Little Bit of Tuesday

It's Tuesday, 29 November, 2016.

Great Big Hole In the Fence

Wouldn't you know it. They've knocked a great big hole in our fence. Actually, it sort of looks like a painting in a way. They have to tear it down to the footings and then some, in order to repair and build it back up.

Footing Offers Resistance

Endher and Danny busy breaking up the concrete footing. Tough stuff and seems to be a lot of it. Surprised the fence failed there. Well, no, I'm not. Considering all the damage we had with the pool.

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Here's the metalwork from the fence that was taken out till the concrete work gets redone. This was originally made (as were all the fence pieces) by our Godson, Isiael Pech, over in Guinea Grass.

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The painter was here today. He even got a start on painting the inside of the pump house. That will really brighten up the interior.

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Rene is working on replacing an awkward curb and stair arrangement that had no reason other than it grew because of several other projects, into what it was. Soon to be replaced with a small ramp so Dianna can go up that way as well.

Whatzit Has A Name

I had a devil of a time getting pictures and a description of this little critter to post to the Creatures of Belize Facebook page. Finally managed it around 2:15 PM or so this afternoon.

Papi Thomas wins the prize for the quickest response in answering my query, as well as being pretty much right - a Moray and mentioning that there are over 700 species of eel.

Next was Bob Lazell. He nailed it when he said it was one of the 'swamp eels.' Bob and I go back about 40-some years, huddled around the radar scopes and Dead Reckoning Tracer in the USCGC Boutwell's Combat Information Center (CIC). We'd 'lost contact' with each other until just recently, thanks to Facebook. The 'lost contact' is kind of an inside joke as we were Radarmen (now called Operations Specialists). Leave it to Bob to know about my swamp eel. He should. His wife has a PhD in Marine Biology.

Russell Gray wins the accuracy in reporting prize by providing the nomenclature and link. It's name is Ophisternon aenigmaticum, much classier than Whatzit. The common name is: Obscure Swamp Eel. Here's the link: (http://www.fishbase.org/summary/27762). He's what you call an expert.

Regina Allen was next with her suggestion of a salamander. Probably pretty close. I think there are some legless salamanders out and about. I don't know if there are any in Belize.

Ed Lamar came next. He commented about us having weird critters down here. Ed's up in Washington State, where Dianna and I came from. Ed and I worked together at the Washington Emergency Management Division for many years. He was one of our Emergency Operations Officers, helping to run the State Alert and Warning Center at the Washington State Emergency Operations Center (EOC). There's a link to the Division on the right side of this page, if you're curious.

Kristina Nadreau suggested another critter expert in Punta Gorda. I never could make contact with him however.

Gillian Kirkwood via Zoe Walker suggested that Paul Walker might know. Is there a relationship there? I never contacted Paul either. Sounds like Zoe might be an expert too. She agreed with Russell's comment. I know Gillian because when Dianna broke her hip, Gillian and her husband Gordon, most generously allowed me to share their home in Belize City for the ten days that Dianna was at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. I don't think you'd find two people more dedicated to animal rights and helping rescue animals (and the occasional stray student) throughout Belize. It was a pleasure to have stayed with Gillian and Gordon, the most wonderful and caring people you'd ever want to meet.

Last of the list was Colleen Steege, our soon to be almost neighbor, across the highway a bit, in Ranchito, the neighboring village to Corozal. She wanted details, and right now! Colleen was over here doing some bead crafting with Dianna (they were drinking wine too). She helped me finally get the photos and my description posted to the Creatures of Belize Facebook page. I owe you, Colleen.

Thanks everyone for your efforts. I appreciate each of you providing input. Your prizes are in the mail.
                                                                                            

Back To Work, It's Monday

Monday, 28 November, 2016. A glorious, sunshiny day. Doggies got to walk this morning. It was a Vivi's meat pie kinda day, mostly because the taco lady in front of Gomez Cementomaya on Seventh Avenue had barely set up her table. Normally, I would wait till she opened for business, but with Mario's crew coming at 7:30 AM, time is of the essence.

So, here we are with another day's activities.

Talking Over Doing the Diamond Brite

It was a bit of a surprise this morning. Carlos was in the Mennonite house downstairs (the basement), looking for a bucket. He opened this one bucket and, lo and behold, there was an almost full bag of Diamond Brite. I had looked for it earlier and couldn't find it.

Perfect timing, as Mario's crew had run out of the stuff, so work on the deck was at a standstill till more Diamond Brite came in.

Now, there's only two small sections, one on either side of the waterfall, that need to get covered. I don't know if they'll be able to seal the deck with those bits still bare or not. In any case, for the next few days, there's the fence corner that will keep them busy.

Diamond Brite Around the Railing

Here's how the deck around the pool railing turned out. I think it looks pretty good. It makes the railing look more like part of the pool than the way we had it before.

Starting  Work On the Fence

Here's the fence corner I mentioned. Errol is digging out the garden area to expose the fence footing. They're planning to work pretty much just the corner, rebuilding the corner column to reattach the chain link and top rail to the column, and rework the area of the fence to the far side of the trench on the dock, pretty much to keep costs down. It would be nice to have the whole back fence redone, but that will have to wait for another day.

Removing the Steel Part of the Fence

Getting ready to remove the metal part of the fence. That will be replaced after the corner and block work is completed.

Our Friendly Whatsit?

Here's a little guy the workers found in the mud while digging the footing out. As I wrote on Facebook,

Workers repairing my fence beside the canal that opens onto Corozal Bay found this little critter in the mud where they are working. 

At first we thought it was an earthworm, similar color. But it has eyes, likes or tolerates being in brackish water, about 4-5" long, long narrow tail with long fin on top. Also appears to have something like whiskers under the mouth area, and can slightly puff up back part of its head. 

Like I said, they found it in the mud. My guess is that it's some sort of eel. Anyone know, or know of somewhere on FB or the Web to check further?Thanks.

Colleen suggested I share it with the Creatures of Belize group on Facebook. I just did that. Hopefully, someone will come up and be able to tell us just what this little guy is.

Bashing Away At the Corner Post

After the steel was removed and after we were done ooh-ing and aww-ing over the little eel/worm/lizard/ guy, Endher worked at bringing the corner post down. I must say, he has a big-league swing with a sledge. It's obvious he has lots of experience with a 25-lb hammer. It will be down the rest of the way in the morning.

Lot of Progress in a Short Time

Time for a breather. Rene was still attacking the concrete binding the chain link to the fence while everyone else surveys their handiwork.

Anti-Dog Plastic Going up

The end of the work day. I had asked Endher if the guys could put up some sort of barrier across the opening to keep our dogs corralled. Here, they're stringing plastic sheeting across the void. That should do the trick.

Sunday is the Weekend

Sunday, 27 November, 2016. No workers today, and no doggies in their pen.

I cooked chili omelets this morning for breakfast. The eggs were new and fresh, the chili that went in the omelets was leftover from Saturday night's supper.

After breakfast, I decided to whip up some tuna salad for sandwiches - totally forgetting we were going to Jam Rock for bingo later on.

Last night I had read a tip, I think on Reddit, but it could have been Facebook, that if you put ½ teaspoon baking soda in the water as you boil eggs, the shells become very easy to separate from the eggs. By Jove, it worked. Not one hundred percent, but significantly better than the past few times I've done hard-boiled eggs.

The reason I mentioned eggs is that they were part of the ingredients for the tuna salad, four of them, along with half an onion, a dozen dill pickle slices, two sliced stalks of celery, a healthy dose of mustard, two cans of tuna in agua - drained, and, of course Hellman's Mayonnaise. Mix it all together, slap some between two slices of bread, add some chips of your choice, and you've got lunch. We'll have that tomorrow.

Sundays at Casa Winjama is laundry day. So, I fired up the trusty old wringer washer and tubs - Hah! My mom used a Westinghouse wringer washer until I left home to go in the Navy. She wasn't real keen on newer technology. Ok, I loaded the washer and pressed 'Start.'

Mr. Nelson In His Hideaway

 Doing the laundry did get off to a bit of a slow start. Nelson, since I didn't open his weekday hideaway downstairs in the Mennonite house, has, as his alternate hideaway, the laundry baskets when they're stored on the top shelf in the utility room of the new house.

Jam Rock's Proprietor, Rocky

 About 12:30 PM, we loaded up our stuff, including Dianna's go-kart, jumped into the Sport Trac and headed down to Jam Rock.

It's been a while since we've had burgers there, so Dianna and I splurged and each had a bacon cheese burger with fries. Yummers.

Mike Selling Bingo Cards

Bingo is usually at JamRock on Sundays, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Thanks to Rocky for allowing us all to enjoy the afternoon at JamRock playing Bingo.

Here you see Mike, of Mike and Terri, who run the game, selling Bingo cards to JamRock patrons, in this photo, it's members of an Orange Walk motorcycle club.

Cards usually go for three for $5.00 BZD. Three games played and it's time to get new cards. The money from card sales makes up the jackpot for each game, minus a bit for overhead.

Terri Issuing Pencils and HiLighters

Here's Terri, passing out pencils so players can mark their cards during the game. Terri also calls the games. Rocky has a nice sound system that works great for just that purpose.

Incidentally, the game of Bingo can trace its roots to the Arabian Peninsula around the 1500's. It passed on to Europe and eventually to the new world, well the British colonies, I guess.

Around 1929, the game became formalized as Bingo, having been known up to then as Beano and other variations. Several companies began marketing it, along with copies of the rules and it reached the form, more or less, that we know today.

Terri and the Shipley's

Today's game is a special one. the big jackpot, from the final game, is going to the Shipley's, whose restaurant, Shippley's Coffee Lounge Restaurant/Cafe, on Second Street, North, in Corozal, suffered a devastating fire a couple of nights ago. This is an effort to help them get back on their feet and reopen - soon, we hope. There is a Go Fund Me page that has been set up to help them rebuild (https://www.gofundme.com/reopen-shipleys-coffee-lounge). Please help, if you can.

Bingo Game One Getting Started

Bingo is about ready to get started. I had to rush this shot as Terri started calling numbers right after I snapped this. It's too easy to get behind doing other stuff, so I had to hurry.

Colleen and Bruce - Big Win Coming?

Here's our table mates concentrating on the game. This is probably the only photo I have seen of Colleen where she isn't 'on' for the camera. See? There just isn't time to fool around playing Bingo. Serious stuff!

Dianna Enjoying the Game

Even Dianna is hard at work on her cards. We had a great afternoon. It was a lot of fun. She's just enjoying herself way too much and grinning ear to ear.

Two Young Bingo Players

We even had a couple of young boys who got in on the action as well. They played seriously, just like the adults.







And, there you have it. Action-filled Sundays in Corozal. We live life to the fullest!

Once Again, It's Saturday

Saturday, 26 November, 2016.

I was watching a documentary movie about Keith Richard, Under the Influence, very nice stuff about him, who influenced him, even some of his very private family life. I got a nice quote from him, 'No one wants to get old, but no one wants to die young either.'

All the rain we got last evening and night was a sprinkling about 4:00 PM, so the Diamond Brite was able to set and harden up in great fashion. On with today's activities.

A not too unusual occurrence down here is stores running out of things just when you wanted or needed to buy it. Case in point with our project. The sky blue paint color that we are using on this project. It comes from Sherwin Williams paints in Corozal. They're out of the pigments needed to mix it (it's in their computer), and we need another gallon. Can't do anything about it except wait for it to come in. SW says probably this coming week. There you go.

Case in point again. Diamond Brite, the coating we're using as the final cover for the pool itself (the white stuff), comes from Island Pool Supply over in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. IPS says they'll be out of it for two weeks. Can't do anything about it except wait for it to come in. There you go (Didn't I just hear that somewhere?).

Luckily, we have another minor project for them to work on in the interim. Our fence at the very back. It broke due to the same issues that affected the pool. Mario's boys will be fixing that along with patching the dock hole and the remains of the ditch in the garden adjacent to the fence.

So, what's going to be happening this week is finishing the Diamond Brite edging on the pool, at least till it runs out, sealing the deck and ramp floors, hooking up wiring and plumbing for the waterfall motor, hooking up the new water supply for both the house and the pool, a small light above the waterfall, ramp railings and pump house door, and hooking up the deck lights and speaker, and screen doors with doggie doors for either side of the deck. I think that's about all the little stuff that's hanging fire.

Here's what happened Friday.

Diamond Brite Advances Today

Applying Diamond Brite to the edge and bull-nose of the pool. Also adding some to the patches on the pool floor.

Around the Spa It Goes

It looks quite dramatic around the spa. I think they stopped at the angle they did because they weren't quite sure how they were going to deal with the Diamond Brite around the pool hand rail.

Even Filling Patches on the Floor

Left over from each batch of Diamond Brite is being added to the patches on the pool floor.

Rene Working His Trowel On the North

Rene doing the bull-nose along the north side of the pool. It just looks so good when he's done with it.

One of Noel's Homemade Toys?

I think one of Noel's makeshift toys ended up draped over one the beams.

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Friday, But

This is Friday, 25 November, 2016. But, what happened to Thursday? Well, I'll tell you. We told the workers that there wan't any working here this Thursday. We didn't open the gate. The girls didn't have to go in their pen. Nelson did talk me into opening the basement so he could go for his daily constitutional.

All that because we were going over to David and Elizabeth's, along with Colleen and Bruce, to have some good old fashioned turkey, home-made mashed potatoes, gravy, sauteed vegetables, and a ton of dinner rolls (that was what Dianna and I brought). I kinda over-estimated how many rolls each person would eat.

It was a really nice feast. Beforehand, David and Elizabeth put together a very tasty cheese and bread board, with various cheeses from the Farm House Deli, over in Belmopan. They come to Corozal every two weeks, setting up their tent and tables on the front lawn at the Corozal House of Culture. They've got great Belize-made cheeses, breads, meats, pickles, garlic, and a whole lot of stuff. It's worth your while to stop by.

So, on with the show.

Glass Blocks Being Textured

After masking off the block faces, Rene then proceeded to apply texture to the block concrete work. The surrounding area is masked off with plastic sheeting, since the process is inherently messy. The texture is applied with a flinging motion of the trowel. It's all in the wrist.

Rene Texturing the Other Side

Here Rene is texturing the other side of the blocks.

Diamond Brite Going On At Last

A little bit of Diamond Brite is making its appearance. The crew is applying it to the bull-nose and a one-foot wide area on the deck.

They won't be able to do the whole pool right now. There's a two-week backlog in obtaining Diamond Brite from Island Pool Supply.

Adding Diamond Brite To Pool Edge

So, along with doing the bull-nose Diamond Brite, they'll be able to hook up the water supply so that the pool and house will have equal feeds, the waterfall pump will be hooked up electrically and with water, the hole in the dock and the corner area of the fence will be finished. They'll also be applying the roof shade fabric. Then truly, applying Diamond Brite to the whole pool will be about the last part of the project.

Showing the Edge Masking

Here's a view showing the masking of the area to be done. If they have enough Diamond Brite to do the pool edge, then that will allow them to also apply sealer to the deck, which should really bring the deck to life.

Block Area is Finished

Here's a view of the blocks after texturing and removal of the masking. Looks pretty nice. It'll look even better with the waterfall in action.

Showing the Ramp-Side of the Blocks

Here's a view of the blocks from the patio side. As designers say, 'It makes a dramatic statement.' It looks good too.

Midweek Workday

This is Wednesday, 23 November, 2016, with more work on the project.

Carlos and Jorge Sharpening Chainsaw

Carlos, our caretaker, pointed out to me a few days ago, that one of our trees near the front of the place, was dead as a doornail and probably posed a hazard.

This morning Carlos, along with his son Jorge, cut it down. Only the upper portion of the tree was rotten. The rest of the tree was very dense, and very hard wood, which caused Carlos to have to sharpen his chainsaw a couple of times.

Glass Blocks In Place

Glass blocks were actually never part of the grand design, but here they are. Well, the explanation is easy. We ended up with a one-foot wide hole between the waterfall area and the column because of design changes involving the waterfall.

What do you do with it? It seemed like too small an area to make a screen frame for. But, then what? Mario suggested maybe trying glass blocks. We jumped on board the idea. So, here it is,

Rene Chipping High Spots

We're almost ready to Diamond Brite the pool. Besides taking care of some old crack patches, there are several bumpy areas that need to be smoothed down so that when the new Diamond Brite coating is put down, that it's really smooth.

Small, heavy hatchets seem ideal for this task. That's what Rene is using in the photo.

The Caps Are Getting Painted

Mario's painter does an excellent job. Fast and methodical, I've never seen a drip or a 'painting outside the lines' error. The painting just looks excellent.

Bani Sanding Wood Filler

The blue screws used to secure the screen frames to the columns, beam, and deck were all counter-sunk. After they were done, each screw was then covered with wood filler and sanded smooth

Theo Cleaning Up Concrete on Blocks

The glass blocks are all installed and cemented into place. Theo is cleaning excess concrete off the face of the blocks. The next step in the process is to apply the terracotta texture to the concrete so that it all matches.

Floor Drain Full Run

Just so you can see the whole run of the deck drain. The drain was made from PVC square-shaped electrical conduit. The conduit cap was then routed by hand using a jig and careful measuring to get the evenly spaced openings.

This is close to forty-feet long. The exit for the drain is at the far end and is tied into the overflow drain for the pool. It's turned out just superb. I couldn't be happier with the result.

Glass Blocks Other Side

Just a view of the other side of the glass blocks. With the blue banding on each block, when viewing them in place, you get a hint of blue in each block.

Ramp Columns Done

The east ramp columns are ready for the railings to be installed. I think it's going to look seriously cool when it's done.

Endher Finishing Wood Frame

Endher is touching up each wood filler covered screw with stain and varnish so they match the rest of the frame.

Detail of Water Line

I asked the painter to paint each of the exposed PVC pipes, which he did. We wanted the deck drain left white as we thought that, although paint would give the PVC more UV resistance, that it just wouldn't hold up well, and would probably show chips and peels soon enough.

Tuesday, Tuesday

Here we are, at Tuesday, 22 November, 2016.

We got off swimmingly. Nelson was able to get into the basement for his daily constitutional. He's a happy camper. We have screens going in. It's starting to really look official now.

Shade Cloth Screens Going In

This view is looking outside on the west side from the ramp top landing. The shade cloth screening and frames really give it a finished look.

The View From Inside

Here's the same side, but from the inside now. Really gives a finished look to things, brings it all together.

Across the Back Side

This is the view along the back or north side. The last screen will probably go in tomorrow. They had to wait for the texturing to be applied to the wall right beside the waterfall to get the correct measurement for the frame.

Finishing Pressure-Washing

Pressure washing of the deck and ramps is almost done. Heading down the east ramp.

Pressure-Washing the Pool

And now in the pool. Quite a lot of chipping debris still in the pool. It all has to be removed before Diamond Brite can be applied.

Adding Hydraulic Cement to Cracks

The cracks that were cleaned out earlier are now getting filled with hydraulic cement before the Diamond Brite is applied.

Installing East Screen Door Transom

Doorway transoms are being installed as we speak. Those are screened as well. It is really starting to look finished now.

Theo Texturing Left Side Waterfall

The texturing I mentioned is being applied by Theo. That will allow the last screen frame to be installed on Wednesday.

Mario Actually Working

Our contractor, Mario Zettina, brought a case of glass blocks for the narrow notch next to the waterfall. He's beginning to remove the white paint band from the blocks. This will be replaced with blue paint and will impart a blue tinge to the blocks. Since the blue paint is the same blue we're using for the project, everything will match.

Theo Textured Window Area

Theo finished up the texturing of the window on the back side of the pump house. It's a shame this whole side will seldom be seen by anyone. It looks nice.

Block Production Line

Mario shanghaied a couple of his employees to help with the block stripping and re-coloring project.

Almost Done

As you can see, this part of it is almost done. Next comes the installation of the blocks in the notch. The blocks will give a nice accompaniment to the waterfall.

East Side Screens

Here's a view of the screens from the east side. Looks just as dramatic as on the west side.