Working Hard? Or Hardly Working?

I have recieved a complaint about my blog (actually I've recieved a threat too, but I'll assume it's an empty threat until I recieve that letter from your lawyer--you know who you are). Apparently I overlooked someone when I posted last night, so I am rectifying that error today. Gavin, this is your post. The first of two.

Gavin: Working Hard, or Hardly Working?

Gavin holding pink string.

Gavin gazing adoringly at Susan. It appears as though Susan is working.

(I think we can excuse this as a valid reason for him to stop work for a bit)

Gavin not working

Gavin looking official, but not officially working.

Boys with shovels. Gavin with boys, no shovel.

Gavin clearly not working.

Gavin still not working

Is that a cup of tea?

(well no, it's a bucket, but Gavin does have a cookie)

He might have been working, before...

Not working, and yes, the light was better facing the other direction, if only you had turned around.

That little scrap of blackboard looks heavy.

"Here kid, hammer this nail"

"I've been working! Really!"

More goofing off

The day just started and already taking a break

Me working, Gavin goofing off again.

Gavin sitting.

Just standing around

"If only this was a bottle of wine to go with my cheese and crackers and fruit"

Nobody better get in his way when he's "working."

Is that some sort of british gang sign?

Well, maybe he worked a little...

Significant fact, duly noted:

Among other things, Gavin did a lot of very patient working with little kids who weren't sure how to successfully wield a hammer or shovel--photographic evidence abounds.

It is Finished!

We finished this house because He finished some stuff for us.

I've got mostly photos here, because that's what I do. I took so many photos. For really cool words (and some photos!) about this house we built and the family we built it for, visit Booyor's blog and then follow his link to Justin's blog too. I'll write more when I get home.

This is Susan, listening to Whiskey the Dog saying "I have just met you and I love you!"

This is Young Adventurer, beginning a better day than he had yesterday. Attitude is everything.

Walls going up!

Roof going up!

The stucco assembly line has begun with the sifting of sand

Yeah, well, it was harder to find people just standing around today. Even I worked. I'm sure someone has the pictures to prove it. :-)

Booyor and company enjoy multicultural art.

Media: Construction pencil on wood block.

The cute girl portion of the roofing crew

Stucco madness. Oh yeah!!

Danjo and drill--this is drywall, folks.

Young Adventurer made a couple of new friends this weekend, finally overcoming his fear of language barriers. Galleta is his new word.

Cute.

Alison, Hannah, Julianne, we totally missed you!! Please come next year!!

Reading Psalm 127. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, no borders in Christ.

Who's coming along next year?

Casas Build Day One

Because I took, oh, about 700 pictures rather than working, I am staying up late to post a few of them for all you back home. That's a lot of photos to sort through. For most of them you will have to wait till someone makes the movie.

This is how the people in this part of Juarez get their drinking water.

The rest of these photos show how little we worked, and how much we got done, but mostly how little we worked. It's well documented that I was not the only one standing around all day not working. In spite of all the standing around and partying, and the eating of cookies and drinking of Mexican soft drinks, the foundation is laid, the walls and roof are framed, and the walls are blackboarded and chicken wired.

Standing around not shoveling rock

Standing around not shoveling sand

Watching concrete mix--either a new form of hypnosis, or the Casas equivalent of watching paint dry

Playing catch with buckets

Chatting

The only one working--There are laws against this in the US

Dreaming of Golden Corral

Again--the adult is the only one without a shovel in hand

[Insert blonde joke here]

Standing around not filling buckets with Agua Potable

Hut-Hut--Hike!

What old guys do--stand around...

Or sit around

Tormenting unsuspecting children

We finished work very early, enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by the family, and left the build site at 3:25, by Daniel's watch. Enjoyed dinner at Golden Corral, returned to hotel, where Venom suffered the most severe injury of the day, sacrificing half a toenail and some blood to the cause. Paramedic Mark (no mom, we didn't CALL the paramedics over a toenail, there happens to be one along on the trip) to the rescue, and all will be well, once Venom has a princess band-aid.

We will finish this story tomorrow.

Stay tuned!