I really don't like about getting older is the whole "waking up at the same time" thing. I used to be able to sleep-in forever but now, I am up at 7am whether I am in the Eastern time zone, or, like now, in the Central time zone. So I am awake and posting on the blog.

Last night we went to a local seafood restaurant in New Orleans. It was a small place but the food was good.

I find it kind of eerie how there are still so many houses without anyone living in them. In the area we are staying, there are more empty houses than occupied houses. I am guessing that before Katrina this was a fairly upscale neighborhood due to the proximity to Lake Pontchartrain. But now, things are dark and quiet here at night.

Today we actually start the work of gutting. I don't know what to expect. I know that my body was built for comfort, not hard work. Oh well.

I have been slowly outing myself to some of the people on the trip. The general question that brings up the topic is how I came from being a Lutheran pastor to being an Episcopal priest and why I am not in a church. When asked, I will joke about "wanting the Reader's Digest" version or the "Mini-series." Mostly, though, they just get the "Reader's Digest" version.

At the risk of jinxing myself: This trip is going so much better than my last church related excursion! I was kind of scared to go this time because of what happened in San Antonio. I guess we just have to get back on the bus when we get kicked off.