Good evening Blogosphere participants, we have completed our fourth day of construction/remodeling in Laguna del Carmen. Thankfully the transportation department had their act together today, no stalling, no hard to start, no overheating issues or penalties for unapproved modification to mass production parts.
My day did start a little earlier than usual due to some issues with particular programs from my real job back in America. I tried to stay low key as I worked from the kitchen table in the apartment in which we are staying in. A short phone call, and quick information sharing session quickly resolved the problem and the customer could be taken care of. With an extra hour or so on my hands… idle hands are the devil’s instrument.
I strolled along the compound where I reflected upon many great memories from years past here in Honduras. The house from the first year that I came and stayed in is still there, primarily dormant for the most part. I remember it being so hot in there, the sweltering heat was almost unbearable and sleep was almost impossible. The weather here so far on this trip has been pleasant for sure, no night sweats. Walking up to the veranda to look across the Quimistan valley at day break was lovely taking in the view of the crop fields and the occasional passers by on foot or motorcycle. I continued my journey on the garden trail and down memory lane, remembering all of the people that I have met and interacted with here. From Sam, Daniela, Maynor, Stanley, Mario, Gloria and Sandra, to the many communities both local and communities far away in Teo or Nueva Esperanza and every village in between, you have certainly touched my life and I can only hope that we have made a positive impact on yours as well.
We gathered for a quick breakfast, even our local leaders and drivers arrived almost on time. I thought, this is a good start to the day, getting out early and arriving in a timely fashion on the jobsite. There is still so much to do in the short time that he have left. That went array as Hondo informed us that he thought he had pink eye. My lord made arrangements at the local women’s clinic to have it checked out. Good news he was not pregnant, and he will recover quickly from a case of the stink eye. The brief delay passed quickly and we were on our merry way to cut some new ruts in the trails to Laguna.
B-Rad grabbed a fist full of Mook from the beginning so he could smash, thrash and trash the place with the nectar of the construction gods. Others followed his lead and the mooking fiesta continued throughout the day. Spanish Juan and Marco continued to weld the sheet metal studs together for a combined length of 46′-0″. Later in the day the trusses were cut and fitted, the first took 3 attempts to get the correct angle to match the blocks that have already been laid. Kinda in reverse order from years past, when we set the trusses then blocked to them. None the less, by the end of the day, the Gulag work had been completed, the block work was completed, the roof structure is 70% complete and tomorrow we hope to raise it high in the air with a lot of welding so the new tin can be installed before we leave on Saturday. Jefe, Mater and Hondo worked in various areas and assisted the locals in completing several various tasks that were needed… Well in between coffee breaks and shade squatting. Cousin Skinny tried to hide in the truck to catch his mid day nap, but we busted him and photographed the cruel act.
4 pm local, we loaded up our toys to travel back to the Compound, again thankful for a drama free trip. B-Rad finally broke out the Doom box and allowed the searing of our ears and mind numbing of our fears of failure… Thanks to the ladies for a wonderful evening meal. Our stomachs are full, our bodies clean and now we seek rest for tomorrow as we continue this journey of destruction and mayhem. Until then blogosphere…
Mas Tarde!
Marco Francisco Valle Valle
Honduras Agape 