We’re Bringing Down The House

O.K. we’re not really bringing down the house, just the roof for now. Now we are finally seeing progress after six months of trying to find an architect for our long neglected house. It took a long time to get to this point, but now it seems like we are really moving along. Sebastian (one of our architects) is religiously sending us photos of the roof progress along with emails explaining what is being done. We are thrilled with the results and very pleased that the architects are keeping us up to date in such a timely manner.

Scraping All Of The Old Bamboo Off

Building The Framework

Putting The Plywood Decking Down

Putting The Liner Down

The roof project was estimated to take approximately two to three months, but it looks like the weather has been holding out and the workers are able to keep moving forward. I had asked Sebastian why we didn’t have the temporary roof, but he indicated that at this point it was not necessary because of the weather. Regardless this is a huge job and judging from the photos a real mess.

Even The Roof On Top Of The Chapel Needs Repair

After The Tiles Have been Cleaned They Are Laid
Down And Tied On Top of The Wood Frame

The Beautiful New Roof On The Chapel

At the same time the roof is being repaired the exterior walls are getting some much needed repair as well. The adobe had come off in several places and new adobe was being applied. Unfortunately we learned that the skylight frame was not salvageable and was destroyed in the demolition process. Now we will have to decide what kind of skylight we will be installing, something we were hoping we wouldn’t have to do.

The Now Defunct Skylight Frame

Meanwhile back in the States, Mom is busy painting kitchen cabinets at the ranch and we are getting our second location ready to open. Last time I talked to my mother she told me that she had put some freshly painted cabinet fronts outside to dry. Apparently one of the cows had come by and rubbed against what ever she had the cabinet fronts on and knocked them into the dirt. I had to laugh at the thought of that picture.

Every time I talk to Mom she says the house in Ecuador is a piece of cake compared to the ranch project. Unfortunately there are no workers at the ranch and it’s just Mom and Bob chipping away at the project as best they can. Sometimes we have to remind each other that all of our hard work is for the common goal of getting to Ecuador.

At the same time we have been busy getting our second business location ready to open. The planned opening date is the first part of November. I’m not sure how we are going to meet that deadline, but miracles do happen.

The Front Of Our New Building

The Bays

The other day Kevin fell off the ladder and skinned his arms up pretty badly. He had to be driven to the clinic to determine if an emergency room visit was necessary. Fortunately he didn’t break anything, but he did require stitches and had strict orders to not use his right arm until the 28th of the month. Rod had to pickup where Kevin left off and help finish the painting. In the meantime it has been a battle with the City over the sign ordinances.

Kevin Taking A Break From Painting
This Was Before He Injured Himself As You Can See He Is Smiling

Rod’s Dad drove up to help out with our project and Mom decided to come with him. During the week I have to work at the shop, but on the weekends Mom and I are on the go. Today we’ve been having some severe weather like much of the country is experiencing, but this weekend if weather permits, we are planning a drive to Tennessee to have a girls day out. The leaves are starting to change and the drive should be beautiful. We will head to Franklin and have a nice lunch and do some shopping and experience some quiet time before the pre opening storm.

I have been busy at work as well as my online business. I was shocked to discover that I had sold another birdhouse to someone in Cuenca this week. I immediately emailed to see if the buyer by chance knew the lady that had bought my other birdhouses. I never did get an answer, so I suspect they may not speak or understand English. I can’t believe that this would be a pure coincidence and the buyers didn’t know each other. What a small world this truly is.