La casita

This story would never have happened if Dad hadn't tried to bring his ham radio to Nicaragua.  I did more than my share of grumbling or ridiculing my Dad's idea of setting up a tower and radio in order to participate in an international contest. But the leftover lumber from this project turned out to be fun family project.

Here's Dad's tower. I think this may have been the first time I helped him set up something like this, and gained what might be a hint of understanding about why this hobby, which seems backwards to most of us, is so fascinating to my dad. I thought about it in terms of a comparison with a the fixed gear bicycle. In an age of driverless cars, there is something beautiful about the simplicity of a bicycle, and to take it one step farther, a bike with a single gear that doesn't even freewheel. Maybe, in an age of easy and instantaneous digital global communication, there is something tantalizing about sending out a signal off a wire that can be heard around the world. That said, I'm not looking at studying for a license anytime soon though.

For us, the best part of this tower was the base.  Rough cut 2 inch by 4 inch 2x4s. Somewhere in the process of setting up the tower, I started to imagine what kinds of possibilities we would have with this wood after we were through.  Here's Silas helping measure out the cuts.

Family picture in the little house.  We used everything we had and ended up with this minimalist little house. With some imagination, it was a house. But the person who I hoped would enjoy it most, little Miriam, didn't seem to see it as anything.  So a few weeks later, we went for some more wood.

 

During the Semana Santa / Holy Week when the kids were off school, we added a roof and some boards to create the idea of some windows and doors. Here's Lia and Silas with the painting.

 

We put a hook up under the roof to be able to hang a little hammock seat.  Here are some friends from church over, playing "store" at the window.

One of Silas's favorite uses for the house is to climb onto the roof.  I'm also happy to be finding more ways we can enjoy being together outside on the front patio.  Here, Miriam squats and says "cheese" while Lia takes her picture with a little New Testament.

The "store" window also works nicely for a desk for Miriam. 

And the flower box and smiling children. Casita completa.