Raise High the Registro, Maestro

I finally decided raise the level of the opening to the registro which was taking in way too much rain water and eventually ending up in the septic tank.  I just have a feeling that a septic tank doesn't want tons of extra water to do it's thing. It was fine until the grass started to be replaced with walkways, planters and the pool.  Now the water is 2 inches deep before it can run towards the street.

Hugo has been doing the cement work for the last few days and his girls were helping yesterday. I decided to raise a large section so no water gets trapped behind the planter Yari is sitting on.  It's about 4" high and a 6 foot by 12 foot L shape. So now let it rain which I know it will before November.

Finishing the inside to eliminate cockroch caverns

Just in time as it was getting ready to rain

Rain just starting

Tinaco work

I tried to find pictures of the way these tinaco bases were made but maybe peculiar to this area or my builders. Anyway, they build a ring of bricks on the roof surface about 3 high, stucco it and fill with sand. The problem with that is water seeps into the sand from rain or an overflowing tinaco (broken float valve). My lower tinaco was causing water to come out between the original roof and the flat tiles above it so I knew it had to be seeping thru the sand. The last thing you want it trapped moisture on cement.

My solution was to seal the space between the tank and the base with impermeabilizante and fiber material. About 2 inches up the tank, the flat area and down the side of the base. I eventually did the whole roof of the lower tinaco and just started the process on my upper one. It's all part of getting ready for the rainy season and luckily a broken float valve alerted me to it in the dry season.

The upper tan tinaco base sealed

Lower tinaco with whole roof sealed

Upper tinaco - just an interesting foto

The majic Higuera tree and Dia de los Albañiles

Both of these are from my worker and neighbor today, Hugo.

Last night he walked his family into Melaque from Pinal Villa and on the way there is a large Higuera tree. The baby in a stroller was effected by the magic of this tree and didn't sleep all night, discomfort, headache, temperature and maybe bad dreams ... as much of a dream as a 6 months old can have.

I asked him if this was an issue for a doctor and he said no, only a curandero or bruja (witch doctor) could deal with it. "Muchos problemas con chiquillos" (little kids) is all he could say. I asked Silvia who is visiting from the Chapala area and got more or less the same story about the magic Higuera. The curandero breaks a raw egg over the childs forehead to help in the diagnosis.   Wish I could find some 'real' tales of the magic of ther Higuera tree ... maybe later.

The other item is that Tuesday of next week (May 3rd) is "El Día del Albañil" (day of the cement workers (masons)) and Hugo wanted me to buy some crape paper and his wife would make a cross to put up on my house that he has been working on for the last 6 months. That was easy and 3 colors cost 10 pesos ... but he also wanted something like Saran Wrap to protect the crape paper from the rain. Haven't found that yet. Ziploc bags just don't work the same.

Beach rocks

I quit early today after digging a foundation (only three bricks high) for the new 'sidewalk' (banqueta) that will surround the house. Have to aim the water away from the house and also just cover some of the dirt that I have lived with for the last three years. Cement, grass and garden will be much nicer than what I have. Placing rocks in the sidewalk somehow is the idea but we don't have a firm plan.

So I've been collecting rocks from all the digging we've been doing and have quite a pile but they aren't that pretty. My workers suggested going to the beach for rocks with lots to choose from ... and there are lots.

I sat there with my bucket and just enjoyed the afternoon, the ocean and the breeze

Want a shelf, these guys can build it

They are finishing up the bodega/workshop and I wanted a storage shelf around the room. This will also be the safe storage room for valuable stuff when I'm away. I put up a second layer of bricks on the outside walls up to the 2 meter level and this shelf sits on top of the second wall.

Then the re-bar to hold the cement together and the wood supports to hold it up for a day. They used 2" PVC cut in half as a mold for the front cap on the shelf. Very nice work, I'm really impressed

Hugo (Jugo) finishing the cement support

Oscar filling it

Finished shelf

Neighbor kids watching the roof pour

Watching a cement roof pour is interesting for everyone

Is all that gonna fit on my roof

Two loads of sand, one and a half loads of gravel and 100 bags of cement. Of all that we had about a half load of sand left, a quarter load of gravel and used exactly 100 bags of cement. There is also about 120 pieces of six meter rebar under the cement on a 120 square meter roof.

No cement pumpers used here - it was the bucket by bucket brigade up the street side of the house. Street was closed to all but bicycles for almost 4 hours. The roof foto only shows the beginning of the pour but it is all up there. My job now is to water the roof at sunrise and sunset so it dries slowly.

Sand and gravel in the street

100 bags of cement

About a quarter of the way thru the pour

Cement crew in the street