Pulling Palms

Well, quite a bit has been happening over the last several weeks, which partially explains why we haven't updated the blog recently. However, thanks to modern technology we can save our memories indefinitely and show them to you later...like uh, now.



Here we, along with a few community members, are helping to cut and drag huge palm fronds from several trees out in the mountains. The fronds are commonly used in our area to roof houses, and this is exactly what we are helping to make with them once they are cut, dragged, dry, and ready.

















Yep, thats me with the blue shirt on, about 50-60 feet up hacking at 50-60 pound palm fronds with a razor-sharp machete. My ladder can be seen on the left, consisting of only a bamboo stalk which is shimmeyed up with nothing to catch you below but prayer and dirt. Anyway, I made it (down too).

















The whole work site. Here you can see the three trees from which we harvested the palm, and the blue-shirted dot looking down at a job well done.


















Amanda carrying a load of palm up to a local house for two weeks of drying in the sun. In all we cut and carried abour 50 of these things, and despite their lightweight look, they are quite heavy when freshly cut, and were dragged two-by-two up about a quarter mile uphill to the drying site.















Brian, taking his turn dragging palm. Note the fabulous hat that was recently made for him by one of the locals.