Our home in San Miguel is looking a little barren as we pack and transport smaller things to our new house before the official moving date of May 24th - this Thursday. The idea is to move things that will fit into our minivan ourselves, reserving larger, bulkier, heavier things for the movers. And I think we'll be pretty busy these next three days if we manage to carry out the plan. The house is still ours through the 31st, so there is time to clear up the final things after the move.
Before we left town for Cabo, we had the house (which is new construction) thoroughly cleaned - it took 4 days - then had the steps down into the backyard tiled, and the house's tile floors (including the roof garden) all sealed and then the house cleaned again. There's still a lot of work to do to make it 'ours' but there's no big hurry. It's never been lived in before and - in true Mexican fashion - we need to install all the light fixtures, ceiling fans, drapes, etc. We're also going to add wall cabinets in the kitchen and there are already plans afoot to expand upon the landscaping. Our current house has only two bedrooms and a studio/guest suite. The new home has five bedrooms: master, guest, library, office, and gym (?). It was freshly painted, but some of the colors are not exactly what we'd prefer, so there's that, too.
The rooms all have boveda ceilings with large concrete cornices which have halogen 'up lights' installed, but the central fixtures are wiring only. How many chandeliers will be needed? Ceiling fans? Custom mirrors for the bathrooms (the frames are part of the tile work)? It looks like we may be leaving several fixtures behind at the house - which had mostly flat ceilings. Many of them won't work with the new ceilings.
The new house also has no kitchen appliances, where our first home came equipped with the basics, so we're shopping for those, too. Found a fridge that's actually larger than the one we had planned on getting that was 'nearly new' and well cared for. That saved us nearly half the price of the new one. It's to be delivered today so we'll be able to keep water and ice on hand during the move. The range may come later.
My sister Paula once produced an entire Thanksgiving dinner using only a microwave, so we may exist without the range for a while. However, we do need to connect the water heater to the gas tank and install a cut-off valve on the range connection before ordering a tankful of propane or we'll blow the house up! Pedro is going to be busy even though we didn't use him for sealing the floors.
Then we also need to have the water purification system installed and check out the wiring for the television/telephone/internet service. The electrician was supposed to have that wiring all figured out and installed, but his English is about as good as my Spanish, so we need to make sure it's going to work before moving the service from our current house to the new one. Can't be without internet service!
Luckily, our Margarita is going to follow us to the new house and we just found out that her husband is a gardener, so we may have the front/backyard care figured out. Hope he has his own lawnmower.
And on June 1st, we leave for the states for a visit that should include a stop at an IKEA on our return to SMA for 'a few things.'
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Taking a Vacation from Retirement
We've just returned from a week in Cabo San Lucas. We try to visit twice a year, and we may make it three times this year if we plan right. In fact, we were there last December, at the end of February, and now in May!
We always stay at the Cascadas resort on Medano Bay. Our visit in January/February is at the invitation of my brother and sister-in-law who own six weeks in the Luna penthouse (a third floor, two-bedroom unit of only 6300 square feet with its own swimming pool). We also owned (until very recently) a humbler two-bedroom villa in December, and we have numerous certificates for a week's stay that we earned when purchasing various units in the past. We still have a couple of banked weeks on the books with the management company, too, so December's visit may be at a property in the Conchas Chinas area of Pto Vallerta. Last time we were in PV, we were on a Mexican Riviera cruise that stopped for the day.
Our time in Cabo was wonderful. We spent most days under a palapa on the beach eating/drinking/reading our time away. We did walk over to Sam's Club and the Super Walmart once for supplies, but ate most meals at the resort's restaurant - either under the palapa, in the open-air restaurant, or on the beach in the evening.
During our February visit, we sampled the restaurant at the rebuilt resort, The Hacienda, and found both the service and food quite good and reasonably priced, so we ate five dinners there during this visit. We were fast friends with the staff by the end of the week. The service slipped once or twice, and they got our drink order wrong one night (and wouldn't admit it), but they redeemed themselves on the last evening. So we'll be back next year! [Their signature dessert is a hand-made paper bag of churros served with both a chocolate and (our favorite) a caramel dipping sauce. Yummmy!]
We did take a couple of cooking classes and attended a couple of tequilla tastings (controlled pandemonium), but otherwise it was a week of sloth! In February the weather was a bit chilly - I frequently went to the beach wearing Levis and a shirt. This time the weather was better, although there was a strong wind each evening/night that tossed around the palm trees outside our villa. We stayed in a Malaga unit this time: a one-bedroom on two floors. Patio, Jacuzzi, living room, kitchen, and bath on the first floor; bedroom and bath on the second. And the first floor of the villa was on the third floor of the building, so we had a very good view of those tossing palm trees!
We flew from Mexico City and had arranged transportation from SMA to DF using a local shuttle company. We paid for the combination bus/car travel (car from SMA to QTO and a cushie bus on to DF). However, both coming and going we traveled by either car or a shuttle van - for the original price! A very comfy way to travel. Of course, we can't always be certain we won't be driven to/from the Queretero bus station, but it sure was a nice upgrade!
We're now back in SMA and working on our move to the new house. More on that later. It's food to be home!
We always stay at the Cascadas resort on Medano Bay. Our visit in January/February is at the invitation of my brother and sister-in-law who own six weeks in the Luna penthouse (a third floor, two-bedroom unit of only 6300 square feet with its own swimming pool). We also owned (until very recently) a humbler two-bedroom villa in December, and we have numerous certificates for a week's stay that we earned when purchasing various units in the past. We still have a couple of banked weeks on the books with the management company, too, so December's visit may be at a property in the Conchas Chinas area of Pto Vallerta. Last time we were in PV, we were on a Mexican Riviera cruise that stopped for the day.
Our time in Cabo was wonderful. We spent most days under a palapa on the beach eating/drinking/reading our time away. We did walk over to Sam's Club and the Super Walmart once for supplies, but ate most meals at the resort's restaurant - either under the palapa, in the open-air restaurant, or on the beach in the evening.
During our February visit, we sampled the restaurant at the rebuilt resort, The Hacienda, and found both the service and food quite good and reasonably priced, so we ate five dinners there during this visit. We were fast friends with the staff by the end of the week. The service slipped once or twice, and they got our drink order wrong one night (and wouldn't admit it), but they redeemed themselves on the last evening. So we'll be back next year! [Their signature dessert is a hand-made paper bag of churros served with both a chocolate and (our favorite) a caramel dipping sauce. Yummmy!]
We did take a couple of cooking classes and attended a couple of tequilla tastings (controlled pandemonium), but otherwise it was a week of sloth! In February the weather was a bit chilly - I frequently went to the beach wearing Levis and a shirt. This time the weather was better, although there was a strong wind each evening/night that tossed around the palm trees outside our villa. We stayed in a Malaga unit this time: a one-bedroom on two floors. Patio, Jacuzzi, living room, kitchen, and bath on the first floor; bedroom and bath on the second. And the first floor of the villa was on the third floor of the building, so we had a very good view of those tossing palm trees!
We flew from Mexico City and had arranged transportation from SMA to DF using a local shuttle company. We paid for the combination bus/car travel (car from SMA to QTO and a cushie bus on to DF). However, both coming and going we traveled by either car or a shuttle van - for the original price! A very comfy way to travel. Of course, we can't always be certain we won't be driven to/from the Queretero bus station, but it sure was a nice upgrade!
We're now back in SMA and working on our move to the new house. More on that later. It's food to be home!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Upcoming Rainy Season
Rainy season doesn't traditionally start until June, but we've had a taste of it twice in the last week or so. On both occasions there was plentiful thunder and lightning - and even a bit of hail the first time - but not a great deal of water fell from the heavens.
Some of the lightning looked rather theatrical - sharp and white - followed immediately by rolling peals of thunder, so I suppose that was because we're at a pretty high altitude here and it wasn't far away. It really did look like someone had a really bright light just down the street which they were flashing in our direction. I love thunder and lightning! We even got up and turned off the computers in case there were resulting power situations.
However, after nearly 90 minutes of rain, the quasi-official measurement was a total of 0.22 inches for the last two storms combined. Quasi-official because we don't have a local airport with weather instruments; the results are published on line by amateur weather stations run by local citizens who publish via the weatherunderground web site.
And since there are no unofficial weather stations in our part of town, one doesn't really know what the local, local measurement would have been. The two stations are on the south side of town (in the area to which we are moving) and out in the campo to the north of town. Rain tends to be spotty here in SMA - perhaps because of our proximity to the clouds? Or just because it can?
Either way, everyone seems happy and I won't need to go water our lawns at the new house today! Hope they got the rooftop terrace floor sealed yesterday....
Some of the lightning looked rather theatrical - sharp and white - followed immediately by rolling peals of thunder, so I suppose that was because we're at a pretty high altitude here and it wasn't far away. It really did look like someone had a really bright light just down the street which they were flashing in our direction. I love thunder and lightning! We even got up and turned off the computers in case there were resulting power situations.
However, after nearly 90 minutes of rain, the quasi-official measurement was a total of 0.22 inches for the last two storms combined. Quasi-official because we don't have a local airport with weather instruments; the results are published on line by amateur weather stations run by local citizens who publish via the weatherunderground web site.
And since there are no unofficial weather stations in our part of town, one doesn't really know what the local, local measurement would have been. The two stations are on the south side of town (in the area to which we are moving) and out in the campo to the north of town. Rain tends to be spotty here in SMA - perhaps because of our proximity to the clouds? Or just because it can?
Either way, everyone seems happy and I won't need to go water our lawns at the new house today! Hope they got the rooftop terrace floor sealed yesterday....
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Gallop Apace You Fiery-Footed Steeds
Things are moving apace for our move to the new home. After a year here in Col. San Rafael we decided that as much as we like our home - once the band next door left - it was time to find a place with a yard. Now, to someone living in southern California this sounds like the simplest thing in the world, but here in Mexico many - if not most - homes do not have lawns. Planting beds and terraces, perhaps, but yards are a rarity. Houses tend to be built right up to the property lines and may have interior terraces and gardens, even, but not lawns. And dogs need yards. So we started looking. Of course our reason for requiring a yard was our dogs - which presented a different set of difficulties. Even homes with yards which had stood unrented for over a year were still sporting a 'no dogs' policy. Better to go unrented than to accept pets, I guess. (The owners must have had a really bad experience sometime!)
We eventually found and considered three properties and - with much drama - selected one, money changed hands, and a contract was signed. The house is ours as of today and the keys are being turned over to us this afternoon. [Followed by drinks with our agent and his partner and general rejoicing!] We do have an unofficial set of keys already and have kept an eye on the completion work as it progresses. Although of a traditional style, the house is new construction and is still being completed. The electrical work should be completed as of today. The lower kitchen cabinets should also be in place. The master bathroom is going to be finished in June, but there are two others which are finished already so we won't have to join the dogs in the yard!
The last electrical work included adding cable wiring to the house. How anyone could build a house nowadays and not include television wiring (not forgetting the internet) is anyone's guess, but we'll be paying extra for that work. It's so much nicer to have wiring within the walls rather than the tack-it-to-the-baseboards style the cable company uses - particularly when the walls and baseboards are concrete. We're hoping that the kitchen cabinets mentioned above should also be installed by now. We'll see what the landlord has put on. It will be interesting to see what's installed. We're praying for some drawers.... Counters and the cabinet structure are usually tiled concrete here in Mexico; only the shelving and doors/drawers need to be built and installed by a carpenter.
Pedro is stopping by the house this afternoon to see what business is in store for him. The tile floors need to be sealed; the walls need some painting treatments: sponging or ragging over the colors that are already in place - a bit bright - if not entirely new paint over the pale lime green walls (some are peach, some yellow); and we'll need to put up light fixtures and curtain rods as a beginning. Pedro also gets to figure out how to install ceiling fans on those lovely boveda ceilings. One of the charms of the new house is that every room has a boveda ceiling - even those on the first floor! [Domed ceilings on the first floor? How did they do that?] And each room features a large concrete cornice behind which the landlord has been installing switched halogen lights. But attached ceiling fans may be a challenge; chandeliers, not so much. Don't want the fans to fall on us, but without air conditioning, fans are sometimes a necessity.
We've found pre-made curtain rods to be rather expensive, even from Home Depot; it's cheaper to have them made for you. Pedro will also arrange an estimate on the kitchen wall cabinets for us. He's also going to handle the installation of the range (he doesn't know this yet). The gas supply line is encased in mortar! A fridge I can plug in. [A bonus: grounded plugs!]
Once the floors are sealed and dry, we can go appliance shopping. [You should see my Excel spreadsheet for all the models of appliances available, model numbers, capacity, measurements, features and prices.] Our previous house came furnished with a fridge, stove, and microwave; the new house has none of that. We do have a microwave of our own that has been on loan to a friends' restaurant. Turns out it uses too much power, so they haven't been using it. One less thing to purchase - although I had my eye on a mirror-faced model at Mega.
I will spend Monday at the house (doing my Spanish homework) while the cleaning service gives the house a top-to-bottom thorough cleaning before the floors can be sealed. As new construction, there's dust everywhere and mortar spills on the tiles that must be removed before sealing later this week.
And later this month (after we've moved clothes, TVs, pictures/mirrors, computers/phones and possibly the kitchen paraphernalia ourselves) the movers will transport our furniture and boxes that haven't yet been unpacked from the move SOB. That should leave us several days at the end of the month in which to clean up the San Rafael house and be out on time. Luckily, Margarita has agreed to follow us to La Lejona and we'll probably ask her to clean the San Rafael house one last time when it's empty - rather than hire it done by an outside agency.
Now, where did those steeds go? Did they take off with my list of questions for the landlord?
We eventually found and considered three properties and - with much drama - selected one, money changed hands, and a contract was signed. The house is ours as of today and the keys are being turned over to us this afternoon. [Followed by drinks with our agent and his partner and general rejoicing!] We do have an unofficial set of keys already and have kept an eye on the completion work as it progresses. Although of a traditional style, the house is new construction and is still being completed. The electrical work should be completed as of today. The lower kitchen cabinets should also be in place. The master bathroom is going to be finished in June, but there are two others which are finished already so we won't have to join the dogs in the yard!
The last electrical work included adding cable wiring to the house. How anyone could build a house nowadays and not include television wiring (not forgetting the internet) is anyone's guess, but we'll be paying extra for that work. It's so much nicer to have wiring within the walls rather than the tack-it-to-the-baseboards style the cable company uses - particularly when the walls and baseboards are concrete. We're hoping that the kitchen cabinets mentioned above should also be installed by now. We'll see what the landlord has put on. It will be interesting to see what's installed. We're praying for some drawers.... Counters and the cabinet structure are usually tiled concrete here in Mexico; only the shelving and doors/drawers need to be built and installed by a carpenter.
Pedro is stopping by the house this afternoon to see what business is in store for him. The tile floors need to be sealed; the walls need some painting treatments: sponging or ragging over the colors that are already in place - a bit bright - if not entirely new paint over the pale lime green walls (some are peach, some yellow); and we'll need to put up light fixtures and curtain rods as a beginning. Pedro also gets to figure out how to install ceiling fans on those lovely boveda ceilings. One of the charms of the new house is that every room has a boveda ceiling - even those on the first floor! [Domed ceilings on the first floor? How did they do that?] And each room features a large concrete cornice behind which the landlord has been installing switched halogen lights. But attached ceiling fans may be a challenge; chandeliers, not so much. Don't want the fans to fall on us, but without air conditioning, fans are sometimes a necessity.
We've found pre-made curtain rods to be rather expensive, even from Home Depot; it's cheaper to have them made for you. Pedro will also arrange an estimate on the kitchen wall cabinets for us. He's also going to handle the installation of the range (he doesn't know this yet). The gas supply line is encased in mortar! A fridge I can plug in. [A bonus: grounded plugs!]
Once the floors are sealed and dry, we can go appliance shopping. [You should see my Excel spreadsheet for all the models of appliances available, model numbers, capacity, measurements, features and prices.] Our previous house came furnished with a fridge, stove, and microwave; the new house has none of that. We do have a microwave of our own that has been on loan to a friends' restaurant. Turns out it uses too much power, so they haven't been using it. One less thing to purchase - although I had my eye on a mirror-faced model at Mega.
I will spend Monday at the house (doing my Spanish homework) while the cleaning service gives the house a top-to-bottom thorough cleaning before the floors can be sealed. As new construction, there's dust everywhere and mortar spills on the tiles that must be removed before sealing later this week.
And later this month (after we've moved clothes, TVs, pictures/mirrors, computers/phones and possibly the kitchen paraphernalia ourselves) the movers will transport our furniture and boxes that haven't yet been unpacked from the move SOB. That should leave us several days at the end of the month in which to clean up the San Rafael house and be out on time. Luckily, Margarita has agreed to follow us to La Lejona and we'll probably ask her to clean the San Rafael house one last time when it's empty - rather than hire it done by an outside agency.
Now, where did those steeds go? Did they take off with my list of questions for the landlord?
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