Rocky Mountain Way

I awoke this morning singing this classic by Mr. Walsh in my head… at a point in the second verse, he reminded me, “Time to change the batter”. That statement may not effect you in the same light as me, but the work we completed, or shall I say started in Teo yesterday I think validates my point…

Teo is one of the satellite Federation outposts in the northern frontier that is located just a hop , skip and a jump from the Guatemala border… or that is at least their claim to fame. A quaint village filled with a tightly knit people that are willing to share resources, sweat equity and on the proper occasion… rice and chicken. We have served in this community several times over the past 9 years, most of the time the work has been done concerning the school. The Federation has spent several lamas and supported teams to uplift the building and grounds. In my estimation there are more than 100 students on the grounds at any given time.

Mario Inc. Provided transportation for the team in a highly modified Toyota autobus. The combination of its Diesel engine, granny root snatching gears and a seasoned driver such as Super Mario, the team successfully navigated the treacherous mountain highway… or glorified goat path with more potholes than an average highway in Iraq to our destination. Wilmer played a supporting cast member and wingman role by transporting our tools to the job site… another blog in itself.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by president Juan Jose… not the Honduran president… but the beloved community president whom certainly has considerably more support and affection than the afore mentioned. Before we could even draw our wrecking bars out of the tool chest… children began to greet us with a wide array of drawings and hand written messages to welcome us to their community. We were instructed to join with students, teachers and parents around the picnic tables for a more formal welcome. I suppose in my mind’s eye, this event was a moment of transition… a new batter stepping to the plate while the crowd cheered for our success.

Our mission… should we choose to accept it or not… was to demo an existing 4 stall outhouse structure, demo sections of another outhouse and begin the process of constructing a functional bathroom for the teachers and students. By mid day all of the demo was complete, Mater and Jefe pulled a series of strings to outline the footprint of the new buildings while B-Rad, Easyrider and Houdini removed large rocks, concrete segments and shady foundation sections to prepare the site. Dimebag got her hands dirty as well pulling nails to recycle boards, and driving a Wilkes county backhoe… pick shovel for those in need of translation. Senor Pastor Rey did quite a bit of constructive shade squatting… he has to ease into this type of environment… we do not want a repeat performance of last years episode…

As the red star sank precariously lower in the evening sky, the highest points of the mountain range surrounding the village began to shade us from its oppressive rays. We gathered up our equipment in preparation for our return journey to the primary compound… in search of a cold shower and a warm meal. We shared stories of the days adventures and we consumed the chicken and veggie medley that had been prepared for us. Sleep is needed and rest is required to maintain the proper energy level… easier said or written than achieved. The heat wave that has fallen upon this valley brings the internal temperatures of our humble abode near triple digits. That makes falling asleep a disgusting adventure turning every few minutes so the fan will dry the sweat off your body more than simply cooling you off.