Monday, February 23^rd, 2015

Our first real work day started with a short Meditation at 7:15 led by Pastor Jim (PJ).  He read a ‘retirement letter’ composed by a fellow contemplating retirement and what it meant for him. The fellow prior to making morning tea went to the fridge for a lemon and found two: one new and bright and smooth and another old and dried and rough, each with different internal characteristics as well, much as his younger self and his now older self, to which he made many thoughtful observations about how he had changed over the years.  Anyways, you can probably find the full story on the internet.  And then we had breakfast before boarding the bus for Loma de Los Chivos.

Our assignment was to paint 2 houses, inside and out - a house of bricks and a house of sticks.  A small crew for bricks and a large crew for sticks.  Rollers for bricks and brushes for sticks.   One coat for bricks and 2 (or 3) coats for sticks.  An OK toilet in the brick house and an unimaginable toilet in the stick house (see photo below).

Another job was to move a pile of 'gravel' into a new house to level the ground prior to pouring a concrete floor.  The gravel is disgusting stuff - yellow lava rock broken up into pieces of varying sizes.  It packs tightly and has to be broken up with a mattock before it can be shoveled.  Our younger, stronger members, especially Jordan, did most of the work, but several of the ladies were up to the task of filling a wheel barrow or two, including, Cath, Margaret and Charlotte.  Hooray ladies!!

We were able to finish early and went to a grocery store in the afternoon to buy some vanilla, coffee, etc. to take home.  We even had a bit of 'pool time' before supper.

Chuck Monkeying Around at the House of Brick

A Big Crew in the House of Sticks

The Gravel Detail



Charlotte & Margaret Show the Guys Up



In Case You Were Wondering

Evan Paints the Exterior of the Stick House