A picture of an A-frame chicken coop and a survey of available materials in our community put the wheels in motion. After receiving permission from a neighbor, with machete in hand, Mark cut/hacked 10, 15 foot long pieces of bamboo, which we carried on our shoulders the half mile back to our house. Along the way, we got lots of smiles, nods, and "Guapas/ Guapos", (hardworking), and as you can imagine, my shoulders complained about that chore for the next couple of days!
First, Mark worked his magic measuring, cutting angles, considering lashing techniques using wire, and building in support systems. His gate was a bamboo masterpiece, resembling a subtropical xylophone, sin the little sticks with the balls on the ends! :)
Many of the houses in our town have roofs made of kapi' i, (water reed or thatched roof), so we thought it would be a good option for our project, as well.
So next, we headed off to another house to purchase kapi' i for the chicken coop roof. Again, carrying it home was an experience- a friend along the way helped me tie three bunches together and taught me to carry it, balanced, (well, kind of), on top of my head! Once we got the kapi' i home, we created a thatched roof and attached it to the structure.
The addition of a fruit crate filled with left over kapi' i for a nesting box, a waterer made from a plastic bottle, and a bamboo perch, made our project complete!
Hi Mark and Sue! We hope you are both doing well and it great to see everything you two have been doing. We send all our love and pray for both of you all the time. Mark... I just found and old email you wrote me back in Nov. 11 and I am sorry I never responded. Just to let you both know DAD (Big Sam) is doing really well now and I will write you an email with all the info... love you both Sylvia and Family (The Baldies)
ReplyDeleteHi Mark and Sue,
ReplyDeleteYour mom sent the link to your blog. What an experience you are having..and fun to read how life is progressing in Paraguay. Thank goodness for technology so you can share widely..if not for that, news from you guys would be pretty slow.
Hugs to both of you. Julie and Milt
Love reading what you two are up to. One complaint though -you need to update more often! LOL
ReplyDeleteSue - do we get to see a picture of the balancing act you learned transporting your chicken-coop-roof? Hope so.
Chris
Dear Mark and Sue,
ReplyDeleteIt was quite by accident I learned about your placement with the Peach Corps. I was waiting in line for a table at my favorite brunch place in Davis when a woman invited me to share her table. We talked about our lives offering details of joy and challenges. As time prepared to pull us apart she mentioned that she worked at Maxwell. Maxwell!? I went through a list of people I was hungry to find out about.
That is when I learned that the two of you are in Paraguay. A dream come true! Something, Sue, you and I shared about our wish to find a placement.
The girls and I talked about it the other night and they had all kinds of questions so we went online to see if we could find a link to connect with you. There you are! Hana, Anne and I loved reading about your ventures. Is there a way we can send books or supplies you might want?
You would be so delighted to see the girls. Hana, is in 10th grade. She just turned 16 which means...drum roll please...she is learning to drive. :) She's actually quite good. You may remember how she struggled academically but we just received her CAHSEE results. (That's the high school exit exam.) She received 80% to 100%. She still struggles but she is determined to do well. Anne is graduating 6th grade and entering the gifted program at Emerson Jr. High. She continues to excel at academic achievements. Last year she was sent on to the State spelling bee contest.
They both remember Maxwell with great fondness. Their teacher and the wonderful Principal who always brought her tractor to the carnival. Davis puts on quite the carnival but nothing like the homey environment like Maxwell had.
I continue to beat the odds with my cancer. It was stage 3, in 2008, and my doctors are amazed that it hasn't grown or spread. It would make me so happy if it could just stay quiet, for as long as possible.
I hope you are both well. I'm so happy for you and admire you both for the challenges you must face on a daily basis.
You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Much love,
Betsy, Hana and Anne