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21 December, 2016

Next Try For Tuesday

Things pool-wise have really slowed down here at Casa Winjama the past week or so. The biggest issue has been Diamond Brite, or rather the shortage of it. Island Pool Supply didn't have any and it had to be ordered from the States. There were a few delays getting it to Belize. Mario told me yesterday that he'll be going to Belize City, I assume to the Port area to get however many bags of it that the project requires.

Making A Door
I'm assuming the Mennonites have been building the screen doors, as they're the same design as the two that we already have in the new house.












Almost Finished
As you can see, they're almost done, and installation of them should be happening this Wednesday. Nice looking, sturdy doors, both will have doggie doors, just like the other screen doors. Nice looking, sturdy doors, both will have doggie doors, just like the other screen doors.










Priming Railings
Through a couple of fits and starts, the railings are finally being installed on the ramps. Here the railings are being primed. They've already been Osphoed.

They've already been partially installed. Dianna noticed that the top rail could be easily scratched with a fingernail. So, off they came and went back to the shop for proper treatment.

It's not an uncommon occurrence here in Belize. The responsible person takes on the job, and for whatever reason, doesn't provide adequate supervision of workers under him and whatever is produced, it's like, that's ok. Hence doing it over.


Railings All Primed and Ready
Frustrating for us, but almost considered SOP. A part of the problem, is finding good workers. We talked with Mario, our contractor a while back. He has an ongoing problem of finding workers, with skills, or with any sort of a work ethic. He says they are few and far between and getting harder to find as well. Mario said he doesn't know if it's drugs, rum, the education system, or what, but something is failing the Belizean worker big time.




Carlos Installing Railings
The workers Mario has, he tries hard to keep them. He pays them well, maintains reasonable work hours and tries very hard to keep projects coming to be able to pay them. Sometimes, sub-contractors, like Carlos, the welder, have an even harder time with workers.




Waiting To Be Installed
Anyway, the railings are finally being installed and they look very nice. It seems like there's railings stacked and standing all over the place.






Looking From the Deck
This view, looking through the doorway and screened opening from the deck, show just how striking the railings look. They really set off the project, making for a dramatic entry to the deck.






Down the West Ramp
Looking down the west ramp, it makes for a nice secure passage.








Another Cave-In
What would a day be without some sort other sort of problem. This is the kind of cave-in I'm used to dealing with. This is in our driveway. A couple of wheelbarrow loads of marl will solve it. Small ones like this, are really not enough to raise an eyebrow. It's just when you get one like we just dealt with in the pool that makes for a challenging life on the waterfront.



Pump House Door Frame
The door frame for the pump house door is also being rehabbed by Carlos, the welder. It's got some rust spots here and there.

We retrieved it from the old pump house, so it's been in use for the better part of eight years.




Reworking Pump House Door
Here;s the door. Carlos has removed the old hinges from the door. They were the common type found here in Belize. Once welded on, there's really no way to lubricate them. The only thing to do is wait till they break or rust out and repair them.

Except Carlos has found a better way. Hinges that can be lubricated after being welded in place. I'm hoping to be able to get a photo of them on Wednesday. They're available from the Chinese hardware store on San Andres Road. I think its name is Fa Chang Hardware. Not positive on that. I'll see if I can remember to check the name out.

Pump House Door Knob
The knob on the inside of the pump house is in a serious state of deterioration. This is the worst knob I've seen. I have no idea what has caused this amount of rust and decay. The rest of the door is in relatively good condition, certainly nothing like this. Luckily, I have a whole batch of replacement knobs just itching to get in place.



Just Like Ann and Nancy Sang

Barracuda. In our canal. I was on the patio area and had just shot the door above. I had stepped up on the seating area to take a look at the canal and the new house across the way.


I saw some pipe fish just swimming along, nice, bright green. Then I saw the 'cuda. At first, I mistook it for a branch. Then I noticed it's tail, just lightly swishing the water. I quickly snapped the photo, and began zooming in to take a little better shot when, with a swoosh of its tail, it was gone in an instant. They are sooo fast. I think it was about two-and-a-half feet long. Pretty good sized for our canal. I had to manipulate the photo some in Picasa to bring out a bit more definition and color.

'64 Plymouth Barracuda
Of course, there are other Barracuda. Take this one for example. It was considered a hot car in its day. Plymouth came out with the Barracuda in 1964. If nothing else, it had an aggressive sounding name. From this angle, it even looks slightly Studebaker-ish, not particularly macho and full of muscle.


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Parking palapa is full. Well, sort of. Two of the three bays. The first bay is full of clotheslines, saw horses, and paint cans. The vehicles are our SportTrac and Denis and Vivien's Trooper.

They're staying for a couple of months as their house has a long-term tenant in it and they didn't want to disturb them. We're letting Denis and Vivien stay as our guests and to give us a dry-run to let us know what we need to still provide in the Mennonite house if we actually decide to rent it out.

Stair Pads For Circular Staircase
 The next part of the project, also being taken care of by Carlos the welder, is our circular staircase. Carlos has brought the stair pads for it and will be welding them in place.






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We bought this some time ago from Eric Burson over in Progresso. It's been living under Elsie's palapa ever since. Finally, it's actually going to be installed.






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First things first, Osphoing, priming, and painting. Then it will be installed. I can't wait. It'll be fun going up it for the first time.

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