(Wow! I didn't realize until I looked at the "list" on-line after completion - - this is posting #50)
I'm never quite sure when I begin a posting whether I should FIRST pick up where I left off before, or jump forward to the most recent week or so, or maybe go back and pick up some previous "loose ends."
Seems like I had griped a little bit about how hard it is to get materials here at times, and other complications to progress. THIS IS USUALLY SO - and there isn't ANY possible way, nor enough space here, to get to all the nitty- gritty details of just how confusing it can be to get anything DONE. BUT, occasionally I catch a "break" - - -
NOT SHOWN last posting, I had to leave the electric wire for
the washing machine like this for several weeks, as I didn't
have any way to neatly install it on the cement wall surface.
I thought I would eventually have to make cap-molding out of
wood, or modify plastic water-pipe - neither a satisfactory
solution to getting the wiring job decently finished. But - -
on my next trip to San Jose, at the first place I looked, this
nice factory-made surface-wiring conduit was in- stock and
CHEAP! The "c- shaped" channel on the right is attached to
the wall, the wire is quickly slipped inside it, and the "cap
piece" on the left just snaps into place. Pretty easy!
From "before" to "after" might have been about an hour's
job, and in fact it only took about 3 hours, the morning after
I got "the right stuff."
AND sometimes things can be made without too much hassle,
too. The item on the left is a stirring paddle to be used with
an electric drill for drywall "mud." I brought it here with quite
a few of my other tools. We use it for stirring paint in 5 gallon
buckets a LOT. ('way too much paint and re-painting is needed
for this place, I think, but that's yet another story.) Since we
often must mix our own colors, and we are now using catalyst-
hardener type paints, electric stirring is a BIG help. But we
needed a "stir" to fit in one-gallon and one- quart cans; so
one fine morning Doc-Doc, who is a "real whiz" with stainless
steel wire (from making fishermen's stuff) simply made us
the pretty little stir on the right. It sure has been handy!
I kind of think I'd better jump forward to the last week or so of events, then go back and fill in as much as I can of other things which haven't gotten posted the last couple times.
The annual youth-camp for about 15 combined churches was Tuesday thru Friday of this week. Our church meeting place is a conference center/ campground, so WE are the usual hosts - - as usual, lots of things needed to happen for a few days before the event.
The original "He" and "She" facilities are only ONE fixture each;
last year we managed to extend slab-floor with two fixtures at
each end of the restroom, but the fixtures had to be quickly
screened with bamboo- and- canvas walls. In the months
since last season, concrete- block walls had been mostly
completed, but no doors had been available. Addition at
the opposite end - to the right - is pretty similar to above.
(Literal "take" on an old saying, "Built like a brick outhouse.")
(Literal "take" on an old saying, "Built like a brick outhouse.")
With a few working days before "Opening Day" the rough-
cut frame pieces for the new doors are smoothed and
straightened as needed.
Each completed door-panel frame is covered with fairly thick-
gauge galvanized metal "skin." "Petite" would describe
this particular door- width, and each door is uniquely
custom- proportioned.
this particular door- width, and each door is uniquely
custom- proportioned.
The metal is a "real bugger" to work, with only wood blocks
and hammers to bend and crease it around the door frames.
Photographer "lends a hand foot" with about 82 kilos of
weight attached, to help keep everything from sliding around
while the benders are bending.
Eventually each door is covered, with fairly nice "hospital
corner" folds tacked into the metal skin. In this rather
hostile salt/ humid air + termite- ridden environment,
such doors may actually last 10 or more years. We hope!
Completed door installation. 4 working days produced 4
working doors, plus some refinements in plumbing and
some temporary lighting for night-time. Cement ROOF,
and wall-finish, may hopefully be done in the next
several months. "In The Stars, His Handiwork I See,"
is a chorus/ song title which may have been thought of
by night-time facility users this year; they could see 'em
pretty clearly I imagine.
is a chorus/ song title which may have been thought of
by night-time facility users this year; they could see 'em
pretty clearly I imagine.
Some plastic tarp panels were used to extend the open-air
meeting hall. "Creative use" of bench plus ladder was
managed with no harm - - - (!)
High-tech banner printing is readily available here, and the
camp banner shows evidence of a real "graphic artist."
This sign in the food-service area seemed confusing. As only
enough tables are available for the "buffet spread" I suppose
its purpose was to encourage diners to disperse to different
spaces and allow others to pass thru the line.
spaces and allow others to pass thru the line.
The camp kitchen is still about the same, wood-fired cooking
area center-left, but some lighting was added this year.
First day, first meeting, the campers were sorted into randomly-
selected teams (a "mixer/ ice-breaker") which then competed in
various ways during the seminars and other camp activities.
A good "plan" for developing cooperation, organization and
other skills "on the fly" for 3 days.
The registration of about 88 plus staff turned out to be
the "just right" number for the available seating and space;
Tents augmented the dormitories, and they were able
to move under the "meeting hall extension" tarps after
the first day. They also may have illustrated the "Exodus-
Journey" theme of the week.
It seems like there are a lot of miscellaneous photos on my list. Here are a few:
ethic and responsibility. This fella was coming to us from out
in the hills, buying quantities of ice-sacks for his family's
business there. In a small, "ice"olated community possibly this
was the only source of ice available. Some circumstance
must have ended the business at least temporarily, as we
haven't seen him for a few weeks.
never have imagined buying Egyptian-made disposable
razors at our local municipal market. My shaver broke a
while back, and various aspects of THAT story would take
several photo frames to cover. Another time, maybe.
I pretty routinely use the electric drill (held in a vise) + a large
screw, to "lathe turn" wooden knobs and handles. I have
intentions of building an actual lathe-table for the drill, but
so far I haven't gotten it done. When a trowel handle broke
recently, the drill-in-the-vise worked well enough to turn out
a replacement from better quality wood; and as you see,my technique has improved from 3 or so years ago.
orange glow which seemed to infuse everything around sunset.
This photo, if it shows up OK, attempts to show the mist and
mountains looking south from Malabor beach.
The same "old photograph sepia" light was in this and some
other photos I made of volleyball- in- progress. Several nets
appeared nearby at about the time of the "national Olympic
games" which I began mentioning in the last posting. For
a couple weeks there were quite a lot of "pickup games"
around here in the late afternoons, sometimes with quite
a few players on each side of the net. This game looks
more like 2-or-3 on each side. 'Fraid this is the closest
I got to the national competition. I have a few photos of
elaborate banners, flags, and other preparations which
I may try to share later.
Ham is not readily available here (unless you "count" the chopped
spam- like stuff in small tin cans). But decent- grade pork roast
can be salt-brine soaked for 2 days, then brown-sugar or
molasses- marinaded, and slow-cooked with some clove and
smoke-flavoring to make a fair substitute. Slice it thinner and
you get something like "Canadian bacon." I use a zip-lock
bag, with minimum amount of brine and marinades, and
just keep it in the refrigerator until I get ready for each stage
in the process.
This coconut cream pie was just about my last stove-top "Dutch
oven" bake. First time I had tried to toast raw sweet coconut,
which is quite different from the tougher "mature coconut" sold
in the USA. The pie has graham cracker crust, as stove-top
cooking could not make a proper flake-crust.
Wonderful looking shells on display at a friend's house. These
are the size of an American football.
These "little kids" with their mama are often out in our street
around sundown. The concrete blocks behind them hint at their
tiny size - - -
but my "Sasquatch- pod" shows more closely that they are
indeed scarcely a "foot" long (= 30 cm.)
Well, here is a short story of a "little guy" struggling to make a tough living.
We saw this modest-size box truck which had run off the road,
one morning when we were en route to San Jose. No time to
stop right then, but we stopped on our return trip a few hours
later. The owner- driver told us he had been sleepy at 5 a.m.
when he ended up in the wrong- side ditch.
No tow- trucks anywhere around here. Probably no other large
vehicle to help pull him out, either. They have a lot of hand-work
with jacks and wooden blocking to do, before they might be
able to hand push or maybe drive him out of there. One good
thing, he is empty on a "return" trip, less 4 or 5 tons.
Hard to tell what they might have to do to get enough of
a "bridge" under the steering tire to swing it out of that
ditch. They need to get the right-rear tires in contact
with the ground, too, and maybe then will be able to
drive out. THE CARGO? Ice! Hauling it about 5
hours' driving from near San Jose to far-north Kalibo.
(map link). "Running his tail off" for several weeks.
I can't begin to speculate WHY a city of 80,000 would
import ice 5 long hours from a smaller city, and NOT
from much nearer, larger Roxas City. Kalibo ice
plant broke down? Lack of water, or of electricity?
How could some poor guy, with a well-worn small
cargo truck, hope to make a profit like that? (And,
other photos I made of volleyball- in- progress. Several nets
appeared nearby at about the time of the "national Olympic
games" which I began mentioning in the last posting. For
a couple weeks there were quite a lot of "pickup games"
around here in the late afternoons, sometimes with quite
a few players on each side of the net. This game looks
more like 2-or-3 on each side. 'Fraid this is the closest
I got to the national competition. I have a few photos of
elaborate banners, flags, and other preparations which
I may try to share later.
spam- like stuff in small tin cans). But decent- grade pork roast
can be salt-brine soaked for 2 days, then brown-sugar or
molasses- marinaded, and slow-cooked with some clove and
smoke-flavoring to make a fair substitute. Slice it thinner and
you get something like "Canadian bacon." I use a zip-lock
bag, with minimum amount of brine and marinades, and
just keep it in the refrigerator until I get ready for each stage
in the process.
This coconut cream pie was just about my last stove-top "Dutch
oven" bake. First time I had tried to toast raw sweet coconut,
which is quite different from the tougher "mature coconut" sold
in the USA. The pie has graham cracker crust, as stove-top
cooking could not make a proper flake-crust.
are the size of an American football.
around sundown. The concrete blocks behind them hint at their
tiny size - - -
indeed scarcely a "foot" long (= 30 cm.)
Well, here is a short story of a "little guy" struggling to make a tough living.
one morning when we were en route to San Jose. No time to
stop right then, but we stopped on our return trip a few hours
later. The owner- driver told us he had been sleepy at 5 a.m.
when he ended up in the wrong- side ditch.
vehicle to help pull him out, either. They have a lot of hand-work
with jacks and wooden blocking to do, before they might be
able to hand push or maybe drive him out of there. One good
thing, he is empty on a "return" trip, less 4 or 5 tons.
a "bridge" under the steering tire to swing it out of that
ditch. They need to get the right-rear tires in contact
with the ground, too, and maybe then will be able to
drive out. THE CARGO? Ice! Hauling it about 5
hours' driving from near San Jose to far-north Kalibo.
(map link). "Running his tail off" for several weeks.
I can't begin to speculate WHY a city of 80,000 would
import ice 5 long hours from a smaller city, and NOT
from much nearer, larger Roxas City. Kalibo ice
plant broke down? Lack of water, or of electricity?
How could some poor guy, with a well-worn small
cargo truck, hope to make a profit like that? (And,
how would San Jose ice plant have enough surplus
ice to sell him, beyond the local needs? And many
other questions.)
ice to sell him, beyond the local needs? And many
other questions.)
Well, it is that time of year again here. This sign was posted
at the highway- end of our school road a couple weeks ago.
No mail-outs of leaflets, here; THIS is the mass-comm's method.
In a little over a week we will have the scuffing of hundreds
of little feet to punctuate our days, at intervals, from about
6:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (We are midway between the National
Highway and the elementary school, which is at a "dead end.")
School year here is generally from June until the following March.
Well I was kind of trying to get all the backlog of photos in here, this time. But I still have a way to go, so perhaps I will try to get out one "extra posting" a little sooner than usual if things will just settle down here. I'm pretty sure this one is over 30 pix by now.
We hope you are finding 2017 mostly "to your liking" and enjoying the right balance of accomplishment and leisure!
TJ and Bernadette Larson
Antique Province, Philippines
