The photo here is the beginning of our locally-made, artisanal bricks; so exciting and oh so hipster! After getting the photo via email, we both separately asked our builder if it was time to move in yet. I guess that’s what you get after 25 years together – not just a similar sense of humor, but exactly the same jokes.

*sigh*

So we’re making building progress… BUT (isn’t there always a “but”), we may have encountered a significant delay. Apparently hurricane season is upon us, and it is going to be a doozy. Normally, on flat land, the weather wouldn’t impact much. Construction would stop when the hurricane came through and resume after it passed.

Our land is on a grade, which makes for great views of the ocean and valley, but means we need a retaining wall so we can level the land for our home footprint. Depending on what kind of retaining wall we need, a lot of water from the sky could threaten its integrity. A “rubble” or rock wall could let the water through, but a solid wall could trap the water and the weight and pressure may destroy it. At least that’s how I heavily paraphrased the third hand explanation delivered to me.

I don’t want to wait until the end of hurricane season (October), but I also don’t want to build the retaining wall twice. So we shall sit and bask in the glow of our beautiful new bricks until the structural engineer can weigh in. *taps foot and glances at calendar*