The Remodel Blues

We started a remodel project a couple of years ago.  Many of our neighbors have accused us of turning it into a hobby but we're finally getting close to the end. Thought I'd share some photos of the inside since all you can see is the outside of the garage from the street.

Marcia moved here first in 1989. Her and her late husband Howard started with a trailer and palapa but soon built a home.  Donna came built in 1995.  So it's been a few years since the homes were new. We cobbled together a plan and here's what we ended up with.

The photo below on the left is the breezeway in front of Marcia's house. Donna's house is at the end of the columns and to the right.
The second photo is a from a little different angle but you get the idea. We dressed up the columns a bit and added some gingerbread like the arches. This was a 90% cosmetic remodel. The garage of course was new construction but almost everything inside was non-structural.

 

The next photos were taken to the right of the above photos, looking back on Marcia's house and then directly at Donna's.

 
Here are the "after" shots. Again the angles are a little different.

It' still not done as you can see but we're getting close!  Thanks to all our neighbors for their patience while we had the crews and construction materials all over.

Anthony Mullin's Boring Adventure

Ed and Ella's had their 10-year-old grandson down for a few weeks. Curious, a friend asked him the obvious question,”So, did you have a good time?" He and his grandmother (Ella) sent this response. What do you think, was he really “bored”?





 My boring Baja Vacation       by Anthony Mullins

The first thing I did was learn to drive an ATV. I liked learning how to drive and shift the gears. I bugged grandma and grandpa everyday to drive it. At first I could only drive around the block but then I got good enough to drive by myself. I even got to drive it home with my grandma on the back all the way from La Ribera.

I got stung by a jelly fish. That was the worse day of my trip, it hurt really badly but I’m okay now! Went swimming at Buena Vista Beach Resort pool on Father’s Day; since they have memberships there. It was nice to play and swim with my grandpa.

I went snorkeling. I liked floating around and seeing all the fish. I even saw a trumpetfish. I snorkeled with my grandpa first and then I snorkeled with my grandma. We went with Deb and Sam (my grandparents friends) and we took the Kabota (a cart) down the beach. I even got to drive it….it was slow.


I got to go to the car/truck races, Baja style! I met Bob and Donna Farmer’s son Patrick at their house. He invited my grandpa, Sam, Mike (grandpa’s friend) and I to watch him race outside LaPaz. I got to sit in his car, too.

Jag Body Gets Pro Paint Job

That's Mike. Mi cuñado. Married to Donna's sis Mary, MFSIL. He was in charge of the Portland bus system's body shop for years. Knows his paint. He should have the body painted in a couple more days but who knows. He's fussy about stuff. Perfectionist we used to call 'em. All I know is that when he's done, it'll be perfect.

True Confessions of Guitar Lust

I gotta confession to make. I'm having a guitar built. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "What the hell does he need with another guitar?!" Well it's like this. A buddy had this guitar in pieces in a box. He gave it to me for a fair price. To make a short story long, by the time I replace all the stuff I decided wasn't good enough, I shoulda just bought another guitar...

Here it is with her parts just laying where they belong. It's a like 8o's Fender Jaguar that somebody customized (and ruined) to be like a Fender Jazzmaster. Both are good guitars by the way.
Next photo is what the guitar might have looked like originally.



It's in Portland right now. Mi cuñado is painting the body and will take it to Portland Fretworks when he's done.

Wheelchair Challange

A few years ago our little town went through months of rehabilitation. The state planning commission at some level dropped a new downtown plan right smack on top of us. It was in theory designed to improve our main downtown thoroughfare and fix the storm drainage at the same time.

Like all plans, there were details that lost their focus. One thing that most "civilized" countries actively pursue is to improve access for disabled people. I guess we are considered semi-civilized here and part of our plan included wheelchair ramp access to the downtown sidewalks. Very considerate. I think in a future phase the width of the sidewalks and placement of light poles will also be considered.

The Pompano by Steve Herter

As the hockey boys said to Allen Iversen......... No, I still practice and practice......

every day now, a glorious excursion, a new hope bubbling up as I excitedly dress the new fly,

and yesterday, in this hopeless green water sentence we are given,

whilst I was out there talking to this guide Jeff from Bozeman Montana-
he says look at that:
 a puffer fish getting beat up by a fish just thrashing it on the shore not 20 yards from us:

I pushed Jeff and yelled: Run! Throw! and startled, he ran and threw and damn,

this big pompano made him very happy........caught on the fly he just tied!

and this grinning old fool man was there to tell him what it was, take his picture, and send the picture to him-ha! He reports it ate very well!

So no, I still fish and fish and gloriously, fish alone today because Bonnie has to work, so I can race way down beach, scaring myself in my nascar race with myself right by the sea edge...............

and you should see today's fly!

Marci Castro Coming to Los Barriles

The Roadrunner Cafe of open mic fame will be hosting Marci Castro, pianist and vocalist on Sunday the 17th.  Come have breakfast with us and enjoy some fantastic music. Marci has been spending her winters in San Jose del Cabo entertaining for several years. She will start playing at 10 AM.  Here's Marci playing with Robert Drake in San Jose.