I made my entry into the "Lone Star" state on Monday to join Crew for the last leg of the tour that will wrap up on Saturday.
"My Introduction to Stella Ground Team IKE"
People of the Gulf...
It was great to watch the people here in Texas talk about their experiences of the storm, dealing with government bureaucacy, beating the odds, and are still standing!!! People down here are a true inspiration! It reminds me of the work we did in Biloxi and Gulfport shortly after Katrina. Catherine is going to post a great story from one of the many great stories we have heard here in Texas. We helped residents sign up for FEMA, food stamps, and taxes.
The Ladies of Ground Team IKE and Stella... Oh Stella!
We drove into Beaumont yesterday and I must say I have gained valuable street cred with the crew. Prior to arriving in Beaumont much of my tasks was to learn the ropes of Stella from the Ladies of the Ground Team IKE (Cobi, Cassie, Zeninjor, Catherine, and Jane). These are the toughest women of One Economy. These ladies did it all from driving an RV/bus early in the morning/late at night to handling a 300lbs trailer at a single bound just to make sure these valuable resources get out to people that really needs them. Ladies thank you get props over here! That's also including Patricia and Laura the early crew of the team. These ladies got SWAG!
Back to the Stella...My tasks entailed learning how to drive the "infamous" Stella with Cobi. Man this girl don't play! Trust me when I say the pictures don't do Stella any Justice!! She is about the size of a city transit bus! Before I learned how to drive Stella I earned my stripes the hard way by jamming my thumb on the RV door and pushing back my skin and cuticle and getting a nasty blood blister! OUCH!!! Check out my picture with the wrapped up thumb... That's Hot! You never truly appreciate your thumb until you jam it against a door or lose it!
As I went through my training with Cobi outside I was cool as a cucumber, but inside (in the immortal words of someone I used to work directly with)... I was think "Oh this is a Disaster!!!" Cobi noted I was fine, but I couldn't help noticing she was holding her purse really tight and the beads of sweat from her brow! I figured hey this is a breeze.
After I took Cassie and Cobi to the airport at 6am Wednesday morning I had to return to my task at hand. I looked at Stella and thought, "Damn I can't do this... What if i wreack this thing?! I could just imagaine Sonja Murray's reaction during what would be a VERY LONG call and hear Rey yelling "CLYDEEEEEEEEE." But I then thought hey I'm PIC man I can do this!
As we proceeded down I-10... with Stella and her 300lbs trailer all I kept thinking was, Please don't drive this thing off the road. Everything was cool when the highway was four lane, but then I approached Trinity River Bridge. A sky bridge with a very steep upgrade, two lanes and no shoulder on each side with huge tracker trailers honking at me roaring pass me at 80mph. To make things worse I can feel a cross wind blowing against her. All alone in Stella as I drive onto the bridge in my head and as my eyes start to sweat. I morph into Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and I'm thinking "There no place like home...There no place like home..." Driving 30 mph we make it over the bridge Stella and storage safe. With a shirt and face wet from sweat.
We got to Beaumont safe and sound ready to start our next day of Adventure... Well I hope I have bored you im off to sleep catch you tomorrow.
PS. I been given the record by the Crew for the male that last the longest on Stella sorry James I got you beat!!!
Breaker 1-9... Breaker 1-9!!!
Clyde
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2 comments:
That made me laugh sooo hard! LOL too funny. Im glad you guys made it their in one piece!
Clyde you kill me, thanks for taking care of those VISTAs! Or maybe I should be thanking them for taking care of you???
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