Finally, A Roof Over Our Heads

I thought yesterday was going to be a busy day. I mean, my appointment calendar looked like this:

• 5:35 - Walk the doggies
• 7:15 - Take Shower
• 8:10 - Move Generator Out From Its Cubby
• 8:30 - Terrence Here To Check Out/Repair Generator
• 9:00 - Pick Up Edna (Housekeeper)
• 12:00 - Kent Here To Deliver Sewn Shade Cloth
• 12:30 - Eat Lunch
• 1:00 - Begin Setting Up Shade Cloth Over Pool
• 2:00 - Return Edna Home
• 5:30 - Appointment For Install of Permanent Crown
• 6:15 - Jing Jing Store
• 6:25 - Chon Kong Chinese Restaurant

Looks pretty good doesn't it? It was all just going to happen like clockwork. Instead, here's what actually happended:

• 5:35 - Walk the doggies
• 7:15 - Take Shower
• 8:10 - Move Generator Out From Its Cubby
  
• 8:30 - Terrence Here To Check Out/Repair Generator
• 9:00 - Pick Up Edna (Housekeeper)
  
• 12:00 - Kent Here To Deliver Sewn Shade Cloth
• 12:30 - Eat Lunch
• 1:00 - Begin Setting Up Shade Cloth Over Pool
• 2:00 - Return Edna Home
• 5:30 - Appointment For Install of Permanent Crown
• 6:15 - Jing Jing Store - Purchase Canned Cat Food
• 6:25 - Chon Kong Chinese Restaurant - Purchase 2 Fried Chicken Dinners

Notice there's a couple of key players who are missing from the list. I called Terence. His wife had the car and he was almost done with the shade cloth.

Edna wanted to come yesterday so she could get a jump on the Easter holiday. I kept my appointment at Dra. Monica's for her to fit and install my permanent crown.

Kitties were about to experience a severe food shortage. They were completely out of canned cat food. I also had to stop and get some fried chicken for us.

Here's what happened today:


5:35 - Walk the doggies
7;15 - Take Shower Thought I'd take one after Terrence and Generator

8:00 - Set Empty Belikin Cases Out For Exchange

8:10 - Move Generator Out From Its Cubby

8:30 - Terrence Here To Check Out/Repair Generator

12:00 - Kent Here To Deliver Sewn Shade Cloth
12:30 - Eat Lunch
1:00 - Begin Setting Up Shade Cloth Over Pool
2:00 - Visit Shanti To Change Money
2:20 - Visit Kent, Pay Remainder
3:30 - Put Ladders And Tools Away

I thought I'd be smart and wait till after Terence was finished to take a shower.

Of course like any proper piece of machinery, the generator fired on the first pull for Terrence, after baffling me for a couple of months with no luck in starting the generator. Perfect. Terrence's visit here was so short, he refused to accept even a token payment, saying he was just glad that the generator was working and wished me a happy Easter. A nice guy, for sure.

I got sidetracked on a couple of small projects after he left. I figured I could take a shower at noon, because Kent wouldn't show up during the lunch hour.  I was just ready to step into the shower when I heard "Hello?" coming from the vicinity of the front gate. I hurridly threw my shorts back one and opened up the back screen door. Sure enough. It was Kent with the shade cloth.

Not a problem so far, right? Wrong. When I set out the Belikin cases, I set out 4 since we have a long holiday weekend staring right at us (Good Friday and Easter are official holidays here). In order to get four full ones back from the beer truck, I had to part with two-hundred Belize dollars. Which meant that I didn't have enough cash to pay Kent.

I told him I'd bring the remainder by his house right after lunch. Of course, Dianna and I began attaching the shade cloth to the awning support wires. Long about 2:15 PM, I remembered I still owed Kent a pile of money.

So, Into the car I jumped and hit Shanti's, then over to Kent's to pay the final tally. Then it was run back to the house and jump into the pool for a while and eventually, to put the ladders and tools, etc., away.

Here's some shots I took of the awning.

Here's the piles just as Kent and I had dumped them on the deck. All nicely sewn and clean.

Shade Cloth Has Arrived

A little different view showing there actually are two separate piles and Dianna keeping an eye on everything too.

It Is In Two Pieces

Dianna and I mounted our ladders and began the job of attaching the caribiners to the wire rope and and shade cloth. Here's the result. It's still kinda of rough, but as we really don't know what we're doing (shhh! That's a trade secret right there), there's still plenty of things we have to figure out about installing an awning.

One Part Suspended Looking East

Here's a nice view showing what it's like under the shade cloth. Dianna was testing things out to see if it made a big enough difference. She said enthusiastically that it really did!

Looking From Underneath

 And another view. Not bad, if I do say so myself. I've developed a shopping list of more bits and pieces I need to get and install prior to it being used.

Looking West

 Of course when I took the girls for walkies this morning, I bought six nice green apples, so we could slice them up and give them to the iguanas on the dock. Of course, wasn't till late in the afternoon, that one of the big guys came back and we could toss him a bit of an apple.

Our Friend Is Back

 Unfortunately, I think it may have spooked him and he took off. Before he did, I managed to grab a couple more shots of him (or her - How do you tell"?).

Not Sure He Trusts Me

Right after this next one, he jumped into the canal and swam to the other side.

Almost Ready To Run