No, I didn't run away from home nor join the circus, regardless of what you may of heard. I did take a little break. We are in the summer rainy season, and it has been a monsoon around here. You cannot pour a lot of cement in the rain, although they have tried. Here are a couple of pictures of what 15 minutes of rain can do.
The walls are almost up for the first floor. We have about three more rounds of block, then another biga, and then they can pour the terrazzo for the second floor.
With the forms for the arches over the windows you can really start to see what the house will look like on the outside. Macho Man built all the forms himself. As I have said before, some people complain that Hondurans are lazy. Ours work from can to can't, even in the rain. Marvin was told to go home the other day, and he asked if MM was leaving. When told, "No." he said, "Then I will stay as long as you do, Maestro."
The rebar here is part of the biga. The columns will be extended and cement poured around them. This cures for a while, and then the biga poured. This ties everything together and gives the walls strength.
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The rebar here has had its forms built and the cement poured. Notice the crosses on the forms. There are many of these crosses along both sides of the form. They are tied together and hold the wood in place so that the weight of the cement does not cause the forms to bulge, or even collapse. MM says the cross shape is an accident. I prefer to think they are a sign of the blessings that have been given to us.
Things will slow down a little until we can get the terrazzo poured. We have decided to have this done by a professional company. They will need forty continuous hours to complete the work, and we have to feed them 5-6 times a day. It would take us a week mixing the cement by hand.
So, the blessings continue to pour down upon us, and the walls continue to go up.
Wow, when it rains it pours! Your house is really coming along!
ReplyDeleteWould you believe me if I told you that I miss the rain? I really do. I miss the way it sounds on the roof too. Here when it does rain, if you arent out in it, or you dont look out the window, you have no idea. And rainy days are my favorite types of days (of couse not so much when you have clothes to dry, but thats a different story altogether, LOL)
ReplyDelete~Jennifer
http://followingmycatracho.blogspot.com
LS, the only place I have seen it rain like this in the States is in Jacksonville, FL. Remember that 142" of rain we get a year....this is how we get it.
ReplyDeleteJen, I have learned that clothes dry pretty good if you hand them over the handrails on the stairwells. Oh, and Jen, don't expect me to visit when it rains. With my luck I would slide over the side of your 'road' and end up in one of those gullies down by the river.
Now Patty - you've been to my house, so which handrails should I hang my clothes on, LOL. Remember we dont even have steps really, much less handrails. All we have is a big drop out the back door. ;)
ReplyDeleteAlthough if you have handrails at your house I may use that as an excuse to come and visit you. Hey Hunny, I will be back. Its raining, so I have to go to Trujillo to dry my clothes. Somehow I dont think he would go for that. ;)
Oh, and I wanted to say that I know that we owe you some visits to your house, but until I can send down my new/used truck (which wont be till sometime late January) I wont be able to visit. Unless I take the bus. Because I refuse to go anywhere of any distance in that thing my husband calls a truck. It has to many problems and I just dont trust it.
Only 4 more days and I will be HOME!!
~Jennifer
http://followingmycatracho.blogspot.com