5 September 2010

I spent some time this afternoon finishing and revising the tuna on the mural. He didn't come out the way I had hoped to tried changing some of the colors. I had wanted him to be red and pink; in recognition of the color of the meat. The tuna here also has yellow fins, so added those today too. The next part of the mural will be the dolphins. I am very excited about them...can't wait to get them going.

We enjoyed watching a few of the US Open tennis matches today. It is so nice to have TV again; even if we dont really watch all that much. These TV's also have USB hook-ups so I can play stuff downloaded to my computer. One program we have really enjoyed is, So You Think You Can Dance. I haven't found it on any Peruvian channel, so have been downloading the episodes onto my laptop. These should play on our TV.

Chino spent a large portion of his day tiling the maid's bathroom and shower.
The service zone will the last building to be completed. The first room is the battery room for the solar panels. This will probably double as my sewing room, as there just isn't room enough in my studio for weaving, knitting and sewing stuff. The next room will be the maid's room; basically a bedroom with a bathroom. The next room is the laundry room. It will have two large sinks, and a washboard. Underneath these will be storage space. We will also have a washer and lots of room to hang the laundry to dry. We actually already have a washer, but it arrived with significant damage. We are trying to figure out how to get compensated for this and get a new machine. It has proven difficult as no one wants to accept responsibility for the damage....and it could have happened a couple of places along the way. Frustrating! I am tired of taking loads of laundry to the laundry service in Los Organos. They take 2 to 3 days to get it done. And, I've lost a couple of pieces there.

The guys with the screens have been working, slowly, to get each building enclosed. The flies have been horrific and we can't really control them until
everything is enclosed. We were hoping to get the master suite enclosed today, but they have one section yet to complete.

I made a chupe de mariscos (a seafood chowder) last night. We were able to find 5 langostas (the Pacific coast version of lobster) in the market for 8 soles(about $2.70). To this I added shrimp and a white fish which they sell for ceviche. The prices for groceries here are amazing. I can buy a quart sized bag full of various veggies and seasonings for $. 30. In itself it would give you a meal of soup. I can buy $.30 worth of carrots and have close to a pound. We can eat well, for less than $3.00 a day.

We went swimming again today. Oh, how wonderful it is to jump in and just go. I find I am terribly out of shape, but I figure if I get into the pool each day, and do the same or more distance than the day before, I will build back up to where I used to be. The water, for me, is a bit cool. It isn't uncomfortably cold, but is cool. During the summer, this will probably be a bit warmer, but welcome in the heat. During the winter here, the air is still very warm, but it doesn't seem to heat the water as much as it will during the summer.
I found this scary fellow on the ground. All those spines look as sharp as they are! And that beak of a mouth looks truly dangerous! It is a blow fish and amazingly enough it dried in it's puffed condition! Kind of looks like a hedgehog!

The dog and the kitten continue to spit and bark. Stormy has not let up her obsession with the kitten, except Doug has been pretty harsh in disciplining her when she goes after the cat. I've tried to give them equal time; equal time outside, inside and attention. It is still a drama.

We visited the local welding shop this afternoon. The owner is Perico's brother. I asked him to make me two rings with a three inch diameter for a hammock. He had some stainless steel rods that he said he could make into rings. We'll see how these turn out, and then I'll have yet another project to work on. Right now I have way too many projects! On the positive side, can anyone have too many projects? At least it is preferable to have too many than not enough?!?!?

This afternoon, a mototaxi driver stopped by. The driver is the husband of the woman who came to the construction site to sell ceviche to the workers. His son also has the water truck that delivers potable water for El Ñuro and to us. He came to solicit contribution to the expansion of his church in El Ñuro. He wasn´t asking for money; but asking for donations of materials and/or labor to expand their church. We told him we hoped to be a part of the community of El Ñuro, and would contribute as we could. I´m less likely to contribute cash; but am more than willing to contribute my labor, and supplies to accomplish their project.