Sat25aug07
A “family” day… working together for the day, and all “playing” together with an all-inclusive boat ride on the Koros with team/families/staff & their families, followed by pizza/salads/dessert at the riverfront beach. Great mix, much fun had by all, and nature graced us with a beautiful sunset over the river and a full moon for the walk back to home(s)/hotel.
Fri24aug07
Another hot and humid working day, melting from start to finish! Ceiling headers (contributing the equivalent of the bottom of our floating trusses in WA, though in this case not integral to the roof) installation in process, to provide the surface for attaching ceiling drywall. Like most parts of the house, these too are blocked to form a solid structure overall, and we’ll lay OSB over these headers to work from while building out the roof support system (rafters, braces, etc.) later this month or early next.
Unexpected sounds of home came my way today… Dick Tennant from Kitsap County’s HFH affiliate, a mentor and fellow volunteer there, has been traveling Eastern Europe with his wife, and called me from the European/Central Asia (ECA) office in Budapest this afternoon… we talked a bit of shop re here and home, and a wee bit more… Dick knew I would be here, and they ran across the ECA office while exploring in Budapest; they took a chance that the staff there could connect with me, and the rest, as they say, is history [smile] Again I say, it’s truly the little things, yes?
The team and full HFH Szarvas staff shared a relaxed dinner at the local traditional restaurant Regimodi, and I found myself home by 2100 to catch up a wee bit before working again tomorrow… nice!
Thu23aug07
On a roll, with wall blocking 75-80% complete, 2nd top plates nearly so, through bolts in applicable doorways now complete, and 75-80% of our 110 or so ceiling headers planed and ready to go.
Capped with the day with Hungarian folk dancing and a late dinner once again.
On the home front… my landlady gifted me two Graham Greene novels today after asking if I enjoyed reading. I suspect she's guessed at the contents of recent packages received... though no idea where she got them from, very cool, and yes, they're in English! Fun!
I also discover pears fresh from the tree stacking on my counter every day or two of late (either that or they're proliferating there on their own)! It’s the little things [smile]
Wed22aug07
Continuing on, in the groove and moving rapidly and smoothly as all found their strongest skills and/or the tasks they most enjoy/excel at. Through bolts to strengthen doorframes and planing of headers that will accept the ceiling drywall were added to the array of choices today. Next up: planning long edges of rafter pairs, installing ceiling headers and face plates, and heaven only knows what else [laughing] What’s clear is that the team is well prepped under Paul’s “tutelage”, ready and eager to learn, and going at even the blocking with gusto despite the still, hot and humid 90+ days we have been graced with thus far this week.
Following a wee bit of time to freshen up, a stroll along the historical Memorial Path with Levi before a late dinner at the Corner Pub.
Tues21aug07
Our first day building with the new team today, and they are ready to rock and roll. On the agenda: Completing second top plate(s), wall blocking, measuring and cutting to start as this new group finds their rhythm. Great questions from all, and the team worked primarily in pairs this first day.
Fun to finally meet team leader Paul... he and Levi have a special bond. Paul was a part of the first GV team ever to come to Szarvas. There were just 6 of them, and Paul taught Levi much about timber frame construction, which Levi was doing for the first time himself that year, having just begun his position with HFH. Levi, in turn, taught Paul much about the Hungarian nuances of building, and of course, about the country itself. Paul's pledge is to come back every year until there is no longer a need to build houses here... and I've no doubt he will. His two sons came with him last year and this, the youngest just 14 and already a promising “builder” in knowledge and skill.
Another team member this year is a lovely woman originally from the Caribbean, with her 16-year-old daughter. Her philosophy since her daughter's birth has been to expose her to giving in such a way that it becomes truly second nature, done without conscious thought... though she stated it far more eloquently, the intent is beautiful and apparent in both she and her daughter.
Many of the remaining team members are college students, along with a retired couple, a fellow vegan about my age, and a young man in his late twenties from Seattle that reminds me so much of a cousin of mine in his younger years that I may end up calling him Russ instead of Raj!
Today’s end note: Dinner prepared by the1st project families… though conversation was minimal, smiles and hugs combined with the caring and abundance reflected in the dinner and shared time together spoke volumes, and the families waited for the team and guests to eat first to be certain they had enough. An evening reflective of the axiom that actions speak louder than words [smile]
Mon20aug07
An unusual “first day” with the team, as St. Stephen’s Day is a national holiday in Hungary, with only eateries and pubs open. In observance of and respect for this holiday day “off”, the team and Project 3 families gathered at the build site for a potluck of sorts, a shared meal of Hungarian goulash potato, onion, sausage, paprika and other seasonings slow cooked over a barrel filled with wood and fired by propane, grilled chicken and pork chops, roasted zucchini and eggplant, fresh salad or salata (sha-la-ta) of butter lettuce/tomato/cucumber/red pepper/oil, and locally grown grapes straight from the vine for dessert. Family members Zsolt and Bondi joined me for “KP” duty peeling potatoes and onions to start the process off … one never knows what will be “built” on the site [laughing]
It was also an opportunity for team and family members to meet and greet one another, and several of the children from Project 2 along with the “big kids” from the team played soccer in the open field next to the site. Safety routines and paperwork were tucked into the morning while food was prepared to allow a quicker start for tomorrow, the team’s first official workday.
Most places in Hungary commemorate the day in some way, though as in the states, perhaps less fanfare than in years past. Szarvas held a ceremony at a park near the river with folk dancers, a blessing, and presentations /speeches involving their sister city in Finland. Note: The park area had a small grouping of games and vendors, including a mechanical bull surrounded by a large air bag platform landing area for those whose time “aboard” ended more abruptly than anticipated!
As ceremonies were completed in the park, a procession of folks made their way to the old Lutheran Church for a blessing of the bread, unique to this particular day. Music could be enjoyed in the evening at the riverfront, and a short and lively fireworks display over the Koros brought the day to an official close.
Sun19aug07
The new team arrived today, with a “relay” welcome of sorts as they were first met and greeted by Gabi at their hotel in mid-town Szarvas, walked with Levi to the riverfront restaurant for a meal with all of us, followed by the traditional “Szarvas sights” stroll back to the town center for ice cream and an evening of free time. A relaxed and genteel start [smile]
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