I have mentioned before that our new church building palapa reminds me a lot of Noah's ark.
It turns out my nautical analogy may not be off by much. But think Yankee clipper rather than an animal ferry.
During one of our recent rather minor wind storms, we discovered that the palapa roof had begun to shift.
Remember going to your grandmother's house? She would pull out the card table and you would build a fort using the western-themed blanket filled with cowboys and Indians. And if you were not careful, the slightest movement would pull the blanket off.
Well, that is what was happening to our palapa. In wind storms, it acts as a great air foil. A sail, if you will. And the pressure differential was causing the basic structure to stress.
But Mexicans are a wily lot. The church hired a contractor to reenforce the palapa.
You can see the first step at the top of this post. Each of the corners of the structure were braced on the diagonal.
The contractor then connected guy wires to various points inside the structure to create a web of interconnecting lines. In one sense, it is the opposite of the flying buttresses of European cathedrals that distribute the weight-bearing loads on the horizontal. These wires use the basic strength of the structure to bolster the weaker points.
It turns out my nautical analogy may not be off by much. But think Yankee clipper rather than an animal ferry.
During one of our recent rather minor wind storms, we discovered that the palapa roof had begun to shift.
Remember going to your grandmother's house? She would pull out the card table and you would build a fort using the western-themed blanket filled with cowboys and Indians. And if you were not careful, the slightest movement would pull the blanket off.
Well, that is what was happening to our palapa. In wind storms, it acts as a great air foil. A sail, if you will. And the pressure differential was causing the basic structure to stress.
But Mexicans are a wily lot. The church hired a contractor to reenforce the palapa.
You can see the first step at the top of this post. Each of the corners of the structure were braced on the diagonal.
The contractor then connected guy wires to various points inside the structure to create a web of interconnecting lines. In one sense, it is the opposite of the flying buttresses of European cathedrals that distribute the weight-bearing loads on the horizontal. These wires use the basic strength of the structure to bolster the weaker points.
I did not take any engineering courses in college. And what I know of construction techniques, I have pickeding up in my architectural readings.
But the interior has a different look now. The lines are rather subtle -- look like the rigging of a schooner.
And I guess that is what it is. A schooner under full sail, but docked in our port of San Patricio. Maybe we should change the name of the church from San Patricio by the Sea to San Patricio Ready for the High Seas.
Now, we need to come up with some ideas to put those bare lines to good use. They seem to be calling out for banners. Maybe a nautical signal flag or two.
Something to welcome everyone on board.
But the interior has a different look now. The lines are rather subtle -- look like the rigging of a schooner.
And I guess that is what it is. A schooner under full sail, but docked in our port of San Patricio. Maybe we should change the name of the church from San Patricio by the Sea to San Patricio Ready for the High Seas.
Now, we need to come up with some ideas to put those bare lines to good use. They seem to be calling out for banners. Maybe a nautical signal flag or two.
Something to welcome everyone on board.
