Oops!!

Many of the houses here in the D.R. have concrete roofs, ours included. Last year we began to have water filter through some of our upstairs ceilings causing discoloration, the paint to lift off, and a bad odor. So, in January, Nate began the process of sealing the roof with a latex roof coating. It's quite a process: kill the accumulated mold with bleach, power wash the surface, fill cracks and apply three coats of sealer. Before Nate got the project completed, spring rains set in, and he couldn't get back to completing it until March.

In the D.R. we also don't have consistant electricity. Almost every day, we lose power for anywhere from an hour to as much as eight hours. When we lose power, it means our water pump doesn't run, and we don't have water in the house. To solve this problem, we mounted a five hundred gallon plastic tank on the roof that stays full of water. When we are without electricity, the water from the tank flows down giving us water in the kitchen and restrooms.

Now back to the roof project. Sealing the roof also meant draining our roof water tank, so sealer could be applied on the area where it rests. To apply the final coat of sealer, Nate needed to move the tank to a sloped area of the roof. Bad news, the tank began to slide. Nate jumped out of the way to avoid being knocked off the roof, and the tank scooted off the edge of the second story roof. Good news, the tank got hung up in a palm tree and the power lines. By using a rope, he and Rachel were able to pull the tank back onto the roof and secure it. Thank God for the palm tree!

There you have it, another crazy Domincan Repubic adventure.