After all that grumbling, I have to admit the new brick street in front of our house does look good. They made it wider than I expected. I asked them if the baby plumeria tree would be spared, and they assured me it would be protected, although the earthmover has already knocked off a couple of branches loaded with blooms.When the earthmover had more or less leveled the ground, plowing under our gravel, the workers covered it all with beach sand that had been sieved through a screen to remove rocks and shells. Then they marked off a section at a time with sticks and string, and smoothed it out carefully using a long two-by-four. Finally, they began laying the bricks, which are shaped like identical jigsaw pieces, and hammered each in place. Today they're spreading sand over it all and spraying it with water to work it into the cracks. Next they're framing the sides with planks and aluminum, and then they'll fill in all the gaps with concrete which they mixed with a shovel in a small pile.
The workers have been unfailingly polite and friendly, in remarkably good spirits in the punishing heat and seem to appreciate being addressed in Spanish. They take at least two hours off at midday. This morning it's raining a little, just enough to keep them cool, and they seem to be enjoying the respite from the sun.
I'm wondering if I should set up a table on the porch with bocadillos and bebidas for them when they're finished.