Ah, nostalgia. When I saw this video, I immediately thought of September, 2005. We came home after Hurricane Katrina while the city was still restricted under an advance permit because of my husband’s job. The Guard was giving out MREs, so we got in line for the MREs, ice, and clean water, then got busy with cleanup. Assessing the damage, digging through debris, and cutting up fallen trees kept us busy for weeks between our home, and helping friends and family who had either stayed, had permits like us, or sneaked back in on an unguarded road. The weather was beautiful, but hot, and the oddest thing was that there were no birds. We went weeks without seeing a single bird. And the smell… that Katrina smell is unforgettable and indescribable. The only thing that seemed to cover it up for a while was the smell of cut wood, so I latched onto that chainsaw and took over as much of that chore as I could. For several weeks my hands and arms had a “buzzed” feeling that never completely went away, but it was worth it. I got very handy with that chainsaw, but never this handy:
A friend of mine, Amy Canada, is an “idea person.” You give Amy a problem, and she’ll come up with a creative and elegant solution every time. And after Katrina, we had tens of thousands of downed trees.
This park near my house was one of many locations where they piled the trees to get the roads clear. Most of these were chipped and turned into mulch. But Amy’s solution to the downed tree problem, while on a smaller scale, was so elegant that I have to comment on it one more time. Don’t recycle them all into mulch. Carve the trees. Turn the destruction into art. Use it as a fundraiser. And so KatRita Wood was born, salvaging trees downed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Some people describe these carvings as an agent of healing – something beautiful from something so destructive. For others it’s much simpler – a souvenir or a garden conversation piece. And for still others, a way to give to a worthwhile charity and have an interesting remembrance of that gift.
In any event, here are a few of the art pieces created by KatRita Wood chainsaw artists from all over the country who volunteer for the project.
You can see (and order) more here.
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