Thursday continued

When the foreman gave the thumbs-up to fire up the concrete mixer, everyone switched into high gear. We only had about 90 minutes left before we had to leave for the day and get cleaned up for church. 

Mixing the concrete was no problem. Eight buckets of gravel, 6 buckets of sand, 1 2/3 buckets of water  (adjusted per batch) and one 120 pound back of cement.

The challenge was getting it ONTO the ramp. At this point the ramp did not go all the way to the ground so running the wheel barrows up the ramp was not possible.

Ready and willing to shovel. 

As the concrete work ramped up (pun intended) the others moved scaffolding into the first floor to begin painting the steel beams there.

Remember, all of this work is happening in the afternoon in July in Costa Rica. It was a tad bit warm…

The puzzle of how to get the concrete up the ramp is solved. Lift the full wheelbarrow up and dump onto the ramp. Those wheelbarrows must have weighed several hundred pounds each.

As the concrete went higher onto the ramp, CJ and Ron had to lift the wheelbarrows over their heads.

Pastor Walter pushing the concrete up the rest of the way.

To fill in where needed, Randy adds shovel after shovel of concrete and then smoothed it out.

Chandler, at 16, did the work of a full-grown man. There is something to be said for a well-raised young man!

Brandi taking a turn shoveling. Who knew gravel and sand (wet sand) weighed so much!

In goes another bag of cement. CJ made it look easy but those bags were 120 pounds each and the concrete mixer opening was up high, about 6 feet or so.

Wendy shoveling and Ron prepared with the first bucket of sand as the cement goes in. 

Chandler helping smooth out the concrete. 

The kitchen ladies, Maria, Sonja and Patrice, all came out to watch with excitement. 

More concrete by the shovel-full. CJ shovels while Randy distributes it and smiths it out.

The finished section of ramp. It began raining just as the last work was completed for the day, but that didn't matter. The concrete would dry just fine.