This blog doubles as the production blog for the documentary film "The House That FREEDOM Built" and a renovation blog on the process of fixing this historic 18th century property.
One of the cool things about doing this project and having a website/blog is that people reach out to you. It has become a way that like minds and people interested in this field have found me. Last week I met with a Danish professor, Helle Stenum, who was visiting St. Croix and teaches cultural and migration studies at Roskilde University.
Helle Stenum, Danish professor of Culture and Identity
She was interested in talking about my project and the links between Denmark and the Virgin Islands. I took her to see the house. I was commenting on the renovation and the craftsmanship in the buildings, specifically the beading that is found in the rafters and the siding. Many of this work was done by hand. Today machines can do this work, but it can be still expensive to reproduce. I chose not to replicate a lot of these details because of the time and expense, but am happy that the older part of the house still has some.
Vernacular details of Christiansted house. Hand-planed beading in exterior wall.
She looked around and said, "They loved their houses". I paused. "Yes, they did," I responded. It was such profound moment for me. A simple realization. They. Loved. Their. Houses. The details, the craftsmanship, the time, the care: they loved them. To put those kinds of details in a simple 100-200 square foot house, shows a level of pride that is awe inspiring. Let us remember that.
Vernacular details of 18B East Street. Hand-planed beading in rafter.
It's a New Year! 2012 was a challenging year. I am happy to welcome in 2013. This is the second long hiatus from this project, this time brought on by the birth of my third daughter: Maisara. I can't say that I'm back in full swing, but I'm swinging. So here's the update:
In October of 2012 I was able to put some money aside to fix the roof. Without the roof, I couldn't go forward on anything else and I knew it would be the most expensive part of the renovation. I was very anxious about finding the right person to do the job who was also within my budget. I spent about $1500 in labor and another $2500 in materials to redo the roof. I had originally anticipated taking off the gavaloom, maybe even reusing some, and putting the ceiling back on. It seems that the roof came off previously in a storm and they only put back the galvaloom without the interior ceiling.
18B: July 2011 after cleaning out most of the trash.
18B East Street: October 2011. Roof coming off.
As it turns out when the workers started taking off the metal sheets, large chunks of the rafters were coming out with it (ie, I now had to replace the entire roof!) So I scrapped the original idea about reusing any metal sheets and just did the whole entire roof. Actually we did preserve the interior of the wooden section of the house.
Well the old adage in construction is very true: you get what you pay for! There are issues that need to be fixed and other issues that cannot be fixed. One thing though, the roof does not leak, but because of the pitch, even with holes it wasn't leaking before anyway, and probably never will. Will it stay on if we get another Hurricane Hugo? Not sure.
18B East Street: Ceiling on, beams changed.
18BEast Street: Ceiling and Roof on. Walls first coat of paint.
According to one contractor (contractors always criticize other contractor's jobs) some areas are not tied down properly and the metal sheets were cut too short along the width of the building. When I spoke to the guys who did the job for me about these issues, their response was: "We put it back just how it was, that was the job". Unlucky for me I had already paid them. Lucky for me we are not in hurricane season and I can save some money later in the year to address some of the roof issues. So the roof is done (for the most part) and the ceiling painted (which I did myself thank you).
18B East Street: January 2013. Ceiling and walls painted. Second coat on walls needed.
Next is to finish paint the walls and deal with the floors. Because this is going to be my studio, I am going to simply stain the concrete floors in a dark color and seal them. After the floors will be the shutters and plumbing. The next major expense will be to address the wooden section of the building, which needs the supporting beams changed, the floor changed and addressing termites. There is sooo much to do and I feel pressure to finish soon because the documentary is tied to the renovation and the funding I received has a deadline. Curiously, I was able to get some funding to tell this story, but nothing to renovate the building. So here we are. I do what I can do on the renovation as finances allow.
Below is the written testimony I provided at the legislative hearing. I must say that after listening to many of the other testimonies that morning I ad-libbed A LOT. Mostly because I realized that the bill was not in a state that it could be moved through, but needed both minor tweaking and major amendments. The hearing on St. Croix is slated for August, 23, 2012. I plan on being there. Hope you will too and if you can't please submit a written testimony to Colette Monroe (colettemonroe@yahoo.com) Chief of Staff of Senator Louis
Patrick Hill, sponsor of the bill.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that part of my testimony made the
local radio and tv news the following day, in addition to being
paraphrased here in the Virgin Islands Daily News. Here is some of the coverage from TV2. I'm in the background in this coverage. :)
I also need to add that my ticket to go to St. Thomas was paid for by
the VI Territorial Realtors Association. They had written a grant to the
National Realtors Association and gotten funding to do this advocacy
work as a way to impact and change their community. Although I had
planned on going over myself, when they heard I wanted to come, they
offered to pay for my ticket. I am very grateful.
I would like to
offer the perspective of someone who is actually in the process of what we all
want: renovating historic buildings. I hope my testimony gives you more insight
as to why this bill is so important to pass, despite some of its shortcomings.
The status quo is not an option, our buildings are crumbling, being scavenged,
stripped or burnt or and the histories that come with them, forgotten.
My husband and I
are currently renovating two properties in Christiansted.The first property, 36 King St, is
located in Sunday Market Square, otherwise known as Times Square. It has two
two-story buildings that consist of four residential units and one commercial
space. The residential space was last used as a nightclub and the residential
spaces were converted into a brothel. We are about 50% completed with the
renovation. We did most of the work ourselves or with friends, including our
dearest ones: Visa, Mastercard and American Express.It has not been easy. I looked for grants and could
not find any that we qualified for, including the famed “Scrape, Paint and
Rejuvenate Program” run through the St. Croix Foundation. The income limits are
too low and the grant eligibility required that the space be occupied. We are
exhausted, but happy that we have wonderful families living in two of the
apartments and have began renting the third one as a vacation rental. We are
currently looking for more financing to complete the project.
The other
property is really special as it speaks to the core of what is really at stake
in this discussion: our cultural patrimony. 18B East Street is located in the
Free Gut area of Christiansted.It
comprises of two small vernacular houses, one was burnt by crack addicts and
the other structure is partially wooden with a unique brick arches in the
foundation.Currently the area is
full of dilapidated and abandoned buildings, abandoned not just physically but
psychologically. They represent a part of our collective social amnesia of a
part of our history that we have chosen to forget. But why? Why did we forget
Elizabeth Abraham, who was the first registered owner of 18 East Street. She
was an African born woman, who was brought here to be a slave, she survived the
Middle Passage, survived slavery and was able to escape that system and become
one of the few privileged class of blacks in that time, the Freed Blacks. It is
amazing that she was able to purchase property and in my little decrepit
building, that many people told me I should just push down, resides dozens of
stories like Elizabeth’s. These buildings and these stories are so important.
They are our cultural heritage and we must honor them by remembering their
legacy of self-determination and by treating these buildings like the treasures
that they are.
I was so inspired
by the stories of the previous owners of my building that it motivated me to do
a documentary about them, the larger Free Gut community and the process of bringing
this building back to life. I hope that you might also be inspired to act and
move this bill forward. We need to hold our community accountable. We need this
impetus for change to move from a culture of decay and abandonment to one of
development and dignity.
Further points
that this bill speaks to that are key:
We need money in the form of grants or low- interest
loans to renovate buildings.
We need education, both the owners and the general
public, but especially contractors and construction workers. It is a
constant battle with contractors who want to use modern materials and
techniques that would destroy the character of the building simply because
they do not know any better. I suggest a class at CTECH for carpenters and
contractors on the historic guidelines and how to build the shutter,
windows, etc.. to keep in line with them.
We do need the penalties to ensure that everyone is
held accountable. It is not fair that some are investing their hard earned
money to rehabilitate or maintain their properties and their neighbors are
allowed to let garbage accumulate, grass overgrow or let vagrants or
addicts take over their neglected property.
We need incentives. The tax incentives are excellent,
however they should reflect the reality of maintaining historic
structures. This is expensive! Especially if they are partially wood,
which most of them are. Wooden structures are more expensive because of
the upkeep and the insurance and the tax incentives should better reflect
these costs. Perhaps even subsidies could be introduced.
Finally, we need action. We need
you, our legislators to support this bill and create this catalyst for change.
We need you to remember Elizabeth Gabriel, and the other men and women like her
that first occupied these spaces, that worked hard to purchase and build these
first homes. As the title of my documentary emphasizes, these are the houses
that freedom built. Please act now to honor and celebrate them.
A few weeks ago I did an interview with Dr. Elizabeth Rezende. She is an expert on Free Gut and wrote her dissertation on the history of the area. She suggested that we do the interview in front of a house on Hill Street near "London Bridge". It is a row house and fairly well maintained. That day we had issues with our equipment. One of the cameras kept stopping, but we were able to get it working again and did a fantastic interview. Dr. Rezende, or Betsy as she is most favorably known, is a wealth of knowledge and had so many stories to tell. One of the stories that stood out was about a woman who was for all intents and purposes, a pimp. She would groom young girls to be a "housekeeper' for Danes and would take the children of those relationships and groom them as well in an ever efficient cycle. But later that day I got a call from Rashad, our cameraman, to say the footage was lost. The memory card wasn't reading! Darn! We still had footage from another camera and good audio, but may likely have to do the interview again. However, it will have to be in another location. Why? Because the building we did the interview in front of burnt down last week. Why? Because a vagrant had gotten in to the abandoned house next door and in using candles burnt the building. So the lovely woman, Ms. Sutton, whom we had to ask permission to film on her front stoop has lost her home of over forty years. I once saw a picture of the inside of her house. The photographer Ted Davis had taken this amazing photograph of the interior of her home while she was conducting piano lessons. There was so much detail in that picture, you felt as if you were transported into another world. And now it's gone.
I have recently been advocating for new bill, the Antiquities and Historic Preservation Bill 29-0358. Some of the concerns of the bill are that it has a mechanism that could possibly lead to local people losing their properties if they do not fix or maintain them. What I don't think people get is that if you just leave your building to the elements and the vagrants, you will lose your property anyway! It will rot, crumble, be burnt, scavenged, and deteriorate to such a condition that even if you wanted to sell you would not get much money for it, so then what was the point in trying to hold onto it? When children are neglected by their parents because they are unable to care for them properly, no matter the reason, the children are put in foster care. Maybe that's what needs to happen to these buildings. But I hope that Ms. Sutton and what happened to her will convince our legislators that the status quo is not an option.
For those who are moved by Ms. Marjorie Sutton's story here are the details to help. St. Croix attorney Joel
Holt has set up an escrow account so donations can be made. You
can donate via PayPal by clicking on this link:
OR, Checks can be made to: Joel H. Holt Esquire P.C. Trust Account, and put ‘Marjorie’ on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to c/o D&D Studio, 55 Company St. C'sted, VI 00820. All funds will go to Marjorie Sutton.
House that Dr. Olaf "Bronco" Hendricks grew up in on Queen Cross Street, Christiansted.
Dr. Olaf "Bronco" Hendricks reminiscing in front of his childhood home in "Free Gut"
This is an exciting part of the documentary process for me: the interviews. I love talking to people and hearing their stories. Recently I interviewed the well known psychiatrist, musician and talk-show host, Dr. Olaf "Bronco" Hendricks. I've known Dr. Hendricks for many years, he was friends with my father. I also grew up with his son Kai. However, the interview we did a couple of weeks ago gave me new insight not only into his person, but into a fascinating community that he describes in the 1940's and 50's while growing up in Christiansted town. During that time, "Free Gut" was known as "Upstreet" because these streets are literally located uphill or "upstreet" from the main sections of town. During our interview he describes a nurturing, close-knit community and a childhood filled with romps in the street, swims in the reservoir, storytelling and stilt-walkers. A community so close and so special that later in life many of them realized that although many of the families have moved from the old neighborhood, their bonds have remained. They formed the group today known as the "Hillsiders" who meet annually.
La Vaughn Belle interviewing Dr. Olaf "Bronco" Hendricks
One thing that struck me in the interview was when Bronco revealed that growing up they had no knowledge of the history of "Free Gut". "Slavery was not something we discussed", he said. Instead he learned about "Free Gut" on his own while he was in college. We had a very interesting discussion about the possible causes of this collective amnesia as well as what could be done to reclaim this community. I look forward to being able to share all that and more when the documentary comes out!
I am a bit of a talk show radio junky. I love listening to the local talk shows. It gives me a sense of community and helps me to keep up with the dialogue and pulse of the VI. On one of today's shows I heard some representatives from the "Community Alliance to Preserve Historic Properties" talking about their efforts, their website and a bill that is coming up for review later this summer.
On first scan of their website it seems that the group is based out of St. Thomas and is spearheaded by realtors. I am curious if they have begun to engage with the local organizations like the "Hillsiders", the "Watagonians" and "Upstreeters". What do the people who have lived in these towns think about their efforts and the bill? At first glance the bill has some punitive components that I wonder how effective they would be. Is fining people for derelict properties the best option? Should there be first education and workshops offered to the owners. Help them to link with civic organization and funding to fix their properties? I'm glad that the conversation is happening and hope to be a part of it. Here is a link to their site www.preservevi.org and a video about their efforts.
On May 18, 2012 we had our first interview with the historian George Tyson. He has been helping me research the previous owners of our building. I find it interesting that many of them were women. However, it's really challenging wrapping my head around 18th century Danish West Indian life: the owning of another person; how to purchase yourself out of slavery?; and how to then survive on your own? Especially as a woman. What are your assets? Who do you align yourself with? And most importantly: What did this house mean to a formerly enslaved woman? Was it another means of income? Was it a refuge? An asset? We have owning property so associated with the concept of the "American Dream", a home as wealth builder, a form of security. What did it mean to them?
La Vaughn Belle & George Tyson reviewing the history of previous owners at 18B East St.
I have been on a longer hiatus that expected from this project. Life, work, life and work took over. However I am happy announce that we are fully reengaged and it's been exciting! There have however been some changes:
1. My fabulous cameraman Jason Roberts has moved on from St. Croix and in his place I have one of my former students, the very talented Rashad Martinez. He is an upcoming photographer and videographer and is a wonderful asset to the project.
2. I was accepted into the "Scrape, Paint and Rejuvenate" program then was told that our house could not qualify because it was empty. Helloooo, that's why we applied to the program, to fix it up so that it can be occupied. But it seems that the particular monies the St. Croix Foundation received had this stipulation (which they didn't realize until after we completed the application). So that was a huge let down and has left me having to be very creative where to find the funds for the renovation. VISA?
3. Due to the hiatus our time line has shifted. We now expect to complete the documentary in November 2012. Full speed ahead!
More good news! We have been accepted into the St. Croix Foundation's "Scrape, Paint and Rejuvenate" program. This program is to assist owners in the historic towns of Christiansted and Frederiksted in fixing their building. I have a meeting at the site next week with the program manager, but I am feeling so Midas right now! I can't wait to see exactly what they will be able to help me do to the property.
This weekend the Virgin Islands Humanities Council held their signature event, the "We the People" conference with this year's theme, "Time, Place and Memory". As I am one of their grant recipients they invited me and two other documentary projects to present our works. Since I am in the very beginning stages of my documentary I presented two short trailers. One is already posted on this site. The other I'll post here which is montage of various footage. For me it was nuts, absolutely crazy, to put something together that quickly. I lost one full night of sleep. But it was a good exercise. It helped me wrestle with how I would weave the story together, how I might visually represent the previous owners, what do I want from my interview subjects.
Attending the conference reinforced for me how important it is to collect these memories. As I looked over the footage of my first interviewee, Gerville Larsen, a historical preservation architect, it made me realize that I really want to be able to access those memories, the personal ones, the smell of the place, if the street was shady, what did it feel like to breathe the air, was it heavy with heat, or light with a fragrance of bread baking or sweet from a ground littered with rotting mangoes. And although with this interview, even though I thought it went well, Gerville was articulate and passionate, it made me realize that I want to be able to access more, especially when I begin to interview people who actually lived in Free Gut.
I look forward to more interviews and research and continue to learn and improve production. Comments are most welcome on what you think about the footage so far.
I spent most of the summer visiting family in Cuba (my husband is from Cuba). We got stuck coming back via Santo Domingo in Tropical Storm Irene. I have to admit I was a little worried about the house. It's still standing I am happy to report, but part of the porch roof was taken off. It's also super overgrown so I am deciding between paying someone to cut it or doing it myself again with a cutlass. The latter fits more my financial status, the former fits more my energy level.
On the documentary front I have received some grant money from the University of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin Islands Council of Humanities! This is fantastic! I am very grateful and these funds will ensure the project moves forward!
So last week I met with the historian on the project, George Tyson, to begin to plot out exactly how we would do that. One of the areas we are researching at the moment are the "hucksters", vendors, mainly women ,who sold their wares in markets. A few of the previous owners in the 1700s were hucksters and seems that was how they purchased their freedom. I just admire the spirit of these women and want to learn more.
So I decided to also post on YouTube. So if watching from your smartphone you should be able to see this one.
Since this is also a production blog I will comment a bit on that. Most of the footage was shot by Jason Roberts, except the shot where I am sitting and describing the motivation for the film. Due to deadlines and scheduling conflicts I shot that myself in my living room.
I so need funding to get better equipment! But a wise friend told me this:"The best camera to get is the one you have". So I push on filming what needs to be filmed, but writing away like a mad woman to get funding to take the production up a notch.
Over the past couple weeks I have been back and forth meeting and inquiring about getting power to the building, building plans, electrical permits, historical guidelines, etc... The process has felt like a Labyrinth, a puzzling sacred path that is supposed to lead me to some center, enlightenment even. Well, I'm not sure I would use the word enlightened to describe what I'm feeling now, but I have certainly been surprised along the way. Here are a few things that I have learned:
The women and men who work at DPNR (the Department of Planning and Natural Resources) are incredibly helpful and pleasant. My questions were answered respectfully and thoroughly. The inspector that came out to do the site visit was knowledgeable and gracious. I was told how much things would cost ($20 for an electrical permit), how long it would take (2-4 days) and exactly what I needed to bring (an electrical plan and permit form filled out and signed by licensed electrician). Courteous efficient service can really be achieved in government. Wow.
Building plans are expensive! I am surprised at how expensive building plans are, especially considering one of the buildings is less than 400 square feet. Charging $100-$200 per square foot is a lot, especially considering that I know how to draw and measure and use the computer, so minus the fact that I don’t know the building codes, what I received looks pretty much like something I could do myself.
Becoming a licensed electrician is hard. I couldn’t understand why so many electricians or plumbers I have interacted with over the years always got uneasy when I mentioned anything with permits.You would have thought that DPNR had a minotaur hiding inside! Well I have since realized that many of these people are not licensed.When it came time to get permits, people who I have used for years had to admit that they did not have a license and could not help me. Upon finding a licensed electrician he said to me that when he took the test he passed it in one shot, but that the woman who administered it told him that in the 25 years she had worked at Licensing & Consumer Affairs, he was only the second person to do that. Wow.
DPNR and SHPO are actually there to help you. The State Historic Preservation Committee has been nicknamed by some as the Hysterical Society, meaning that they impose ridiculous rules and guidelines and seem to delight in telling people what to do with their property.My interaction with them has been quite the opposite. It’s a small four member committee of individuals who care about our community and see our architecture as a treasure and want to help protect Y/OUR investment and Y/OUR heritage.
And as for DPNR, they want to make sure that what happened for example in Haiti, doesn’t happen to us, that our buildings don’t collapse, that who is working on our homes where we orsomebody’s children will sleep, knows what they are doing.
So ultimately I learned that like the walls forming a labyrinth and guiding your path, that rules and regulations are not such a bad thing. They help to steer us along our way.
Taking photographs….Filming….Editing….Producing…I feel like I’ve entered a communications major’s dream! As an intern, I will have the opportunity to participate in all the activities mentioned. I will also have the opportunity to work with many talented professionals with the hopes of picking up essential skills. One of the main reasons I’m so excited about the HFB project, however, is that it’s ambitious AND practical. It’s ambitious in the sense that it will be an ongoing process that will require effort and energy from its participants. But HFB is also a practical way to learn about local history and make our Virgin Islands’ community a better place.
In Spanish a common greeting is ¿Cómo estás? translated to "How are you?" or "How are you doing?" Years ago I noticed that often people in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean extend the greeting further by saying, "¿Cómo estamos?" or "How are we doing?" I never forgot noticing that and think about it often. A simple shift from the first-person singular to the first-person plural and we have a view of ourselves based on community. It's not about how are you doing? And then how am I doing, but how are we doing? It's a simple, but profound shift and it happened to me today at the house.
I met a neighbor today that just so happens to be the brother of my daughter's godfather. Batsbo (his dread name) was kind enough to help me cut some of the larger branches from a rotten tree we trimmed and put them into the bin. I have to mention that shortly after he began chopping another man who lives in the neighborhood walked by and after hailing up Batsbo he said, "Lion, your cutlass needs to sharpen". He continued walking until he remembered that there was a file in his bag. Who walks around town shirtless with a file to sharpen machetes in his bag? Very curious about that.
Anyway, as we continued collecting and cutting branches, I commented to him about the trash on the sidewalk, wondering why the persons who put the trash out to be collected didn't make sure it stayed in the bin. Or after seeing that if fell on the street, why wouldn't they pick it up? It was about they, and them, and those people. And then it hit me. This is my house. I am they and them and those people. Even if I didn't put it there, the trash is on the corner of the block where my house is and if I leave it there, I am just as guilty. I am them which means that I am we. If we extend that further to living on a small island, whatever trash there is, whether it be literal or societal, is really just on the corner of our block and it's really our job to clean it up.
I hadn't noticed it at first because of the bush. After we cut back some of the bush, peaking out under some rusted galvanize, I could see a structure of rubble stone. A structure of what? One always hopes for a well, but after taking all the galvanize off we realized that we were unearthing an outhouse. Our friend Nathan who was helping us cut some trees quickly added, "You know people excavate outhouses. There are lot's of history in them and sometimes people even hid things in them". Hmm. So we didn't find a well in the literal sense, but perhaps will uncover something much more unexpected.
In my first week of being an intern for "The House That Freedom Built" project, I was exposed to different aspects of filmmaking. From camera operations to getting funding for maintenance, restoration, and renovation. Under the direction of Ms. LaVaugn Belle, I've been able to further develop a creative eye for taking pictures and videos. We watched films and videos and Ms. Belle pointed out several camera techniques. Although, I've been watching films for a long time, the techniques she shared became more noticeable. For example, some films shift the audience's attention by changing the focus on an object and blurring everything else that would seem distracting such as people or other objects in the background. With a simple switch of the lens of the camera and a focused object, the subject comes to life. Because I've never worked with a professional camera before, the technique is very new to me but it is an example of one the many things that I look forward in learning about.
Being chosen for an internship for this project is an opportunity to improve my film skills, learn more about our history, develop a creative eye, and to learn the fundamentals behind film-making. In my first week alone, after being exposed to just a little bit of the project, my curiosity and interest have expanded and I look forward to making this internship a memorable learning experience.
The house is located in an area of Christiansted that is forgotten, abandoned both physically and psychologically. It is a part of an amnesia in our social memory. Why? Most people when they ask where the house is and I begin to tell them, don't have any visual references in mind. Their images and memory stop at about Company Street. Through my research I've learned that the town was designed to have a social, commercial and even racial divide. All the main buildings that had the most importance to colonial commerce were located near the waterfront. The laborers were placed in areas in the back streets. The first freed blacks were placed there by law in the 1700's as a form of urban segregation and control. How is it that we don't remember them? Them, the people who worked extra hard on Sundays, their only day off, week after week, to purchase freedom for themselves or for a loved one? How is it that we don't remember them?
They go through your garbage and collect all REUSABLE items, like aluminum and bike tires.
Why vagrants are bad:
They go through your stuff and collect all USEABLE items, like your tools that you were using to get the last bit of vinyl off your original pine floor!!!!
Lesson learned:
NEVER, EVER leave tools at a job site, even if you think they are well hidden and small.
At least it was an inexpensive lesson I learned as the tool they stole was about $35 to replace.
It feels a little creepy to know that when I'm not at the house there are people, primarily men who are drug addicts, that are combing through everything there. But there was one good thing that surfaced through them sifting through our trash: CHANEY!
Chaney, a word morphed from "china" and "money", are the fragments and shards of plates from Danish colonial times that children ground and used as play money in games. It's a serious collectors item and local jewelers use them to make fantastic pieces. As an artist I have referenced them in previous work entitled "Collectible".
I think the chaney might have been in some of the trash that was taken out of the house. Pedro, a wonderful man who has been helping out as a contractor, found it with his keen eye. What drew his attention to the bag was how it was knotted, "Ah hah, somebody's been collecting something," he said. He was right. I wonder if these pieces were collected from our site, or another. Regardless, most historic properties in the Virgin Islands have them all over the yard.
One of the biggest challenges I'm facing is the urge and at times need to get things done for the renovation, but not being able, whether it be to have the time, energy or resources to do the filming of the documentary. There is a ton of stuff that has happened already that I wasn't able to get clearance to film, couldn't organize a cameraperson or was just too focussed on getting done to stop and think about filming, like getting the damn vinyl off the floor! It's a conflict I need to resolve quick. I just got a great suggestion to just tripod it. Get in the habit of bringing the camera setting it up and pressing record. Meanwhile, here is a cool pic of the original floors (wide-plank pitch pine) that I may just be able to save! If I can only get that last bit of vinyl off....
man who lives in the neighborhood walked by and after hailing up Batsbo he said, "Lion, your cutlass needs to sharpen". He continued walking until he remembered that there was a file in his bag. Who walks around town shirtless with a file to sharpen machetes in his bag? Very curious about that.
