Today Was Sort Of The Day, But Not Really

This morning, I again get to the property bright and early... A little after 7:30AM a worker shows up, and promptly mixes up some mortar and begins finishing the parging of the septic tank.

Starting the Morning's Work

He works on it for a while, but it's apparent to me that nothing is going to happen with the well house, as far as removing the rest of the forms or finishing the hatch.

I had to make a run to get gas from my "contact" and to the airstrip to send some papers to our financial advisor via FedEx.

At the airstrip, I got the papers on their way, but the person working the counter wearing a Tropic Air polo shirt told me it wouldn't go out till Monday, as FedEx doesn't work on Saturdays or Sundays - even though he's doing the FedEx stuff for me. Not a problem. It apparently will get to Olympia on Wednesday or Thursday, so that's fine with me.

I got back to the site in time to catch the final finishing of the septic tank, and mentioned I wanted to meet with Isidoro. "Oh, he was just here, but he had to go get blocks for some of his other guys for another project", he said as he's putting his trowels into his knapsack.

Final Finishing Touches

It's apparent nothing else is getting done today. After all, it's Belize, Mon. I asked him to have Isidoro give me a call when he has a chance.

Shortly before I left the site, Dianna called and told me the "current" was out again. We'd lost water again earlier in the morning, now the current. I knew Dianna had bought a fair bit of food in anticipation of Elsie (our previous house guest) coming back into town this afternoon, and I knew she was worried that it might go bad.

A couple of days before, I had bought a commercial grade generator from National Hardware, and had left it in the box, just storing it in the meat house with the other stuff.

My New 56kW Generator

On the way home, I stopped and asked Cody and Anthony if they could come over in a bit and help me unpack the generator and get it set up. About a half hour later, they showed up and in about another half hour we had it fired up and running. Cody came up with a really long extension cord, which I connected to the fridge and we left the generator running. Loud but running.

Later in the afternoon, Isidoro stopped by and I got the rest of the story... He didn't want to remove the forms until Friday to give the roof plenty of time to dry and set properly. Ok, that made sense. It would have been nice to have known that a few days ago, but I can live with it.

He's also going to give me an estimate on building a fence around the property. We talked about the type of job I expected, other fences he had worked on, etc.

So, it looks like the project will really finish on Friday, now. Till it changes again.

After that, still without power or water, about 2:30PM, Elsie called from the Corozal Bus Terminal - she was back. And about that same time we had gotten power restored, so Dianna wanted to stay home to add the rest of the ingredients to her stew.

I jumped in the Isuzu and went downtown to the bus station and picked up Elsie. As I pulled up and jumped out, I grabbed the camera and snapped a picture of her just as she was coming out of the station.

Welcome Back Elsie

We got back to the house in a few minutes, and relaxed on the porch having a beer and bringing the three of us up on all that had happened since she left in July. Then we went for dinner at Patty's Bistro Restaurant in Corozal.

Finally, we have both water and electricity - for now. All things considered, it's just another normal Saturday here in paradise.

Tomorrow's the Workday - Not Today

So, this morning I got to the work site a little after 7:00AM, figuring I'd beat the workers there for once. Usually when I show up, at least one is already on site and "turning and burning", as we used to say in the canoe club.

First thing I did was grab the camera and climbed up the ladder to snap a picture of the well hatch they poured yesterday morning. This is it still in it's plastic bag liner - we use that to keep the newly poured concrete from sticking to the older concrete of the roof pour. When we take the forms out from under the roof, we'll remove the plastic bag - just lift up the hatch and pull it off, then plunk the hatch back into its spot.

Hatch Poured and Cured

Being the diligent boss that I am, it seems I'm always policing up the work area (or is that being anal?). This morning, I moved all the wood and leftover blocks into neat piles, more or less by size and type.

A Neat and Tidy Work Area

So, after finishing that, I sat in the Isuzu and listened to the morning show on LoveFM. It's a call-in type show on the radio where people call in to complain or compliment government or any other organization, and to announce public happenings, that sort of thing.

Workers this morning were somewhat scarce... As in 8:00AM coming and leaving and no workers. I called Isidoro to see if I misunderstood that they were maybe going to the Free Zone to work today instead of coming here. Turns out, because of the rain last night, they felt it was too wet at the site to work today, so they were off to the Free Zone. Saturday will be the day for completion.

Ok. We be flexible. I zoomed home and coerced Dianna into going with me to breakfast at Miss June's. Then we went grocery shopping to get ready since Elsie's coming back for a day or two. She's been in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, doing some diving, after spending the past couple of months at her daughter's home in Canada.

Oh, a couple of other things that I did accomplish this morning... I got hold of Andy at National Hardware and got the names and phone numbers of the two guys he recommends as being skookum on well pump setup. Additionally, I bought 100' of 3/8" nylon line to use as a safety line for the well pump. I also got a call back from Mr. Williams, the surveyor. He'll be meeting me Saturday at the property to talk about surveying the place. Timely since I'm about ready to start fencing it.

One other thing I did was play around with a so-so photo I snapped on the back side of Villa's Hardware. I manipulated it to look like an oil painting - more or less. See what you think.

Van Gogh - The Early Years

The Last Little Bit and a Complication

It seems to me that the last bit of the well house project is taking an excruciatingly long time. Yesterday, the 26th, I got to the site and one worker was already there, parging away. Then about 9:00AM, Isidoro showed up. With both doing the parging they managed about an hour's work. That was it for the day. Mostly, because the roof needs another day or two to set up.

So, I went home and did some reading and watching movies on the tube. Don't get to do much of either it seems when you're working on construction projects.

Then today, I got there about 7:30AM, and again a worker was there hard at the parging. Being a repeat of the previous day, Isidoro showed up and they were able to parge some more and to pour the hatch in the roof that is over the well. That was it for the project.

Tomorrow, they will finish the well house, pulling off the rest of the forms, and finishing the parging on the well house as well as the back side of the septic tank.

As we left the property, Isidoro guided me into town to meet the guy that makes steel doors, since I need to get two made for the well house.

I met Rafie, who runs a little factory off of College Street (Vasco Windows and Doors) making not only steel doors, but burglar bars, hurricane shutters, windows, and roll-type shutters, etc. He has about six or seven guys working there, cutting and assembling all sorts of windows and doors.

Rafie had his estimator go with me back to the property to take measurements of the doorways and to find out exactly what I was looking for. When we got back to his shop, the estimator turned over his drawings to the office clerk, who phoned Rafie (on his way to work in the Free Zone) to discuss the price. Turns out for the two doors, all metal, jambs, locks, and installation included, the cost is going to be about $450BZ. They apologized for the fact that they won't be able to install them till sometime next week. Of course, I get to inspect the doors prior to installation. So, that's basically all taken care of.

I also talked to Isidoro about doing a concrete and chain-link fence for our property. He's interested, but can't start till week after next. We're going to talk about it this weekend. Something else getting ready to be checked off. Geez, I'm making progress.

The only downer today was the fact that about 12:30AM last night we lost water. I thought maybe it was us, a broken pipe or something. Not so, I found out when I met with the worker this morning. He said it was out all over Corozal.

After I got back to the house from doing the doors, I called Belize Water Service to see if they had an estimate on when water service would be restored. A little after noon the lady on the phone told me. Noon came and went... About 2:30PM, I called again and and was told the latest estimate was for 5:00PM. Guess what came and went too.

Finally, we managed to get a trickle of water, enough to flush the toilet about 8:30PM tonight. I hope it's enough to manage a shower apiece tonight. Going the whole day with no shower is no fun at all

Short Work Day Today

Today started off well - no rain, some breeze, a little sunshine. I thought to myself, "The guys will probably come close to finishing the project today".

Yup. Well, so much for pipe dreams. I got to the property about 7:30AM, unlocked the wheelbarrows and shovels, grabbed my cordless drill climbed atop the well house and unscrewed the hatch form. I knocked it loose from the surrounding concrete with a 2.5 lb. sledge hammer, and took it out. Cleaned the little bit of debris from the hole and laid some plastic sheet in it so they could pour concrete in it to form the hatch.

the Well House

Still Some to Do

A little later, about 8:15 with no workers showing up, I called Isidoro, thinking maybe I had misunderstood about leaving early yesterday, that they also weren't showing up today too. Isidoro was surprised that they weren't here as he had asked them to arrive early today.

the Septic Tank - Just the Backside to Finish

He drove over and apologized. He said he was on his way to work in the Free Zone today, and again that the guys were supposed to have been there early. He said they'd be there tomorrow and early.

I told him that it wasn't a problem, that I had other stuff I could get done in the meantime and that I'd see him tomorrow. I locked up the tools and that was that for work. As I was doing that, Isidoro asked what I was going to do about doors for the well house. That was a good question. I asked if he knew someone who did that? He's going to put me in touch with a guy who lives on College Street who does steel doors and burglar bars, etc. Another item on the checklist semi-checked off.

I left the site and went to fetch Dianna to take her to Dr. Garcia's so she could get a test to try and get a handle on her prodigious perspiration problem that has been plaguing her since we moved down here. Last time we visited the doctor, I saw a print he had hanging in his waiting room. A really old naval battle scene about 3' x 4', framed in a simple wooden frame. The print is slightly the worse for wear, with several wrinkles and marks. I remembered to bring my camera today.

Naval Battle Scene in Dr. Garcia's Office

Maybe the next time I visit him, I'll remember to ask if he knows the name of the print, or the name of the battle or vessels.
Finally, last evening we were sitting watching the tube (BBC America, of course). Dianna happened to notice the setting sun shining on the cactus beside our driveway. I really had a nice highlight. I caught the last vestiges of the brightness, but by the time I got out there, it was already fading.

Some Sort of Cacti

Rain Delay

What is this, the Northwest? Didn't I say that earlier? What gives? Enough already! We've got work to do here. These continual rain delays really drag these projects out. First, it's tropical waves, then tropical depressions, then tropical storms, then Hurricanes... Now this, pretty much, drizzle punctuated by thunder and a brief heavy downpour and more drizzle.Did I say turn on the waterworks, huh, did I?!

Yesterday, we barely avoided a rain delay, but the guys finished pouring the roofs about two hours before the deluge began, so the roofs had a good chance to set before getting drenched.

Trash House and Well House Roofs Showing Hatches - Trash Above

Trash House and Well House Roofs Showing Hatches - Well Hatch Above

This morning began warm and humid with no breeze to speak of. Good enough to do stuccoing or parging, depending on your wont (not won't - wont, meaning what you're accustomed to in Middle English). Pretty cool word, huh? I haven't used it in years. It just sort of popped up.

Here's the guys removing the outer framing for the forms, leaving the load-bearing parts till tomorrow, as the roof probably isn't strong enough yet to be unsupported.

Pulling off the Outer Frame

Removing Parts of the Forms

After pulling of the frames, they got right to work parging the outside walls. It starts with slinging mud (mortar) at the wall to ensure good adhesion.

Carrying Water

 and Slinging Mud

After the mud has been slung (no political punning intended), then they add an additional coat and begin smoothing it out as below right illustrates.

Slung Mud

and Smooth Mud

And, of course, they're doing the same thing to the septic tank, so that part of the project nears completion as well.

Slinging Mud

and Smoothing Mud on the Tank

And, of course, work stopped at about 11:30AM, because, you guessed it - rain. Followed by more rain and yet more rain. Our driveway from the highway is becoming all but impassable since it consists of about 8 or 9 inches of mud. All this rain just makes the problem worse.

Well, we are in the rainy season. I thought it was supposed to be winding down, but what do I know?

Work on the Well House

This morning, I got to the property about a half hour before the workers showed up, so I unlocked the barrows and tools. Taking one of the wheelbarrows, I began loading the left-over blocks and hauling them over to the septic drain field to build a temporary protective barrier.

I had backed into the berm twice and figured if I could do it and knew and appreciated the significance of the berm, what would some ignoramus that didn't give a hoot, do?

The Drain Field Barrier

Let's see, gray skies, drizzle, goes on for most of the day... Are we back in the Northwest? Naww, it's just one of those weird days down here that happen once in a while. It sort of slowed things down for the guys doing the concrete work.

After parging the inside of the structure, they had to cover it with a tarp in order to keep the rain from damaging the stucco, as they call it.

Trash Bin - Street Side

Well House - Canal Side

This morning, once the guys got there, framing up the forms for the roof pours began to move forward quickly. Both yesterday and today, I made several trips with lumber to Tony's house to cut it to required lengths for the forms.

Trash Bin Form Takes Shape

Myo Framing Up the Well House

The shots below show the guys finishing the form for the well house. It's amazing how well this technique works.

Finishing up the Well House Roof Form

Finishing up the Well House Roof Form

Final Touches On the Well House Form

Esidoro Setting up Form Framing

Now it's moving. A three bag mix of cement, sand and gravel takes shape in the road. A big mix. I was at Villa's Supply this morning getting concrete and wood nails when Isidor called me on the cellphone. We need five bags of cement. I added them to the nail purchase and loaded the works in the Isuzu. Let me tell you the Isuzu is not built to haul 400 pounds of cement - it forced me to drive very gingerly back to the work site from Villa's.

3-Bag Mix Getting Done

Somewhere along the way, since we don't have a Porta-Potty on site, I had to answer nature's call. Well, while I was discretely doing so, I noticed a hole in the ground beside an uprooted poisonwood tree. When I was done answering the call, I looked around to see if I could get a better position for a picture. I couldn't get too close as all the downed trees right there are poisonwood. So, I just picked the best site I could find and snapped three successive view for your enjoyment.

Looks Like a Little Hole

Looks a Bit Bigger

Whoops - Don't Get Too Close!

As disconcerting as finding a hole like this is (it's on the neighbor's property to the north, not Jeff and Barb's), it's fairly common here because of the limestone substructure all around. About all you can do besides hoping it's not too big is to fill it in with as many loads of fill as it takes - hence the hoping it's not too big. This one looks fairly good sized, but not being able to get too close, I don't know for sure. I haven't heard of any one fall in one. In this case, the water table is only three or so feet from the surface, so you wouldn't free fall for a long ways. But still, it'll be a pain for someone someday.

While working on the well house, I noticed bees, flies and ants kept converging on a spot on a poisonwood antidote tree (Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba)). What it turned out to be was a natural water hole in the crotch of the tree that collects rain water. This little pond is extremely popular and is visited by all kinds of bugs (and probably other small critters as well) all day long.

The Watering Hole
(bicycle handlebar to right for scale)

There's a good picture of a poisonwood tree trunk and the trunk of the antidote tree at: http://family.webshots.com/photo/1114374244053444091BlscQe

More on Independence Day Parades

Indented below is the old text for this entry. The software gods finally relented and allowed me to upload more pictures - granted only two at a time instead of the usual five at a time. But, who's complaining.

This should be where I would load up more hopefully interesting pictures covering the Independence Day parades here in Corozal Town. Unfortunately, the software is acting up and for the past couple of days, hasn't let me upload any pictures.

Trust me, they were all really cool parades and all the pictures were amazing and, well, picturesque... That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

So, to carry on with the story... As with the previous Independence Day entry, the first photos are of the Children's parades that came the day before the big carnival parade.

Here's a small group of kids who apparently escaped parade duty and got to watch from the sidelines.

Taking in the Sights

They weren't the only ones with a great view of the parade around the central town square. This gent, atop one of the original Fort Barlee walls (circa 1876), is taking in the view and enjoying the sun.

Viewing the Parade

With a children's parade, schools are a big part. Here's a few more representations. It's amazing how many schools are in this area.

Schools on Parade

Schools on Parade

More Schools on Parade

More Schools on Parade

And One More For Good Measure

During a parade, sometimes there's a parade within the parade. These folks were on their way during a short break in the parade action.

Hitching a Ride

Ok, now we move on to the following day, Independence Day, and the Carnival Parade. The kids below, really struck me, so I snapped them as the parade marches past.

The Gang of Three

Here's an interesting fish float for one of the participating organizations.

Fish Tales

Gearing up for the many "jump-ups" after the parade - dances, that is, to you northerners. They pretty much all involve really loud music, and lots of reggae and soca, trance and dancehall, local punta music is very popular too. Dianna and I really like reggae and soca, especially roots reggae and soca, cause its fast and flashy.

To get that loud sound just right takes a jump-up sound system like the wall of sound below. Out of sight in the front of the float is the sound board, amps, and generator. It literally produces a clear wall of sound... Follow the leader, leader, leader... Follow the leader, leader...

A Wall of Sound

Hey, here's someone enjoying the parade. She does look kinda familiar.

Dianna Enjoying the Parade

Everybody wants a good place to watch a parade. Like in Olympia with folks placing their chairs at their favorite vantage point a day or two before a parade. These two ladies obviously know someone who runs the Texaco station in town. They're up on the roof of the station having a good time.

A Good View

As with the earlier parades, schools make up a lot of the participants. On the right below are students from one of the technical schools in the area, to the left is the teacher's union.

More Parade Organizations

More Parade Organizations

Students Parading in Their spiffy Uniforms

Students Parading in Their spiffy Uniforms

Here's a shot up the street of some of the crowd watching the parade.

Some of the Crowd

and More Students

and Yet More Students

Some of the Chinese community (remember the dragons from earlier?) passing out candy to the crowd. No liability problems here!

Passing out the Loot

What would a parade be without girls in nice dresses and tiaras with that corny "royal wave"?

Royalty on Parade

No Shriner's with their mini-bikes... Here we have the full-sized thing from a local cycle club

Some Hot Bikes on Parade

Some political and military dignitaries took part in Corozal's Independence Day Parade.

Big Wig's on Parade

The celebration theme this year - Independent, Strong, and Free! Echoed in banner after banner throughout the whole parade.

Banners and banners

A proud participant in the parade, the Ministry of Works. These are the folks responsible, day in and day out for maintaining our potholes in their pristine and plentiful condition.

Potholes R Us!

This school is located on the highway leading toward Orange Walk. I think it's funded by the Mexican government as a good will gesture.

Yet Another School

Well, we didn't have the Shriner's mini-bikes, but we did score the Mexican Police Motorcycle Drill Team. These guys really thrilled the crowd. A big hit for sure.

Mexican Police Stunting on Two Wheels

More Mexican Police

Mexico helped with the Independence Day parade and celebrations by providing several units to the parade. Below is a drum and bugle unit of the Mexican State Police from Quintana Roo (the state where Chetumal is located). Very good sound - tight!

Mexican Police Drum Corps

Here's my favorite unit. I have no idea where these guys are from. They really looked rag-tag, but they played pretty good and were my favorite band.

The Rag Tag Guys