Best laid plans ... go oft awry

The Palapero arrives shortly after the builders and makes great headway. By mid afternoon the bare bones are in place. Late afternoon my builder notices that the design isn’t quite as planned in our drawings and we tell the Palapero. For a brief moment we have a pause while each side waits to see if the other will give way.

I have occasionally backed down in such moments – a bit of give and take can be helpful here. On this occasion I was not willing to give way. The half dozen workers balanced precariously on the roof top beam “a la Cirque du Soleil” some 25 feet aloft, awaited further instruction. My builder and the Palapero conferred for a few moments and it was resolved. The design stays as planned and the changes would be made.

My builder provided me an estimate for the extra “privacy" meter (39") elevation of the wall behind the pool. I gave it my approval then advised my neighbour of the work that was due to commence. He was very amenable and we agreed an suitable timeframe to get it done.

All this, and the DOW is up 200 points … This day has almost been too easy!

Friday

This morning’s sunrise was a wonderful blaze of pinks and reds with golden highlights. My grandmother’s proverb came to mind. Red sky in the morning shepherds warning … red sky at night shepherds delight. She was a farmer’s daughter and knew a thing or two about such matters.

It turns out the old adage works in Cozumel too. The rain is heavy, and is on and off all day. It’s amazing how different a place looks when the sun goes. This could be Glasgow … but still a bit on the hot side.

When my builder arrives I ask why we are building a wall of rock and not bloques (breeze/cinder block). He tells me we are using the stone around the pool for greater durability – the stone will last forever while the bloques have a shorter lifespan. The water will add much stress to the structure and we are building for perpetuity – apparently my pool may outlast my house!

Our well overshoots the pool entry area and my builder suggests we need to cut off a piece the well. I am not sure about this – it’s a lot of extra work and I will need to make a new iron safety cover and wooden top for the new shape of the well. I measure and decide to avoid hassle we will have an angular entry, it will add character and make life easier. Leave it as it is! We agree.

Ten minutes later I decide this is a bad idea. It will look odd and we will not be able to hurl ourselves, carelessly from the steps into the pool. Fortunately, my builder takes my change of mind with good humour. He stops drilling and puts the drill aside with a smile. The workers give each other “that look” that men who deal with women know well. We all have laugh then I attempt to retreat back to the house with grace.


Despite the rain, the palapero’s guys get the skeleton of the palapa finished and shelter under a neighbouring canopy, waiting for their ride home. They are in good humour and certainly don’t seem to mind the rain. With all the work still going on under the carport, there is no room to shelter there. The builders eventually give way to the weather and leave at 4.45. The earliest finish time so far. As I go out to take a look around … a truck pulls up with the other guys from the palapa crew sitting in the back. One of the guys waves and shouts “Palaperos! Palaperos!” I guess it is their ride home. I tell the guys that the palaperos were waiting on the corner just ten minutes ago– maybe my builders gave them a lift. We comment on the heavy rain and then laughing and waving, they leave.

The rain finally dries up around 7pm and the temperature is unusually below 80. Strangely, without my blanket of warm air around me it almost feels cold!

I go out to see the progress of the day and find the palapa roof, once again, is not quite as we planned.

Hmmmm … to be continued.

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Title from Robert Burns "To a mouse"
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley