Bourbon Street on Friday Night

Wow, what an interesting place Bourbon Street is. I've never been here and associated it mostly with Mardi Gras and Jazz music. I wasnt' too far off, but there was a whole lot more going on. I guess the crowds weren't what they were pre-hurricane but it was still pretty busy. Jazz Fest was going on so there were alot of tourists in the area. The police presence was large, mounted, walking, patroling. When we first arrived we walked a bit then went into Cafe Beignet, which was a quint courtyard with tables, a bar, 3 piece jazz combo, and the coffee shop where I indulged in beignets and chicory coffee.

My favorite part was the music. Steamboat Willie and his New Orleans Jazz Band were fantastic.

This guy could sing just like Louis Armstrong. and play that trumpet....ohhhh,I could have sat there all night. I was the ultimate tourist that night, buying beignet mix, coffee, and jazz cd's. He was giving away one cd that had only one song on it, "Bring Me Back", but if you took one your were asked to go to their website and make a donation to the New Orleans International Jazz Club. Check out their site here. The song is awesome, about bringing back the musicians to New Orleans. They are fundraising to build an immediate home for displaced musicians. Musician's Village is being constructed in the Upper 9th Ward by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, but it will be some time before that is finished. I was able to drive by that new structure on Saturday, and it was basically just the poured footer and wire that is used for the foundation. Anyway, check out that site and check out Steamboat Willie at www.steamboatwilliejazz.com

Ok, here I am. As I was telling the story to Sam she looked at me and said, "you did not get up on stage did you?" Welll, yeah I did! It seems to happen to me, ya know. I was just sitting there with my friends, we sort of had a front row table. I loved the music and was the first one to put a tip in the bucket. This led to the banjo player asking me where i was from, why we where there, etc. Out comes some apparatus and he calls me up to the stage. I should have known better. Being there with a group of photographers...the next thing I know, it looks like the paparazzi kneeling in front of me with cameras pointed at me. Now I don't know what else will show up out here, Dave was proud to tell me he shot video. That could be real scary....and expensive. LOL. So as long as i didn't have to blow into an instrument or sing, I would be fine. The apparatus was a steamboat horn. I had to stand on it like a bicycle pump and plunge up and down twice, all whilst keeping time to the music. All I can say is that I'll keep my day job. :-)

During their break, Steamboat Willie came over to talk to us. He was telling stories about Louis Armstrong and how he came to get the nickname "SatchMo". It was very interesting stuff but I have to admit, the man scared me a bit. N.O. was a rough town back in those days. After reading Steamboat's bio on his website, I found out that he is a music historian. It's his mission to bring it all back to New Orleans.

After this we walked a bit more through the French Quarter and stopped for dinner and a neat little restaurant that was a renovated old home. I had Jambalaya, while my friends were more daring and dined on crawfish and gumbo. It was a nice way to wind down from such a busy week. I hope you all enjoyed my blog. I will return later with some images of the storm damage that I was able to see with the help of a wonderful lady named Claire Orth. Claire has lost all of her belongings and her home is a moldy mess. She currently is living in a FEMA trailer in her backyard. She was so gracious to drive with us all day on Saturday and show us where the levys broke and the damage in so many of the neighborhoods. Stay tuned. Much love.

Friday: OPR Wrap Up

Operation Photo Rescue saw 365 families this week and took in approximately 1500 photographs. Some were easy to restore, some difficult, and some not able to restore at all. It was very hard for all of us to say no to people. So if there was a semblance of an image on the paper that the person would recognize, we copied it. It will be printed and sent to them. It may not be perfect, but at least they will have a dry copy free of mold, mud, swamp grass and bugs. Yes, all of those things were on photos that came in this week. We told everyone to keep their pictures in a sealed bag until the new ones arrived. It was a very busy week, with lots of tears, hugs, smiles and rewards just the same. It was a week I will never forget. I made some new friends, ones that I am sure will remain a part of my life for many years to come. It was pretty amazing how 7 strangers on Monday could be so close by Friday. So after the last person left, we broke down all the equipment, tallied the numbers for the day and said our goodbyes to Jim Davis, the Program Coordinator at the library. Jim was great! He worked with Dave and Becky to get us at his library, he watched us everyday, and arranged lunch several days. Jim, Thank You! and hang in there, you will remain in my prayers.

I think we all cried when we pulled away from the library. We know we made a difference, we know we made people smile, we know we helped just by listening to their story, but we only scratched the surface. For more information about how you can get involved in Operation Photo Rescue please visit their site at www.operationphotorescue.com or my site at www.lisasibley.com or call me. If photo restoration and the like is not what you do, then offer your own special talent. No matter what skills you have, there is a need for help in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Friday

Friday was sooooooo busy. People were filing in one after another all day. We barely were able to sit down to eat.
No one would be able to leave for food. I considered ordering a pizza then some VERY nice people said, "We want to buy you all lunch." Again, the generosity in the face of their tragedy just astounds me. Joan Boeneke, Irene Babin and I think it was Irene's husband, who brought us lunch. Forgive me as I tried to keep names straight but I got alittle mixed up. Thanks to all of you. So these terrific folks went over to the bingo hall where we had some great food the day before and they brought back lunch. They even brought extra catfish that they said we just had to have. :-) Now coming from Florida, my experience with catfish wasn't so good so I was skeptical about eating it, but I did, and it was great!


We were so busy that even the folks waiting for us to work on their pictures jumped in to help.

This is Addison Carey. He was watching me struggle to get rusty nails out of a frame so he came over and offered to help. He just seemed to be able to pop them right out. Thanks Addison!





Lorraine Creavy fills out her information while waiting. You can see that this hurricane/flood touched everyone, young, old, rich, poor, black, white and all colors in between. It did not discriminate.

Backtrack to Thursday

This was one of the more emotional days for all of us. Which is probably why it took me a few days to revisit it.

This is the little lady that reminded me of my grandmother. She brought us her wedding album, covered in mold, the images literally washed away. It appears obvious that there is nothing we can do to restore those images for her, yet she holds onto a tiny thread of hope that perhaps a miracle would happen and we could help her. Unfortunately, we could not. It was heartbreaking to look into her wet eyes and tell her I was so sorry but there was not anything we could do.

This image was of a WWI Marine. Roger Foret brought in this photo of his uncle, whom he was named after. He described it as a jigsaw puzzle and did not think we could fix it. He was thrilled when I placed in on the copy stand and started piecing it back together. I ended up taking it out of the frame, putting all the pieces together and putting a piece of glass over it to hold it down and in place. I was missing one small chunk that can be filled in. Other than that it's pretty easy. Roger will get a 16x20 replacement portrait. He was thrilled and so was I.

This is Frankie and her mom. They drove from Baton Rouge to have us restore some images of her boyfriend. His home was lost to Rita in southwest Louisiana. She wants to surprise him with renewed photos. He had lost all hope and threw most of them out but she grabbed a few and hoped that something could be done. She was so sweet and appreciative. Tears flowed when I told her we could help. What was so striking was how this young lady who hurt so much for the man that she loved, could go home and send me a Hallmark greeting card online to say thank you.

I'm back in Florida

Hey everyone! I'm back in Florida at my mom's house in Palm Harbor. I just wanted to leave this note so you all know that I am home and I will be driving back to Jupiter this afternoon. I have SO MUCH MORE to write about Thursday and Friday's OPR work and then Saturday's tour through the city with a local resident. I have TONS of pictures so I will put together an online photo album and link to it from here. All of this will be available on my website too.

To say I am tired is a mild understatement. My car was on autopilot last night coming from the airport. With the hands of God and having my 6th sense of where I am here is what got me home. I literally passed out on the bed with computer and cameras around me and all the lights on. Slept 8 straight hours. Just the simple things of a soft bed and the smell of coffee was enough to make me truly appreciate all that we have.

Well, more later. I have to get ready to get on the road again. Keep watching and thanks to my wonderful friends who left me messages of encouragement. I didn't think I would need encouragement as I did not suffer this tragedy but I most certainly did need your words. It was one huge emotional trip as well. All good but lots to process. I feel very blessed and loved by all of you.

More later, Lisa.

Hi Bella!

thanks for saying a prayer for me and the people in New Orleans.  I hope you like looking at the pictures with your mom. Love, Lisa

Over 100 Families Thursday

Thursday was soooooo busy. We saw over 100 families and took in near 1000 photos. Lots of stories, lots of tears.
Good food too. The po-boy sandwich was great for lunch and had Jambalaya and Red Beans and rice for dinner. Today has started with a bang. It's our last day and people are coming in left and right. I look up from the camera and there is a line of people staring back. Gotta run. more later.

Hey Lili

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Quick Note (Thurs)

We have been swamped with people coming in. All of us are working very hard but it's worth it. Everyone is so nice and appreciative. We've seen so many interesting pictures, some dating back to the early 1800's. Had some World War II images and ones from other countries. There is some really neat stuff with a strong French influence, of course. If anyone has read some comments that were left, my mother made mention of my grandmother losing her home in a flood. Today I had a little lady who reminded me of my grandmother. I suddenly had a thought that I hoped that there were some nice people around at that time to make my grandmother smile. I know she had a very hard time. I guess I had some feeling today of what my grandmother went through and it made me very sad. My Uncle did some nice photos of my grandmother's house after the flood. If you care to see them you can click here. So yes Travis, Mom has been crying a bit. To all of you who have left comments, THANK YOU! It helps to come back at the end of the day and read those. I will reply to all when I get back home. Gotta get back to work. Much love to all.

It's Midnight

and i am so tired. we helped 74 families today with over 500 pictured copied. i'm toast. going to bed. more tomorrow.

More From Day 2

(written Wed. morning)

It was my first 12 hour day! Normally I sit at my computer upward of 16 hours so I didn't think this would be a problem. But folks I just woke up, my body is stiff, I'm waiting for the three advil and a large cup of hot coffee to kick in. We took in close to 300 photographs from 43 families so we are up to 550 images so far. Just another image for you all to see...
This is Claire Orth looking on as Hal Kennedy of Atlanta works to get her photograph out of the rusted frame. Claire's home is in the Lakeview area, from what I hear, the Lakeview area is a middle class neighborhood where the residents are bit older. She is living in a FEMA trailer in her backyard. Her home has no electricity of course and from the sounds of it, it is just short of gutted on the inside. She has invited us to see her home on Saturday morning.

As I said yesterday, I have no expectations of this trip and whatever comes of it will be my surprise. But one thing that I did have in mind was starting a chapter of Operation Photo Rescue in Jupiter. Our hurricane season is on our heals, and God willing we will not suffer the rath of Mother Nature, but should she decide that a hurricane is our fate this season, or anywhere in Florida for that matter, I would like to be ready to pitch in to help our neighbors with something that may be all that remains as a link to their historic past. Some questions that I asked myself when I was planning my trip were: 1. What is the first thing we think about taking when we are told it's time to evacuate, besides our important documents? 2. What do our photographs mean to us? This question can lead to alot of things. We start to think about the meaning of our lives, what our legacy will be, how will the future know we were here, where did we come from historically. And we, atleast I do, feel responsible for carrying on the history of our grandparents and others that our parents have given us photos of. Now don't think I'm ranting family history, but on those long rainy days we have here it might just be fun to pull out those old photos and tell our kids about how their great grandfather's name on my mother's side was the same as their father's and he was a coal miner. Just these stories could lead to more dialogue with our kids and as you see, it goes on and on.

With the help of Dave and Becky of Operation Photo Rescue we will have a chapter here in Jupiter. Restoration efforts are not limited to hurricanes, but include fire or any other natural disaster.

Volunteers will be needed to go onsite to copy photos and upload to computers. We will be part of a nationwide group of photographers, designers and others who will work to restore any damaged images that we would have. Volunteers can work from home with never going onsite by doing restoration on your own computer. Students who have experience with Photoshop are welcome to volunteer. We currently have a high school in Massachusetts whose Photoshop teachers will be putting Operation Photo Rescue into their curriculum. It's a great way for students to learn photoshop. You do not have to be a photographer to get involved. If you know photoshop, then you can help to restore photos. If you are a teacher you can work us into your curriculum. Jupiter residents without computer or photography skills still can help with intake and the business side of the project.


You don't have to wait for another hurricane to get involved. There are photos that currently are in need of repair.


If you are interested in becoming a volunteer contact Lisa Sibley at 561-951-0390, sibley@lisasibley.com or for more information on Operation Photo Rescue go to www.operationphotorescue.com or www.lisasibley.com

Work Day 2

Hi! I'm alittle slow in getting this out but we are working really hard. Hey remember that air mattress? It deflated in the middle of the night. I was wondering why I was so cold, there wasn't much between me and the cement foundation. But Becky got me a new air mattress and while I was inflating it one of my coworkers decided to trade me. I got the queen size, he got the twin. That was like trading your kid a $5 bill for a $20 and the kid had the $20. :-) Hopefully I will sleep better tonight. Just a few pics to give you an idea of where I am.
So here is our residence for the week and my nightly setup.






Ahh, and I thought you would like to take a trip to the shower with me. Yes, my friends, this is the showers. A pretty ingenius idea and I can see the trees while that warm water splashes down. :-)

Alright, now to the important stuff. I did several restorations today, working tediously at my computer. The morning started off really busy and when the copiers got backed up I went over to help. There was a lovely older lady sitting patiently in a chair for one of us to look at her photos. I asked if I could help her and she smiled and brought out a box of very old photographs. She said "I don't really think you can do much with them, they were in a fire 2 days after Rita". Then she started to cry. And she told me her story and I cried with her. She had evacuated to her family country home 100 miles north of New Orleans, the home where she grew up, only to watch it burn to the ground 2 days after hurricane Rita. I can't imagine running from one home just to have another burn around you. Carloyn and her siblings lost all of their family heirlooms, except for one photo album that was buried in some debris. She brought in 19 photographs, we try to limit each family to 5, but I didn't have the heart to tell her that. So I copied all 19 of them and I requested them for me to restore. She was so very grateful and said, "I didn't expect to find a friend here today." She wanted to pay us, but we do not charge. She made a donation to Dave and told him to take us to the Jazz Fest. LOL It's quite striking that a woman who lost so much still wanted to give. She hugged me and went on her way. I hope to see her again, but if not, I know I will bring another smile to her face when she receives her brand new photographs.

If you have friends in the area

Let them know that we are here until Friday. Hours are M-Th -9-9 Friday 9-5. The local TV news is also mentioning it. People have been coming from many small towns and even Baton Rouge.
More coming...

I arrived

Wow what a day. Amazing things indeed. A friend called to tell me her husband was going to New Orleans too. Lo and behold we were on the same flight out of Tampa. As there are no coincidences in life, Tom was truly God sent. Lori, thank you for checking your email early and for calling. :-)

Little things happened along the way that let me know angels were with me. Perhaps calling it an adventure was not the best choice of words. It is a journey and where it will take me is still unknown. I have no expectations of this trip. It will lead to where it is suppose to and the wonderful part is watching to see what will happen next. Parts of it are scary but I have faith all will work out the way it is suppose to.

On to the rest of the day.

I got alittle turned around leaving the airport but found my way to the library where we are working at. The OPR crew is terrific. They welcomed me and made me feel at home right away. I jumped right in and started doing some copy work and restoration.


This is Dave, OPR's Co-founder, and I copying photos while the two ladies wait. The photos are copied and returned to the owners. They are then sent either restored on site or sent out to volunteers who are restoring from home. When the final image is printed it will be mailed back to the owner.

In the background you can see the restoration area.

Today about 250 pictures were taken in from 40 families. One of the first I saw come in was brought by a woman whose home was "washed away". She brought in half of a picture of her mother, about 2 inch square and cracked liked dried mud and torn at the bottom. She didn't think it could be salvaged but Mike said "sure it can, that's easy." She was so happy and grateful. You could hear the emotion in her voice when she kept saying thank you.

After we finished at 9pm I followed a new friend back to the church where we are staying. In the morning I will share a picture. It's a small church that is also housing another volunteer group. Did I say we have showers? Yes, even with hot water. More on that tomorrow too.

Anyone who wants to volunteer by doing restorations from home just go to the OPR site and send Dave and Becky an email.

It's getting late and my air mattress is bottoming out. i better even out the weight. :-)

In the words of Helen Keller, "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do."

G'nite,

My First Post

Welcome to my Blog!  LOL  Now that sounds like something from the Munsters.  This is my first post and I'm frantically trying to get out the door.  I forgot to tell you I was leaving out of Tampa so I have a bit of drive first.  Thank you to all of you who sent me early morning email to wish me well.  Some amazing things have already happened today but I will save it all for later.  Gotta get my stuff into the car and hope I can carry it all on de plane. :-)  Much love.