A new roof

Posted on March 13, 2016 Updated on March 13, 2016

I’m going to try to send two photos today. One is about today and the other is a connection to 50 years ago.

The man standing by the barrel goes by Lucien. Like most of us he’s retired, but he has set up a small bar on the outskirts of the village and has managed to figure out how to use the irregular electricity to keep the coldest beer and soft drinks around. Both are made in Gabon. Lucien keeps a clean establishment, with decorations up around the bar.

He was a child when the first volunteers were here building the school. Somehow he or his family managed to secure that barrel when the school was complete, and Lucien pulled it out to show us. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

The other photo is of the finished roof! Two weeks in and the school has a new roof. How about that? Our chef de chantier (foreman) Christian can be seen to the left on the top of the roof hammering in the ridge cap. At the right of the building putting up the facia board on the gable are Aimee and Xavier.

This week marks a changing of the guard as Terri Barker and Doug and Corey Spatz leave the project. Corey, a freshman at Northeastern, decided against Cancun for spring break in lieu of helping his father with the latrine pits in Doumandzou. Judging from Corey’s photos, he had his own entourage of young Doumandzou children.

Merci to Terri, Doug and Corey for their contributions.

Arrivals this week have started with Mary and Steve Hyde on their way out to Sam, and Dick and Joan Steeper and Paul and Pooh Slocum coming later in the week. Just in time as we have a lot to do.