OT--Katrina helping in a small way

Good morning everyone! Sorry for not being on the boards more often lately, but I have been trying to do a little something to help out the victims of Katrina. I have been taking RV's to Gonzalez, Louisiana, to a staging area for evacuees. Here is a description of what I have personally seen along the route. Thought y'all would like to know this. To see this on TV is one thing, to experience it is another.... Going from Ocala thru Alabama, Mississippi and then to Louisiana--Gonzalez to be exact. The utter devastation......there is really no words to describe the tragedy. As riding along I-10, you smell the stench of the raw sewage and the death of animals and more than likely some humans. There was a huge fuel holding tank for Chevron that was sitting along side the interstate, and it was supposed to be across the interstate at it's proper location. A barge had crashed into part of I-10 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, knocking out part of the bridge. Water oak trees are turned upside down and turned into toothpicks. Buildings are totally wiped out or all the windows are blown out. Some areas are still without power. Metal poles are twisted and turned into little balls. There was a van that was twisted and sitting along side the interstate, but the words OK was written on it twice, meaning everyone made it safe out of the van. People are lined up along side the interstate just with what they can carry in their vehicles, sitting in long lines just waiting to be able to get some fuel. In some areas, they are camped outside of their vehicles overnight just waiting to get fuel in the morning. In those situations, only people hauling relief for the victims are able to get thru and get fuel, like I did the other night in Biloxi, Mississippi. I seen cars with their windshields blown out, but the vehicles are still drivable and they are driving down the interstate that way. I also seen a pick up truck hauling his 5th wheel with only a half a windshield, atleast he has shelter and transportation. So, if you have a roof over your head, some food and water, a full fuel tank, some money in your pocket and water to drink--be VERY THANKFUL. I praise God for what we have, and for allowing me to be able to help the victims in a small way. If you can contribute, take donations to your local church, humane society, Salvation Army or local RV dealership that are sending units for the victims, and the supplies will get to them. I am home right now, but expect to be making some more trips with RV's for the victims. To God be the glory! ~Roiann and Chico (a rescued mexican hairless xolo dog) who has been riding shotgun with me!

How exciting to be able to do something to help others...and in an RV! I dreamed all my life of having an RV and traveling around to flea markets. I finally got my RV, and made one trip in it, but my traveling partner stole everything I owned and maxxed out my credit cards and left me penniless in Tampa, FL. That was back in 1998. I had to get a job to save money to get back on my feet, but ended up staying in Tampa for several years, buying a house and settling down. I had to sell my motorhome for $900, even though I still owed $2700 on it at the time. In 2003, I became disabled and in 2004, lost my house to foreclosure and had to move back to my hometown. I seem to keep losing all my possessions. Anyway, now that I've had WLS, I hope my health will improve enough to "get around" better. I have tried to "get over" my motorhome dreams, but it won't go away. I just read AT YOUR OWN PACE by Bernice Beard and of course, got the "bug" again. I never lost the bug, but I just figured I needed to stop dreaming about something I couldn't have. I still would like to get a motorhome and travel around to flea markets. I LOVE flea markets even though I haven't been able to go to them in a couple of years because my legs won't hold me up and I don't have a scooter. I used to sell at flea markets for 25 years before becoming disabled. Being on disability and single, there's no way I could ever afford a "road worthy" motorhome. The one I had was a 1979, and it did well between here and Tampa, but I'm not sure how it would have been going up north or out west like I would like to go. But it's gone since I sold it seven years ago. Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm glad you're getting to do something so worthwhile...and with Chico. Sounds like fun. I love animals, but they don't allow them in my apartments and my allergies are too bad now to have one anyway. I just got a postcard from one of my cousins *****cently married a man with an RV and they are off traveling. She's having a wonderful time and her postcard said, "RVing is the only way to go!" She never had any wanderlust that I know of, and there she is getting to live MY dream. I'm trying not to be jealous, but I met another couple not long ago whose husband wanted to buy an RV and travel around. The wife was complaining saying SHE didn't want to leave town and her family, but (heavy sigh) she was going to have to go off "letting him play out his mid-life crisis." She made it clear that she thought he was nuts. So, I'm sitting here thinking, it's my dream to travel around in a motorhome and yet this woman gets to go. It just doesn't seem fair. And the way she talked, she was going to make sure she made his life miserable the whole trip so he would get tired of his "stupidity" and go back home. Anyway, I'm rambling on. I can't complain too much because I was finally able to have my WLS after a long fight with my insurance, so at least one thing is going my way! I just wish I could get out of this town every now and then. My car is 15 years old with 116,000 miles on it, so it's not that trustworthy either. But, knock on wood, it gets me to point A and point B around here. Thanks for listening to me whine. Hugs, Joni