Back Home...

We're finally home again! Can I tell you how grateful we are?! As many of you may already know, Haiti has had a lot happen since we've been there. Now the people are battling cholera amongst all the other battles they must contend with on a daily basis.
We returned from Haiti on October 13th & we did the Batsto Country Living Show on the 17th, nice day, but not a good show for me. That's ok though, not every show is "my" show. We left the following day for Monroe, Virginia, (near Lynchburg) to collect my dog, Ashley, & debriefed for several days in the great care of Sue & John. Sue is an awesome cook! She made fresh bread for us on a daily basis, I had honey for my tea from her bees, & most everything there is all organic. We walked around Lynchburg one day, went to the apple orchids, hiked through the mountains every day, had a bonfire outside one evening & generally just relaxed. It was nice to just "be".
John has recently updated his phone to a Droid & it's amazing! We played with it throughout our stay, but what I loved the most about it was viewing the solar system above me & below! Very cool times we live in!
We came home late Thursday evening & left for the Pocono's on Friday, taking along with us our grandsons, Mason & Mark, & son, Steven & of course, Ashley.
Saturday we went to the little town of Jim Thorpe, not far from the house, & took the kids on their fall foliage train ride. The kids loved it! We have taken Mason several times, but this was Mark's 1st time. We then returned home, picked up Ashley, & took the boys hiking at Mudd Run. Quite the little hikers these boys have turned out to be! I was really impressed! There wasn't any whining!
Sunday, after cleaning up the house, we took the boys to the old train tunnel at Leigh Gorge State Park & then onto another hike. They couldn't get enough of hiking! It makes me so proud!! It was very different hiking at the park though. We haven't hiked there in years. Although it's a nice hike, there were lots of other people & the trail was very busy. There were also a lot of dogs so Ashley had to be kept on a leash. Something she's not used to when she's hiking. We usually hike like we camp....away from everyone & everything! Just free to be!
We arrived back home last night. I'm sick, fighting a nasty cold, flu or something, but this too shall pass. It's good to be here. The end of the week, I'll be in New York at the Photo Plus Photographers Convention at the Javits Center & then back to Virginia to take care of Sue & John's farm while they enjoy each others company in Greece for a couple of weeks.
Till next time, take care of yourselves & each other, everybody needs someone at some point!

Batsto Country Living Show...

This Sunday, October 17th, 2010, I'll be at the Batsto Country Living Show. Not sure of my space number, but come on out & enjoy a great fall time! The leaves there are usually spectacular this time of year! The cranberries are a must to come home with for the upcoming holiday season's dinner table & it's definitely time to start thinking about holiday gifts.

I hope to see you there, stop by & say hello!

Haiti ~ Home

We arrived safely back to into the USA on Wednesday evening! We can't begin to tell you how happy & grateful we are to live here! We appreciate so many things as we walk around our home. Turning on the facet & the water comes out, turning on a light switch & the light comes on, having a door to open to our home that we love so much, good food & being able to cook on a stove & then clean up after it with clean water in a sink, the shower...you actually come out feeling clean, television, well, that I'm sure I could live without, but it is a nice luxury, but that's what it is, a luxury. I get mail, it may not always be good, but, I have a mailbox & people can send me things! I'll be going to the food store today & I will love every minute of it! I'll be like a kid in a candy store! AND...security won't be waiting outside the door to take me to my guarded vechicle. I feel free, safe, the air is breathable. But, the best part of all is seeing my family again.
Steven came to pick us up at the airport. He took us to dinner at the Library in Turnersville on the way home. I couldn't get enough of him! It was so great to see him! Truth be told, I think he was really happy to see us too. Crista came yesterday morning with Mason & Myla & spent the better part of the day with us. I just can't begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see them as well. Myla came running across the house with her arms wide open towards me, I picked her up, spun her around as her legs flung through the air, she hugged me & kissed me! We danced, cooked breakfast, played games, did puzzels & read books together. Myla's vocabulary has increased to a point that I can now have conversations with her. It's amazing! Mason spent some alone time with his Mom for a bit, came back & worked on making electricty happen. He's such a smart child. Usually, when I tell him I love him, (mind you he's 9) he'll just reply with "what you said". Yesterday as he left, he said the words, "I love you", he turned, looked at me as he walked off the front porch with these eyes that really meant it. They missed us too. Now, I can't wait to see Mark.
There's a fire burning in the fireplace, fall leaves are changing & the air is crisp. It's a beautiful thing! I love this country! I love my family & friends & thanks for supporting me no matter what. You all know I'm crazy! Was it worth it.....yes. To see what we've seen & to have went through what we went through was definetley an eye opener. The images I have taken while there, well, that was worth it too. Would I go back....I don't know. There would have to be some serious discussion about that & reasoning behind it. Never say never.
Thanks to all of you who have kept up with us while away!
This weekend.....Batsto Country Living show on Sunday, Virginia on Monday till maybe Friday & the weekend in the Pocono's! We deserve it! After that, back to work. Can't be anything like Haiti though! It'll be a pleasure!

Haiti...The multi talented Ronnie AND Our Friday night!

The men only have one day off, so, this is "Friday Night". No big deal except being able to sleep in in the morning. The guys are stopping at the Food Giant on the way home again, so I'll make breakfast for anyone who is up for it.

Unfortunatley, the helicopter ride & mountain excursion seems to be cancelled at this moment. Colin, the pilot, has another flight scheduled as per his boss, so we got bumped. I guess you have to go where the money is. We're bummed, but, some things just aren't meant to be. I will let you know if anything changes though.

I went to the jobsite yesterday. Alot has changed! They're on the last phase of the market & are making good time. They won't be finished today as they had hoped, but like I said in an earlier post, stuff happens.

Yesterday, the guys errected more columns, connected beams inbetween, put up some roof trusses, unloaded the trailor, conferred with other officials, Ronnie began to plumb up the building....the list goes on & on, they are SO busy all day long! It only ends at 5:00 & then the arduous ride home begins. And if it rains, depending on what vechicle you're in, you could be detained a bit longer at the botton of the hill on the home stretch.

We're now looking at being home around mid week or so. Although, I don't know what happened weather wise down in Port Au Prince today, but, we had a intense rain storm pass through here. It rained so intensely, not for too long, but there was a lot of water!

I uploaded another album on facebook today, titled, "Haiti_jobsite_ October 8, 2010".

I will go again probably on Monday & Tueday too as this will be the end of the job & as important as the beginning

Looking forward to seeing my kids, grandkids, family, friends & my dog & of course all my many luxuries at home for I feel like such a rich person. I have so much when "All you really need is love"! (The other things just makes life so much more bearable, but they truly are luxuries.)

Oh, sidenote...it would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday today.

Haiti...A Brand New Day...

The time gets closer every day till we depart this place, but the horrors we've witnessed here may never abandon our minds. Even the stories the men come home with stick to my thoughts throughout the middle of my nights & days.
They told me of a young girl around 12, hair all matted & wearing nothing but a shirt walking the streets & it had appeared she had been out all night in the rain. I can't imagine her story. The one I have in my mind is not a pretty one.
The children finally began their schooling on this past Monday. They have not been to school since the earthquake. Some won't return because the parents haven't any money & they must pay, not only for the schooling, but they need clothes, shoes & school supplies. My grandson, Mason, had gathered many of our pencil collection, (God only knows how we ended up with so many in the first place) & sent them with me to give out to the children here. I gave them all out to the men on the job that have children. I wish I only had several thousand more.
And if you think our govenment is bad, you should visit a third world country. I've seen this too many times where the rich get richer & the poor, well, the goverment likes to beat them down every chance they get. They don't make it easy for a child to get an education. There is so much needed here. Education being the first thing that comes to my mind. The people's dream here is to one day come to America. If they made it a better place to live here, then why would one want to leave? The weather may be hot, but it's the Carribean....you think, sun, fun, beauty...they have hunted all the native wildlife here to extinction, the fish as well, the trees cut down, & water??? I've told you how they bath themselves.
This is what I would do....As much as it rains here, give them large barrels to retain the water in, (just think of your daily water use in one day) put them on stands high up so they could be gravity fed.....compost so that they could start a soil program to begin their own gardens, a food source to be better able to care for themselves, start a seed exchange & teach them when to gather seeds for future plantings....grow sustainable forests, trees or shrubery like euculyptus, bamboo, & what ever is indigenous to this area....a fish hatchery & replenish the sea...raise chickens, there sure is enough roosters CROWING from 2:00am on.....some cows, goats......and if they can't afford schooling for their children, some of the more educated parents could run a home schooling program where they could alternate their schedules so as they could continue working their jobs....teach them how to recycle, it would cut down on all this trash & let them earn a few dollars turning their trash into some other useful item. They could even make toys, shopping bags, birdhouses & such out of recycled materials to sell to tourist to make some sort of income....ok, what it all boils down to is EDUCATION. The Government has the money. We know they do. But instead, they live their corrupt little lives behind walls with barbed wire so no one can steal from them what they've stolen from the people. Alright, guess I'd better stop now...I am still in this country.
On another note....It seems Pat will not be keeping the part of his finger that was reattached while here after all. Pat, if you read this, please keep us updated with your progress. We're keeping you in our thoughts & prayers & of course wish you all the best.
The men think they are winding down with the Iron Market & the end seems to be in sight! They may be finished on Saturday, but don't hold me to that. Stuff happens. Sunday, we're going to go up in the helicopter in the morning & after that, Colin, the pilot, said he would take us up the mountain where the air is cool, there's an awesome lodge up there that has great food & the scenery is beautiful! We can't wait!
There is another facebook album with jobsite photos from the last time I was there. I am now offically caught up! Till tomorrow that is! I'll be going to the site the next couple of days so I can capture the finale! Of this phase anyway, which I think was the biggest part of it.
I'll be in touch when I can! Till then, stay well, take care of one another & Love, Love, Love!!!

Haiti...

Hello Everyone-
All is well here & we're adjusting as well as can be expected. Whenever someone here thinks they have the upper hand on us, we come up with something else! We people from the east coast live too fast & too seriously!
I went to the jobsite yesterday, Tuesday, October 5th. It is coming along quite nicely, although with one less man, they are really feeling the difference. PAT....WE MISS YOU!!!
Instead of a normal raising gang of 2 in the air, 2 on the ground & 1 raising gang foreman, whom is Billy, he is taking up slack elsewhere where ever he is needed....so he's everywhere! Ronnie is doing the same. They have Haitians working with them as well, but they aren't used to working the way our guys are. Our guys rock!
Once again, I leave for a couple of days & the Iron Market is being transformed into what is was meant to be. It's very impressive!
The heat index has been around 100 or so & if you can't find relief in the shade when your working, it takes it's toll on you. You also have to drink A LOT of water. Yesterday, Ronnie finally got to run the crane so they could finish out the day. The crane operator was seeing stars & needed to step away from the crane. Ronnie ended up running the crane for the rest of the day. He loved it! It was written all over his face!
I got to ride in the basket on the crane yesterday & went up 100 feet. That's as far as the crane booms out. I didn't realize how close we were to the water & the Port District. It's only a couple of blocks or so away. This is supposed to be the worst area in Haiti....and so it seems. I knew about all the people around us as I get onto of the tractor trailors full of steel sometimes when I hear something going on outside our walls, & I have been on top of the steel up in the air too, but you don't realize the magnitude until you're up that high. It's quite a site.
Something that really phased me yesterday on the ride in to the job was a small boy, about my grandson Mason's age, 9, was standing on a busy street corner, (well, I guess they all are) & was totally naked, pouring a cup of water over his head, washing himself in the sewer water. He was alone. That image will remain burned in my mind forever. This is how we've seen many people wash, in the sewers, with a bucket, along the sides of the road with the water running down the street, it goes on & on....never take water for granted AND teach your children well...do not waste!
We went out for pizza last night at a place the guys found while out on Sunday called Muncheez. The food was good, but we were there for around 3 hours by the time we were done. It took so long to get our food. Tip: NEVER get the american cheese...ALWAYS ask for mozzarella!!!
We had another thunder storm last night. Nothing unusual about that, but it was a good one! Lot's of rain & lots of noise! It was great to be inside, safe & sound listening to it happen.
Today I did my laundry by hand in the bathtub. It took me 3 1/2 hours. I have a whole new respect for my washing machine & for all the women here who HAVE to wash their clothes by hand. It's a backbreaking process And just let someone from up above throw down shovels full of old dried leaves & you can begin the entire fun process again! ANYWAY...don't get me started!
The guys just got in so I have to close now. It has been good talking to you all! Please continue to send messages! We love hearing from home!
God Bless!
PS I just uploaded 156 images from Saturday at the jobsite. I know I'm a little behind so I'm giving you a little teaser with the images from yesterday on here today. I'm catching up as quickly as I can!!!
PPS I hope this all makes sense as it's been a long day & I can't think straight anymore...sorry!!

Haiti images update...

I've added more images at the end of the "Haiti" album on facebook. Originally, I had planned on creating a separate album for each new upload, but, facebook was giving me issues with that. Maybe next time.

These are the airials from the helicopter ride.

Enjoy!

Oh, & thanks for all your mail, emails, & comments! They are really looked forward to & greatly appreciated!

Haiti Images.....

I have just posted 99 images on facebook for all of you to see. If your not already a "friend" just send me a friend request so I can add you to my list & you'll be able to view the album. Do a search for Holly Horner or Holly Horner Photography as I have 2 pages apparently & I have posted the albums on both. The Holly Horner one has editing, names & a little other information on some of the images. By the time I posted the album to the other page, I decided to just upload them & if I get the chance later I will label them. Right now, I want to work on more images for you all to see.

I'll be posting more as I edit....please be patient with me!

These images are from my first day at the jobsite.

I'll work on more today & do what I can, but tomorrow I go out to the jobsite again.

I don't bring my laptop there because I can't babysit it every moment of the day....I'm busy out taking pictures! The conex box is not kept locked. Although, we do keep a pretty good eye on it. We do have to monitor our water situtation for the guys. We can buy more, but, things are very expensive here & we try to count on what we have. We drink A LOT of water.

Hope to hear from some of you soon...

Hugs,

Holly

PS In this image of Billy with guys on his birthday is Ronnie, Lance, Richie, Mike & a new friend from the UN, Jim...he's actually from the states!!

Haiti...We extend our sympanthy....

We would like to extend our deepest sympanthy to John & his family for the passing of his Mother on Saturday.
John, stay strong, we know you must have so many treasured memories of her & years gone by.
Don't worry yourself about the job going on here. Ronnie, Billy, Lance, Richie, & Mike are taking care of things on this end & will make you & your company very proud.
We would also like to extend our sympanthy to Ronnie & his family on the passing of his Aunt on Friday.
Ronnie, we know you couldn't be there in person, but know you're there in spirit.

Haiti Happy Birthday to Billy Day!!

Today is Billy's birthday! It worked out perfectly being the guys only day off this week. So far, we've celebrated in our room, making Billy & all the guys a nice breakfast. Not something they've had since they've been here. (I did the best I could with what we have to work with!) Right now, we're trying to set up a helicopter ride for this evening. I hope it works out as I had one the other day & it was freaking AWESOME!!! I met Collin, the pilot, here several days ago. A nice guy from Canada & works as a bush pilot there. He's been here since March & will work here for a full year. He had to go to the airpot for fuel & asked if I wanted to go for a ride.....what else would I say??!! It was only 8 minutes there & 8 minutes back, but, so FREAKIN COOL!!!!

On another note....we have one man down. Pat. He cut off part of his finger on Friday afternoon. He was rushed to a clinic along with Ronnie by his side. Shortly there after, the part of his finger that was severed off followed. The doctor there took very good care of him, reattached the finger, shot him in the butt several times with antibiotics & pain killers, & sent him on his way back here to the hotel. Everyone thought it be best if he returned home immediatley for care in the US. The clinic was clean & everything went as smooth as possible, BUT....well, you all get it. Ronnie & I dropped him off as the airport yesterday morning to fly back home.

We miss him terribly. Pat, if you're reading this, please know how much we miss you! We wish you a speedy recovery!!

With one man down, the others are taking up the slack quite well, but, not that it's easy. Thank God for the team that we have here. If all continues to go as well as it has, we should be outta here by maybe next weekend sometime, but, we'll see.

I went to the jobsite again yesterday, Saturday, & I can't believe how the job has progressed! Even though it has only been a few days since I've been there last, it amazes me how much these guys can accomplish in such a short amount of time. They literally work their butts off.

There are still language barriers between crane operators, guards, & guys they have put to work up in the air on the steel, but everyone works these issues out. If they don't, Ronnie comes along & will jump on a crane in a moments notice(!).

I have photographed the site from every angle, up in the air, on top on the steel, on top of the tractor trailors, on top of the conex boxes, & on top of the RX building next door. The surrounding area is so busy with people, it's amazing that many people can fit in the size of that area & still have large trucks pass by them. Blowing their horns nonstop, of course, but they do manage to dissappear somewhere past them.

There was a UN tank out there yesterday. There was something going on, but, by the time I got up onto the tractor trailer, the only thing I witnessed was when they let off the water gun once on someone & then moved on past us. They had all four corners covered from the top though, fully armed. When I zoomed in on them, they were once focused in on me, talking on their radio.

I don't stay in one place to long as to not be anyones target. I move around alot. I think I drive the guard crazy! He follows me around like a puppy sometimes!! But, hey....that's cool!

I know a whole lot more people on the job now, which is nice. I think for the most part, everyone is really nice. I noticed that a smile goes a long way. It's universal, everyone understands it, & it opens alot of doors.

There were about 300 bodies located near the jobsite yesterday too. So sad. There are said to still be approximatley 30,000 to 50,000 people still unrecovered

Before I came, I was in touch with a friend who said learn the language if you can, they even appreciate you trying. (thank you Michelle for hooking me up with Christine!) I learned a little french before I came & can tell you, the little I learned has gotten me far. Of course then people think you speak the langauge & go off on some conversation that I don't understand! Sometimes I can get by, other times I have to finally break down & say "english?"! I plan to continue my french lessons after I leave just in case I return. (or end up in France sometime, I hear the food is amazing!!!)

Well, we're not flying today, but we may on Saturday if the guys finish the job by the end of the week.

I'll be staying here tomorrow at the hotel & promise to post images somewhere. I may have to post them to facebook & I will create an album there & let you all know if I do & where to go.

I can only post 5 at a time on here & to go through my website, I still only have so much space. Facebook seems to be the best way to go at this point for all of you to see alot of them.

The guys returned from their adventure downtown with a cake for Billy! We all sang Happy Birthday & attempted to have cake. I say attempted because after 1 bite, we couldn't eat anymore! It tasted like sawdust! Not that I ever ate sawdust, but I imagine if I had, that's what it would taste like! It was terrible! We had a good laugh though! I'll try to make another cake this week in my electric frying pan. It says it can...?!

Well, that's all for now. I'll let you all know tomorrow about where to find the pic's.

Keep in touch, stay safe, & Love, Love, Love.....