The Franciscan Spirituality of Work


The two acres that make up the compound of Na Pua Li'i Hermitage consists of a 600' driveway leading to a fairly regular quadrilateral whose east (rear) boundary is Hapahapai Stream. To the north it looks out on the Pacific (a view obstructed by distant trees); on clear days we can see Haleakala on Maui. The quadrilateral is evenly divided into three large flat areas — a ridge, where we are building our barn; a middle area, where we will build our house & cottage; a lower area that provides a large field for our crops and orchard. (To see the present views of our agricultural activities, please click on Farm.)

Our Franciscan spirituality is rooted in prayer and physical labor. We do not hire contractors, therefore. We build Na Pua Li'i Hermitage, its buildings, its farm, and its infrastructure ourselves. The selection of pictures below depicts our work to prune back the rain forest, to install a 600' driveway, to lay > 600' of conduit containing 1-1/4" water line; to prepare the ridge building site for the barn; and, finally, to pour a perimeter concrete foundation for same.


Pruning back the rain forest:


View in 2014
Before we began pruning back jungle
View in 2014
The lower clearing
Rainforest before
Upper slope, before
Rainforest after
Upper slope, after



Chipping:


Sr. Annie on backhoe
A Sister bringing 'Br Mule' to work
Chipping operation
Chipping operation
Our industrial chipper
Our industrial chipper
Dumping chips
Our second most productive 'Brother'



Grading and installing the driveway:


Drive grading
Scraping off mud & grading
Drive grading
Side view of crushed stone driveway
Drive spreading stone
Spreading crushed stone


Trenching and laying > 600' of conduit and water line:



Laying waterline
Laying water line at gate
Laying waterline
Overview
Laying waterline
Trenching up from the road
Laying waterline
Laying the Caution tape
Laying waterline
Laying water line at gate
Laying waterline
Our meter!


Digging & pouring the barn foundation:


Foundation:found-siteworkbegins2
Site stick & transit
Foundation:grading
Grading on a slope
Foundation:found-cuttingintorockslope
Cutting into basalt slope
Foundation: setting forms
Building forms
Foundation: sideview
Sideview of slope from north
Foundation:found-lookingdownfromSW
View from above, from southwest
Foundation: rebar
Our rebar is laid and tied.
Foundation: rebar
Our rebar is laid and tied.
Foundation: rebar
Our slab is poured.



Installing the barn cesspool:



Concrete rings
Stacking concrete rings after hole is dug.
Cesspool cap
Capping the cesspool.
Waste line to cesspool.
The waste line to the cesspool.
Waste line to cesspool.
Waste line from inside barn.



Installing the septic system for the cottage and house:



Concrete rings
The 8' rings were heavy!
Stacked rings: rebar
A 16' X 12' weeping pit.
Drain rock around weeping pit.: rebar
Packing drain rock around weeping pit.
Capping weeping pit.
Capping the weeping pit.
Leveling septic
Leveling the septic tank.
Water line from septic.
Line from septic tank to weeping pit.





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