Last build day in Maryville! (Maryville, TN)

It's our last day in Maryville, and I'm writing from the Blount County Public Library, which is one of the coolest libraries (nice architecture, DVD rentals, coffeeshop) I've visited in awhile. We're all starting to feel comfortable finding our way around the town, just in time to leave tomorrow morning. I'll miss Maryville, especially the folks that we met through Habitat, but we're all ready to get on the road again too. I biked out to our site today--my first time in the saddle in a while--and it felt great, no soreness at all! If only that would last...

I spent the day at the Women's Build site again, mostly nailing down underlayment (plywood that carpet/vinyl flooring rests on). It's cool to see the progress made on the site in just a couple days--painting, doors hung, and flooring changed. The last time I was here we also met the new homeowner, Lori, a corrections officer who works at some sort of juvenile facility. She comes by the site almost every day to take pictures and see the progress made when she's not working herself, and you could see the excitement in her face. She should be moving in in about a month.

At the end of the work day, the Habitat staff at the two sites we worked on gathered us around to thank us for the work we've done this week. In reflection, I think the people who care about Habitat's work and don't mind getting their clothes and hands dirty every day tend to be the nicest type of people to be around. This has certainly been the case in Maryville.













Real women use power tools (Ivey)










Ron, one of the Habitat supervisors, speaking to the group













Lindsay thought Maxie (the dog) really liked her, but Maxie actually just wanted her sandwich (with Liz)










Boys sporting their apron flare (Eric, Jochem, Vandy, Andy)










Goodbye pic

Bike odometer: 755 miles