Cuenca Updates: Saturday Jan 21/12

Saturday Jan 21/12 update

Good morning. Pancho came to join me at 3:30am as he has been wont to do all week and we had just settled down again when some asshole was playing a radio outside. The bloody nerve of the guy on a Saturday morning! It took me a full 4 minutes to realize the asshole was me and it was already 5am. It is a good thing I set the alarm or who knows how long I would have dozed, although the roosters start then anyway. We are looking forward to the quieter area where we are headed.

Our condolences and prayers go out to our friend, Sean Koopmans of Beijing, and all his family in Canada in the loss of his mother, June. Sean had kindly sent us the obit last night.

Well my four cups of coffee should get my feet moving. Off to the new house I go.

The morning fog is breathtaking on the surrounding mountain tops and the streets are deathly quiet. I hope my photos turn out OK.

Vicente and Italo are here at 7:10 to put in the glass blocks and the finishing grout. I can’t wait to see this finished. It will be a work of art, especially when that beautiful wood door is installed. The concrete takes eight days to cure totally so they have to wait until around next Thursday to install the door which is solid hardwood and so heavy I can barely carry it.

The workers throw all scraps of cement, blocks, ceramics out into the dirt street and nobody seems to mind. I have been going out to pick up any nails though. I would hate for the neighbors to blame me for flat tires. I just went out and tried to spread around some of the broken ceramics and cut myself in three places. My hands are so swollen and cut up they sure can use a break from all this work. Clumsy insurance broker’s soft hands weren’t meant for this.

The cabinet guys are now here and working to finish the island and pantry then the granite contractor just showed up. I am told the matching granite counter for the island is a special quality (even though I personally think it looks like gravestones) and they can’t get it until Monday. Thank God they don’t have to do any grinding here in the kitchen.

Jorge and son Matteo showed up. Jorge has to get us a small garbage shelf made for the outside. I have seen the garbage guys twice around 5pm on Thursdays, so we are probably on a Tuesday –Thursday rotation. Their garbage trucks have 3-4 guys who run out to collect the garbage from our shelves and from any public garbage receptacles. They are very quick and efficient, and it makes work for more people. They also have city workers who do nothing but pick up garbage on the streets to keep the city beautiful.

The cabinet guys spent two hours just straightening the pantry and getting the huge door to line up. The pantry is 32.5”wide and 36” deep and goes almost to the ceiling, so lots of room for storing Bella’s kitchen toys, the vacuum and brooms, etc.

Our neighbour to the west is the back end of a restaurant that extends all the way the Avenida 24 De Mayo which borders the Tomebamba. I always do my best to support the local merchants and be visible in the neighborhood in order to be accepted. I decided to try them for lunch today and just asked for the lunch special. I had a huge bowl of potato soup, popcorn appetizer, real homemade apple juice, minute steak, rice, avocado, fried plantain, carrots and cucumber. It was great and $1.50! We can’t cook at home for that!

The cabinet guys have now spent 3 hours putting up the cowling around the top of the pantry as it has 4 cornices to work around. I offered for them to just go below the cornices but they wanted to do it right. They finally finished just before 2pm.

It looks like we will have to delay our move-in until Friday. There are just too many messy contractors still coming on Thursday for the drapery installation and, of course, the front door. We are almost there!

3:30pm and we have re-installed the shower doors over Bella’s tub. That is all done except for a bead of silicone now. The glass blocks are done and cleaned.

This is the first day this week I have been home for supper and did that ever feel good, to sit down for a meal with my lovely and talented wife.

I told Jorge to try to have the contractors come only Monday or Thursday so we can have some time to breathe, and pack.

Jorge packed up all the leftover construction material that is of no use to us. I asked him to credit this on our final bill expected Monday, along with the matching window for the terrace. We told him we have given him our entire renovation budget so we are hoping he is going to be real kind.

On the way we had to pass another procession for the baby Jesus so I managed a couple of quick shots of the kids in costume. Then we came across a volleyball game that he said were all friends of his and they all waved. Then we went by the huge Power Company building and he said that was also run by friends of his. He is certainly a well-connected, genial, and likeable guy.

I actually have an evening to myself tonight but I think my eyes will be closing pretty quickly.

That was today’s excitement. Enjoy the pics. Hugs to all.