24 March 2010

We have been off-line for a couple of days. I'm not sure what is going on with the electrical system here, but we have now fried both phone chargers, the kindle charger, and both computer cables. After the first failures of our chargers, we used a power strip thinking spikes in the current might be at fault. The next morning, Sanchez came to see what was causing such havoc with the solar system. Apparantly, when he went to turn it off for the day, it was flashing and humming. It was the power strip. It had melted and had burned a mark in the bench it was laying on. We've consulted with Georg and none of us can figure out what has changed to create an unstable system.
We were able to buy new phone chargers at a tiny store in Los Organos. We checked with one computer repair shop in Los Organos, but he said our computer cables were not repairable. We took a trip to Talara today and were able to purchase new cables for the laptops.
So, at this point, the only thing that doesn't have a charger is the kindle. I can, however, charge it through the computer.

Sunsets have been so spectacular. Each day brings another fabulous view. We've taken so many sunset pictures, I've created a folder dedicated to sunsets. Each one different than the other; all spectacular.

While we were in Talara, I found some yarn that I could use for the bathmats. It is acrylic, not cotton, but should still work. The only other option was wool but I wanted to maintain the washability of the bath mats.\

Also in Talara today, we bought a couple of external speakers for the computer. Every time we try to watch a movie, CD or video, the volume on the computer was just to low to hear it all. I've been able to use the headphones to get a clear volume level, but that excludes anyone else from l;istening as well. These speakers were CHEAP; only $8. They do have a faint buzz that could be distracting in the long run, but we were able to watch a 30 minute video tonight together. P.S. If you subscribe to podcasts, one you should definitely check out are the TED conference ones. Very interesting! And while we are on the subject of podcasts, another favorite of mine is Stuff You Should Know. We listened to two of these today; Are there any undiscovered people; and What is noodling? They do podcasts on some of the most off-the-wall subjects...very enjoyable.


As far as the construction goes, the workers have now poured the cement wall at the back of the piano room/bar; which also defines the front edge of the kitchen. 16 days until the cabinet maker will be ready to install the cabinets in the kitchen and, possibly, in the master suite. The last lower level column has also been poured. In the master suite, the workers continue to tie the rebar for the top level of concrete beams. Once the rebar has been tied in, they will build the forms for the concrete and pour the beams.

Our architect will be here on Friday. He is supposed to be bringing the wood and the carpenter to begin work on the roof. We're hoping enough of the roof can be put into place to protect the cabinets when they go in. Deadlines are not necessarily understood in Peru. It will be interesting (and perhaps frustrating) to see how this one plays out.

Georg and some of his friends will be here for Easter week. We will have to find some other accomodations for that week. This probably means packing up our stuff currently in the house and moving it into storage. We truly can't complain as he has let us use his house free of charge for many months. It adds fuel to my anticipation of the completion of my own home!