Hola Amigos,
This is the week when things are finally happening here at Casa Purkey, as far as home improvement projects go. First, we need to tear the place apart....then, we build it back! We have a major kitchen "fix" happening right now, and are surviving without counter-tops until Friday. Those ding-dang termites have eaten their way through some crown molding, and the nice oak edge on our formica/ plywood countertop. Ben was a bit surprised that it wasn't as bad as he thought it might be on the countertops when we finally got those off and out yesterday, but they had certainly done a number on the edge. This example is where there was a piece of oak plywood against it (where the refrigerator sits), so we couldn't see it. Munch, munch, munch!!!
The hombre cutting and fitting the granite countertop actually came to our house early yesterday morning to let us know that he couldn't measure until Tuesday morning, and promised that they'd be here today, and that the counter would be ready to install this Friday. This is what it looks like in here right now... no countertop I could probably live with, but no sink is a bit of a problem in a kitchen! (We do have a sink outside in our courtyard, which is our official kitchen sink this week!)
Ben spent much of last week dismantling the crown molding on one section and rebuilding it, and repairing areas where the termites had done damage on some other edges. It's amazing how they figure out how to eat all the wood "behind the scenes" without breaking through. But when things start collapsing, you know something is going on back there! And, for the good part... it's not often that you get to clean the floors and walls UNDER and BEHIND your cabinets, so I'm taking advantage of it! The photo below shows Ben working on the the refrigerator surround, replacing the eaten edging with new.
Our 2006 truck is still in the shop in La Paz. The mechanic called on Thursday (Ben took it in last Monday, as directed by the mechanic) and told Ben that he had to order the part because it wasn't available in La Paz and he needed to pay 1/2 the cost ahead of time. We're scratching our heads here wondering why he didn't check on the part on Monday, when he took the truck in, or tell Ben that he needed the 1/2 payment when he was there!!! As it was, Ben had to run to the bank here in Los Barriles and transfer the money to the fellow's account. The part is coming from Guadalajara, and will take 4 days. (We don't know if that includes the weekend days or not). We're hoping it will be ready by Thursday or Friday. Ben will ride the bus back to La Paz and spend the day doing more errands there (he has it all figured out on a spreadsheet...where he needs to go, what he needs to get, and how much time it will take. This next trip he figures to be 18 hours!!!! WHAT???)
Our garden is coming along well. We even have a few volunteer tomato bushes that are producing right now. I was taking a photo of a handful of little yellow pear tomatoes, and Zoey wanted to see if it was something she could eat! She's like a spring! Boing! Boing! Pretty amazing for a dachshund.
We are still enjoying the bird life around here. There is at least one Cardinal family that is very comfortable around us. I can put sunflower seeds in the feeder and the male will just flutter away a few feet and wait. The female is a bit more cautious. We always love to see these guys in our garden... they certainly add a splash of color!
Our friends from UK, Ray and Rita, have been visiting here, getting another load of their things to take back to Scotland. It has been so good to see them. We are hoping when they return for another visit in May that they will be a bit healthier! They have both had respiratory issues while here! Here is Ray enjoying the view from our friend's casa with Ryan and Ben. (Rita was home in bed recovering from her cold!)
There are more photos in our January 2013 Picasa album.
And the granite guys are here to measure! Hooray! It will look pretty in my kitchen next week!
Hasta la proxima semana,
Tus amigos de Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey
This is the week when things are finally happening here at Casa Purkey, as far as home improvement projects go. First, we need to tear the place apart....then, we build it back! We have a major kitchen "fix" happening right now, and are surviving without counter-tops until Friday. Those ding-dang termites have eaten their way through some crown molding, and the nice oak edge on our formica/ plywood countertop. Ben was a bit surprised that it wasn't as bad as he thought it might be on the countertops when we finally got those off and out yesterday, but they had certainly done a number on the edge. This example is where there was a piece of oak plywood against it (where the refrigerator sits), so we couldn't see it. Munch, munch, munch!!!
The hombre cutting and fitting the granite countertop actually came to our house early yesterday morning to let us know that he couldn't measure until Tuesday morning, and promised that they'd be here today, and that the counter would be ready to install this Friday. This is what it looks like in here right now... no countertop I could probably live with, but no sink is a bit of a problem in a kitchen! (We do have a sink outside in our courtyard, which is our official kitchen sink this week!)
Ben spent much of last week dismantling the crown molding on one section and rebuilding it, and repairing areas where the termites had done damage on some other edges. It's amazing how they figure out how to eat all the wood "behind the scenes" without breaking through. But when things start collapsing, you know something is going on back there! And, for the good part... it's not often that you get to clean the floors and walls UNDER and BEHIND your cabinets, so I'm taking advantage of it! The photo below shows Ben working on the the refrigerator surround, replacing the eaten edging with new.
Our 2006 truck is still in the shop in La Paz. The mechanic called on Thursday (Ben took it in last Monday, as directed by the mechanic) and told Ben that he had to order the part because it wasn't available in La Paz and he needed to pay 1/2 the cost ahead of time. We're scratching our heads here wondering why he didn't check on the part on Monday, when he took the truck in, or tell Ben that he needed the 1/2 payment when he was there!!! As it was, Ben had to run to the bank here in Los Barriles and transfer the money to the fellow's account. The part is coming from Guadalajara, and will take 4 days. (We don't know if that includes the weekend days or not). We're hoping it will be ready by Thursday or Friday. Ben will ride the bus back to La Paz and spend the day doing more errands there (he has it all figured out on a spreadsheet...where he needs to go, what he needs to get, and how much time it will take. This next trip he figures to be 18 hours!!!! WHAT???)
Our garden is coming along well. We even have a few volunteer tomato bushes that are producing right now. I was taking a photo of a handful of little yellow pear tomatoes, and Zoey wanted to see if it was something she could eat! She's like a spring! Boing! Boing! Pretty amazing for a dachshund.
We are still enjoying the bird life around here. There is at least one Cardinal family that is very comfortable around us. I can put sunflower seeds in the feeder and the male will just flutter away a few feet and wait. The female is a bit more cautious. We always love to see these guys in our garden... they certainly add a splash of color!
Our friends from UK, Ray and Rita, have been visiting here, getting another load of their things to take back to Scotland. It has been so good to see them. We are hoping when they return for another visit in May that they will be a bit healthier! They have both had respiratory issues while here! Here is Ray enjoying the view from our friend's casa with Ryan and Ben. (Rita was home in bed recovering from her cold!)
There are more photos in our January 2013 Picasa album.
And the granite guys are here to measure! Hooray! It will look pretty in my kitchen next week!
Hasta la proxima semana,
Tus amigos de Baja,
Harriet, Ben, Ryan, Sam & Zoey
Sorry about your termite problem. It's amazing how something so small can do so much damage. I hope the new wood going in is being treated so that the problem will be eliminated. I do miss seeing cardinals. We had them all year 'round in Chicago. In the dead if winter, you'd see that red in a tree and it just made things look so much more alive. I haven't seen a single one since moving to Albuquerque. I wonder if our elevation is too high for them.
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