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FELIZ NAVIDAD!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL... We truly miss all our friends and family back in the States, but we are so happy and so thankful to be here in our new life! We continue to work on completing the palapa (which will give us at least one "guest quarters"), and we love the way it is turning out. This will be one of the best Christmas gifts ever!
Check out the progress below...
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With most of our worldly possessions still in the U.S., our Christmas decorations this year consist of 4 strands of lights we purchased in Jipijapa... but they look great on our porch, and we are feeling the Christmas spirit!
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Friday, Dec 14:
The beautiful bamboo work continues & is nearing completion. The guys are working on the stain/varnish to protect the bamboo - and it is gorgeous!
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Friday, Dec 14:
The palapa is now the main focal point of the property. Rising two stories, on top of the highest point on our hill, it is visible from several miles away!
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Friday, Dec 14:
And, another beautiful sunset - as seen looking through the bamboo from the first floor of the palapa.
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Friday, Dec 14:
The sunset as seen from the front porch of our casita....
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Saturday, Dec 15:
Work continues on installing the "cana picada" (the cut bamboo) which will make up the half wall of the "penthouse"... inside will be a thin layer of cement to seal out the weather and bugs! Above the cana will be totally screened in.
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Sunday morning, Dec 16:
The view of the palapa from below the pool. Two sides of the cana picada are just about complete, and it's starting to resemble our vision!
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Monday, Dec 17:
The bamboo canes that form the roof supports will all be varnished before the roof can be put on. The concrete fiber roof sections are being painted before installation.
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Tuesday, Dec 18:
The roof is going on....
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Tuesday, Dec 18:
View of the roof installation from the north (casita) end of the palapa.
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Tuesday, Dec 18:
After a walk out to the highway, we can see what our hilltop looks like from the road! Everyone we talk to in town tells us they have been keeping track of our progress each time they pass on the highway!
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Tuesday, Dec 18:
A closeup of the beautiful bamboo work which shines a warm glow after the varnish was applied. Here you can see the handrail for the balcony section, in front of the guest room upstairs.
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Tuesday, Dec 18:
As the sun sets in the west, our "villa" sits high on the hill. A good part of the roof sections were installed today.
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Wednesday, Dec 19:
In Jipijapa with Maestro buying more paint and supplies, we catch a Christmas parade in progress. Here a group of children in native costume (complete with Ecuadorian hats) dance down the street to their own music!
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Wednesday, Dec 19:
Here a group of slightly older children parade past the Banco Guayaquil dressed as angels. So glad we were in the right place at the right time to enjoy this parade!
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Thursday, Dec 20:
The roof is basically completed (we just need to buy a couple more pieces for the other end). Tomorrow and Saturday, the chicos from Puerto Rico should return to finish the cana picada on the other two sides.
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Thursday, Dec 20:
A closeup of the north end of the palapa.
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Thursday, Dec 20:
A closeup of the balcony end. We have decided that this amazing building will be the best Christmas gift ever!
Again, Merry Christmas Everyone!
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IT'S BEEN A BUSY WEEK!!
The chicos have been busy on the bodega - they know I want my washer & dryer hooked up! Plumbing is in, and once we get some paint on the walls, we should be in business. The chicos working on the bamboo work have also been busy. The bamboo rafters are in place, and they are working on the supports, and will soon build the bamboo "penthouse"... check out the progress below:
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Saturday, Dec 1st:
We were so happy to have been invited to the finca (country house) of one of our new friends to help celebrate her birthday. A new twist on futbol - her son uses her grandson to move the ball!
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Saturday, Dec 1st:
On the menu, Pollo del Campo (Country Chicken) fried over a wood fire in the huge outdoor cooking area near the house. The aroma was amazing. And we love the name of our friend's home - "Finca de mis Suenos"...Finca of my dreams!
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Monday, Dec 3:
Doug can now do what he loves best - landscaping! On the hill below our casita, he is making plateaus bordered with rocks to hold the earth when it rains... and muchos huecos (holes) have been dug to fill with plants.
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Monday, Dec 3:
Woody and Gina have a daily ritual - open the gate in the morning, and close it every evening. Gina needs the exercise, and Woody loves running circles around her.
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Monday, Dec 3:
We finally got a photo that almost shows what a fantastic view the lights of the village are at night! Sitting up on our hill, we can see the whole town - spectacular!
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Tuesday, Dec 4:
The bamboo rafters to hold up the techo (roof) are nearly done. Bamboo is amazingly strong, and we love the exotic, tropical look of it. It is hard to describe how imposing this building is becoming on the landscape.
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Wednesday, Dec 5:
Craftsmanship is alive and well...the right-hand third of the building is the bodega with the screened "penthouse" on top; the middle third is the balcony with outdoor kitchen below; and the final third is open 2-stories.
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Thursday, Dec 6:
On the open end of the palapa there are three sections of support canes - each is tied into a rebar structure, a small hole is made to fill the bottom with cement, and the hole is then plugged. What precision!
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Thursday, Dec 6:
And the sun sets over the wood floor of the penthouse! Can't wait to see the view from the second floor!
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Friday, Dec 7:
View of the palapa from the pool side. The roof will extend about 1-1/2+ meters beyond the building on the ocean side - hoping to keep out the rain coming from that direction. Rainy season starts around January, so we will see!
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Friday, Dec 7:
View of the palapa from the south end - looking into the outdoor kitchen below, and the balcony and screened room on the second floor.
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Saturday, Dec 8:
Our Spanish friend, Jose, brought us some clippings (with roots) of a groundcover plant called "Carne de Perro" (which I hear is a generic name for many plants that grow fast and spread rapidly). It appears to be a succulent with small red flowers.
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Saturday, Dec 8:
Doug is busy planting the carne de perro (literally, "dog meat") amongst his terraced rows of rocks. With nothing but dirt, we hope it grows fast!
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Sunday, Dec 9:
We are happy to announce, we finally got to use our pool for the first time today! It is wonderful. And just after we got out, some good friends arrived, and their 8 year old son finally got to try out our pool!
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