A Little Overview

OK, so it's taking a little longer to get things posted than I had hoped. Turns out it's much harder to get things done in the "real world" as opposed to the paradise of El Salvador. Who knew?

Anyhow, here is a nice little audio slideshow for you to enjoy. Hope you like it!

La Libertad

Well Fran and I spent Thursday in the markets of La Libertad, El Salvador. It was a totally new experience to see how developing countries shop. I will write a lot more about it and post a lot more photos, but I will be doing it at my personal blog www.shanebevel.com. 

Stay Tuned

What a really wonderful week. I know I haven't been able to post in a few days, but please keep checking back, I have some other really cool stuff to share with you about the project. I will continue to back blog over eh next few days, so check back. And feel free to leave some comments, especially if you were in El Salvador and have a story to share. 

Road Trip Wednesday

We started out at day break and headed up into the mountains to a small village called La Concordia. The village is populated by a cooperative of coffee farmers who work together from the youngest to the oldest to harvest and sell their coffee on the U.S. Fair Trade markets. You can learn more details about the visit at David Snell's Travel Blog. Here is one of my favorite photos of the day. It is of Don Antonio and his wife inside their home. It is truly a beautiful place and the village folk certainly deserve better homes. Keep an eye out for this project coming up. If you like to climb... it's your kind of build!

After seeing the village and visiting several homeowners we headed back down to Tacuba to meet with several of the farmers at the coop headquarters. The town itself is peaceful and looks out over the volcanic mountains that surround it. 

Most of the meeting was foreign to me because my Spanish is so rusty. But it was wonderful to see such a group of men working together for the common good of the village and it's people. We could all learn lessons here.

After we left the meeting we had a wonderful lunch at of of the members houses and then headed to the San Jose orphanage to visit what must be the most cheerful, beautiful girl's home I have ever set foot in. If you ever get close, you really must visit. 

Please take the time to check out MORE PHOTOS HERE of our trip to Tacuba and beyond.

Carlos and Concepion Panoramics

Today when I met Ana Gladys we were also able to meet another couple. Carlos and Concepcion live in in a building owned by the local coop with their two children. They have a small back yard that is fenced with barbed wire and an outdoor kitchen. To learn more about Carlos and Concepcion check out the Fuller Center website.  To see a 360 degree panoramic of their home CLICK HERE. To see a panoramic of their back yard CLICK HERE.

Site Work!

How about some work site photos? Take a LOOK HERE for views of Monday's work being done and a few others from the rides out and back. Enjoy!

On a personal note...

... there were some folks who had some questions about Fran and I's insane idea to build houses in Central America instead of go on a cruise, or go to the mountains or go to the beach for our honeymoon. 

We certainly aren't through the week, but so far I don't regret it a bit. To me, building a home for someone else and documenting this amazing example of humanity is one of the best ways to start my life with Fran. How much more love and respect will we have for each other knowing that we have made this small sacrifice to help those around us? How much more will we appreciate our own new home because of our experience here? Call it renegade pre-marriage counseling.