about time for an update.....

....sorry for the delay, and sorry I couldn't come up with a snappier title....in the last 48 hours or so I easily went through a half dozen titles ....what a roller coaster!

 Friday, surprise surprise, HOT and Humid!!!! ....never thought I'd be thankful for even the slightest overcast.

There was a maze of scaffolding inside and the masons were concentrating on the rafters.
We busied ourselves with an acid wash and rinse of the walls, general site cleanup and moving usable rubble to make walkways all under Alixies instruction.

We also decided to rebuild what was left of a concrete patio.

We dug up the old, refurbished the shoulder stone, backfilled with rubble and cut a deal with the masons for an extra 5 bags of cement with which Aurelio, who by the way was the head mason and not Alberto....It's just that Alberto was more outgoing and guided us ...but, you know, I digress...anyway, Aurelio agreed to do a special "patio" mix.

... work progressed in double quick and triple sweat time.
We finished what we could in this last half day of work.

After lunch, Claudia asked us all to assemble along with the masons, who, if not knowing who we were by know were going to get the total scoop.

With Claudia translating, we in turn re-introduced ourselves with a brief bio....then it was the masons turn to provide a little more insight into themselves and their lives.

We left slightly saddened knowing that our work here was done. ....yet happy at the same time .....so much accomplished in such a short time, yet so much more to do.

...we got back to the hotel by mid afternoon looking forward to some free time.

Some schnoozed, some went shopping and then there was I, suddenly realizing that I had no accommodation arranged for my Tuesday night layover in Buenos Aires....I spent the afternoon on the computer madly trying to find a place to lay my head.

....problem was finally resolved just in time for dinner.

We then decided to go back to Moby Dicks for one last Caiprihiania.

Saturday was to be final dedication ceremony and BBQ lunch.

 


Saturday dawned sunny and MILD!!!!!....what a nice relief...to bad it couldn't have been like this earlier in the week.

When we arrived on site the masons were already at work and we [well I was anyway] were stunned to see that the patio had been completed and ready for use....so we did!

Heinrich [left] and Adolphus[?], [right] 

I, and I believe the rest of the tribe were VERY impressed if not honoured to have, in attendance at our little gathering the current President and director General of Habitat Paraguay [Heinrich] and the orignal founder of Habitat Paraguay [Adolphus].

In the photo, Adolphus [who is from the US] is describing how he came down here as part of a Mennonite Central Committee mission [did I mention that Habitat has close links to the Mennonite Church] only to fall in love with the place and, in association with other like minded individuals, "plant the seed" for Habitat, which grew into what it is today.

...prayer of thanksgiving

Henry, as Heinrich insisted on being called, immigrated at age of 3 with his parents, from Hitlers Germany. He became a successful businessman [import businesses, especially electric motors], has employees that now look after things while he looks after the Paraguay Habitat affiliate.

It was an honour and a privilege to meet these two, very humble gentlemen who insisted that the privilege to meet with the hard working volunteers was theirs and theirs alone.

...what a class act!!!!! 

...prayer of hope

Alixie then led a prayer of thanksgiving [with Claudia interpreting] which was followed by an interesting and touching custom whereby we were all asked to lay our hands on the outside wall while another short prayer of hope was offered.  ...the idea was for all of our positive energy to be transferred to the dwelling.
What a neat thought, I thought!!!!
I liked the concept !!

This was followed by the awarding of certificates of appreciation along with a token gift.

Paraguay is known for it's intricate weaving, lace work and crocheting. The gift was a beautiful lace doily which will look lovely on my coffee table thank you!

This was then followed by a presentation of our group photo to Alixie, wrapped in a Canadian flag.
The flag was signed by us all as was the backside of the photo.
Alixie was stunned!

....now,not the type of group to leave well enough alone, we also presented smaller versions of the photo to the masons as well as Claudia and Azu.

It was time for all to chow down on the tastiest BBQ beef I've ever sampled!

...these people seriously love their beef!

Presenting our gift to Alixie

Reverse side of photo

Wendy & Ann & their boss

Time for a final group shot.....then it was time for good byes...and more than a few tears!!!

Lydia and Alixie

Wendy & Claudia

But wait, theres more!!!!

Sometimes, the best times are totally unplanned and serendipitous!

We arrived back at the hotel, engaged in some free time, some of which was packing for the next adventure [more in a bit] a nice dinner, during which some of us noticed the arrival of guests with guitar cases.

Those that know me will know that this would immediately pique my interest.

It seems a trio of local musicians were going to use the poolside area to practice and/or rehearse for an upcoming tour of Japan....now how cool is that!....and we were welcomed to sit in and enjoy.

Lucy, the vocalist [shown left] and a pretty fair guitarist in her own right has a wonderfully engaging voice to go along with an engaging smile and personality. 

Her English was very good and she was able to converse easily.

She was able to acquiesce to two of my personal favourite requests.

"Que sera". ...now don't even begin to think Doris Day!!!....I'm talking Jose Feliciano and his beautifully lyrical ballad.

 The other request isn't a usual one of mine but it somehow seemed so very appropriate at the time.

"Girl from Ipanema" sung in the original Portuguese....instantly recognized by all in the group, but few had heard it in it's original tongue and it was a huge hit with everyone....especially when sang with the passion that Lucy exhibited.

  

What a great way to end such a memorable Day!!!!

Tomorrow we are off for some serious R&R.....I'll fill you in later.

....but for now, I'll just sign off with......