Every day it grows, slowly creeping up the hillside. All of the supplies are delivered to the roadway below. Two young men carry large rocks and buckets of cement up to the scaffolding that holds the master builder as he creates this massive wall. Their muscles bulge and their shirts are stained with sweat as they struggle up and down all day. Several times each day they watch as he hangs a plumb line over the side to ensure that the wall remains straight.
The work continues from 8am-6pm with a short break for lunch. Every day we give them a container of ice to cool their lunchtime drinks as they rest in the shade.
Traffic passes on the highway below, oblivious to the manual labour above. The wall will eventually reach the height of the adjacent rockworks. It will support a driveway to the lower level of Quinta las Pinas.
Before the wall can be completed, a large rubber tree will be removed from alongside the narrow cobbled road that leads to the house. The tree, after a long life, has been topped and is waiting for a crane to yank its roots from the soil. At that point, all work will stop and everyone's attention will be diverted to the drama of nature versus machine. Will the roots refuse to give up their hold? Will the crane be up to the challenge? There is only one guarantee. Everyone in the immediate area will provide a very attentive and animated audience.
I hope that we're still here to participate.
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