Ok, I've got Good News and I've got Bad News..... First, the bad news, Victor has left the island. He has moved back to the states and we will all miss him very much! Second, the good news, construction on the new pavilion is going well. As you can see, the stairs are almost finished.
Today our construction crew poured concrete for footers. Here they are next to the frame for the cistern.

Directly above the construction site is tent E7 (soon to be 21). This is the place to be if you want to be near all the action once the pavilion and cafe are opened. It is the closest tent to both the pool and pavilion. Currently, it is closed because of how close it is to the construction. We used this opportunity to practice our hurricane prep procedures. You can see everything is tied down or covered in plastic and all the windows are rolled up to keep the wind from getting trapped in the tent and carrying it off like a balloon.

It is amazing how they get such large vehicles on these steep hillsides for construction on the island. The concrete truck driver had a path barely wider or longer than his vehicle to maneuver in. You can't see it but on the driver's side of the truck is the hill and in front of it is just loose dirt the construction crew is using to back fill behind the baskets.

You have to give these guys credit for not only working in the hot Caribbean sun all day, but dealing with the mosquitoes too! Right now we are inundated with mosquitoes. Of course, we are located on the dry side of the island so they are not so bad. Over at our sister resort, Maho Bay, it's like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds recast with mosquitoes.

The Concrete pour went well for the cistern floor. We are in need Jahn A Brackets so we can start forming the cistern wall. I am working on finding them. The excavators came and cleared the falling rock. The rock cribs arrived and the crew was out today tying them together.

Cyrille Fontaine and his brother Nick look over the layout plans for the cistern. They're funny when they argue with each other with their brotherly love. Cyrille is currently leading the crew and doing great. Segundo Soto needed to go home. We hope all is well with you Segundo!

That tropical wave I mentioned in the last post became Tropical Storm Chris and passed by the territory yesterday. It seemed to have fizzled out as it passed north of us. We were all very happy. It did however, give us a drill for preparation. The rain is always rewarding as it fills cisterns.

It is also rewarding to see fresh water running through the guts. Thank you Kirsten and Joseph for the photos.