Today got a little messy. When Lindsay stopped for a second and said, “I think it’s about time for a dump,” we all quickly agreed. Taken out of context you might think that she was being a bit vulgar for a southern lady, but allow me to put it into context for you so that you don’t think less of her.
We broke into a couple groups today in order to get some stuff done. About five of us went to the park where we were sifting sand through small grates that were resting on top of a couple sawhorses. The effort was to remove any hypodermic needles, shards of glass, or remnants of pirate ships sunk centuries back. The most exciting thing we found was a dime. Anyway, often the sifters would be filled with larger rocks and roots, making it a bit more challenging to filter the dirt through. It was then that we would order a “dump” and empty the sifters. It was quite comedic when Lindsay said so casually that it was time for a dump.
The other group got to work digging a hole in the shop yard to mock up one full section and two partial sections of the wall. They also did some number crunching to figure out the angles for the forms and composition of reinforcing bars.
With all hands on deck we fumbled our way through the process of digging a trench, building forms, bending, cutting, and tying rebar, and mixing, pouring, and finishing concrete, all with the help of a yard light shining perfectly in our direction. We must have subconsciously known that we would be working on this past the daylight hours. The end product is now curing, awaiting the smile and excitement of Professor Pastre tomorrow morning.
Today was madness. We all came together and worked well together. We battled mosquitoes and tiny biting gnats that I am told are called “no-see-ums” down here. If Keith and Tyler had not brought some pizzas, I am not sure we would have made it. I might have started eating the gnats to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Thank you pizza boys, and thank you to everyone else who worked his or her fingers to the bone.