Water Woes

This has been a week of water challenges. The crack in the large (750 gal.) tank above Dennis' house had to be repaired. To do this, Dennis had to quit pumping water from the well up to the tank and let it dry out for a couple of days. We had our 250 gal. reserve tank full and Dennis had his reserve tanks full also. Don had filled all available pitchers, tea kettles, empty juice and coke bottles with drinking water before the pump was shut down. We were ready. Monday we still had good water as Dennis allowed the leaking tank to empty out. Tuesday we had to switch to our reserve tank. Don monitored our usage and after one day, we had run through 1/3 of the tank. We decreased our water usage and still had some water on Friday when Dennis was ready to begin pumping again. He cautioned us not to drink this water until it had flushed out all the pipes and the tank. Don switched the valves to allow the well water to flow to our house and opened up the faucets and showers to let the dirty water wash out.

Holy cow! We were not prepared for the mess that followed.

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This is what our shower looked like after both shower heads blasted away. It might have looked worse if the valves hadn't clogged with sediment thus shutting off the water flow. The toilet clogged and stopped working after two flushes. The sink followed suit.

The inside of the toilet.

We were in a real predicament because our reserve tank was now empty. One bathroom was out of commission and we were a bit afraid to test out the other shower. Thankfully, the other toilet kept working! The water coming out of the kitchen faucet was not as dirty as it had been but was also not clean, with little black specks floating in it.

We also had several downpours yesterday making any investigation difficult. The rain continued through the night and this morning, but Don was able to go down under the house (which is built up on poles), open up the valves in the water lines and drain them. Then he came back up to take apart the faucets, and  showerheads. He went back down under the house, closed the valves to allow water to flow and blasted water through the pipes before coming up to clean and replace the parts.  While he was putting everything back together he decided to go ahead and replace the cantankerous toilet innards while he was cleaning; the new assembly worked exactly one time before failing. That did not make him happy.
He replaced the little rubber diaphragm; still didn't work. Then he did some other little adjustment, and it began working. One showerhead clogged back up, but the other one is (so far) working ok.

We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything will continue to work while the remainder of the dirt gets washed through the pipes.

And after 2 inches of rain in the last day and a half, we seem to have a lull and even a bit of weak sunlight. Maybe the rain is over.

Don't Try This At Home Either

We recently had a unique experience involving cats. It seems that a number of neighborhood cats, some possibly wild, have taken a liking to our deck, either on it or under it. They liked to get together and howl, fight, shriek and generally just make a lot of noise. In the middle of the night. Sometimes multiple times during the night. With just enough time in between for you to fall back asleep.

Don had a plan. We have some pepper spray that we keep beside our bed for protection against intruders. Don figured that these intruders might not be human nor dangerous, but they were intruders, annoying as all get-out, and perhaps could be discouraged by a friendly blast of pepper spray.  So, anytime he heard the cats on our deck, he would get up and try to sneak out onto the deck; somehow they always heard him and ran off.

One night, he succeeded. He was able to slip out onto the deck and blast the yellow tomcat who was lounging on my lounge chair and making a terrible racket. The cat took off like a rocket, ran right into the gate and then hopped onto the retaining wall. Don gave him another little blast as a parting gift. Problem solved. We went back to bed and back to sleep.

Early the next morning, before it was fully light, Don was on the deck lifting weights and as usual, got onto one of the loungers which doubles as his weight bench. Pretty soon, he became aware that the backs of his legs were burning. A lot. That was the lounger that the cat had been using. Apparently the chair was covered with pepper spray fallout. He warned me not to sit there.

Not long after that, I went in to take a shower, turned on the water, splashed water on my face and instantly my right eye was on fire! What!? There was nothing sprayed in the bathroom. Don had not been in the shower before me. What had I touched that had been pepper sprayed?

That wasn't the end of it either. All throughout the day and into the next day, we would touch something and then rub our faces or touch our lips and have instant heat. Don sat in the other lounge chair with his arms on the arm rests and soon his arms were burning. That pepper spray is powerful stuff. He also sprayed the gate at the entrance to our deck when he gave the cat the last blast, so everytime we grabbed the gate, we got a bit of the spray on us.

Don spent considerable time scrubbing on the deck trying to remove all traces of the spray, but even after that we would feel traces of it on our skin from time to time. He finally conceded that pepper spraying the cat had not worked as planned and should be avoided in the future, except for actual human intruders.

As annoying as the cat had been, I felt really sorry for him. I'm sure he had a miserable day.

The Automotive Experience on Roatan

The Automotive Experience on Roatan

Guest Commentary

Don Gartner

A while back I wrote about auto repair on Roatan.  A couple of recent events prompt this brief update.

After having had bad experiences with two mechanics, Jeanette and I have finally found one who does good work for a decent price.  He was trained as a mechanic on the mainland.  An added bonus is that he speaks excellent English.  He has done three or four repair jobs for us.  His name is Fredy.  (Yes, a single d.)

One day after Fredy had completed a minor repair, we went to his shop to pay and pick up our car.  I climbed into it, turned the key, and nothing happened.  Fredy came over and checked the battery.  Dead.

I said, “Well, I’m guessing you’ve got some jumper cables.”

Fredy smiled and said no.  Then he walked over to the shop and came back carrying another battery.  He said, “Don’t try this at home.”  One of his workers got into the car, ready to turn the key.  Fredy checked the polarities of the car battery and the one he had brought out.  Then he simply turned the new battery upside down and set it on our car’s battery, terminals to terminals.  His worker turned the key, our car started, and Fredy removed the new battery.

These Hondurans can be pretty clever.

They also know how to take advantage of opportunities.

Recently a new friend was looking for a car or truck.  A couple weeks went by, and he said he had finally found one.  It turned out we knew this vehicle.  Another friend of ours had it last year before he left the island.

Now this is an interesting vehicle.  It is an Xterra.  Looks okay, but it needs a lot of work and is probably unsafe to drive above about twenty miles an hour.  But that is not the interesting part.  Like many vehicles on the island, it has no paperwork.  That is, no title.

That’s really not much of a problem, usually.  Vehicles have to be registered every year.  It’s the equivalent of renewing your license in the United States.  You take your current registration card to the local office, pay your money, and get a new card, which is supposed to be carried in the car at all times.

The Xterra had last year’s registration card.  Normally, no problem.  Except that somewhere along the line its license plates had disappeared.  No doubt someone needed plates and stole them.  (The police generally don’t care if the plates match the number on the registration card, only if you have plates.  Any plates.)

Somehow, our new friend found out about an enterprising individual on the mainland who could get him plates.  Well, not exactly “get.”  He would make the plates.  To be clear, he was not connected with the police or government in any way.  His business was hand-making license plates.

We first saw the Xterra from a distance of maybe fifty feet and remarked that the plates really did look official.  It was a high-quality job.  When you get up close – a few feet away – you can see that they’re hand painted.  Hey, no one cares.  Our friend was all set.

Counterfeit license plates.  Who would have thought?

If there’s an opportunity to make a buck, these Hondurans will find it.

A Day of Adventures

This was certainly a day packed with adventures. And yes, that may be a submarine in the photo above!
We started out the day with a 2 hour power outage. Then Dennis dropped by to tell us that there was a bad leak in the main water tank up the hill (where the well water is pumped into), it would have to be drained, dried and repaired which meant that we would have no water for several days. Fortunately, we have our own reserve tank and can go several days using it for everything except drinking water. Don went right in to the kitchen and began filling pitchers, empty juice and Coke bottles with drinking water. I mentioned that we could buy a jug of drinking water. Later, Dennis called to report that he would not shut off the water until Monday when he got the parts he needed, so catch up on laundry, etc. in the meantime.
Rick and Luz called to tell us about an open house at the girls' school this morning from 8-12, so we got ready to go. As we were walking up to our car, we noticed this strange looking ship out in the sea. If we hadn't already locked the house and gates, we would have pulled out our telescope for a closer look, but it sure does looks like a submarine (click to enlarge). Could not tell whose submarine.

The principal met us at the gate to the school (kept locked) and explained that it wasn't really an open house, per se, but a "welcome back to school" party for the kids, and parents and sponsors were welcome to visit. She said that Susan, Rick and Luz had already been there. It was pretty chaotic and loud. Loud speakers in the courtyard booming out music, kids running around, lots of balloons, people walking around with plates of food, much laughter and talking.

We made our way to Leydi's classroom without getting hit by a soccer ball and only one child ran into me. Whew! Leydi's teacher, who introduced himself as 'Carlos', greeted us. He was happy to meet Leydi's sponsors and gave us a brief report. He said she is a very good student and very serious about her work. I said I was amazed at how quickly she was picking up English; he said, yes, he has been working hard with her and she is just soaking it up. I asked if she was having problems in any areas, and he said no, but he was being attentive to the possibility. He saw my camera and very quietly said "class, photos" and they immediately formed this little group!! Honduran children love to have their photo taken, well, except for Leydi who clearly thinks I take too many photos. That's Leydi on the right in the back row.

She did smile for this shot with Don. She had called 'Mr. Don' over and told him in English that she had white shoes for her P.E. class. She had a plate of food wrapped up to take home, perhaps to share with Concepcion. The kids were all eating or just finishing up when we got there, and what a feast they had! For a child like Leydi, this was a great treat. They even had cake. As we were leaving, we met one of the office women carrying a plate of food and asked what kind of cake she had, and instead of telling me, she handed the plate to us! Not sure what it was, but it was good; heavy and dense, like a pound cake, very moist, very different flavor - yucca, perhaps.

We found Gracie and this classmate alone in their classroom. I asked her if she was having fun and she shrugged and put a hand to her ear. I said "yes, it's very loud, isn't it?" The fifth graders in the next room where incredibly loud. Don't know where the rest of her classmates were.

It was a far cry from anything you'd see in an American school, but the kids were having fun and generally speaking were not out of control. And so eager to have their photos taken! Lots of happy faces and full tummys.

As we made our way back to our car, Leydi came running up to the gate, crying "Mr. Don. Mr. Don. When can we swim at your house?" Yes, all in English. Rick and Luz had taken all the girls swimming Wednesday after school at the resort where they are staying. That was really a treat! Leydi was initially fearful, but pretty soon was splashing and having fun. Apparently she really liked, because she wants to go again. Don said he didn't know for sure, we had to find a place to take them. She was relentless in trying to pin him down!!

We went to the market to get fruit and the pharmacy to get drugs. This time I got generic Protonix, 70 tablets for about $7.00 US. Unbelievable. In the US I pay anywhere from $117. to $135. for 30 tablets!! And we got a 15% discount off the total because we are residents!! Woo hoo!

The adventures were far from over. After lunch, I picked up Debi and we set off for French Harbor to get haircuts. We're both tired of Nadia's cuts and ready to try someone new. Brenda was recommended by a friend, so we went to her shop. Lights off, door locked. Lunch break, maybe? Debi called one of the phone numbers on the window and the person she spoke with didn't know where Brenda was nor had a number for her, but said the shop was closed permanently. I had to stop at Ace Hardware and get a small can of stain for Don, so Debi went over to the saleswomen and asked if they knew Brenda. No, but they recommended Lucy in French Harbor, said she was very good...and cheap, about 100 lempiras ($5.00) for a cut. We were off in a flash! The directions: yellow house in French Harbor, sign says "Lucy". We found it, right on the water. She was busy with other people, but her helpers welcomed us, gave us hair styling books to look at and asked if we also wanted manicures.

When it was my turn, I was shampooed by her assistant, and prepped with clips and cape. Lucy asked in Spanish what I wanted and I said "mismo, pero corte about this much en todo," and prayed that she understood. She did! Fabulous cut, nicely shaped. (I know, a minor miracle!) They did charge me 300 lempiras (still only about $16.) Debi wanted something different and although it was cut a bit shorter than she expected, it was so cute! She was delighted. Lucy was going to charge her 140 lempiras because Debi mentioned that she is a resident, but the assistant whispered in Spanish that she had charged the other woman (me) 300 lempiras, so that's what Debi was charged also. Next time, we'll mentioned the residency first for the discounted price. 

More Photos from Tanya's Casa

Tanya's younger brother, Eguardo, wanted to help. He was given the job of mixing cement to help Guido who was pouring a concrete floor under the house. Guido was doing this job for $160. US! He had some materials left over from finishing Concepcion's job. Don't know how much Eguardo enjoyed this hard work of mixing gravel, cement and water into concrete, but he evidently did a good job. And he's only 11 years old.

Eguardo really got into it, didn't he? His lower body and bare feet are covered with cement dust.

They had just had their water day and every available container had been filled with water to last the family for the next 8 days. Note the large rectangular container on the left near the wall. That's part of an old refrigerator recycled to become a bathtub of sorts. Don watched Edguardo wash off the cement dust. He filled a bucket with water from the refrigerator, poured it over his body, soaped up, and then filled another bucket with water and dumped it over his head to rinse. He just stood next to the fridge, not in it, keeping the water clean for the next person.

Can you imagine how many mosquitoes would be attracted to all these containers of standing water?

The kids don't have electricity yet, so an extension cord was run from the construction site to a neighbor's house down the hill. Don will wire the house for electricity later.

Building Tanya's Casa

Yesterday the work on the house for Tanya and her siblings continued. The siding had arrived and was carried up the steep hillside by some of the younger men. The siding was pretty wet, adding to the weight; the guys sure got a workout. In this top photo you can see the house that the kids are currently living in. The lumber laying on the floor is for the roof. The team last week got the floor down and the walls and roof framed with some strapping, but not enough. Work had stopped until the siding came in.

You can see some of the cross pieces being added to the roof. The cross members are not big enough to support the weight of the tin roof across a 20 foot span, though, they all agreed. Something will have to be done about that before putting up the tin.
 Chuck was able to drive his truck all the way up the road to the house (quite a feat!) after making some repairs to the washed out road. He was able to bring his air compressor, ladders and other tools up in the truck plus the guys got a ride up. Then they carried everything up the steep path to the house.

Here they are putting up the first panels of siding. That's Larry kneeling on top, Jordan on the ladder, Rick holding the ladder, and Snider powering up the nail gun.

You can see how steep the construction site is in this photo. That's Kevin at the bottom of the ladder, Clifford on the ladder with the nail gun, Chuck at the bottom passing something up to Snider who is leaning through the wall framing. They finished installing the siding. Now they must wait until the roofing materials come in before doing more.

These photos were all taken by Don (good job, honey!). I'll post more later.

Dinner With Friends

Our friends from San Antonio are here and are anxious to see everyone. Their first night here, we spread the word that we were having dinner at Blue Bahia. You've heard me talk about all of these people, so let me introduce you. In the top photo we have The Campbells from Canada: Colleen, Larry and Susan (our partners in matriculation); The Vicks: Snider and Lynne (who took Spanish lessons with us); and The Moores: Luz Maria and Rick (our San Antonio pals). Colleen is just here for a couple of weeks, visiting her parents, and it has been delightful getting to know her.

As you can see, a beach-side restaurant is a lovely setting for dinner. They actually let me get in this photo!

We got more opportunity to practice our Spanish today. Don and Rick, Larry and Snider and Colleen's boyfriend went up into the colonia with Pastor Chuck to work on the kids' house. I'll post more photos in the next blog. The women all went to Son Rise for the Spanish women's Bible class taught by Tia and translated by Brandi. This was my first time to actually stay for the class and I really enjoyed it! Tia was teaching the women about the Great Commission and how important it is to share their faith with their neighbors. Colleen was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and presented the 4 spiritual laws. The women repeated the 4 laws in Spanish and then split into pairs to practice on one another. Tia encouraged the women to join her Saturday as she goes up into the colonia to witness. It will be interesting to see who does. The women sang hymns in Spanish and prayer needs were addressed. Afterwards, the women visited over coffee. I was able, in my feeble Spanish, to learn more about some of them and even shared that I'm going to be a grandmother in June. I was surprised at how much I'm able to understand...much more than I'm able to speak!