Day three of construction

O.K. I promise I will not go through everyday of construction with you but here are the highlights of day three. Senor Backhoe Retro, (who really is a nice guy and wants Maurice to go into business with him and buy a $30,000 retro from his cousin in Tijuana) has two guys loading the cement blocks onto skids so he can drive them to the top of the cliff. One by one they load these blocks onto skids. These are the same blocks which were just unloaded yesterday. Then all three of them; the two laborers and Senor Backhoe, ride up the cliff with the two labors in the scoop of the backhoe, so they can unload the blocks onto the ground; block by block.

750 blocks. 750 blocks loaded unto a truck and delivered to our place yesterday. 750 blocks individually removed from the skids they were on and placed on the ground. 750 blocks re-loaded today unto skids on a backhoe and driven to the top of the cliff. 750 blocks removed from skids and the backhoe so they could be used to build our home. Watching this over two days is rather frustrating. Here are our options.

Option one. Pay 6 pesos a block to be delivered as they have been. Than pay Senor Backhoe Retro to take them up top. We hired him to do this. Today he asked Maurice who would pay his two guys? Maurice said, “YOU WILL. I hired you. You deal with it.”

Option two. Pay 7.5 pesos per block and have them delivered to the top. Wow!! Two of the guys who walked up the cliff yesterday offered this. Cool….EXCEPT…they have inferior block….which we learned today we also have now. The 6 peso per block, block, (from option one) left many broken ones through all the handling.

Option three. Pay 8 pesos per block for the best block there is but we have to worry about getting it wherever it needs to be. They are a half hour away right now. When you need 20,000 blocks you tend to really discuss these options.

Poor Maurice is stuck in the middle. Maurice speaks the language. I do nothing. Well, I tell him what to translate to everyone we deal with and I know I am driving him C R A Z Y…he says, no I am not, but adds that I may want to study Spanish instead of reading a couple books a week……O.K. point taken. BUT even if I learn the language and start irritating the Mexicans it will not matter. I am a woman. Men do the business in Mexico.

Now tomorrow Maurice has to go meet with the union leaders. UNION, you say?? Yes, the Union!!! You see, Senor Backhoe Retro is part of a Union. A Union where there are 9 groups involved. Of these 9 groups only one will drive our things to the top of the cliff…..our Senor. Unfortunately for us, and what we learned today, is that for every delivery we receive they all have to take turns. So for 8 deliveries, out of 9, they will dump our stuff at the bottom of the cliff. I mean the sand, gravel, cement. The one delivery Senor gets, out of the 9, will automatically be taken to the top. For the other 8 deliveries he has to bring them up for us. We pay for this!! O.K. DO WE NOT HAVE A SAY ABOUT THIS??? Apparently, no…but Maurice will go meet with some of the union tomorrow and explain how stupid they all are…well, he won’t say that, but I would.

Where will he meet them?? On the side of the road where they all hang out…waiting for their turn.

I could not make up a sillier story. And the worst part is when Valente came today, to get money, and we told him of the situation, he said…ahh, the Union. You can’t really do anything about that!! Thanks for sharing Valente!! Thanks for the heads up Valente. By the way WHY ARE YOU NOT DEALING WITH THIS?? YOU ARE IN CHARGE HERE!!!!! HELLLLLLLOOOOOOOO YOU TALK TO THEM…

I will let you know if he pops up tomorrow to help Maurice with this controversy. I am betting the answer is no.

THE GRAND SEGUE

Enter in the sound of harps…..laughter…..elation unlike any other known to man. Enter the joy that makes you feel like you are going to explode, the smile you can not hold in. Enter in Steely Dan, because I am really not a harp person. Enter in breaths that you attempt to take but you never really can complete one, thus is the excitement. Enter in peace. This is how we feel when we are on Arriba de la Roca. Up there today, even when I am running around reminding all the workers, DIDN’T I TELL YOU YESTERDAY - ya ya, por favor- NO BASURA NO BASURA (no garbage) because it will blow off the cliff into the sea; we have found our heaven. Every single solitary problem we have to deal with… Every single solitary issue that upsets us beyond belief…. Every single stupid thing someone does around us….when we climb to our pinnacle, we breathe, smile at each other, and know it is all worth every single solitary second.