Translations:

 

 Photo Essay of the Awareness Center

A step by step history of the building process

Here are a few photos of what we began this week. The "front edge of porch" photo shows the line of the front of the house, and the porch door to the front yard will be just on this side of the big rock.

The slab area was well compacted by a loaded dump truck after we stripped the topsoil and dug up a few stumps and roots. The leveling occasioned the export of 11 dump trucks of soil, which we sent down on the truck loads of material that were delivered. Then we had to pay for 5 more loads out, at 40,000 colones each-not bad. A total of $365.

I expect the panels to be delivered this week.

--
Dennis Garber

1. Bodega for tools, plans, etc.
2. Basic materials for construction
3. Leveling off/compacting site
4. Laying out dimensions of structure
5. Local workers plying their trade
6. 
   Here are the workers, from left to right:
   
   Ivan
   Juan Pablo
   Jose (also known as miel (espanol for honey), because he is so nice and sweet....
   Cristhian (this is the way he spells it)
   Jonathan
   Juan Carlos, maestro de obra
   Miguel, second in command
   Jeffry (also known as Nano due to his diminutive stature-but he is really fast and strong)
   
   Wonderful guys, every one. Great attitudes, willing workers, extremely polite, and considerate beyond what we are accustomed to from employees in the U. S.
7. 
   Finding an internet signal...
8. Trucks arriving with cement panels: www.idscasas.com
9. No cinder blocks this time!
10. Entering the site
11. Preparation for unloading
12. Unloading panels: rebar inside
13. Man-Labor: carrying panels to foundation
14. Check out the Valley below:  GREAT vistas!
15. Even the Guabo River below
16. Full layout of the building
17. Evening falling: GREAT meditation time!
18. I LOVE this view!
19. Panels going up on first day
20. Back of building
21. Worker Javier and his wife.
22. Starting another side, with view of the hill
23. Clearing out the foundation
24. Third wall going up
25. Four walls rising
26. Different perspective
27. Dennis in control!
28. Dennis Garber, Builder/Contractor/Caretaker
29. 110 pound bags of cement
30. Bobby the electrician gluing conduit in viga
31. from above looking toward valley
32. inside house-vigas (beams)
33. More viga forms
34. wood for counters and shelves
35. roof going up
36. welding roof together
37. sideview
38. looking inside from the porch
39. the bodega - a "dry room" - washer/dryer
40. looking over the valley from inside the living room
41. samples of floor tiles & design
42. "Cupola on the rise!"
43. Windows framed out; partial roof started
44. Roof and siding going up
45. Another roof angle
46. House roof completed
47. Working on bodega
48. finishing one side
49. Wood for balcony and porch roof
50. GREAT beams (TRUE 2 x 4)
51. Raising porch roof
52. Front of Main House
53. Beginning Carport
54. Loft balcony/inside ceiling
55. Stairway to loft drawn on wall
56. View of finished roof
57. digging out the septic system
58. leveling the landscape around the main house/center
59. finally leveled! windows installed!
60. our camper recently located near the center - sleeps 5!
61. inside the camper - delicious!
62. digging electric and water lines
63. front door: the symbol of life by Daskalos, Egyptian origin
64. front porch: looking south
65. front porch: looking north
66. volcanic rocks add rusty beauty
67. graveled parking lot
68. backyard shed + landscaping needed
69. New sod laid down plus 3 palms planted
70. bodega - security/storage room
71. bodego & camper
72. inside bodega
73. stairs to loft: sleeps 4-6
74. much air circulation in loft & ceiling
75. kitchen area, with views
76. desk area, with views
77. bathroom entrance & vanity
78. bathroom shower
    
    The Land Above
     
79. our used Suzuki 1992 4x4 car - for "rough" roads
80. entrance to our 8 acres
81. 80-100 banana trees on our right
82. volcanic rocks and banana trees
83. a budding new pineapple plant
84. pineapple plants also
85. coconut trees a-growing
86. Ed Bernhardt, N.D., our permaculture expert
87. mangoes for eating
88. see the small fruit tree with 4 fruits within 3 months!
89. The 17 fruit trees after 6 months!
90. another view from the top of our property
91. peter & ananda's house, building project - next door
92. Peter's work paying off
93. The heavy October rains have filled the Guabo River!
94. a clear view
95. lush and inspiring
96. talk about meditation! and awe!
97. a huge volcanic rock marking the entrance to our property
98. my favorite "rock." the house was built around it
99. my favorite "Japanese Painting" outside my porch
100. the new tent for three!
101. another shot of the tent with lipstick palm
102. coconuts galore!
103. a view from a nearby restaurant - San Isidro in top left corner
     
     The Jungle Below
      
104. Ken & Javier head for jungle exploration
105. exploring our 4 acres below the house - pure rainforest. found a building site
106. looking down abut 200 feet below into the jungle from the new building site
107. another view from INSIDE the rainforest
108. Possible casitas for jungle clearings
109. casita with porch
110. even bamboo construction
111. a design of casitas
112. look between the trees for a newly-cut trail-path
113. The Jungle Map
     
114. Stairs through the jungle
115. Our Stair crew: Ivan and friend
116. Easy access to our beautfilu Rainforest
117. 
      
118. 
      
119. Our waterfall paradise
120. upper building site
121. upper & ower building site
122. another opening in the jungle to the valley below