Not all squares are the same

Many people think of Costa Rica as a vacation destination, but for this mixed group of eager timber framers, Costa Rica has provided a crystal ball into the future for many of us.  My friend and I are in the final days of our adventure, but the fruits of our collective labor will be realized tomorrow as we prepare to raise the roof on this new structure.  That's when the design, calculations, selecting timbers, measuring and remeasuring, cutting timbers, and final assembly will all come together.  It's a process, but one that can only be realized through this cooperative effort.  In less than 2 weeks, this group has morphed into a team of collaborators, students, teachers, artisans, and friends who will all share the same exuberant smile when the final timbers are raised.

However, none of this would have been possible if not for our fearlessly gifted, and at times, tangential leader. He taught us about Sines and Cosines, about opposites and adjacents, about hypotenuses, and about those Tangents, but no matter how odd the angle, it all could be reduced to something we know...use what you know to figure out what you don't.  Isn't that what life is all about anyway?

To summarize my experience in Costa Rica, we were all here to learn something, and that something has been different for each one of us.  Speaking for myself, the experience has been greater than the sum of my expectations.  For now, if I take this as a sine of the future, and multiply that times our maestro's teachings, I think you would agree, that he has his heart right on the the center line, but remember, you have to use the perfect square.  Just do it but with perfection and grace; just Jean-Claude it man!