"Generating" a "Plan B"

Our city is growing, but we're concerned that the city's power supply will not keep up. So... we've added a generator to assist during power outages. We took delivery yesterday.

It looks big, but 1/2 of the space on the interior is empty.

As always, Tozer was our supervisor.

(VIDEO LOADING)

Here's video of the unit getting close to its' final position. Our colleague and friend, Denis, is wrapping up a 6 month stay in Gabon today, but, as you can see in the video, he's working 'til the end!

When all is said and done, it's good to share a coke... and a smile!

Upgrades Galour!

We continue to enhance our "alleyway" between our annex building and our perimeter wall. It will be home to our new generator, bathroom facilities for our guardian staff, as well as storage.

Our day guard extraordinaire, Gustave, put together the plan for this next phase- the addition of bathroom facilities.

Here is a view of the alleyway gate/entrance, looking from our upper driveway. In all this work, we were so happy to have saved the avocado tree, especially since our neighbor built a 2 story home next door. The tree offers some privacy... not much, though.

Are you scared? Don't be! Our friendly guard dog, Tozer, will simply want to lick your toes off if you come scaling over our walls. He only barks at our turtle, people on ladders, and anyone operating a lawnmower.





As with any job worth doing, you must bring along a couple of supervisors! Gustave, with shovel in hand, has hired on two supervisors. This is the septic for the guardian's bathroom- designed and built by Gustave himself! He's a great team mate to have around the guest house.



Just in case you get the impression that Gustave doesn't get a chance to supervise, here he is, allowing our friend, Ya-Ya, to dig a deep hole!

Elevation!

So, our back yard floods pretty badly during each rainstorm. The water is a mix of rain water, runoff water, and sewage. It's not healthy and, frankly, it stinks!



We brought in several tons of dirt and raised the backyard elevation about 1/2 a foot throughout.




The result? We still have a little flooding in the far corner, but it's not near as bad as before.




Besides changing the elevation, we also keep an eye on the runoff "river" behind our house. Since trash is commonly thrown on the ground here, runoff rivers are the gathering point of much trash and will often get log-jammed. This, in turn, leads to flooding.




Stay tuned!

Internet Woes

So sorry, but there is a strike by one of the telecommunication companies in Libreville, so we'll be a little slow in communication for a while. We hope that this is not a taste of things to come as we get closer to the elections here.

Thanks for your prayers!!!

Reservoir Project nears completion

Here's some work accomplished on Friday, June 26th, 2009.

Charles and his assistant did some initial plumbing work.

We emptied the reservoir and got ready for the move.
Here's our day guard, Gustave, contemplating the next step.

THE BIG MOVE!!!
The reservoir was pretty light when empty.

You can see the sludge coming out from the bottom of the reservoir!
YUCK! Thankfully, all of our drinking water is filtered,
however, this is still a disturbing image!

Here we are discussing the final resting spot.
That's yours truly on the right.

Here's the empty spot where the reservoir was moved from.

Notice the rather large snails who were living there.

Escargot anyone?

Charles and apprentice put the finishing touches on the pump.

WOW! The dream becomes a reality.
We have doubled our on-hand water capacity and
cleaned up the back yard at the same time.

Reservoir Project

Here's Jairus and Claude setting up the platform support.

It's starting to take shape!

Voila! Here it is, with the new reservoir on top already. It's dry season, so there's no water in it. When it is full, it will weigh 1 ton. Let's hope it holds. We're going to fill it up from the hose tonight. Then, Friday morning, we'll put the old reservoir (seen in this photo on the left, under the umbrella) under the platform along with the pump.

Looks cool, huh? Like a little temple to the reservoir god or something!?!
Claude and Jairus have done a great job.

More photos to come.

Water Solutions

Here in Libreville, you can count on water service most of the time. However, there are times when the water pressure is low or even completely turned off. The solution? A 1,000 liter reservoir and pump! They are located in the backyard, along the back wall of the house near the center. It is filled mainly by rain water and, if need be, is supplemented by tap water when there is service. This solution has worked well for many years, however...

Recently, we've had some days when the guest house has been full and the water has almost completely been used up. Also, we've been cautioned to keep additional amounts of water on hand for security issues that might occur in Gabon in the next months. The new solution? Add another 1,000 liter reservoir!

Here's the plan: we're going to "stack" the two reservoirs in the corner back wall. We'll need to "tilt" the rain spouting the other direction, pour a concrete foundation, and construct some sort of stacking frame with a way to funnel overflow from the top reservoir to the bottom.

We'll take some pictures and keep you apprised of the progress as we go along.