This Christmas I traveled once again to the Mexico-California border with One Small House. The project for the holiday season, with the help of a donation from Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, was ten houses for ten different families.

This year would promise to be very different. The trip would have to overcome the absence of beloved founder and friend, Dr. Robert Katz, who could not steal time from being a real doctor, even though he would’ve loved nothing more. Little did we know, the guidance of trip leader Craig Ness proved to be everything we had dreamed of and more…

We arrived on Christmas Day in San Diego, and crossed the border the next morning with tools and snacks in tow. The trip was guided by a handful of One Small House veterans…

Sterling Plenert, the group’s architect, had been craving real tacos since October, and was the first one in the car. Joe McBride, eager to get his hands dirty, was curious to see if the taco record would finally be broken this year (more on that later). Dave Kinnoin, affectionately known as the “Tool Boss,” drove down from LA in his van, which for those of you who don’t know much more accurately resembles the Titanic than an automobile. Gail Saetta was determined to prove that her fingers are made of steel (she did succeed), Eric Katz (yes, the same Katz family) was ready to wear both his builder and electrician hats simultaneously, and Sushmitha Reddy and Erica Torres were crucial in documenting and organizing the trip in addition to being on site.

Volunteers this year included family members Kyle and Kurt “Kujo” Ness, Elizabeth Saetta, Micky Katz, and the Campos family…actually if you think about it…the trip simply would not have been possible without the Katz, Ness, Saetta, and Campos families, http://www.phpaide.com/?langue=fr who made up half of the team. The rest of our talented crew consisted of Joey Steele, Joe Iannucci, Lauren Napolitano, Waichak Luk, Kevin Bell, Bobby Schulze, Amy Durning, Brian Giannone, Erica Lai, and Alan Ehrlich.

With the help of our brilliant, local contractor Oscar, we were underway immediately. Craig and the OSH leadership were kind online casinos enough to let me design a home for the Lorenzo family – Rossi (26), and her two daughters Cinthia and Paola (6 and 7 respectively).  The three of them had been living in an old, borrowed motor home. The work was a welcome challenge that I hope left them happy. I have to admit I was fighting back tears when the two little girls handed us a handwritten thank you note on the last day…

In addition to the hard work, there were plenty of nights spent playing card games, and drinking lots of Tecate. I succeeded in breaking the taco record of 8 by eating 10 tacos, only to have my record broken fifteen minutes later by Kevin, who consumed 11; I guess it’s true what they say about your fifteen minutes of glory…And for those who had not left yet (and those who did not go to sleep early…you know who you are), New Years Eve was spent at the hotel bar in San Diego. It was a night that will not be forgotten…

I was truly impressed by everyone’s work ethic, and there are many families whose lives have been changed by this remarkable group of people. Stay tuned for more from OSH as they head to Haiti this spring, building only a short distance away from the Building Goodness Foundation. Sign up now…

-Tommy