When Team Rubicon deploys to an area we have the ability to be self-sustaining. However, we find that most communities LOVE to feed us. We in return LOVE to be fed by them. I have had some extremely tasty dishes over the last couple of years.
Today our projects were all about taking the debris out from under houses that were on pylons high above where the river is now. Unfortunately during the flood the river swept right under these homes. They were very fortunate to be secured so well. The undersides however were in need of debris management. Getting under a house that is 6 feet off the ground on one side but less than 2 feet off the ground on the other side takes tricky work. Especially when a couple of the guys were right around 6 foot. Thankfully their respective branches of the military taught them to crawl on their belly, so they tackled the task in no time.
Our second property was a similar task except that the bottom of the home was 40 feet off the ground. It was also down a steep hill. We discussed many different ways to tackle getting the plywood and insulation up to the road for curbside removal. There was discussion of floating it down the river to pull out elsewhere, or creating a pulley system to take it up the hill with less effort. These were of course ideas of the leadership, the crew however favored the KISS method, and chose to hand carry it up the awesome stone steps. This house was particularly interesting because there was Bamboo everywhere! About 60 feet worth of stone steps from the road down to the river behind the house, and it was in a jungle of Bamboo. It was quite majestic.
The owner of this particular property also owns the cutest little restaurant in town! They were so appreciative of our work on their property that they provided us lunch at the restaurant. I have had some great meals, like I said, but Linda’s Fine Foods was so tasty. They fed us to well that we were reluctant to return to work because we all needed food coma’s after the delicious meal. The couple came out and sat with us while we ate and shared stories with us, and we were able to share the story of Team Rubicon.
We come to work our butts off on these operations, so it is always extremely special to get to take a little downtime midday to get to know the homeowners we are helping and to find out about their cooking. Overall today was a good day, and we are wrapping up towards the end of the week, so I best get some sleep and share more with you later.
PS If you are ever in Wimberley, TX… go eat at Linda’s Fine Foods!
Signing off Wimberley, TX