Saturday Feb 4, 2012

Saturday Feb 4/12 update

The sunrise in the fog this morning was spooky and pretty so I took a couple of shots.

8am and I was foolishly waiting for Enrique and the screen guy.  I called at 8:30 and am certain I was getting him out of bed, oh, he’ll be there in 10 minutes.  They show up about 9:10.  Enrique tells me these boys are to repair the patio doors at Garth & Orilla’s at 1pm.  He says he has to pop over there and he’ll be back in 10 minutes then we never saw him for the rest of the day.

You can hardly tell that the screen guy and I worked on the terrace roof for 3 hours but mostly we screwed down the main frame and started on the additional supports for the screens.   He took all the measurements for the glass and the screens, packed up his tools, caught a cab and left.    I called Enrique to see if any of these guys were returning today and he said “No, see you Monday at 8am”, as if I’ll fall for that one again…

So I was free to join Bella to meet this couple from Atlanta, Cindy and Jim, at Joe’s Secret Garden for lunch.  Cindy is wearing black in the photos and Jim is in Blue.  Cindy weaves with Bella and the plan was to see our new house and the area we live in after the meal.

We really all envy the location of Joe’s Secret Garden and the gorgeous back yard.  Even Jim said he had never seen such a big palm tree.  The greenery is so lovely and the yard is so spacious that we are all jealous. 

As we are standing outside my phone rings, and it is the long-lost Enrique saying they would be at our house in 10 minutes.  What he wanted to do is anybody’s guess but I told him we wouldn’t be home for another 2 hours, so it was back to “ See ya Monday at 8am”.

We had a scrumptious meal of BBQ ribs, beef tenderloin (I want more please), baby potatoes and beans, topped off with decadent chocolate brownie and ice cream.

We hopped a cab together and got home with enough daylight left for a nice visit.  Jim is a handyman and he was impressed with the construction of the home, the woodwork, and the practicality of it all.

Jim and Cindy are looking to probably move here and buy a home for themselves, their 3 dogs, and maybe most of their family.  Jim thinks the US economy is going to slide further and that their whole family may join them.

We had a nice visit and they cabbed home.

I got busy still trying to figure out this Internet problem between the modem and the router.   I didn’t want to have to wait until Tuesday for a resolution.  I have the computer guy, Xavier, coming Tuesday at 8am and I have asked Michael to get Etapa here at the same time so Xavier and them can determine and fix the problem.

I tried both laptops and the desktop.  They would all say they are connected but can’t open any internet pages. Finally, I bypassed the router, hooked the modem direct to the desktop, rebooted everything, and it finally came up.  Cross your fingers that it will stay working until Tuesday.

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

120204 Sunrise Fog 1

120204 Sunrise Fog 2

120204 Gorgeous Palm

120204 Joe's Greenery

120204 Joe's Greenery 2

120204 Joe's Greenery 4

120204 Joe's Greenery 3

Friday Feb 3, 2012

Friday Feb 3/12 update

Last night we took the bottom off Bella’s new breadmaker because we knew the belt had fried itself.  Oh yeah, it was totally shredded and wrapped around the small pulley with nylon and rubber everywhere.   We took it all out, vacuumed the machine out, and used soap to get all the gooey grease off.  I took pictures, we measured, and we got a length of string as well.   So we need a 28 inch variegated belt, about 3/8 inch wide.  This one could be a challenge.  Maybe all we will be able to find will be an automotive belt??

Then Segundo called wanting his English lesson (really help with his English homework from his school).  He hadn’t contacted Bella all week so she was a little surprised at the short notice.  We gave him the grand tour and he said this was one beautiful house for two people.

I started work on a DVD of 337 photos of the Cuenca kids with a new program just to see how it would work.  Well it worked, for eight hours, and I do seem to have a good disc for copying from now.  I intend to copy it to a stick to see if I can watch it on my TV.

Friday morning and I am up early to await the workmen to arrive at 8am.  I could have slept in (yah, right..) because they didn’t show up until 10.  I was very relieved to see that the screen guy (don’t know his name) was there to do the work.  He is a perfectionist and very smart.  I had to laugh because he uses this old broken up cel phone (it works) also as a calculator.   Some of the numbers are broken off so he has to carry a pencil to poke those numbers, lmao.   

Enrique hangs around and helps sporadically.  He did pick and drop off the gutter man.

It is slow going but it is being done in the right order.  The main frame and the gutter are up and they need to be solidified tomorrow prior to the glass being installed.   I guess that will knock me out of our afternoon BBQ at Joe’s Secret Garden.  I doubt very much we will see any of the screening before next Tuesday now.  Bella has some cleaning ladies booked for Wednesday morning so we hope this is all done before then.

I learn so much just watching these guys work.  It is tiring, especially working above your head all day, but I enjoy it.  We were fortunate to have a relatively cool day and no rain to hamper us.

Bella had Michael stop by in the morning for some money for his services, apparently his daughter needs a cat scan for something.  Then she was off to a cooking class and to play bridge.  The cooking class was a fait accomplit, no teaching, no class, basically a recipe and a huge meal for $10.   I find it very odd that she wants to go back to get another recipe.

We were to meet for those delicious hamberguesas around 6:15 but I was too pooped to get there.  Bella stopped and brought back some roasted pork skin, corn and potatoes.  We won’t be having that again.

I really have to get the Internet people out here again.  I have to fight with the modem every time I try to sign on and it is really getting tiresome. 

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

120203 Terrace roof taking shape

120203 New gutter and roof supports.

120203 Setting up the front frame

120203 Terrace roof taking shape 2

Thursday Feb 2, 2012

Thursday Feb 2/12 update

Enrique showed up at 9:30am with 2 guys to measure for the gutter required on the terrace.  Since the existing roof and the new roof will meet in a V in the middle of the terrace we need a way to get rid of any rainwater coming from both.  This is really the first item to be installed before the roof can go up as the roof must be fashioned to connect above and the screen around it.  They will be starting work tomorrow at 8.

Bella went off to the Thursday Book Exchange and to run some errands.

I wandered around Coral to see if they had some of the items we needed but without success so I walked a ways and then caught the #50 to the Rotary Market where they specialize in wooden products. 

I stopped for a bite at a busy café and ordered the minute steak style dinner and pineapple juice.  Well I got this huge platter of rice, beans, fried plantain and minute steak that I couldn’t even finish, along with a beer stein size full of juice, all for $5. 

As I rolled out of there I dug out my camera to take a couple of shots from the corner of the market.  I heard this young gal’s voice calling to me in English, “What is your name?  My name is Esmerelda.”  There was this mini school bus next to me waiting at the red light, and all these kids were smiling and waving, so I had to take their picture, right??

I scoured the market for shelving or a cabinet to hide my tools in this nook on the third floor.  There was always the option of those steel shelves you bolt together but I was determined I could find better.  There were many wooden shelves, but most were not deep enough or wide enough.  My working space was 31” wide and 27” deep.  Finally I found what I wanted in a “bodega” or warehouse on the corner.  Once I found the owner, I was delighted she only wanted $80 but I showed her my wallet only contained $75, so she took it all.

While roaming I got a call from Enrique asking where I was, because he was outside our door with another gutter contractor for measurements because the first crew could not supply tomorrow as desired.  I met him at the house at 2 and we got across to the new guy what we wanted.

When Bella got home we lugged the tool cabinet up the two flights and I wedged it into place, just as if it had been custom built to fit!  Then I got busy hiding my tools in it so I could place all of our other stuff from the terrace in front of it. 

I tossed the chicken wire down into the street.  By the time I remembered to go retrieve it it had grown legs and wandered away.  That is a good thing as we no longer had a use for it.  Now we have a clean workspace to build our roof tomorrow morning.  We can’t wait to get the roof on the terrace and watch the boys enjoy all that space.

Other than picking up some bedding before long, the only thing really left to do is to build a shelf or something to hide the piping in the dining room. I am a little in awe of how quickly everything has come together and how livable our place is now. 

I also took a couple of shots of the two beautiful pieces of artwork that we got with the beds.  They complement our home very nicely.

I had been having issues with consistent hot water in my shower and kinda figured it was due to the water-saver style shower head restricting the flow.  Without enough flow the on-demand water heater shuts off the gas.  I like finishing my showers cold, not in the middle though.   Sure enough, as soon as I put the old shower head on the telephone shower the hot water was the same temperature throughout.

I can’t remember if I mentioned a problem with the electronic clock on the fancy stove.  When they delivered it nobody could get the minutes to work properly as it would only count up to 10.  The next day a fellow came to check it and promised a replacement then I never heard from them again.  I mentioned it to Jorge because the store is owned by his relatives.  Well 5 days ago Bella pointed out that the minutes now went past 10, so I set the clock and it has been working perfectly ever since.  Yesterday on my walkabout I got a call in Spanish pertaining to this, I think, and I tried to explain that it was working now but obviously wasn’t getting my message across so I told them I would be home “Viernes” (Friday).  He may as well come and check it out anyway.

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

120202 Tool Cabinet

120202 English Schoolchildren

120202 Front Door Glass

120202 Hand Art

120202 Horse Art

120202 Rotary Market

120202 Terrace prior 1

120202 Terrace prior 2

120202 Terrace prior 3

120202 Terrace prior 4

Wednesday February 1, 2012

Wednesday Feb 1/12 update

Michael brought his wife and child again to see the almost-finished house.  I had already left on my walkabout, trying to find the new Costto store (that is not a misprint).  Bella says the wife kept saying “Mui Bonito”, meaning very beautiful, and she had Michael translate that she was glad that we had uncluttered walls.

Bella was determined to get a perm today but the hairdresser was closed the first time she went by so she went back to try again.  Bella said the girl tried to perm her with dry hair.  Big mistake!  Indian hair doesn’t bend!  After many struggles and checking the perm action, she let it cook at least double the normal time.  Anyway, Bella is curly again today.

I started walking at 10am and went east in search of this new Costto, since people said it was in our area.  After I passed the Hospital Del Rio, almost to the eastern outskirts I knew I wasn’t going to find it there, so I started the trek back.  I kept asking people along the way for directions and kept getting pointed either west or towards downtown, which I didn’t think was right, so I kept walking west, past Jorge’s house.

The day was mildly overcast but I kept along the Autopista ring road knowing I would get some nice views of downtown, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, and panoramas of the city.  I also saw many dogs, sheep, cattle and even 2 horses along the way.

The views of this beautiful city in the Andes from the autopista are breathtaking, so I do hope you enjoy the photos I have included today.  People ask us why we love this city.  The photos only tell part of the story.  The wonderful people of Cuenca are the main reason we will happily stay here for a minimum of 3.5 years.

I kept on trudging, 80% uphill, and figured, at worst, I’ll hit the Mall De Rio on the west side and catch a bus back from there.  I almost made it too, but around 1:45 as I passed the Avenida Solano, lo and behold, there on my left was the new Costto store!  I had given that sucker up for lost by now, not expecting it to be way over there.  So I went in, checked my camera bag and asked the security guard if he was sure to watch it and he assured me he would.  So I started checking out the store, which isn’t big, maybe 10 small, but tall, aisles.  First stop were the recliners to rest my aching feet and legs.  Their selection is odd, something like Costco, but at about 10% of the scale.  I found some frozen items I thought I would grab so I went back to get a cart.  I noticed the security guard was nowhere near the entrance so I hung around a few minutes to see if he would show up.  Luckily my camera bag (the fancy one I got from the nice folks at McFarlane’s) was still there.  Finally I turned to the Customer Service desk and asked who was watching our belongings?  The man said the guard must have gone for lunch… duh!!  He gave me my bag which I threw on my back.  I saw some teeny shopping carts for kids at the door so I asked if they had any for adults.  He said they were “mui grande” and pointed to the parking lot.  BIG was an understatement!  I could have hauled out a small car in those things!  I figured I could grab my purchases quickly in my arms and get them to the till without pushing one of those boxcars around.  Anyway I grabbed a ham & cheese pizza, and some frozen blackberries, peaches, and mangoes.  Then I grabbed us some vanilla (for me) and triple chocolate ice cream (for Bella). 

I had them call me a cab and it cost me $2 to come back the many miles home. 

I look out my window and see where they are tearing down a house on the opposite corner, all by hand, 3 guys with sledgehammers, hammers and chisels, for already about 7 days now.  It is concrete and bricks, like all houses are here.  They don’t use heavy machinery to pound it down in an hour like we would in Canada.  Oh well, that is part of their strategy to keep people working.  We have never seen a harder working people than the Ecuadorians.  They are fiercely proud, clean, and happy people, God love ‘em.
The blog has taken extra long to put up tonight because it keeps fouling up my text and photos.  Finally I think I have it behaving.

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

120201  Waterfall

120201 Andes Mists

120201 BIG bird in treetop far away

120201 Costto Store

120201 Cuenca in the Andes

120201 Cuenca Beauty

120201 Magic of Cuenca

120201 Lovely downtown Cuenca

120201 Cuenca Horse

120201 Inca Ruins

120201 Cuenca Panorama

120201 Sitting in the Andes

120201 Typical Cuenca suburban street

120201 Immaculate Conception Domes

120201 Jorge's House

120201 GORGEOUS flowers

120201 Beautiful flowers

120201 Lovely decorated home

Tuesday Jan 31, 2012

Tuesday Jan 31/12 update

Enrique was prompt at 8am and seemed surprised that we wanted the roof done in addition to the extra screen on the matching window we had bought for the terrace.  He said he would return at noon but came back at 10 with one of the screen guys for some measurement checks.  He now promises to install the terrace roof on Friday.

Bella did some errands, paid the water and electricity bills, and met the landlady’s sister at the old place.  We had to return some sheets and a comforter that belong to them that we had forgotten in our washing to get the balance of our damage deposit.  Bella met with her again at 4.

I slipped out to Coral for a few cleaning supplies and came back to get at more computer updating to reinstall passwords etc.

I received an email from the Galeria ArteLibre where we had gone to a kids Christmas concert in early December.  I responded to them asking if they had any reasonable mural artists who would like their work advertised as we would consider having two Ecuadorian-style murals done.

I also heard of the passing of Barb Pillon, one of the founders of the Country Singles in Okotoks, from her very long battle with cancer.  That awful disease claims another friend.

Bella indicated that one of her weaving compatriots wants to see our area and is proposing that we meet with them for the Saturday BBQ at Joe’s Secret Garden then cab over here to see the area.  I guess we are booked for that.

I had a sleepless night the prior night so wasn't in the mood for going out today.  Hitting the sack early.

That was today’s excitement.    Hugs to all.

Monday Jan 30/12

Monday Jan 30/12 update

Bella finally heard from our old rental agent, Juan Granda, who has spoken to the landlord’s sister and she is out of town today, so the home exit inspection will happen tomorrow at noon.  Bella wants our damage deposit back same day too.  Juan is also to bring our long lost mail that they have kindly been holding for us.

I had been trying to get hold of Enrique all day without success, so I phoned Garth (he has referred us to him) and found out that he has a new number.  I have left him a couple of message that we really want to get started on the terrace roof right away.  He is usually so hard up for money that I expected him to call back immediately.

Bella wanted her weaving tools attached to her loom and I desperately needed to reorganize the computer desk, so I walked to Coral and got a large assortment of cup hooks.  The results are in the pictures attached.

I also picked up and installed two sheets of those fluorescent light diffusers, about 2’ x 3’ and installed them to replace the ugly plastic on the gates to hide the water heater and my bike.  That crap is so hard to work with, it just wants to crack and explode on you.  We’ll have to see how it stands up to weather, rain and wind.

The home is really taking shape and we are enjoying it more and more.

I have been housebound for so long I forget what a thrill it was to be out in the sunshine.  Tomorrow I intend to get out for a while for sure.

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

120130 Computer Setup

120130 Loom Attachments 1

120130 Loom Attachments 2

120130 Loom Attachments 3

120130 Loom Setup

120130 Loom With a View

Sunday Jan 29, 2012

Sunday Jan 29/12 update
I had my best night's sleep in months!  My gosh, I got almost 9.5 hours sleep!  That is shocking!  I sure hope that happens more often.
We left before lunch to go clean up the old rental place, swept, cleaned the sinks, the showers, and mopped the floors.  That place is 10 times cleaner than the condition we had found it in.  Bella is insistent she wants all our damage deposit returned or we don't eat next month.
Then we bused to the Rotary Market to get a matching lounge chair plus a small table for the terrace, a small table to hold up the plant in the dining room, and a funky corner table/magazine rack for the living room.  Total cost was $60.
Bella undertook the quick varnish jobs while I went to Coral to get her a medical footstool to help get in & out of the high tub $24, a fancy sliding telephone shower for me $22, and a few other minor items.  I spent most of the afternoon installing the shower items, and naturally I started off with part of it upside down...  Oh well, I'm retired and have the time to fix my silly mistakes.  I also changed the deadbolt on the nice wooden door to one that doesn't require a key from the inside.  I have to figure out a nice way to secure a fancy wire paper-towel holder to our cupboard too.
Bella tried out her new bread-maker and it fried its old, dried out belt.  It turns out it was built in 2007 so it has been sitting in some warehouse for 5 years.

Tonight we were visiting our friends from Edmonton, Garth and Orilla,  along with another couple from Calgary who are scouting out Cuenca as their next move.  Barry and Karen presently rent in Costa Rica but are finding it pretty expensive.   We knew that when we scouted Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica 2 years ago.  It appears this city is having the same effect on them as it did on us.
I hope to reach Enrique in the morning to get his screen guy to come and measure for the terrace roof.  With any luck we can have that completed in a week or so.
That was today's excitement.   Hugs to all.