The Road Closes In

Just to remind you why we live here. The other day, while we were on our morning walk, there appeared over Corozal Bay, a gorgeous rainbow. Here's the picture of it. The rainbow didn't come through all that well, but I think you'll get the idea.

Rainbow Over the Bay

Now to the topic at hand. The other day, we had a Mennonite house moving down the road and shortly thereafter, Doug and Twyla decided to begin construction of a front fence. Was there a connection? Not really. The contractor, wanting to keep his crew busy between projects, made Doug and Twyla a good deal on building the fence. Just serendipity at play.

Here's the trenching for their fence going in. At this time, they're only doing the front portion.

Front Fence Stretches Along

And a view of the same from out on the road.

Roadside View

Here, you can see the fence footing as it curves in to form the gate area.

Fancy Fence Curve

I'll include more as the build progresses.

There's a Kind of a Hush

My apologies to Herman's Hermits (remember them?) for borrowing their lyric, but it fits. The last day we had workers (other than our caretaker, Cody) was Monday. Abraham, Francisco and George showed up for final cleanup/touchup. After a hard day's work, punctuated by a big pot of Dianna's homemade bean and ham soup, accompanied by fresh tortillas from Chico's Tortilla Factory, they were gone. So, yesterday was quiet, quiet, quiet.

Today will be more of the same. Well, not quite. For about an hour, I'll have two additional workers here to help Cody and me off-load the wooden forms for the swimming pool.

Pool Forms Ready to Off-Load

They were built by Pastor Doug for his pool, then Robert used them for his, and now we have them for ours. It's an epidemic of pool building. But then, after that, it'll be back to the quiet.

Right now, I plan to start the pool probably in a couple of months. We'll see how well I can hold to that schedule.

I did make one trip in to Lano's Supply yesterday to get some parts for the metal shelf I'm building. I may have to make another run in there today for the same thing.

Looks like I'll have time to finally finish the honey-do list - which has grown quite large. Some other stuff that I still am working on is bringing in a substantial load of black dirt for the planting areas, then several loads of crushed gravel for the driveway and parking area, building shelves for the storage area, workbenches, shelving, etc., for both of our workshops, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Still by comparison, it seems almost quiet as a tomb around here. You can actually hear birds all day long!

See Why We Need Shelves?

One thing that barely shows in the above photo is the beer fridge. Here it is in all its glory!

Mecca - The Beer Fridge!

It even has a church key hanging on the door. Ahhh, the pause that refreshes... We bought the fridge from Canadian Bob, who didn't have room for it anymore. It's just perfect for what we want to use it for - storing beer and Coke.
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More local wildlife sighted in the area - Corozal (Bay Tribune)Locals in the Ferry Road area of South Corozal have reported numerous sightings of wildlife. We have the photos to back up this claim too.

Residents were surprised to find they had been invaded by a rather large black scorpion who had been hiding under lumber in the utility room. Locals said they had no idea how long it had been living there.

Black Scorpion

3' "Boa" or Fer de Lance or?

The other critter sighted was already in a state of squishedness when this reporter photographed it. The snake, a "boa" according to some local inhabitants or possibly a "Fer de Lance" according to others, was found on the road right beside a Gringo's house. Prophetic? I think not. Just a case of bad timing in trying to cross the road.

Staff will keep you up-to-date on this developing story.
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Here's a shot that I don't think I posted yet of our completed fence with a new coat of paint. Looks pretty sharp I must say. Isaiel does do excellent work.

Painted Fence

Our palapa is being put to good use as you can see by the contented looks from the vehicles resting under its shady fronds.

Peaceful Repose

And finally, a look back to the house from the canal. Things are definitely shaping up.

Looking Back

More 'n More

Here's what's been happening this morning.

First, Isidoro and his crew finished up with Elsie's canalside fence. Then, since Elsie's lot still needs some fine-tuning as far as leveling goes, Isidoro tasked one of his brothers to keep working there doing the final bits while the rest of the crew returned to work on Greg Perez's house across the canal from us.

Esidoro Adjusting the Gate Latch Mechanism

Abraham and crew showed up this morning with a load of 1x6 pine. Although, what passes for pine here would easily pass for much denser pitch wood up north. They're using the lumber to ensure true levels for the pour on Wednesday.

Cutting Lumber for Forms

BTW, that's a nice saw Abraham is using... It's my Rigid worm-drive. I brought it down here brand new.

Part of the floor-casting process is ensuring the fill is at the right level and that it's level too. Abraham's brother, Francisco (I always forget his name) is in charge of the final leveling and tamping, using my 40 lb. Imacasa tamping tool.

Is It Level?

Any project worth its salt needs adequate supervision. Dianna and Elsie managed that aspect of the job. Here, they're sitting on our back porch (streetside) keeping abreast of the situation.

Supervisors At Work

Once the initial blocks are in place, it's necessary then to move marl around - too high here, too low there.

Filling the Barrow

Abraham's brother, Francisco, busily tamping the marl down to the right level for a 4" pour.

40 Lbs. Doesn't Get Lighter

It's important to make sure everything is layed out correctly. Here Abraham and a worker confer on the measurements.

Was It 41 1/4" or 43"?

Of course, expert supervision must be called in. Here the girls are all conversing. Cindy, who has been everywhere this morning, is relaying what she saw.

The Girls

And some of our normal work goes on. Today is a planting day (three days before a new moon) is a good time to plant. Cody had a bunch of palms and other plants to get positioned. here, he's planting grass plugs to encourage speedy growth.

Cody, Hard At it

Still the Weekend

Here's a few more shots of what's happening during the weekend. Of course, there's the shots that were missed entirely, like the ones of Dianna and me sitting on the front porch with Doug and Twila (they bought the big lot up Ferry Road from us) having a few beers and commiserating with each other about what rough duty being down here was. Sorry, folks, but that was the topic - well, in part. We did talk about fish, the weather, building, local roads, the ferry... that sort of thing.

Here's one to warm you up - Willie, a young kid who works weekends at the Copa Banana, torched the burn pile, so I shot a few pictures of it. This is one.

The Burn Pile In Action

These shots give you a good idea of the progress taking place under our house. We're hoping they get at least a bedroom and the bathroom working. Then we can move in. We only have about two more weeks here in this duplex. It's rented starting 1 December.

The Foundation Columns Are Almost Done

The Foundation Columns A Different View

Here's some better shots of the walls of the laundry/utility/storage/workshop room.

The Wall Keeps Going Up

View From Across the Room

Isidoro and crew worked very hard to finish up the fence project. Their work is excellent. It's been a real pleasure to work with him and his guys. You'll see more of them as they're going to build our canal-side fence and the wall around the septic drain field.

Myo and Esidoro Assembling Elsie's Gate

Putting Fabric Onto the Frame

Finishing up Elsie's side of the fence project brings this phase to a close. Eugene, a young man, (who Bob fired early on) has proved to be a worthwhile member of the team. He's been a steady worker and pretty reliable.

Isidoro's cousin (I'm sorry, his name slips my mind) is quiet and just gets in there and works. He's a permanent part of Isidoro's crew.

Eugene Cutting Tie Wire

Esidoro's Cousin Finishing the Edge

Here they are attaching the last part of the gate to the post. It's done.

It's Attached

Elsie's fence is now done. Once we closed the gate, it really felt like the yard was closed in.

Elsie's Fence - Done

Elsie's Fence -From the Other Side

Here's more shots of the"dolphin-fish" as the locals call it in our canal. He's about 3-feet in length. Maybe I'll try my hand a catching him after we get moved in. They're good eating along with the Tilapia that are also in the canal.

About a 4' Tarpon in Our Canal

Big Fish

Here's a really nice shot of him after he turned around. I can't wait to get to using my good DSLR and lenses. There's so much wildlife here to photograph.

Still A Big Fish

Still More Progress

Hoo, boy! Today, was one of those days - run around, run around.

First, I went to the job site, as I call it - our property, to see that Eugene, who is acting as our night watchman, survived ok, and that the equipment didn't get ripped off in the night, and to make sure the crews don't need any supplies before they can start their days work.

From there, I went over to Tony's place, to get squared away with him over the BTL bill and other expenses we incurred while living in their house. I missed him as he had gone into town to see about renewing his auto insurance, etc.

I caught up with him at his insurance office across from the police station. While he was taking care of that, I went down a couple of blocks to my insurance agent to take out a policy on our new house.

Once I got the paperwork flowing on that, I zoomed back to Tony. He and I went to the BTL office, where we dueled with the office guy for a while and eventually won a $132.00BZ credit for the phone line - being dead since two days after Hurricane Dean.

After that, it was back to the job site to meet with Franz about some details for the house. From there, it was back into town to pay the electric bill and water bill. Too many people in line to pay the water bill, so I would have to come back later for that.

Then, it was across the street to National Hardware to buy some gate parts for Elsie's gate. Then, it was back out to the job site to confer with Isidoro about what we wanted to do about the canal-side fence. It's going to really look cool.

From there it was to the apartment for some lunch and a nap (I've become an aficionado of napping). After a brief nap, it was back into town to pay the water bill, the lines in the afternoon are considerably shorter than in the mornings. All the damas have finished their shopping and have gone home by then.

I stopped by one of the money changers to cash a US check to get Belize money to pay the insurance bill. They're one of several (probably black market) places to cash checks to cover expenses, etc., in the local area.

Since National Hardware is right across the street from the Water Service, I went there next to buy some heavy screen, some screw anchors, screws, and big washers, so I could build a cover to protect the fluorescent bulb in the well house.

After National, it was back to the insurance folks to pay the year's premium on the house and contents.

After that it was out to the property to talk to Franz about hurricane clips for the roof, and to go over the placement of stairs for the house, since they're going to be poured concrete stairs.

Then, it was back into town to get some Cokes and ice for Eugene, to help him get through the night. He's got it made, in a way. He does the night watch gig and usually gets a good night's sleep doing it, and works for Isidoro during the day, so he's essentially double-dipping. But, it keeps us from getting ripped off, so I don't begrudge him the wages at all.

Our fence, on our side is done now. Elsie's is nearing completion. Then they'll work on her front fence (a temporary one with a gate). Then comes our fancy back fence and gate, then Elsie's temporary back fence - then that whole project is done.

After that I'll have Isidoro brick in the septic drain field, and have Idilio re-work the drain field as necessary and then add 8-inches of black dirt to the top of the field, so Dianna will be able to have a huge herb and flower garden.

Our Fence

Elsie's Fence

Eugene has been planting tree cuttings for us around the lot, and bringing in some pretty neat plants too. Here's one of the local orchids that grow in the area that he brought by this morning. It'll grow well in the crotch of the tree.

A Local Orchid

Thought you might enjoy seeing an overall view of the house and work going on underneath it. They'll begin pouring the foundation columns in the morning.

Overall View of the House

Here's a couple of shots of the foundation work and "steel" work going on for the house foundation and the foundation for the 10' x 10' utility room. It'll be built of concrete block just like the fence.

Foundation Work Underway

Just across the street, John-Paul, a local hired by Mae and Craig to clear their property has been busy all week. He's burning several piles now, with the biggest being saved by Mae and Craig for a summer solstice party and bonfire. Yahooo! Should be fun.

Smoke From the Burning Across the Street

And, as you noticed on the banner, here's the smaller of the two resident crocs sunning himself in the same place where the larger one was the other day. Small is relative... This one's about 5 to 6 feet long.

This is Georgette, Taking the Rays

A Fence Is A Fence, But A House Is A...

A House? A HOUSE?!?!

Yesterday was a RED LETTER DAY! Our house arrived!

First things first though. The fence work has been continuing for a few days and continued yesterday with an early start. A lot of progress was made throughout the day. In fact, construction of the original project will probably be completed today. Then they will begin parging or plastering or stuccoing the blocks for a uniform finish.

So, the house arrived. It's here! Yeaaaa!!!

Two days ago, we were working on getting our fence completed, and the guys, as evidenced by the photos below, had made some extraordinary progress on doing that.

At about 10:00AM, Franz (our builder) called to let me know they were leaving Shipyard with our house. Totally unexpected. I assumed the road from Shipyard to Guinea Grass was still in terrible condition. It may have been, but Franz managed to push things through and get the house on its way here.

Here's shots of the fence construction activity.

Our Fence Nearing Completion

Stitching Fabric Together

Stretching the fabric is done virtually the same no matter where you are. Thanks in no small part to having a "come-along". It's a tool that lends itself to pulling/raising/etc., just about anything that can be hooked or attached to it.

The Fabric Goes Up

Esidoro Attaching Fabric

It's not easy adding a roll of fabric to another that is already mounted on the railings. A 60-foot roll weighs the better part of 75-80 pounds, so it takes some effort.

No Easy Task

It's a group effort every time you tighten up the come-along. Each man has to hoist the fabric so it doesn't snag on the ground, etc.

At each end of the run is a concrete column where the chain link fabric is actually anchored into it.

Jockeying the Fabric

An End Column

Here's the crew adjusting the forms for the end columns.

Just a Little Bit More...

As I mentioned the end set-up with the come-along... and adjusting the fabric to remove kinks from being rolled up. We almost had to set the post that the come-along is anchored to out in the street so it could stretch the fabric.

The End Post

Adjusting Fabric

Believe it or not, I just washed the Isuzu three days before. It's gotten to the point, I wash it about every four or five days - when the windscreen has gotten so bad that the wipers can't keep it clean anymore, seems to be the gauge I use.

This Was A Clean Car

We first saw the house rolling down the road and coming to a stop. I had to run up there with my new machete so Franz could whack a branch off a tree to allow the house to get by.

Our First Sighting

Taking Up the Road

Here it is finally on our property. It looked so small on the road, and magically became larger once it got on the lot.

Jockeying It Into Position

Beginning to Jack It Up

Jacking it up is a very complex and dangerous process.

Initial Placement of One of the Jackstands

Still On the Trailer

Once they get it high enough, it's time to pull the trailer out from under the house. They hooked a strap up to it and hauled it out backwards, had to jockey it around to re-connect the hitch.

Removing the Trailer

Manhandling the Trailer Into Position

Here's where the jacking up begins in earnest. They put an awful lot of trust in their equipment. This is an extremely dangerous process. Wood can break, chains can snap, jacks can fail, it goes on...

Up and Up to 9-Feet We Go

Adding Bars As It Goes Up

On the Jackstands Alone

Moving Timbers Into Position

Trying to Keep It Level

While the house was being positioned, the fence work still was going on. Below, the hat he's wearing on the right is traditional for this work. It's made from a half cement bag and is used as padding as they carry the five-gallon bucket on their head - full of concrete!

Mixing the Mortar In the Road

Funny Hat For Pouring

Darkness is No Excuse

Attaching Fabric to the Rebar Post

Now for a bit of an interlude...

We have vultures down here, just like we had when we visited Florida. Here's a shot of one of the huge birds circling overhead. They glide along on the thermals all day long.

This next one, I missed the shot 'cause I couldn't get the camera ready to shoot in time. I looked up to see three guys, evenly spaced, coming toward us, carrying this really long pole. They were matched in cadence and it just really looked comical. So, here's what I did shoot.

Looking for a Meal

Hauling a Lo-o-o-ng Pole

A bit out of sequence, here's Franz whacking the branch with my machete. The photo to the right is Franz's brother, John. Franz is in charge of building, John is in charge of moving.

Franz At Work

John At Work

This shot is a two-fer... It shows the post almost in the road to anchor the come-along, and it also shows a ready-made profit center in the waiting. This cistern being hauled to the New River is corn squeezings from the tortilla factory. They haul this twice a day and dump it in the river. An enterprising entrepreneur could take that and create some fine Belizean whiskey. A bone-fide business opportunity!

Caustic Byproduct - Squeezings to the River

Difference

All By Itself

Going Up Slowly

Still Wrestling With the Fabric

Final Tensioning

Buckets of Concrete

Elsie's Side of the Fence

Our Side of the Fence

Our First Cave-in

How Deep Is It?

Rocks - The Only Solution

Just About Done

All Finished

Lot's of Poles

Our Side of the Fence

Stretching At The End

End Post Forms Ready To Use

What's That In the Background?

Carrying A Bucket of Concrete

Dianna and Esidoro Coming To The Site

Traffic Stopped While House Is Moved

Setting Cribbing

Disconnecting the Trailer

Back of the House

Discussing the Plan

Setting Cribbing