Footprints

Where do I begin? My architect and contractor, Lucy, had to have emergency surgery and could not come to work for 2 weeks. Her husband, Sergio, who is also an engineer along with Stan and myself have been trying to be at the site to supervise matters. At the same time we moved out of our dumpy apartment (no small feat after a year of living here) into a luxury condo that is heaven on earth for me right now. It was just what I needed this last leg of our race. It is so nice to have a washing machine and not smell mildew on everything. I love the kitchen here. I have counter space, a full size refrigerator and an oven! I can plug more than one appliance in without the electricity going off, I do not have to mop up water in the apartment after every rain and I do not have to sit directly in front of an oscillating fan 24/7. The grounds are gorgeous, the view is stunning, and the A/C is delicious!
Last week the crew had to rip up 1/3 of the MBR that they had laid improperly. Two of the three bedrooms so far have had to have tiles ripped up because the pattern was off. Now however, they seem to grasp what we want. We still watch them, but now it seems we don't have to correct them so much. The stonework is gorgeous, especially the wall behind the pool. The aluminum window manufacturers have installed doors and windows downstairs on the ocean side. They have not passed Stan's splash test yet, but hopefully they will eventually. He tosses water on the outside of the windows, and if it leaks in he figures it isn't sealed well enough. When you get horizontal rain on the ocean you must have well sealed windows.
The carpenters are beginning to bring wood work over. I am excited to see the cabinet and closet doors. Hopefully we will have Lucy back with us when we begin the kitchen and patio/pool area. We have had a building site for so long, it is hard to imagine it finished and habitable. But hopefully in a couple months we will have reached our goal. Until then we are rejoicing in our new condo, admiring progress made, and praying for Lucy's full recuperation. We are thankful for God's grace and provision and are in awe of how He paves the way before us. It seems that what ever is thrown our way, God is somehow making it a blessing. And so I am learning to focus not on the obstacle, but on the One who always provides a way through it. Looking back I can see His footprints in the sand. I know it's a corny ending - but since we are on an island it seems apropos.

I See the Light

There is finally light at the end of the long, long tunnel. We still have quite some way to go, but I can see a glimmer of light in the distance! The stress was quite high at the beginning stages of finish work, but it seems to be tapering off. Most of the larger issues have been resolved. I now love my multi-tono stone floors, and we have begun the process of grouting them. Now the big challenge is making sure the workers get all the concrete off without leaving that concrete haze so common in Mexico. This is no small task. We put 3 coats of sealer on the stone prior to grouting, but they are so pitted and textured that it is still difficult to get them clean. Stan, Lucy and I, all get in there with sponges to try to help. The guys are really trying hard. But you still have to keep watching them. They will finish one room just the way you like it, and then go onto the next one and revert to their old way of doing things. Por ejemplo (For example), you would think after I say, "Rodundo esquinas porfavor (rounded corners please,)" over 100 times in the past 6 months that they would understand that I want ALL the edges in the house rounded. Just when you think they have it there is a new worker on site that doesn't know the mantra. What's really funny is listening to me trying to explain a design change when Lucy is not there to translate. I have learned that when they nod and say. "Si." That does not mean they understand. But I would not trade our crew for any other. They are hard working, have the patience of Job, and are very good at what they do.
Next week we are having to move out of our flat we have been renting for the past 6 months because someone else has reserved it. God in His mercy has provided a luxury condo for us to stay in. The past 6 months have been what I call Caribbean camping - no A/C, no washer (except for a tub), no hot water. Everything in our old flat is rusted and broken; but I won't complain too much, because we have gorgeous views and wonderful breezes. It also makes me appreciate modern conveniences now that I will have them soon. I am counting the days until we move into our new place. Now that our return trip has been postponed because of construction, Gramma Fauscett is coming to visit us. We are happy we will have a nice place for her to stay while she is here. Well I'm off to the lot to check grouting and admire the stone wall they just finished in the master bedroom. Today is Saturday, and the workers only work half a day; so that means I get half a day off too. So it is time for some poolside R&R with Sophie. Adios amigos!

Lost in Translation

It has been a trying week. My last blog that I could not print was titled "Pissed." Now you know why I didn't publish it. I have debated on the basis of being true to my subject matter that my previous blog should indeed be printed. But I detest whiners, complainers and nit-pickers, and I don't want to join that rabble. However there is a valid argument and good correlation between nit-pickers and excellence. Unfortunately I don't know if you can be one without being the other. I prefer to call it attention to detail! (Spoken like a true nit-picker.)
My first challenge this week was perfecting a lime paint color with my husband, who gruelingly mixed and remixed paint himself until his lime blistered fingers could take no more. After "a little more yellow," "a little less gray," "no, a little less yellow" - he finally said, "It's perfect," out of sheer exhaustion. My husband went from "I like warmth," to saying a silver gray-white was perfect. I DID want a cool-toned wall, but not that cool. But I am nit-picking now. So I am acquiescing to pale dove gray walls. Believe me it could be worse.
Then there was the utter gut-wrenching despair when our sun-bleached wood planks for a loft floor got stained rustic red. It's a long and complicated story as to how this happened. But needless to say our rustic red floor has now been sanded down again. But now because of the rustic red fiasco, my husband wants to paint the cabinets clear. I am horrified that we may end up with yellow streaked cabinets and have the knotty-pine look. So now between my husband,our architect and myself there is an emotional Bermuda triangle.
But the piece de resistance was our "multi-tono" floor. When I saw the sample I was told it was multi-tono gris (my translation - various shades of gray.) This is where my title "Lost in Translation" comes in. I did not know that the sample floor I was looking at was unsealed and that most unsealed stone floors look grayish. And wouldn't you know that the one tile my husband put water on was gray, so I thought it was great. Stan was complaining, I mean expounding, that he did not want a floor that looked like gray concrete, so I jumped on the "multi-tonal gris" verbage to get my husband to see the light and agree to my beautiful, soft gray floors. Little did I know that I would end up with burgundy, terracotta, pink, white, and almost no gray in my floor. Then whenever I spoke to my architect I was sure to emphasize "multi-tonal gris." But somehow the gris got left out of the translation. Anyway I am now trying to come to terms with the utter abolition of the word monochromatic in my design scheme. I am trying to convince myself that the varied hues ( I can't bear to say the term "tones") of stone will add a "hint" of color to the rooms.
Anyway I think I have begun wallowing in whining and complaining.
I could go on, but I won't. Monday in my journal I wrote Romans 5:3-4, "...we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations produce perseverance, and perseverance, character; and character, hope." Well I hope and do believe that I will make it through this "tribulation" and in the mean time I am really developing perseverance and character. I also have to sit back and say, "If your biggest problem is that the stone tiles in your Caribbean home are not gray enough, then you have it pretty good." I guess I can't complain, whine or nitpick too much. I need to accept the fact that when you are an American in Mexico, some things are just going to get lost in translation.

Hammock Time.

I am sitting in my hammock on an overcast, windy afternoon enjoying the reprieve from the blaring sun. Soon I will head to the lot to see the new cooper sinks that are supposed to have arrived. Hopefully the carpenters will begin laying the wood planks for the floor of the loft upstairs. The pressure of making decisions is diminishing as the house's main structure is nearing completion. From now on, for the most part, it will be a matter of making sure the plans we have made are implemented correctly.
Yesterday we met with our aluminum window manufacturer to discuss modifications to my arched windows. I was happy with all the windows except for the arched ones, but they will be fine after his modifications. On the sea side of the house we are forced to use aluminum because of the brutally corrosive nature of the salt spray. Wood windows rot, swell and require constant maintenance. Lucy, my architect, contractor, and designer, found aluminum from Spain that looks as close to wood as I have seen in aluminum. I am very pleased with the results.
Today after researching lime paint on the web, we have decided to use this non-toxic natural paint on the house in place of normal store-bought paint. Lime paint has been used in the Mediterranean and Mexico for centuries. In addition to being green, it has natural ant-fungal properties and bugs do not like to crawl on it either. It reflects light exponentially due to tiny microscopic crystals that form during it's curing process. That is why it is often used on many historic buildings. It develops a beautiful patina over time and actually penetrates into the surface and bonds with it so when applied properly there is no flaking or peeling. Stan is going to mix up a batch and try some out. Sometimes I think he should have been a chemist. He really gets into test analysis whether it be the soil in my garden, our pool water, or our drinking water. If it has test tubes and colored water he will be out there reading his results. Well now he is totally into researching lime paint to make sure we have the perfect mix.
Soon we will be ready for paint. The block walls are finally beginning to look like a house now that the acabado (the texture or stucco like coating) is over most of the front. I know the workers were going nuts when I kept inspecting their work saying "no ballitos." (No little balls.) Our texture is supposed to have a soft uneven texture the undulates a little. For the most part the workers were doing a fantastic job, but then when you weren't looking all the sudden this chicken pox or ostrich skin, bumpy texture would appear and of course it would be front and center on the house. I told Lucy there was a fine line between old world charm and cheese, and that I didn't want the house to look like a Disney Land Castle. She understood perfectly and soon she was hollering with her Spanish accent, "Marr-cooss!" I love how she does that! I don't know if he does, but he always comes running with a smile. He is our foreman. All our workers are so hard working, pleasant, and very good at what they do. These short Mayan men are as strong as oxen, never drink on the job, are punctual and seem to have a gentle and genial disposition. I am honored to have them working on our home.
Well it is time to get out of this hammock. I can't wait till it is hanging at the new house. I love looking out from the patio or my kitchen window to scan for passing dolphins or sea turtles. The later are quite common right now since it is their season to lay eggs. From our lot I have seen one bobbing on the waves several times. I can see a misty curtain of rain heading this way over the ocean. If I hurry I can make it to the lot before it does. Hasta Luego!

Dreams in the Making

Last week Sophia and I went native - we slept on the balcony in hammocks all night. Well we made it most of the night until it started to rain at 3 am. Then it was back to the stuffy back bedroom where your only relief from the stagnant air was our precious oscillating fan. You lay on top of the sheets just waiting for the soft breath of air from the fan to flow over your body. You know you are in a tropical island with no A/C when your child says, " I want a fan for my birthday." (Sure beats having to fork over the dough for a Wii.) Sophia did not have to wait quite so long to get her wish. We have since graduated to one fan each so we can enjoy our own individualized, uninterrupted flow of air. Ahhhh - the pleasures of roughing it in Mexico. I will save Stan washing laundry in a plastic tub for another blog. Anyway, we will certainly appreciate a return to modern conveniences when our house is done.
In the mean time our house is finally beginning to take shape and the house is developing the Caribe/Moorish quality I was wanting. Sophia's bed is a small masterpiece and it doesn't even have the woodwork on it yet. The woodwork is going to be a little tricky, because in the average Mexican mind new is preferred and modern is in vogue. However, in my mind old is best and the more beat up it is the better. Give me an old turquoise shutter with chipped paint and the wood grain poking through and I will shout, "Perfection!" While others are deciding how many coats of polyurethane to cover their wood with, I am searching for drift wood to use as a frame on a mirror.
The house design has always had an organic and textural style. Stone floors, rock walls, grass roofs, and hardwood beams add a very natural and earthy element to the house. Throw in multilevel built-in gardens, a few trees, a live bamboo wall and numerous vines cascading over walls and hopefully we will have a tiny tropical paradise. It is exciting to see what I have envisioned take shape.
Lucy Chavez, my wonderful architect, laughs at me. She says I get these ideas, but I don't really think out how they will actually work. I say, "That is what I pay her for!" And she does make it happen some how. She is there almost everyday guiding the workers by the hand and me too sometimes. I am there with my folding chair, measuring tape, graph paper and pencil scribbling up changes or details just ahead of the workers. Today's assignment was finalizing the shape of the shower walls. I also redesigned my concrete sofa to a double chaise design. Today Lucy and I were standing on the roof as the workers were walling up the final level of the stairwell. As we were looking out on the gorgeous panoramic views from where we were standing, Lucy looked at the workers and said, "Why am I building that wall?" We decided to stop the wall and leave the stairwell open on top since it led to an outdoor patio anyway. In doing so we preserved a beautiful panoramic view that would have been blocked at several vantage points in the house by the top of the stairwell. I love Lucy's sensitivity to detail and willingness to change things.
Now that we have reached the roof top it is all about finishing the acabado ( the stucco-like finish) and the interior details. So tomorrow I will be there with Lucy and my graph paper,  measuring tape and bottle of water. Dreams are truly in the making and in this case dreams are coming true.

Silver Lining

I love summer on the island. The winter winds die down replaced by soft tropical breezes that drift like a lullaby over your skin. This morning I am enjoying my coffee and Bible as I watch the morning sun sparkle on the waves like a thousand flecks of silver. Some sort of black sea birds swoop over the water looking for their breakfast. My favorite are the pelicans who glide by on the same mission. Today is slightly overcast so I am mercifully spared from the blaze of the sun.
Later I plan on going to the lot and working on finishing details. The house as you can see from the pictures is coming along splendidly. They poured the second floor ceiling last week when we returned from Missouri. We had hastily flown home to be with my wonderful father-in-law, Ray Fauscett, before he went to be with the Lord. It was actually a time of love and growing closer as we all cared for Dad his last days with us. His funeral was beautiful and filled with family and friends who loved and respected him. Now he is watching us from heaven.
We have returned to the island and the realities of building and are experiencing the "should haves." If you have ever built a house you have experienced this. We should have done this or we should have done that. We are realizing that my change in floor plans because of the neighbor's palapa may have been a mistake. In fact, we are wondering if we should have built on the left side of our lot instead of the right. But now things cannot be changed. I am praying there is an underlying purpose that I don't know about right now for how it is laid out. I told a friend earlier today who was experiencing a hardship that I always look for a silver lining. So I will take my own advice. There is plenty of silver lining on this beautiful Caribbean island. So for now I will enjoy the breeze on my skin and the morning sun breaking through the clouds. I will listen to the sound of the surf, the neighbor's dog barking and the occasional car or motto passing by. I will send Sophia to get eggs across the street and make some guacamole. Then after a day of errands and time spent at the lot, I will end my day where I started it -- looking at the sunset over this beautiful ocean with a book in my lap and a coffee mug in my hand.