Where to begin....

First of all I now have my computer back. That is fabulous news! Gateway honored the warranty and one sister schlepped it away from to Mexico for me, and another one brought it back. Now I will try to update you on a month or so of development and activities. Do not fear I will do this gradually, and with pictures.

My mom left last week. The highlight of her trip here, other than pizza night at The Sand Bar (kidding) was the filling of our pool. Maurice hooked up long white tubes into our pila and with a powerful pump, and 5 truck load deliveries of water, he gradually filled our pool with clear, cool, fresh water. Mom and I sat on the rim of the hot tub, where the pipe was laying and played in the rush of the water. After the hot tub was full and it began spilling into the pool we had to get inside the water. We got our suits and went into the very un-hot, hot tub. It was exhilarating and so exciting. The next day we waited patiently for there to be enough water in the pool so we could actually swim.With our green folding chairs sitting in one end of the pool we frolicked in and out of the water. It was cold but my mom was right there with me...swimming in our dream. There is nothing like looking all around you all you see is the ocean. The whales should be starting their migration down to the Sea of Cortez soon. Now that will be a site!!

Swimming on top of Arriba de la Roca and watching nature pass right by you.

WE HAVE A POOL!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!

Tick Tock (Written on October 24th)

November 1st we are scheduled to have the photographer come to shoot “Arriba de la Roca” for our web site. We should be all settled in, living on top, by the time of this photography session. Besides all the predictable fixing of the paint, cleaning up, poofing and fluffing of the place, we still have:

No solar...it missed the shipment down from San Diego on Friday so we will have to wait a week. Estimated arrival...November 1st. Estimated time to install the system is one week.

No kitchen...they were to begin installation on October 15th...no call, no show. He has now committed to Monday the 25th. BTW, if WE would not have been ready for the installation we would have had to pay a penalty. It was in the contract. They did not think to put the reverse scenario in writing.

No outside doors. All the bathroom doors are installed but we wanted mesquite entry doors and the wood got tied up in customs so they are delayed. Hopefully this week.

No glass in all the door frames around our main room. They say in two weeks they will be finished with all the window installation. Two weeks means the last few days of the week of November 1st.

No path for the Kawasaki Mule. They tore out the old one, just around the curve that hindered the Mule’s climb up the baby camino. They then figured it would still not work if they rebuilt it, so there it sits. No solution. No wall. A mess. I think we have to tear out some of our beautiful flagstone steps to make it work.

No plumbing connections. Isn’t that sh*tty!!!

Two storage units full of stuff to unpack.

THINGS TO DO NEXT WEEK…
Change the date of the photography session.

Here she goes again....

I have to tell you that I have not cried for a long time. It used to be that every time I went "arriba de la roca" I would cry. I could not believe we owned such a magnificent place. It did not seem right that people could own such a spectacular piece of nature. I would have to breath slowly to try and calm myself, yet the tears would come. One day you will be here and you will understand. THEN add to it that we have dreamt about this for 5 years and have been working towards this goal, and the emotions are crazy.

In the past 10 days that Maurice has been gone there has been many things accomplished. Yes, the painting continues. They are pretty much done and they will now spend their time fixing up what the electricians, carpenters and other workers have messed up...of course inadvertently, but never-the-less it needs fixing.

They have put drains on the road. When the rains came we realized that there was nowhere for the water to go so it ran down the sides of the road taking gravel with it. We now have 5 culverts, but a road that is still in need of lots of repair.

They finished our outdoor kitchen Everything needs to be installed but it is in and painted. We also have to have wood doors made.

The carpenters have started installing the closets and the bathroom doors. They look great! It is amazing how much of a difference wood doors make. They are all custom since this was the best way to get what we wanted. You can not find doors at Home Depot for a house like ours...nothing at our place is standard. Of course with me hovering over them they are not happy. "What about this mark?" "I can see a screw here." "Why is the wood splitting here?" Lucky they speak no English, and my Spanish sucks cause they may get REALLY upset with me. They keep trying to tell me it is not finished yet....I have to believe them.

Maurice wanted custom made travertine steps going up to his office and around our bathtub. They were installed this week, too. INCREDIBLE!!! They look so classy!! For a guy who "does not care what we do inside" when he comes up with an idea it is grand!!!

They have also put the black rock facing on the wall behind our bed. We waited for this rock since June! They are large, round, black polished stones, placed on sheets for easy application. WOW!! I can not wait to see our bed up against it! Our green verdigris and brass bed that I will be painting black. That bed. I also had them put some of the rock around our shower entrance since it is all the same room. I will post pictures of everything when Maurice gets back with our computer...O.K. HIS computer that I am using!!!

I have a truck load full of garbage to take to the dump and they still have lots of cleaning up to do. Two weeks...that is when I think they will be close to being done. A guy came today to check out our needs for landscaping...that is fun...

BUT THE BIG THING!!....THE THING THAT BROUGHT THOSE GOSH DARNED TEARS.....

They are now installing the windows and the sliding doors. Virtually all of our openings to the outrageous views are glass. Today two truck loads came, with 10 people and they began the installation. THE WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE PERFECT! They add such an element of completion that I lost it. I think the workers thought I was crazy. I tried to be subtle but I was hugging the woman who owns the company and thanking her SO much for listening to what we wanted and delivering on it! I did not tell Maurice. It will be his surprise when he gets home tomorrow.

Our dream is almost done.

Wait til you see it!

Sans Mauricio

It has been 6 nights since Maurice has left me. He flew to Canada last Wednesday for his neice's wedding. One of us had to stay here and for obvious reasons that person was me. Tomorrow he flies to San Diego to check on our solar shipment and the lucky guy gets to see Claus and Laurie twice in 2 months!! Not only did I miss our family and friends in Toronto, I am missing them in Calfornia,too! He is a lucky man right now!

The obvious issues. I do not speak Spanish and that is what I am forced to do all day. The issues and questions and decisions have not gone away with Maurice. That leaves me to try to figure out the questions...well me, with a few phone calls to our friend Keith. "HEY KEITH!! TALK TO THIS GUY! I DO NOT HAVE A CLUE!! WHAT IS HE SAYING??"

Keith speaks Spanish.

Next issue is having to make those decisions!! I am not sure how Mauricio (his Spanish name) has done ALL this for 7 months. Seriously! Everyone wants an answer and I can see why sometimes he says to me "TELL THEM I AM NOT HERE!!!" The crazy thing is how seldom he does that!!

I have to run the generator to charge the batteries. This has to be done for about 3 hours a day. Maurice has set it up to make it much easier for me then it is for him. The difference is it sits by our door SO IT IS LOUD!!! I try to do it when I walk and then I head up top. This still leaves an hour or two with it SCREAMING in my head. I still have to fill it with gas daily, but at least I do not have to schlep it all the way in the back. That is hard! I think I am going deaf though...

WHAT??

Of course I am here with only Retro. We are really isolated and me staying here alone frightens most people; except me. A worker offered to camp here which was sweet. One of the store owners downtown asked who was staying with me. When I said no one she was surprised. I told her if I am afraid to stay alone in my own house then I am living in the wrong place. It has been great, albeit lonely.

The last issue was that I do not have a computer. Mine is still being fixed and Maurice took his. Then yesterday the local guy who fixes computers, and discovered mine was fired, gave me his wifes. I asked if he had one for me to rent. He, and she both, gave me her personal computer. No charge. I think they were almost insulted I offered to pay. Have I told you the people here are INCREDIBLE!!??...unless they are in my fairy tales..then they are evil. Lucky there is only one evil-fairy-tale person in our world here.

So for now I say good night. I will write more tomorrow and fill you in on what is happening on Arriba de la Roca...our dream come true!