Block by Block!

  Today we are watching the removal of the wood forms that are used to shape and contain the concrete that has been poured.  The forms are made of Cypress trees that have been locally milled especially for the job.

Sorry for the barbed wire in the middle of the photo, however, I wanted to show our home site from the main road.  While walking and seeing the view in person, it shows up much better, however, the photo still points out the size and visibility of our property and construction!

The first row of block is being laid.

After the forms are removed, the tedious job of placing cement blocks over the upright re-bar is 

what happens next.  Each block is aligned and leveled and filled and surrounded with concrete.

Concrete is mixed in the power mixer but moved around in wheelbarrels.  Here you can see the re-bar in the center and the concrete surrounding the blocks and in the centers.  

And the work goes on!

It is surprising how quickly the walls go up and, although I don't think cement block is "beautiful", the fact that it means we are a bit closer to our own home is beautiful!







The one and only mixer that runs on electricity and the materials used to create the concrete for construction.  Building with something other than wood and sheetrock is so foreign to both of us, every step of the way is a new experience that we are curious to explore and try to understand.

Again the string is used to keep things leveled.  Simple but effective.  And, the wood structures add stability while the concrete is drying.

It's funny how Tico parents think like Gringo parents when trying to motivate their children to become educated.  We put our children to work in our Cafe and here the Ticos bring their sons to the construction site to work or they send them to pick coffee.  Construction here is very labor intensive and these kids work very hard.  Pickers also work hard but most of the coffee here is picked by Nicaraguans. This year is different for us as we have all local pickers who are actually friends. Because it is the only option for making extra income, even the educated pick at times.  This year one of our pickers has learned quite a bit of English and while picking, she helps me with Spanish and I help her with English. The days are long but pass much quicker with a little conversation.  In past years I've always felt left out because the pickers chatter and sing constantly while picking and now I can chatter also but still I cannot sing!!

Here Don is "talking" (I use the term loosely as Jose does not speak English and Don's Spanish is minimal) with Jose who is one of the managers about adding two more windows.  Seeing all that concrete makes me feel a little claustrophobic and I'm up for any additional windows!

The rooms are starting to take shape and now when we stand in the middle of construction we know which room we are viewing.  I'm already placing furniture!!

While the men are busy working on adding more block to the walls of our home, I wanted to share some beautiful views.  This one is from the main road just before heading down our road.

Here I am a little farther away from our road on the main road.  To the left is the Pacific and in the center and right you are seeing the Nicoya Bay and Peninsula dotted with many islands.  Many times there are also large boats visible and it  is fun to watch them through binoculars and wonder what is their purpose.

Back a little farther I've included some of the incredible cloud formations that we experience on a daily basis.

The view and the clouds are constantly changing and this unusual one grabbed my attention!

It continued to roll in and eventually it consumed me and just as mysteriously vanished and blessed me with warm sunshine.

So, while we were viewing the beautiful scenery in Berlin, the builders have been busy!  Look at those walls now!