LINK TO YOU TUBE "HOLIDAY ON HAMILL" VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyWiRGzmzfU&feature=channel_page

More Holiday On Hamill

More Holiday On Hamill

More Holiday On Hamill

It's Christmas on Hamill Street again, and here are a few interior pictures.

Displays, Holiday on Hamill 2008

Christmas Trees, Holiday on Hamill 2008

The HAMILL STREET saga of the POSSUM FAMILY.

Monday, April 14th 2008 proved to be one of the most unusual and interesting days in our seven year history here on Hamill Street. Bobby and I have both been concerned in recent weeks with strange noises we were hearing from inside the shower enclosure area in our bathroom near the pool. In the morning and later evening we were hearing what were essentially "scratching" sounds coming from behind the walls. We tried to evaluate it, and attempted to remedy it with an ultrasonic pest repellent. It didn't work, so we decided to open the wall and take a look. We were expecting no more than a couple of mice or a squirrel, so after Bobby left for work on Monday morning, Thom got out his trusty dry wall saw, and cut a whole approximately 5" x 10" into the wall next to the john in our '59 Chevy Motif bathroom. When the piece of dry wall fell inside the wall, Thom found himself literally face to face with a Momma possum, and an indeterminate number of her offspring. Understandably, a quick fix cover was made for over the hole, and a whole new set of problems were now needed to be addressed.

A frantic series of telephone calls followed to animal control, to several pest control companies, and eventually to the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. They referred me to a couple of companies that did actual "removals". Most other suggestions involved setting traps and waiting for the animals to wander into them, which could have taken weeks. Once we realized we had a family living in our walls, getting them removed seemed an immediate concern, so I called a company called VEXCON. They were very cooperative, and promised to take care of the situation immediately. That proved to be a defining moment for the day.

Soon after the call to VEXCON, I received a call back from a young man who said he represented a movie company, and could they film the removal of our possums. I said sure, thinking it would be for a commercial for the company or something like that. I called Bobby and advised him of what was going on, wishing he could be here to help with what was apparently becoming a "project" of a much bigger dimension than originally envisioned. Little did we know what was yet to come for the day.

The "filming" turned out to be sponsored by a new reality show for A&E called "BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR". It's a new show which will premier on A&E in the fall, and will feature "BILLY" doing unusual pest removals, much in the format of the "DIRTY JOBS" program already airing. The "possum project" seemed just right for a segment on this new show, and within minutes a crew of 8 men, plus BILLY showed up at 303 Hamill and began setting up for what would be a full day of "shooting". Unfortunately, Bobby was working, and because of that the show was set up with Thom as the home owner, and principal "protagonist" in this endeavor. They arrived here early in the morning, and left around 7 PM. It took most of the day to remove the 5 (yes - FIVE) baby possums, and set a trap for the Mama possum which will be removed today (Tuesday the 15th).

What follows here is a series of pictures we managed to take while the A&E crew was here working, and of BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR doing his job. He is a real character himself, and a truly nice man who is careful to do his work without harm to the "critters" he is charged with removing.

Here are a couple of links to sites related to BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR.

LOUISIANA MOVIES BLOG

VEXCON (Billys Company)

When we know the air date for this show, we will send out an E-mail to "alert the media".

This was our introduction to the BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR show, and the beginning of one of the most interesting and strange days of our life here in Oil City. Paul was the first to arrive at the house to evaluate the situation, and see if it was worth of a segment on the show. He, and subsequently the director, were "blown away" by what they found, and were eager to proceed with the project.

There were the first vehicles to arrive. It felt like an invasion of the "MEN IN BLACK".

BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR'S vehicle, the first to arrive.

Our first view of BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR. This isn't what we expected. But then the events of the day turned out to be totally unexpected as well.

The arrival of the A&E crew on Hamill Street was a real event. We really didn't know what to expect, but this group could not have been more friendly, informative, and helpful.

Billy and Harland (the director) begin to set up the sequence of events for the day.

The A&E crew beginning to set up for this "shoot". They had incredible HD digital equipment, and were kind enouogh to share everything with us as they proceeded to get us all ready. This is Dusty, and Leo the sound man.

BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR about to embark on his quest in the Butenhoff bathroom!!

This is where it all began. Our modest second bathroom, here stripped of any decoratiion just in case the "critters" get lose inside. The brown wooden area in the lower center behind the "john" is the access point we originally opened, and where we first saw our unwanted residents. This area proved to be too difficult for the extraction.

Billy's foot is the last of him to disappear under the house in an attempt to lure the possums out from underneath, after the failed attempt to get them out through the bathroom.

After the attempt UNDER the house, the only remaining possibility was to go through the outside wall and try to get into the area under the shower stall where the nest and been built, and where there was great hiding space.

This was the hole that had to be created to reach into the space in the bathroom where the possum family had nested. After the attempt in the cramped bathroom space, this seemed like the only realisitc way of getting them all out.

Trying to reach into this incredibly difficult space to retrieve what turned out to be a Mama and 5 baby possums was a daunting task. When asked, Billy said this was really kind of a "routine" job.

The A&E crew worked very hard, and in tight spaces to try to capture this event. Luckily, the weather was breezy, cool and clear.

A job well done for Billy. It took most of the afternoon, as between each capture they had to wait about 20 minutes or so for the possums to "regroup" and attempt to reach the food source again.

These are our five "youngsters". Billy estimated their age at about 8 weeks. They will be taken to shelter, reunited with their Mama, cared for and eventually released.

BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR and THOM reflect on the unexpected activities of the day.

We were losing daylight, and positioning the final shots was becoming difficult, and the crew worked hard to maintain the professionalism they exhibited all day.

At the end of this process, they do a sort of "wrap-up" interview where I was prompted through a series of questions about the end of the day. I had to pose with my possum "children", who were just as ready for this to be over as I was.

So VEXCON and BILLY THE EXTERMINATOR saved us from the invasion of the possum family. We are ever grateful to them, and the A&E staff, and thank them for the time effort and entertainment they provided us on April 14th, 2008. It will be a day not soon forgotten.

March 2008 was the time of another cross country auto trip to visit family and friends mainly in Florida. We left on Wednesday the 12th, and arrived in Columbus GA that same day for a family visit. We traveled next to Hollywood FL, with a side trip to Delray Beach, then the short hop to Ft. Lauderdale. From there we visited friends in Sun City Center FL, which included many wonderful beach front seafood meals, and sight seeing trips to the Marie Sibley Botanicals in Sarasota, and Solomon's Castle outside Sun City Center. We ended the trip on beautiful Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach, with a visit to the exclusive "PLANTATION" golfing and residential resort area, with Seldon and Susie Bird as our gracious hosts. We want to thank Tom, Mary, Elisa, Joe, Wally, Estelle, Norris, Randy, Jimi, Jack, Leslie, Stan, Edna, Seldon, Susie, Helen and Samantha and Imogene for making this trek a real joy. We would love to have each and every one of you visit us here in lovely OIL CITY Louisiana!! (P.S. Our friend here is a close neighbor {not a relative} of Jack and Leslie Goth in Sun City Center. He was there daily to entertain us.)

Our first stop on our 12 day sojourn was to Columbus GA to visit with Bobby's sister Mary, her husband Tom, and niece Elisa. We had a great home cooked dinner there, and enjoyed a real family evening.

Our first stop in Florida was with Wally and Joe, long time friends of Thom's from Jackson Heights Queens.

These were our hosts in Ft. Lauderdale, Norris and Randy. Thom knew them through an old friend in Provincetown, and they moved to Ft. Lauderdale from Michigan. It had been 22 years since their last visit together.

This is a view along the side of Norris and Randy's dock on the side of their home. It is a beautiful setting.