Christian Zavisca

NOLA bound

Heading off to a service trip to New Orleans for the second year in a row. I'll be posting photos and videos when the chance arises. Off we go!

Scenes from Chicago

My father and I went to Chicago for the White Sox-Marlins game on Sunday, along with my dad's friend Tom. The day was perfect except for the game's result: Florida 13, Chicago A.L. zero.

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(Dad's on the left.)

The ChiSox had won two in a row over the Marlins, so maybe they figured they would take the final game of the series off. In any event, we had fine upper-deck seats in the shade on what was the first truly hot (high 80s to low 90s) day in the summer of '10.

And then we grabbed dinner along Navy Pier. A great late afternoon and early evening with a light breeze off the lake for good measure.

The lopsided game prompted my dad to remind me of a game that we went to way back in 1988. I only vaguely remembered it until I found the box score online, thanks to Retrosheet.

Reds 17, Cubs 0. Ouch. On the other hand, the Cubs beat the Phillies 14-3 the next day.

Things I saw while traveling

1. Airport tunnel in Detroit.

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2. Flooding in Nashville.

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3. Friendship tree, Detroit airport.

New Orleans service trip photos

I've posted to Valparaiso University's flickr page 242 photos from the Social Action Leadership Team spring break service trip to New Orleans. Captions are sparse so far, but I'm working on them.

I took a lot of video, which we're planning to fashion into something more coherent than the random clips I've got right now. Some of it will likely end up on the university's YouTube page, which is here.

Valparaiso University service trip to New Orleans: Highlights

OK, so we are well into this year's SALT spring break service trip assisting with Hurricane Katrina recovery. I've been posting updates here and there, and I'd like to round them up.

For the latest, check out the Valpo Service Learning page here.

Amy Baldwin sands a hard-to-reach spot during SALT's New Orleans volunteer work.

Kirk Baly and Molly Kestner are hard at work sanding. A Valparaiso University student group is rehabbing the interiors of two houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

A familiar song helps to keep spirits up while students are hard at work on the interior of a house that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Larry White, a New Orleans firefighter, shows his mother-in-law's house to the Valparaiso University student volunteers about to start work on the interior. In 2005, his team rescued more than 500 people from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and he described the disaster and its effects in vivid detail.

Fun and fellowship on the way to New Orleans

On our way to New Orleans for this year’s Valparaiso University SALT service trip, we stopped at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Ala., near Huntsville.

It was a nice place to take a break on our long drive. I lived in the vicinity for a few years in Knoxville, Tenn., before moving to Valparaiso in September, so I know a bit about the broader region. I appreciated the warmer weather and awesome local BBQ, as I’m sure the rest of the group did. It was a nice way for all of us (12 students and me) to get to know each other better.

Special thanks to the family of Andrew Davis, one of our trip participants, and the folks at Messiah Lutheran.

Where the Saints of football play

I'm heading out on a service trip to New Orleans. It's one of six spring break trips organized by Valparaiso University. My group is part of the Social Action Leadership Team, aka SALT, and our destination is Camp Restore. I'll be taking video and photos to chronicle the trip.

I'm very much looking forward to it; it'll be my first swing through Louisiana and New Orleans as well. Off to finish packing ...