Happy 4th of July

I worked today with Naun, Edis' uncle. He's also a very hard worker, but I don't feel I'm being left in the dust...quite as much. He speaks even less English than Edis, even though he's been in the U.S. for four years versus one for Edis. While we ate lunch (thanks, Kat), we talked about different stuff. His journey to the U.S. sounds hard. Bus to the coast. Boat to Mexico. Freight train to the U.S. border. But as hard as it was, it sounds like it was worth it to him and his family. According to the CIA World Factbook, Honduras has:

• 28.5% unemployment
  
• $2,800 per capita GDP
  
• 53% below the poverty line
  

Compare with the U.S.:

• 5.5% unemployment
  
• $40,100 per capita GDP
  
• 12% below poverty line
  

Though it's still amazing to me that as the wealthiest country in the world, we have anyone below the poverty line.

I did more careful layout lines to check our digging, and used my new electronic water level to get them level. Pretty cool gizmo, and with a tone audible into the next county, easy to use with one person. Naun did a lot of digging for the foundation. I need to rent the jackhammer again, but I think one more day should do it.

Last week while laying things out and digging, I thought of a beneficial design change, namely making the bathroom the same level as the bedroom (at +21" from existing floor level) with the foundation to match. It will make the steps and door a bit more complicated, but simplify the grading, the foundation itself, and the floor framing. And it will give us another 30 sq. ft. or so in the bedroom, with no change to bearing walls or the footprint of the addition. Now I just need to find out how hard it is to get a change through with the city...