Friday, February 22, 2013

The Larson Foundation

Actual posting date Friday, Feb. 22, 2013

Several possible titles occurred to me for this blog issue, but I thought that one had a nice "ring" to it. I enjoy mentally re-playing last lines of media-scripts sometimes, because I have to wonder if they really "hear" what they say.  One favorite from a couple years ago:  "Kosair Childrens' Hospital is supported by the Childrens' Hospital Foundation."  Yep, the whole place would fall down if not for that.

Having watched (and helped a little) with the foundation and lower-structure of our house project, I'm absolutely certain that "it ain't going nowhere."   I've seen a fair number of foundation and block-work projects, and have been a little surprised at the depth of footings and the amount of re-bar used here.
"Ready, mix cement" was another possible title, and as you'll have already guessed from the bag-cement and bulk sand/gravel deliveries featured earlier, our concrete didn't come out of a drum-truck; these guys could imagine that happening, but it would just be imagination . . .
The sand and gravel was delivered at the street; the best way to move it
 to the mixing area is one bag at a time.
It is carefully spread in layers with Portland cement in between, and the
whole pile is double-turn shoveled to mix it evenly; then, a crater is made
in the top, and water is added while the "dry" outside is continually scooped
towards the center.  Result: even, thoroughly mixed "mud."  It's not far 
different from making pie-crust or pancake batter.
Concrete transport system. (Nothing abstract, here.)
Walking the "straight and narrow,"  50-pounds or so in each bucket.
 Each load is dumped where needed- here at a corner-footer pad.  Each
 concrete post for the house will be poured on this type of  "footer-pad,"
about 32-inches square, 3-feet deep at the bottom so about 12-inch thick. 
 It is cross-laced inside with more re-bar which is tied to the post-fab re-
bar (vertical) and to re-bar lying horizontally in the wall-footing trench.
The wall-footing has been poured  (also 12-inch thick) and below-ground
"hollow-block" is beginning to go in place.  NOTE 4-inch thick 3-hole 
concrete blocks are standard, here.  Re-bar between blocks of this course
will be in middle-hole of the next course.  All voids are filled with concrete -
"solid."  Below-ground each course has re-bar above and below; above-
ground, every-second course will be re-barred.
Cement posts of this house are at corners and wall mid-points.  They are
kept as "gaps" with anchored re-bar-fab in place.  When the walls are full
height, these will be wood-formed and cement poured in-place to make the
 posts; at the same time, re-bar-fab will be in place on top of the walls, and
formed and poured to make a solid concrete "bond-beam" around the top.
Top o' the wall; bond-beam metal in place, with the outside of its form behind
it. The form for this side is ready to go on. The vertical post re-bar-fab is visible
 and will  be formed and poured as a unit with the bond beam.  Vertical post
concrete already poured below this is still fresh and will bond completely with
 the new pour on top of it.  ("Monolithic.")
I wasn't sure I could "get to the top" in just one blog-issue.  Next issue will probably 
revert to another topic, as I've been doing.  The following "construction" issue will need to go back and show a few details left out of the story, here.  But I think I can "get the roof on" with that issue.

I hung onto this issue for a few days because I got it done early.  I kinda lean towards releasing them overnight before Friday because I hope that's a good day for people to look, or else they can read it over the weekend.  Seems to me like next issue would be a good time to start looking at "Market" and food.

Hope you all have a fine and blessed weekend!   Tim Larson,   Philippines

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Tricycle

Actual posting date Friday Feb. 15, 2013.

New readers should probably scroll back and read a few previous postings.

Motorcycle-sidecar "tricycles" are not unique to the Philippines, but the sheer numbers of them, and the percentage they make up of general traffic (at least in this area) must surely be considered a phenomenon.  This combination is the "workhorse" of transportation because of the extreme thriftiness,  mechanical simplicity and dependability provided for the amount of transportation accomplished.  Gas prices here are U.S. equivalent of more than $5.70 so "fuel sipping" vehicles are a must.
 The sidecars I've seen (manymanymany) are hand-fabbed in small welding shops mostly. Some shops reach an eventual output of hundreds of units - certainly jigs and fixtures are used to speed up the building process and keep the product uniform.  I observe some differences in the body-shape of the majority of sidecars  around my immediate area (Tibiao and Culasi) and the sidecars around San Jose (60 km from here, the Provincial Capitol) which you'll see in my photos. These differences I gather are the "signature" shapes of two different manufacturing shops.  The basic framework is welded from 1/4- inch to 3/8 inch diameter steel rod (often "re-bar") and then covered with spot-welded galvanized steel sheeting, (it's called aircraft-type construction) resulting in a product which is sturdy and very professional looking and quite sleekly streamlined.  Well, too much typescript already, I'll let the photos start speaking for themselves.
This tricycle is one we rode the approx. 2 km to Tibiao Municipal Market one
Saturday morning.  The sleek "bullet train" front design is typical of most sidecars
around here.  The roof-projection over the bike is typical of  nearly all - it often
has a plastic windshield hanging in front of the driver.  Passenger fares are flat-
rate, set by the local council (or whoever's in charge).  Around here the fare is
8 pesos which equals 20-cents  U.S.  It's 10 pesos in San Jose.
These units on the street in San Jose are boxier-looking but still well finished.
All are officially numbered; various permits  are posted on windshields.  Many
are nicknamed and "themed" as with jeepneys.  Note Bugs Bunny inside British
 Innovator.  I nearly always ride facing backwards - it's hard for me to scrunch
 inside thru the right "door."  Bikes are tiny - 155cc is largest and some are only
 100cc.  I have not yet seen ANY motorcycle larger than 155cc in the Philippines.
There seem to be thousands of tricycles around San Jose - "thicker than  flies
 on a feedlot."  Many districts now have rules requiring passengers to be in-
side the vehicle or on the bike-seat.  Some places have restricted them to
outside of "downtown," Iloilo certainly has and it appears (from TV traffic
news-casts) that Manila has restrictions, too.  This, for safety reasons.
Two riders behind the driver is typical; sometimes, the back seat gets jammed
with 4 and not unusual for the tiny front seat to have 3. This load is pretty
 "tame,"as there are no standees or roof-riders.
In our area students ride half-fare, and the "rules" only apply in "Tibiao Proper"
(as Main Part of the District is called).  Kids will be kids, and at half-fare there
 will at times be 10 or 11 people including standees and roof riders.
By the way, top speed is about 30 mph and they usually only go 20- 25,
but slower when loaded heavily. (LOW engine-power)
All kinds - and lots OF - cargo goes on tricycles.  Part of this load of lumber
we received is already off.  I WISH I could get a photo of 35-foot bamboo
bundled and hauled with point-ends dragging, on a tricycle.  Common 2
 months ago, current "shortage" of bamboo makes it harder to find one.
I kept seeing this SAME pig being chauffeured on a tricycle.  PIGS and
other livestock on a trike, not unusual - BUT it's usually a one-way trip,
ya know what I mean? Also, he's BIG, about 300 pounds.
So I wondered what was up with him.
It turned out he's the highly regarded "Poppa Pig" for this area; he
finishes his day's work with a big smile.
  I could include lots more photos - but these are a fair representation.  Almost for sure I'll be putting some "miscellaneous" tricycle photos up at times, just like I really need already to include a couple more "JEEPNEY" photos I've been lucky enough to catch.  I use a fairly simple "snapshot" electronic camera, and a lot of the GOOD photos would be vehicles in motion if I could catch them.  My shutter-"click" is about 1/2 second after I push the button so I'm still mastering the timing.  
   Tricycles and jeepneys alike are frequently piled high with people and cargo;  some tricycle photos I've missed might remind you of the 3rd-world "donkey or burro" photo, where you can hardly see the beast because it's so covered up with baskets, or firewood, or whatever.  If I can just swing the camera fast enough I'll try for a few.
  Looks like this will be posted overnight-Thursday for you USA-ers - Hope you all have a blessed Friday and wonderful weekend.
Tim and Bernadette Larson,  Philippines

Sunday, February 10, 2013

The Steel Deal

ACTUAL Posting date, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013

Readers who are  new to the blog should probably scroll back and read a few earlier posts, first. 

So far, I hadn't thought too much about just exactly what my "philosophy" is for this blog.  I'm pretty sure it will stay mostly photo's, as they are more interesting than typescript.  Have had a couple comments that Bernadette and I aren't in the photo's much if at all -so I may try to work us in a little.  But she is camera-shy, and I'M  usually the one holding the camera so it won't be very often.  One point which occurred to me is that I don't expect the blog to be so much about ME or about US as it is about what we see around us in the Philippines that is different from the USA, and may therefore interest the readers.
I've been trying to figure out how to present the process of building a house here, a few photos at a time, without getting over-complicated for readers who'd rather just take projects like this for granted.  Guess I'm trying not to "belabor" the subject; but it's an awful lot of what's going on for us right now, and I've taken  many various-phase photos.  I guess I'll just start putting them up 6 or 8 at a time, and work other subjects in-between as I've been trying to do.
The building pad area was cleared of most obstructions and four "corners" like
this one were staked into place about 18- inches outside of the actual house-
corner locations.  Looking closely you can see string-lines crossed; the strings 
guide digging and other lining-up functions as the foundation and walls are built.
All preparation work for materials happens on the site.  Small-diameter
"re-bar" (reinforcing bar) is cut to length with a hacksaw.
Thick nails driven into a tree-slab make a bending jig so this worker
can bend the straight re-bar cuts into the "box" shape seen at right .
Hundreds of these boxes are cut and bent.
Meantime rolls of 16-gauge tie-wire are cut into zillions of  ready-made
wire-ties by sis-in-law, nieces, and me.  These are used like twist-ties.
Larger-size re-bar is wired to corners of the bent "boxes" and thus, long
lengths of rectangular-sectioned reinforcements are created to go inside
of concrete posts and beams of the house.
Concrete posts of the house will be poured later, around re-bar fabricated
 ("fab")sections like this one which is being braced and tied into foundation 
re-bar already in the trench;  we are just about ready to pour concrete.
Meantime several loads of sand, gravel and cement-blocks have arrived- by
 TRUCK, not by BUS;  this load of  blocks is on top of 3 cu. yards of sand-
 and-gravel mix.  They will be "digitally downloaded"  (that is, taken off by hand.)

This is NOT a dump-truck.  But these guys are GOOD - they can shovel
that load out the side just about as quick as if it had been dumped. This
well-worn workhorse of a truck has been here so often lately that I can
recognize its sound when it approaches, without even looking.
   I'm a little past my usual "photo- limit" for a blog-post already.  I can't BELIEVE how many good pix just won't make it for lack of space, especially (this time) several of the "bending jig" process.  I left out the "ditch-digging" and other things which are pretty much same-o to the U.S. 
   The motorcycle side-car "tricycle" is another vehicle specific to the Philippines; seen a couple of "blogs" back, delivering a load of lumber to us.  I THINK that I finally have enough photos to make a decent blog layout of these versatile little vehicles, so that's most likely what will come next.

Hope you're all having a blessed day!

Tim Larson, Philippines

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Cement Delivery

Actual posting date, Feb. 8, 2013.  (Blog site always says what date you START writing)

Those who are new to the site, take a couple minutes to scroll down to previous entries.

Everything seems to happen differently here.  We have now had three cement deliveries for our house project, 50 sacks each.  You might expect a flatbed "Home Improvement Center"
truck to arrive - if not a ready-mix truck - at a construction site with this type of material;  but for us it isn't so.  Happens that nearly all owner-operator buses and jeepneys have roof-racks and lower compartments for hauling things besides passengers.  It helps the owner make some extra cash if it can be worked into the passenger schedule or done afterward.  Here are the highlights of our typical cement delivery:

The bus arrives in late afternoon after its passenger-run from San Jose to Culasi (about 55 miles) since
it starts from nearby our place each morning.  It is noticeably "riding low" as it has about 5,000 # of
cement in sacks on top, under a tarp.   The steel re-bar which was also ordered is tossed off first.

Now come the cement sacks, 40kg - that's 88# - each - - ooof! it hurts just to watch it come down.
The first few sacks are stacked into a set of steps to make the reach a little easier.  Sacks are then 
carried about 25 feet onto the property and stacked along the wall of our bamboo "resort-hut."
But the big guy said that one-at-a-time was too slow to suit him;  that's right, he doubled-up
to two sacks, 176#  at a time.
Here, he has turned around the property fence and is saa-shaying over to where
the other sacks are piled by the hut.  One of the other guys there helped unload him.
He made at least 5 or 6 trips like this, could have been more.
It's nearly all stacked in place now, and will be tarped for protection.  The house-
site is 6 feet beyond the corner of the bamboo hut; plots of land are small in-town,
and we will use the area you can see, over to where people are standing for our
 new home.   Work will start tomorrow (Jan. 15, 2013) on the foundation.
A quick peek at the driver's seat, and you can see passenger seat-backs too.  This
bus is well-seasoned, but carefully maintained and clean if "utilitarian."  It has a fairly
new 4-liter engine and it can pretty well "rock-'n'-roll!"
It has taken several weeks to get this organized.  Small apology to a few psople who received pretty much the same photos a couple weeks ago in an e-mail. 
    I'm basically trying NOT to do all construction blogs in a row, because other stuff is happening at the same time.  But there are a LOT of construction photos piling up, and I've gotten luckier in the last few days with photos from "out and about" as we've been mostly on errands.  SO I may have to step up the pace of how often I put up blogs, just in order to clear out the backlog.  I'll try to swing back and forth between "what we're doing at the house" and "what I see while I'm other places."  Next blog will probably be about house foundation and startup, but I've also GOT to get something up about TRICYCLES,  Going to Market, Food in General, Salt, Fishing, Canoes, and the list keeps on coming.
This is a great place to live and I'm really enjoying it.  I miss a lot of things about my job, and about my kife in KY generally,  especially my FRIENDS who were my customers for years and years.  But I DON'T MISS HAVING TO WORK!!  I do things pretty much at my own pace now, and it's really a blessing.
Hope you're all having a fine day!

Tim Larson,  Philippines