Cocina, Landscaping and Haciendas

  Remember the boat on our beach access a few BLOG ago.... It has been replaced by a wheel barrow as they mix the cement here.

A basic invention to ensure uniformity in the new archos 

The final coat of cement in the dining room is called masilla and they add powered color to create the cafe color in the room....no painting required!  Lauro mixes different amounts to provide some samples of the final color to choose from.


The KITCHEN ( Cocina) is next:

Gord rewired the kitchen where he found a rat's nest of wires in several places in the walls and ceiling.  The holes are for the wire construction for the shelves.

 Wood painted with used oil and weighted down to create some bend  to be used in making the form for the archos under the counters.

Hard to Believe:     Looks like a chair but is going to be a campana ( bell hood) over the stove.


OUTSIDE..TIMBER!!!!!!     All 8  COCO TREES DOWN 

First they trim the fronds from the trees.

We don't go to school cause there are 4 of us and our dad can't afford to send us so we work with our mom and dad. 

Loaded down and ready to go.. no load restrictions and no rules to cover it.... just drive slow and drag the frond behind...


Everybit of the tree is recycled. Fronds are used for palapas and woven into baskets and hats. .. the middle is woody and used for fence posting..  The coconuts are sold to street vendors and the woody trunk is being incorporated into our landscaping. 

This barren yard will become a courtyard with Palms, winding paths, gardens, a water feature and a palapa.. 

Rodrigo and Emmanual  come to visit. 

Professional Baseball Game in Merida  ( Yucatan Leones ( Lions)
( a Canadian  is the starting pitcher) 

A mexican hot dog.... pork and cheese in a bun with the weiner on top 

A TRIP TO HACIENDA SOTUTA DE PEON.... A working hacienda making the henequen rope... Sightseeing with the kids. 

David and girlfriend Julie 

This 84 year old man starting  working on the Hacienda when he was 15... In Mayan, with interpretation from our guide, he explained what life was like .  He is joyful that he has been asked to return to the Hacienda 20 years ago when a new owner restored it. He advised on the restoration and now shares his life story with people from all over the world.  As we left he said  "good by in" 15 different languages.  

Life in the casita is comfortable, and we look forward to more site-seeing with the kids for the rest of this week.  

Semana Santa ( Holy Week and Easter) is approaching so we expect the beach to be busy, busy.... more to share in the next few weeks. 


Adios nos amigos
Dorothy and Gord 

Mail, Visiting Friends & Renovations

WE GOT MAIL TODAY!!!!... 


 In January we discovered that our previous beach house tenants had registered a mailbox at the Progreso Post Office  so we changed it to our name for receipt of our Banamex Bank Statements.


You cannot imagine our surprise when we unlocked our post box today to find 2 Christmas cards from the Gibsons and Templemans, and a post card from the Chihoniks while on their January cruise; all of which found their way to our box despite having our Chuburna home address instead of the more formal post office address.


 YEAH!.... So here is our mailing address should you ever want to send  mail to Mexico. We'll let you know when we receive it!.


Dorothy and Gord Kaytor
APDO Postal #38
Centro CP 97320
Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico




RETIRE TO LAKE CHAPALA AREA OR CHUBURNA!!!


 Before we started the renovations inside the house we had a visit from our Calgary friends, the Dolhas,  who are also planning to retire to Mexico... They had explored the more temperate Lake Chapala and were now in the Yucatan to consider its merits;  which of course included a trip to the ancient Mayan city of Uxmal founded 500 AD and 2 hours from our home.

OUR CASITA IS READY FOR COMPANY... 


The caretakers who used to live on our property raised 4 children in our casita which is 400 square feet.  Everyone slept on hammocks and they often cooked and sat outdoors.  It is similar to many homes in the area and in particular in the local fishing villages.  Even our contractors shake their heads at the room we have  in our beach house for the 2 of us; as much room as 3 casitas.  


With a total makeover, it has been a great place to live while our house is being renovated. Here are some before and after photos...  Our son David and his girlfriend Julie will be our first guests to have the privacy and luxury of their own accommodations at Namaste! ( our beach property)


BEFORE

AFTER 

BEFORE photos of the inside of casita are on my other computer packed away for the renos...


Suffice to say the inside was a gross yellow and purple color on cracked walls and floor.. a coconut jammed into the hole where the toilet sat and rusty taps and shower stall.  


All that was left of the kitchen was a space where we had taken out the greasy counters and old sink the last time we were down.    


A very big make-over as you can see below: 

The sofa couch will be replaced with a new Queen Size bed for guests 
once we move back into the house . 

We've since added a 2 burner stove and an under the counter fridge.  

The Casita has it's own hot water tank for showers and washing dishes....as will our house.


In most homes on the beach and in the villages dishes are washed in cold water.

CHIP CHIP CHIP  in the house      How many spanish words can you find that end in ``o``


1st all the walls are chipped by hand :  chip a "Nicho" into the wall and then get rid of the old cemento walls ( pareds) and kitchen (cocina).  We are not touching the ceiling ( techo) 

Using this small hatchet  and arm power every bit of all the walls downstairs is chipped off before the new cemento goes on in 3  layers. 
Really rough and not spread  = Rich
Spread  evenly - Reboko
Final smooth, even finish with paint included - Macilla 

 There goes the COCINA!

THE KITCHEN WALLS ARE READY FOR THE BUILDING OF THE CEMENT SHELVES AND COUNTER TOPS (TAPAS) USING WIRE AND WOODEN FORMS... more in the next blog.. 

BUILDING ARCOS ( arches) in all entrances and the pantry. 

A group planning session 

                                                          Here down to there!

THEY USE A PIECE OF WIRE NAILED TO A BOARD WHERE THE ARCO BEGINS TO DETERMINE THE EVEN SPAN OF THE ARCO JUST LIKE WE WOULD USE A COMPASS ON A PIECE OF PAPER TO DRAW AN ARCH.....CHECKING AS EACH BLOCK IS ADDED. 

THIS BECOMES.........

                    THAT



We are going for a more Mexican look to the house than the previous 1980`s.  The arcos and nicho are a bueno ( good) start. 

And the cemento keeps coming!!!!!!!!

BEISBOL and DOGS

BÉISBOL ( BASEBALL)   ..taking time off on January 8th              

Rodrigo, our contractor's son is a muy bien ( very good) player.. This baseball campo (field) has 12 groomed diamonds and vente quatro (24) teams ages 11-17 playing at once.

Getting advice from el padre ( dad ) . 
Doesn't matter what country, dads give advice and moms cheer, yell and chant encouragement

 Seguro ( safe)!

; 

Gord and Emmanual, tres  años ( 3 yrs.old) ,  watch the action .

A DOG'S LIFE IN MEXICO

Anyone who has traveled to Mexico has seen hungry, neglected, abused dogs.  Cats often do not fare much better. 

 In our community an amazing group of people are working hard to change all that. 

The January 2012, Third Annual Merida Spay and Neuter Event sterilized 1,975 pets. . There were six long days of clinics in four locations in Merida and Progreso.  Volunteers taught local fisherman how to catch the beach dogs, managed registration, worked alongside the veterinarians, helped the animals wake up from their anesthesia etc.   

OUR ZEUS IS ONE LUCKY BEACH DOG 

Most people who adopt a beach dog will tell you that in reality the dog adopted them.

Our Zeus chose us from  60 folks attending a local fundraiser.  He patiently sat near us, not begging but looking very handsome as he patiently waited for a handout. His coat was dull, with ribs and backbone showing.  So of course we had to bring him home!

He needed to be coaxed into the house over the course of the week. His experience had no doubt been to be shooed away from doorways with a broom accompanied by a loud voice. Even now when I am sweeping he keeps away. 

Two months later he has no problem making himself at home and in fact has started " talking to us" when it is time to go for a walk. A ride in the truck is preferred to staying at home and if he is left he quickly makes himself at home on the couch.  The fridge opens around supper time and he appears "telling us" he wants a share and of course he gets one!.. 

And yes, he was neutered after a course of antibiotics to ensure he was healthy enough for the operation.  He came home without a cone as the local vet said most male dogs don't usually lick the stitches... Zeus ended up wearing a lampshade that night when he wouldn't stop licking. Not too happy! 

One Great Dog!

Happy Valentines Day everyone... 

Dorothy and Gord 

The Jungle, Winter and the Sea

TRIP TO THE JUNGLE ; Muna Yucatan 

1.5 hrs. away from our home is PARADOR ECOTURISTICO" EL MIRADOR" ( the lookout).

                                    A cave in the jungle... who dares go down!...

 The young woman  is cleaning the Calabaza, frutos de yucatan, from which Pedro makes beautiful  bowls

                           A local resident... Iguana take on the color of the surrounding ground

                     Pedro telling us of the healing power of ALOE VERA in his medicinal botanical garden

                                   The inside of an ALOE leaf... cut and ready to eat..

                                He let the resin drip off so it would taste good and it did!

                                         The fruit of a bromeliad  to eat if lost in the jungle...

 Columns in the jungle along with carved rocks in the rubble are signs of a pyramid from the past

The trip ended with a delicious Yucatecan lunch at this restaurant in Ticul... 

Bougainvillea sheltered the entrance. 

WINTER IS HERE.....Over Xmas the weather was around 30 degrees but winter arrived on January 1st with temperatures of 13 degrees this morning and 19 degrees as I write this in the evening.

The Yucatan government has warned residents to dress warmly and to avoid making fires in their homes to keep warm.   A call is out for blankets for the poor and it is not unusual to see some folks dressed in winter coats.   Gord and I have our jeans on for the first time since arriving in September.  

That extra blanket will come in handy after all...who would have thought???

A good time to empty and clean the pool. 

Winter waves bring treasures to shore.  

Drifts of shells instead of snow 

An extra incentive to walk the beach early every morning...besides the fact that our dog Zeus loves it....and of course, it is good exercise for us... 

This Friday is Dia de Reyes ( Day of Kings) celebrating the Three Kings finding the Baby Jesus.  It is not so much a public holiday but rather a family time... 

Some Maya families hold with tradition that this is the time gifts are given instead of December 25th.... 

However, we are told that this is quickly becoming a practice of the past as Christmas is very evident in Mexico.   

Feliz Año Nuevo  ( Happy New Year)