Mont Helena

The Wittenberg vans head down the driveway toward Mont Helena to get a closer look.

"Chins in hands, everybody!" Group shot on the front stoop.

View from the front porch: a tractor preparing the field for some spring planting.

Before leaving the Delta, we stopped a few miles outside of Rolling Fork at Mont Helena, a Colonial revival style home built atop a ceremonial Indian mound.

Built in 1896 (the first time. The house burned right after it was built, but its owners immediately began rebuilding), the house is not an antebellum home, though it is still representative of the gorgeous old mansions the South is famous for.

Nobody was home, so we peeked in the windows and took in the view from the front porch — the highest point for miles around before piling back into the vans to head home.

Toto, I've a feeling . . .

we're not in Ohio any more. Had to make a quick trip to the Sunflower grocery in Rolling Fork to pick up snack stuff for the after-school crowd, and just look! A WHOLE SECTION, just for grits!

A job well done

Under the guidance of Ryan and Karlos (the adult volunteers who had headed up this project had to hit the road for Michigan this morning), today's team of painters finished Sandra's house. She was thrilled with her home's makeover. . . and we were pretty happy ourselves.

Photos: At top, Karlos and Ryan pose with Sandra outside her freshly-painted house. Above, today's crew.

THE most contagious laugh

Robert Jackson, our fearless project leader (and back-in-the-day football star for Rolling Fork High School, whom he contends BEAT our Leland High when he was playing in 1978. Cathy and I are scrambling to find records to prove otherwise!)

Everybody, paint!

Monday and Tuesday found us painting two different houses. Here are a few shots of the volunteers hard at work. . .