Come on in. It’s been a long week, and now, it’s finished up. The tools are cleaned and stowed in the container and the guys have cleaned up, changed into their good clothes and headed off for all that Saturday night offers.
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Here’s some of the fading footprint of the last week or so.
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These fruits are as big and bigger than pineapples. Not sure what they are named.
They hang in the tree above Pascal's al fresco tailor shop. When my pants get torn, or need taking in, I take them to the umbrella under the big green hanging fruit.
When electricity is expensive and unreliable,
some have returned to irons heated by charcoal in their bellies.
The unlikely symmetry of tall people.
We've been ordering furniture lately for the houses and the big building. These are the cushions for the set that Monte found on a bulletin board
and made a deal with the lady who owned it.
Two sofas and two arm chairs.
Some loads just look heavy. This one, unfortunately, is the real thing.
The rains have brought tall grass which we are cutting to use as mulch for our plants and trees.
The guys call it golfing.
The sex wars are ON. The female, Puppy, here is flanked by two of the bloodied combatants. Chubby Sean isn't pictured because he can't walk owing to the deep wounds in his left front leg. Puppy's tumescence is starting gun and finishing line.
And soon enough it looks like this.
But for now it looks, and feels, like this.
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This is the back wall and the smashed hardcore sub-floor of the workshop, which will have as its two side walls the current 20' container and the soon-to-arrive 40' container. The front will remain open and we will fabricate steel trusses for the shed mbati roof we will put on.
We have finally been able to connect the guttering on all the buildings to the underground pipes which completes the rain water collection system we began what seems like a long time ago with the excavation for the 24,000 liter storage tanks.
some "elbows,"
some "T's," some glue,
a plumb bob,
a plumb bob's view of it all.
And a downspout connected
Then another
Sometimes we have to heat one end of the pipe to make it receptive to our plans.
Our heating element.
The black dog in his office and his new view of two downspouts. The pipes are away from the houses for two reasons. The foundation of the buildings is crushed hardcore and compacted murram. It doesn't lend itself to pipe burying. The other reason is white ants...termites to you. We can't create a pathway for them into the buildings. We'll create some kind of kid-proof structure around the bottom half of the downspouts and fill it with plants, etc. Up higher on the pipes we will fit something like the aluminum termite barriers which are on each foundtion piling.
The last remaining connection is to the Generator House, which still needs guttering.
This may not look like much, but it is beautiful to us. It's the filtering mechanism
for this...our new Hydo-loo. Our self contained toilets. A late inning save from the pit latrines (out houses) that were our only other option.
There not cheap, but when is real beauty not dear.
The tanks are filled with water and the liquid and solid waste takes about a 140 day swim, getting aneorobically scrubbed until it emerges out of the buried effluence pipe as good old ecoli free H20.
We'll have two attached to each house and a few others scattered around for good measure.
It might be hard to imagine how these molded plastic kidneys fill me to the brim with deep satisfaction and joy...but they do.
Enough to make you climb up to get a clear look at the horizon and the all the other wonders gathering there.
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The Band is right now testifying, “Any day now, any day now, I shall be released.” I think they mean all of us. I wonder what that will look like? For tonight, I’m settling for a seat near a big TV in Nairobi and the Champions’ League final with B, Martin, Mr and Mrs Masa, and flock of hollering Inter Milan and Bayern Munich fans.
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Mael is getting ready to crawl. So it’s ok.
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David
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Peggy Traverso says
May 22, 2010 at 10:33 amHydo-Loo — Hooray!! I share your joy in having this alternative to holes in the landscape; so glad you found them!
Interesting to have the “white ant” problem and solution explained. Great to see cushions, furniture — we are getting there!
Good work, David. We are all in your debt for years of work and solving one problem after another.
Love,
Peggy
david says
May 22, 2010 at 10:42 pmHi Peggy,
Well, the white ants require good advance planning and constant vigilance. They’re doing what they are meant to do, and that’s fine, but we just can’t let them do it in our timber framed houses. They are, by all accounts, very tasty…like butter, and full of protein. it’s a question of who eats what first, I guess.
Our debt is mutual. Love,
David
Barbara Redalia says
May 24, 2010 at 9:04 amHi David
I always enjoy seeing what you are up to, a world away. Since my kitties usually keep me close to home, I feel lucky to have our human offspring close enough to visit us on special days. On May 9th we celebrated Sarita and her brother Mike’s birthdays, as well as Mother’s Day here, along with the other siblings, Diane, Suzanne, and Max. Suzanne’s daughter, Lily, who is close to Sarita, is close to completing a graduate program at Cal State East Bay in Hayward to become a speech and language specialist, but will be enjoying a trip to Ireland in June with her boy friend. There now, you are up to date on the news from the Redalia family. Our best wishes go with your project there, although we would really prefer to have you here.
Kaben says
May 24, 2010 at 10:14 amHey David —
Such great news to see this progress!!!
The houses look GREAT, and it’s fantastic to see the piping and toilets getting in! Praise the Lord!
And yes, I do understand how those kidney-shaped toilets bring such a deep joy and satisfaction to you. 🙂
Thanks so much for this update; I look forward to seeing it for real soon.
— Kaben and Jenn Kramer
david says
May 24, 2010 at 1:33 pmHi Barbara,
Thank you for the update. It’s good to know you and Richard and all your offspring are well and gathering together to celebrate. Please pass my fond regards to all there. We seem to be breeding dogs here, in an unofficial way. They just keep adding to their number. Not so ordered and planned as your cattery. To be honest there are many days I would prefer to have me there, too. But mostly I’m happy here with the work.
Lovely to hear from you,
David
david says
May 24, 2010 at 1:39 pmHi Kaben and Jen,
How are the newlyweds? You’re right, Kaben, someone who spent some years in Kenya could understand the deep joy in a commode.
I’ll look forward to seeing you this summer. We’ll keep the lid up for you.
David
Janine Reimann says
May 24, 2010 at 1:51 pmWoww! It looks awesome! Congrats on the lulus!
Also, for a hard worker, I hope you enjoyed the Bayern game … even thought the Germans didn’t live up to what they had pormised.
One sad German fan :O(
Can you somehow make it to the World Championship in South Africa? The US is playing. Obama might show up if they make it past the first round.
Love, Janine
david says
May 24, 2010 at 2:04 pmHi Janine,
I thought the match was terrific. High quality stuff. Bayern dominated possession but Mourinho’s counterattacks proved deadly. And Milito…Wow!
The only way I’m getting to SA for the World Cup is if the Prez swings by here and gives me an Air Force One lift. Can you work on that for me?
Love to you and Migdalia,
David
Chris L says
May 26, 2010 at 6:14 pmSo much happening and coming together now. Amazing. I even heard a couple of whispers about a finish line. I remember thinking how long those “finishing touches” can take, all the structures up…and you’d think that finishing interior work would be a snap.
I’m praying (among other things) for a deep period of satisfaction for you—a good vantagepoint out across the savannah and up into those Kenyan skies and the sounds of children laughing and playing and grateful even though they might not even know (just like the rest of us) all the details of everything they should be grateful for.
(And, yes, a chapter must have gotten waylaid. I’ll send you two by email now.)
Love,
Chris
david says
May 30, 2010 at 10:39 pmHi Chris,
The final touches, especially when the involve, in addition to many practical details, certain governmental organizations, can stretch out. We’re hammering away.
Perspective is a word and concept I haven’t thought of in a while. I guess that says a lot. But later, I suppose.
David
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Your ticket for the: 22 May 2010 – Neighborhood News, Pipe Dreams, Queue for the Loo
22 May 2010 – Neighborhood News, Pipe Dreams, Queue for the Loo