I'm sure a few readers have thought, well, she hasn't written a blog post in months, so the Ecuador thing is out the window....nope. Still on! Am I too lazy to write? Maybe. But I think I've been just so freaking busy...still renovating (whoo hoo) and I am down to my last BIG project, and still have a few small projects to finish up.
The next big, and I mean BIG project is the kitchen, and after several deliveries, broken pieces (that happens) missing pieces and now.....ta dum dum dum.... the last two cabinet doors that were delivered are the wrong doors. They are just a few inches too big for the cabinet frame. Renovation is fun!
Hub's rental house is on the market. We've had our estate sale, which was a success. We are living lean, we have all the basic furniture pieces plus just a few decorative items, but most were sold, and guess what? Other than missing my casserole dishes and nicer wine glasses, we are good. Less is just fine with us. On that same note, I have been looking at ways to reduce our cost of living since I quit my job to do the renovation work and looking for alternative products that we won't be able to get in Ecuador.
My shampoo and conditioner alone cost $26 each! My moisturizer cost almost $40 for a really small container! Yikes!! In addition to downsizing, cutting back, etc, I also want to eat healthier and buy smarter - many high end beauty products that we are so accustomed to using may not be available in Ecuador. Cleaning products are more expensive, comparatively speaking, than the US. Many expats (and wanna-be expats) express a frustration about not being able to get certain items, and I do not want to fall into the whiny category just because my favorite perfume or lipstick...or peanut butter isn't available.
This search for alternative products has lead me to exploring all natural solutions. Not the 'natural' we are used to seeing on packaging....the labeling in this country is a joke and nothing about 'all natural' is really all that natural! I mean readily available products that do NOT contain carcinogens, harmful chemicals......
The shampoo and conditioner...did I ever buy more? No....I am using....drumroll please.....baking soda and water mixture. Don't faint. And for conditioner....apple cider vinegar, diluted with a small amount of water. Did you faint? Yes, my hair is clean. And it looks fantastic! Guess what? Are you sitting down? I am using homemade hairspray as well. Three ingredients: lemon, water and rubbing alcohol. I live in the South, and it works! No more chemicals on my head..... So at least my hair is ready for Ecuador, LOL (Note: baking soda is sold in very small quantities in Ecuador so I will be bringing several very large boxes in my luggage)
My next blog post will be safe and effective alternatives to all the nasty chemicals....unless I am too busy gnashing teeth and cursing with the kitchen renovation....wish me luck.
Hasta luego, cheers and all that,
Tami
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Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Determined to Finish
The past few months have been a little nutty. My previous post was about chaos and dust, and grandkids visiting before the big estate sale...and thank goodness all of that is over. I have survived the grandkids - sofa was again adorned with plenty of drool from the teething 11 month old cutie pie, the house has some marks and bruises, but repairs are easy. Sort of. At the time I didn't chuckle, but now I can....the older kiddo was upset and he took his truck and banged it into the wood:
Since the wildly successful estate sale craziness ended July 21st, I have been tirelessly working on home repairs and renovations - finishing up all those little projects that were 'not quite done' - why are there so many??? What I thought would take only a few months has stretched into a much longer timeframe. We have a decent size house (about 2800sf), and I am determined to finish these projects!
The upstairs bedroom that at one time was my older son's/turned into a guest bedroom: ceiling was popcorn, I had started to scrape it. and then somewhere along the way that project got sidetracked. I think it was between the time my kiddo went to college and when Ken moved in his bedroom set when we got married. Well, that room is now done--all walls painted. Before it was taupe and black now the walls are crisp grey, clean white ceiling and white trim. The other upstairs bedroom is freshly painted and ready to go as well.
Every room in this house needs a touch up paint job - not the whole wall type thing, but definitely the baseboards and trim need some sprucing up. It is so much easier when there is no furniture to move!
My closets are empty except for the clothes we are taking to Ecuador; my cabinets are empty, except for must-have items like a few (seriously only a few!) glasses, plates and bowls, one (yes, ONE) serving dish, and my pots and pans and favorite utensils. Only the things we are taking to Ecuador made the cut, except for the glasses and plates. My older son is awaiting those gifts.
Outdoors - finished stucco-ing the large 6' + concrete block wall in my backyard....once it cures (takes 30 days) I can paint it. That project is set to start Sept 29th. Hopefully done that weekend! Otherwise the landscaping is done, just regular maintenance.
Kitchen and Master Bath - the only two rooms that have not been renovated yet, due to cost. Still pondering whether or not to renovate or sell the house as-is. Do I have a rich relative somewhere that has left me with a large inheritance maybe? Don't think so.
We are on the tail-end of the home renovation projects.....my goal is to have this house in perfect shape by October sometime, and then it will hit the market. With any/lots of luck, it will sell fast. I have plenty of wine, I can get through this!
Hasta luego, cheers and all that good stuff,
Tami
Since the wildly successful estate sale craziness ended July 21st, I have been tirelessly working on home repairs and renovations - finishing up all those little projects that were 'not quite done' - why are there so many??? What I thought would take only a few months has stretched into a much longer timeframe. We have a decent size house (about 2800sf), and I am determined to finish these projects!
The upstairs bedroom that at one time was my older son's/turned into a guest bedroom: ceiling was popcorn, I had started to scrape it. and then somewhere along the way that project got sidetracked. I think it was between the time my kiddo went to college and when Ken moved in his bedroom set when we got married. Well, that room is now done--all walls painted. Before it was taupe and black now the walls are crisp grey, clean white ceiling and white trim. The other upstairs bedroom is freshly painted and ready to go as well.
Every room in this house needs a touch up paint job - not the whole wall type thing, but definitely the baseboards and trim need some sprucing up. It is so much easier when there is no furniture to move!
My closets are empty except for the clothes we are taking to Ecuador; my cabinets are empty, except for must-have items like a few (seriously only a few!) glasses, plates and bowls, one (yes, ONE) serving dish, and my pots and pans and favorite utensils. Only the things we are taking to Ecuador made the cut, except for the glasses and plates. My older son is awaiting those gifts.
Outdoors - finished stucco-ing the large 6' + concrete block wall in my backyard....once it cures (takes 30 days) I can paint it. That project is set to start Sept 29th. Hopefully done that weekend! Otherwise the landscaping is done, just regular maintenance.
Kitchen and Master Bath - the only two rooms that have not been renovated yet, due to cost. Still pondering whether or not to renovate or sell the house as-is. Do I have a rich relative somewhere that has left me with a large inheritance maybe? Don't think so.
We are on the tail-end of the home renovation projects.....my goal is to have this house in perfect shape by October sometime, and then it will hit the market. With any/lots of luck, it will sell fast. I have plenty of wine, I can get through this!
Hasta luego, cheers and all that good stuff,
Tami
Friday, June 15, 2012
Chaos, Craziness and Dust
Last post was all about selling 'stuff.' The blog I created to help with the selling process worked fairly well. Lots of calls and texts, and emails. Lots. Asking me to "send me another picture", "what are the measurements-again", "is it really gold gold, or more of a yellow gold, or does it have green in it?" Seriously? To some of the responses (mainly text, after the 3rd one usually) I would type "just come by and see it please."
It was exhausting. My living room was filled with tables of stuff, and invariably when someone would come over to look, they would ask "what else do you have?" - and I would tell them that I could only get so much ready at a time because I had to clean the item, take pictures, post it etc.....and some people would ask to go through my house!! What?
So I posted earlier this week about contracting with an estate sale company. I'm still very happy about the decision to contract with them.
They will arrive July 9th and work for 10 days straight to get everything staged and ready for the sale. My estate sale will be held July 19 (my 49th birthday OMG) thru July 21. So that means any and every item I do not want sold must be put away, hidden. Since we are not selling my master bedroom furniture, we decided to keep that room off limits. Unfortunately, the sitting room part of the master bedroom WAS my staging area for items I was getting ready to sell, so it is full of stuff that I need to move OUT of the bedroom. Augh. This is embarrassing, but I am posting a picture of what it looks like this morning, even though yesterday I removed many many boxes of stuff:
As soon as they leave on Monday I start emptying out the sitting room. Oh crap, I have to clean out the drawers of the antique dresser that's in there, and sort through ALL the craft items I put in there, and..... the Lane chest filled with blankets and quilts. Chaos.
Tuesday thru Thursday I spend removing photos from frames. Dusting off the frames. Getting sick from all the dust. Cough cough. Going through old photos and removing the ones I want to keep and giving the rest to the children's father. Most of the photos are copies, and the rest are in 30+ photo albums, many which are 'scrapbook style'. Yikes! More craziness. I decide to bargain with my ex - he scans the photos for me, he gets to keep the albums. He accepts the offer. Albums are stacked up and ready for him to take. So is the gigantic box of photos, negatives and other stuff. More dust, some of these albums haven't been looked at since I moved in the house 8 years ago. Cough.
Dozens of board games are stacked in one corner of the man cave/bonus room. I stirred up the dust on that project, as many of the games have been sitting for a long time, some of them are little kid games and my kids are 18 and 24 now. That's lots of sitting and collecting dust!
What the heck are we going to do with all those CDs? Covered in dust too.... cough.
Kid's rooms - my older son's stuff that he still has at my house. Guess what? His father can take that! He doesn't know it yet, but it will be waiting for him when he gets the albums. Since Alec is going off to college in a few months, he won't have room to store things, so maybe I can get his stuff over to his dad's as well.
All this has to be done before June 23rd - this is where the craziness part comes in: Ken's daughter and her two boys, ages 4 and 11 months, are coming to visit for 5 days. YIKES! My house is not, and has never been childproof. Now it is a complete hazard, a serious danger zone. I pray the children don't get hurt. They may need hard hats. I will need more than wine to calm my nerves, at least I have plenty of vodka.
For those of you who have decades of 'stuff' just collecting dust, get rid of it NOW. Do it years before you move. If you think it will only take a month, triple that.
Today I am heading out to get medium weight drop cloths to put over the white living room sofa which we are not selling right away. Then I can stack stuff on top, move the rest of the items out of the sitting room, and the suitcases that are blocking half the master bath can take their rightful place on the floor, to be filled with Ecuador bound items. The Space Bags are at the ready, waiting to be filled.
It's really happening. Cough cough. Soon, the dust will settle, the craziness will turn to calm, and all the chaos will have been worth it.
Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami
It was exhausting. My living room was filled with tables of stuff, and invariably when someone would come over to look, they would ask "what else do you have?" - and I would tell them that I could only get so much ready at a time because I had to clean the item, take pictures, post it etc.....and some people would ask to go through my house!! What?
So I posted earlier this week about contracting with an estate sale company. I'm still very happy about the decision to contract with them.
They will arrive July 9th and work for 10 days straight to get everything staged and ready for the sale. My estate sale will be held July 19 (my 49th birthday OMG) thru July 21. So that means any and every item I do not want sold must be put away, hidden. Since we are not selling my master bedroom furniture, we decided to keep that room off limits. Unfortunately, the sitting room part of the master bedroom WAS my staging area for items I was getting ready to sell, so it is full of stuff that I need to move OUT of the bedroom. Augh. This is embarrassing, but I am posting a picture of what it looks like this morning, even though yesterday I removed many many boxes of stuff:
As soon as they leave on Monday I start emptying out the sitting room. Oh crap, I have to clean out the drawers of the antique dresser that's in there, and sort through ALL the craft items I put in there, and..... the Lane chest filled with blankets and quilts. Chaos.
Tuesday thru Thursday I spend removing photos from frames. Dusting off the frames. Getting sick from all the dust. Cough cough. Going through old photos and removing the ones I want to keep and giving the rest to the children's father. Most of the photos are copies, and the rest are in 30+ photo albums, many which are 'scrapbook style'. Yikes! More craziness. I decide to bargain with my ex - he scans the photos for me, he gets to keep the albums. He accepts the offer. Albums are stacked up and ready for him to take. So is the gigantic box of photos, negatives and other stuff. More dust, some of these albums haven't been looked at since I moved in the house 8 years ago. Cough.
Dozens of board games are stacked in one corner of the man cave/bonus room. I stirred up the dust on that project, as many of the games have been sitting for a long time, some of them are little kid games and my kids are 18 and 24 now. That's lots of sitting and collecting dust!
What the heck are we going to do with all those CDs? Covered in dust too.... cough.
Kid's rooms - my older son's stuff that he still has at my house. Guess what? His father can take that! He doesn't know it yet, but it will be waiting for him when he gets the albums. Since Alec is going off to college in a few months, he won't have room to store things, so maybe I can get his stuff over to his dad's as well.
All this has to be done before June 23rd - this is where the craziness part comes in: Ken's daughter and her two boys, ages 4 and 11 months, are coming to visit for 5 days. YIKES! My house is not, and has never been childproof. Now it is a complete hazard, a serious danger zone. I pray the children don't get hurt. They may need hard hats. I will need more than wine to calm my nerves, at least I have plenty of vodka.
For those of you who have decades of 'stuff' just collecting dust, get rid of it NOW. Do it years before you move. If you think it will only take a month, triple that.
Today I am heading out to get medium weight drop cloths to put over the white living room sofa which we are not selling right away. Then I can stack stuff on top, move the rest of the items out of the sitting room, and the suitcases that are blocking half the master bath can take their rightful place on the floor, to be filled with Ecuador bound items. The Space Bags are at the ready, waiting to be filled.
It's really happening. Cough cough. Soon, the dust will settle, the craziness will turn to calm, and all the chaos will have been worth it.
Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami
Monday, June 11, 2012
Estate Sale is ON!
Alrighty, yet another twist in my endeavor to sell all our stuff.....just this morning I contracted with an Estate Sale company to take over. I was not woman enough for the job. Drove me nuts sorting, pricing, taking pictures, answering STUPID questions from buyers about all the stuff, etc. It was just too much and I surrendered!
So 'Loose Ends by MJ', a group of ladies that come in and do it all for you, are coming in and doing it all for me! They are charging a $600 (not to exceed) set-up fee and for expenses, spending 10 days pricing and sorting and setting up the house, and then taking 25% of the sales price as commission. I think it is pretty darned fair! Most companies charge from 30-35% and their set-up fee/expense charges are a lot higher.
A contract is signed and all we have to do is remove anything we do not want sold. I have 1 month to get those items packed and put in the bedroom. The bedroom will be our safe haven! First though, I have to remove all the 'stuff' I want sold FROM the bedroom.
Everything we are not taking with us to Ecuador will be sold, except for the basic sofa, bed, dining table stuff needed to stage the house. Ken and I are both feeling a bit liberated already....that is, until we walk into our living room and see tables FILLED with 'stuff' and then we wish it was already July 19th. Or better yet, July 25th, when I get the check from the sale!
Interesting note: when the ladies came in this morning, the first thing they told me was another couple from Huntsville is also moving to Ecuador! They did their 'estate sale' last weekend. And everything was sold. Wow, great news! Hope our sale goes as well as theirs!
Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami
So 'Loose Ends by MJ', a group of ladies that come in and do it all for you, are coming in and doing it all for me! They are charging a $600 (not to exceed) set-up fee and for expenses, spending 10 days pricing and sorting and setting up the house, and then taking 25% of the sales price as commission. I think it is pretty darned fair! Most companies charge from 30-35% and their set-up fee/expense charges are a lot higher.
A contract is signed and all we have to do is remove anything we do not want sold. I have 1 month to get those items packed and put in the bedroom. The bedroom will be our safe haven! First though, I have to remove all the 'stuff' I want sold FROM the bedroom.
Everything we are not taking with us to Ecuador will be sold, except for the basic sofa, bed, dining table stuff needed to stage the house. Ken and I are both feeling a bit liberated already....that is, until we walk into our living room and see tables FILLED with 'stuff' and then we wish it was already July 19th. Or better yet, July 25th, when I get the check from the sale!
Interesting note: when the ladies came in this morning, the first thing they told me was another couple from Huntsville is also moving to Ecuador! They did their 'estate sale' last weekend. And everything was sold. Wow, great news! Hope our sale goes as well as theirs!
Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Manta Street (and Beach) Scenes
It is so easy to walk all over little (and big) towns in Ecuador. Be mindful of your steps though - sidewalks can have (doggie) bombs, and plenty of holes, as well as rebar/wires sticking up and hanging down! So with the standard warning, let's have a tour:
We had so much fun walking, walking everywhere from the Supermaxi, to the beach, walking down side streets to see the vendors out early in the morning with large crowds eating ceviche....for breakfast. I opted for a warm cinnamon roll without icing and Ken had a huge croissant, along with our cold beverages, to start our big hike through the city. After stopping for breakfast, we headed towards the beach:
Delicious lunch at Mediterraneo, on Flavio Reyes, just a few blocks from our hotel:
We explored many streets hoping we were headed in the direction of our hotel (we were); we even stopped by the Fybecca to grab a couple of cold drinks. It was hot outside, but not unbearable. Living in the South, we are used to it. Now I see a reason for me tolerating the outrageous humidity in Alabama! Yes, it was/is to prepare me for the move to Ecuador!
Ken posing in front of what we called the Gringolandofshopping:
Manta was a fun city to explore by foot. We walked quite a bit, and we better get used to it if we are going to live in Ecaudor!
Playa Murceilago Hotel - nice hotel, walking distance to the beach, in a very nice area. Close to restaurants, shopping and main streets. This is where we stayed in Manta:
Delicious lunch at Mediterraneo, on Flavio Reyes, just a few blocks from our hotel:
We walked down lots and lots of stairs to get to the beach. What you see here is barely scratching the surface! There was another set up higher, and one to the left. Whew.
After the long long walk on the beach, we are starting up another set of stairs, this time closer to the Malecon (Murceilago) where there are plenty of vendors, and restaurants....
We explored many streets hoping we were headed in the direction of our hotel (we were); we even stopped by the Fybecca to grab a couple of cold drinks. It was hot outside, but not unbearable. Living in the South, we are used to it. Now I see a reason for me tolerating the outrageous humidity in Alabama! Yes, it was/is to prepare me for the move to Ecuador!
Ken posing in front of what we called the Gringolandofshopping:
Manta was a fun city to explore by foot. We walked quite a bit, and we better get used to it if we are going to live in Ecaudor!
Hasta luego, chao chao, and all the good stuff,
Tami
Monday, April 9, 2012
Reservations, smeshervations...
As soon as we stepped foot back on US soil, Ken and I were already planning our next trip to Ecaudor. Flights were booked and confirmed, AND paid for before the end of 2011. Did I say PAID for? Yep. So imagine my surprise....
I had this nagging thought late one night - did I have seat assignments done on both flights? Hmmmm. I'm pretty sure I did that way back in December. I checked the printed out itinerary, and yes, I had. Nice. Now go back to sleep, Tami.
The next day went on as usual, but when I got home that evening, I still had this weird feeling I had better check our flights. Went online and typed in our reservation code. What???? Arriving in Quito? What???? Oh, there's Guayaquil, but what the heck - arriving late at night? What happened to arriving in the late morning? I was having a come-apart as they say in the South. Ken!!!!!!! He got on the phone with LAN, and of course there was 'nothing we can do, sorry."
For those of you reading this that have not yet traveled to Ecuador, or Latin American country, let me explain why this arrival time was so bothersome.
Reason #1 Traveling at night is a dangerous sport. I would rather go rock climbing and I am terrified of heights. Not only do busses get robbed at night, those drivers have a tendency, uh, to have a drink or three before their shift. They also have to dodge cows, pigs, rockslides, and all this on unlighted streets. So no thank you. I will travel during the day, and take pictures of the livestock roaming the streets.
Reason #2
We now have to spend the night in Guayaquil. More $$$ down the drain. This is really the pet peeve of mine. We do have reservations at Hotel Murali just a few blocks from the airport. So taking a taxi from the cooperative (taxi line at the airport) to the hotel will be fine, as we know where this hotel is, and if it were daytime we could walk, but alas....
Not everything is sour news though. Crap happens, it was just bothersome that the airline didn't notify us!! Glad we had time to make adjustments in our schedule. I cannot wait to embark on this journey, every step we take is one step closer to realizing our dream.
Our Route:
Our trip is extended by 1 day because of the flight mess. We are traveling up the coast from Guayaquil to Manta to Bahia, and back down to Puerto Lopez, possibly Montanita to visit friends, and then to Salinas for one night, and then back to Guayaquil. All of our travels will be by bus or taxi. We need to know if we can get by without a car, and this will also help our Spanish. Which sucks rocks, btw!
We have reservations at Hotel Murali, and from what I hear it will be a good experience. An expat friend recommended it, so glad she did, because I didn't want to take a taxi across town late at night. They will feed us breakfast the next morning, and we can then take our bags and walk to the bus terminal if the weather is nice outside. Off to the coast we go....
We are taking the executive bus (who knows which one, we will figure that out once at the Terminal Terrestre). We don't yet have reservations, but there are plenty of hotels in Manta, we will figure something out....living on the edge, love it (LOL)
I am very excited about the Bahia part of our trip, we will be staying in a nice B&B called Casa Grande. One of the expats made the reservations for us, which was such a help. I can't wait to dine at Puerto Amistad, the owner and chef is also from Alabama, and I look forward to hearing about his experiences living in Bahia. That, and enjoying fresh seafood and good wine.
We also have reservations at Hostel Mandala in Puerto Lopez., which is south of Manta. We will be there for two nights enjoying the beach. This will be the relaxing part of our adventure. In their pictures I noticed the mosquito netting over the bed. So no air conditioning, which is just fine by us, it will remind me of the Banana Azul in Costa Rica.
On our last night in Ecuador, we will be hanging out at Will's - Hostal Aqui, and enjoying the great food and friendship at Score Sports Bar. Wendy and I have a bottle of wine we need to consume! Oh, and their margaritas.....
The other nights we haven't planned out, we will fill in those blanks when the time comes.
Only a few more weeks.....getting super excited!!
Cheers, Tami
I had this nagging thought late one night - did I have seat assignments done on both flights? Hmmmm. I'm pretty sure I did that way back in December. I checked the printed out itinerary, and yes, I had. Nice. Now go back to sleep, Tami.
The next day went on as usual, but when I got home that evening, I still had this weird feeling I had better check our flights. Went online and typed in our reservation code. What???? Arriving in Quito? What???? Oh, there's Guayaquil, but what the heck - arriving late at night? What happened to arriving in the late morning? I was having a come-apart as they say in the South. Ken!!!!!!! He got on the phone with LAN, and of course there was 'nothing we can do, sorry."
For those of you reading this that have not yet traveled to Ecuador, or Latin American country, let me explain why this arrival time was so bothersome.
Reason #1 Traveling at night is a dangerous sport. I would rather go rock climbing and I am terrified of heights. Not only do busses get robbed at night, those drivers have a tendency, uh, to have a drink or three before their shift. They also have to dodge cows, pigs, rockslides, and all this on unlighted streets. So no thank you. I will travel during the day, and take pictures of the livestock roaming the streets.
Reason #2
We now have to spend the night in Guayaquil. More $$$ down the drain. This is really the pet peeve of mine. We do have reservations at Hotel Murali just a few blocks from the airport. So taking a taxi from the cooperative (taxi line at the airport) to the hotel will be fine, as we know where this hotel is, and if it were daytime we could walk, but alas....
Not everything is sour news though. Crap happens, it was just bothersome that the airline didn't notify us!! Glad we had time to make adjustments in our schedule. I cannot wait to embark on this journey, every step we take is one step closer to realizing our dream.
Our Route:
Our trip is extended by 1 day because of the flight mess. We are traveling up the coast from Guayaquil to Manta to Bahia, and back down to Puerto Lopez, possibly Montanita to visit friends, and then to Salinas for one night, and then back to Guayaquil. All of our travels will be by bus or taxi. We need to know if we can get by without a car, and this will also help our Spanish. Which sucks rocks, btw!
We have reservations at Hotel Murali, and from what I hear it will be a good experience. An expat friend recommended it, so glad she did, because I didn't want to take a taxi across town late at night. They will feed us breakfast the next morning, and we can then take our bags and walk to the bus terminal if the weather is nice outside. Off to the coast we go....
We are taking the executive bus (who knows which one, we will figure that out once at the Terminal Terrestre). We don't yet have reservations, but there are plenty of hotels in Manta, we will figure something out....living on the edge, love it (LOL)
I am very excited about the Bahia part of our trip, we will be staying in a nice B&B called Casa Grande. One of the expats made the reservations for us, which was such a help. I can't wait to dine at Puerto Amistad, the owner and chef is also from Alabama, and I look forward to hearing about his experiences living in Bahia. That, and enjoying fresh seafood and good wine.
We also have reservations at Hostel Mandala in Puerto Lopez., which is south of Manta. We will be there for two nights enjoying the beach. This will be the relaxing part of our adventure. In their pictures I noticed the mosquito netting over the bed. So no air conditioning, which is just fine by us, it will remind me of the Banana Azul in Costa Rica.
On our last night in Ecuador, we will be hanging out at Will's - Hostal Aqui, and enjoying the great food and friendship at Score Sports Bar. Wendy and I have a bottle of wine we need to consume! Oh, and their margaritas.....
The other nights we haven't planned out, we will fill in those blanks when the time comes.
Only a few more weeks.....getting super excited!!
Cheers, Tami
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Booked for May but Ready Today!
Ken and I usually give each other gifts for Christmas that are useful - like our flat screen TV we've had for 3-4 years, our backyard 'wall' project, and our trips overseas. We are fairly practical people, and it just makes sense to spend our money on things that we both enjoy, instead of a bunch of knickknacks, just for the sake of 'giving gifts.'
One of the first things we decided upon our return from Ecuador...we wanted to return TO Ecuador. As soon as possible. So this year our Christmas present to each other is a trip to Ecuador! And.....drumroll..... our flights are booked for May 2012. This will be our 'let's look at the details' and also get a feel for areas of the coast we didn't get a chance to check out so diligently as we did Salinas. Ya never know, we might decide the humidity and large bugs are to our liking (don't think so).
Speaking of large bugs, last night my dear husband and 17 year old son Alec decided to have some fun with me and his 'friend-that-isn't-a-girlfriend' - yet. Ken brought out the big boys - these stupid large plastic roaches that look like the real deal. Complete with antennae and legs, and....they look real. Take my word for it. They are freaky looking, large things that, well, freak me out. Yes, I screamed like a little girl. Alec's 'friend' was more woman than me, she held her own, until they put one on her shoulder that is....
Anyhow, I really don't care for the gigantic cockroaches, the kind they have in Florida and most tropical places. I can deal with regular bugs, but those things give me the heebee-geebees. They jump at you, not away from you. Ugh. So, for me, I think the Salinas area, with its dry desert-like dry (some say ugly/barren) terrain, fits me just fine. It has the ocean. It has sand and a few palm trees. I can live with that.
One of the first things we decided upon our return from Ecuador...we wanted to return TO Ecuador. As soon as possible. So this year our Christmas present to each other is a trip to Ecuador! And.....drumroll..... our flights are booked for May 2012. This will be our 'let's look at the details' and also get a feel for areas of the coast we didn't get a chance to check out so diligently as we did Salinas. Ya never know, we might decide the humidity and large bugs are to our liking (don't think so).
Speaking of large bugs, last night my dear husband and 17 year old son Alec decided to have some fun with me and his 'friend-that-isn't-a-girlfriend' - yet. Ken brought out the big boys - these stupid large plastic roaches that look like the real deal. Complete with antennae and legs, and....they look real. Take my word for it. They are freaky looking, large things that, well, freak me out. Yes, I screamed like a little girl. Alec's 'friend' was more woman than me, she held her own, until they put one on her shoulder that is....
Anyhow, I really don't care for the gigantic cockroaches, the kind they have in Florida and most tropical places. I can deal with regular bugs, but those things give me the heebee-geebees. They jump at you, not away from you. Ugh. So, for me, I think the Salinas area, with its dry desert-like dry (some say ugly/barren) terrain, fits me just fine. It has the ocean. It has sand and a few palm trees. I can live with that.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Another Project Completed
Wow, it's been quite a while since I have posted - in the wine/beer biz, these are the crazy months, and things should calm down in January. We have not changed our minds about Ecuador, and things are progressing....slowly, but surely.
The good news - after many months of planning, we finally have kitchen and master bedroom/bath plans completed. My architect is very creative and came up with some beautiful plans for the renovations.
Now that the drawing phase is completed, I need to come up with the $$$ to get the demolition and beautification process started! That's going to take some time, but at least things are moving in the right direction.
My house was purchased when I was a single momma...needed a nice place to live yet didn't have a crazy high budget. So I searched and searched and found this house that needed a TON of cosmetic work. It was stuck in the 80's and my first project was to de-brass everything. Yep, shiny brass was everywhere along with horrendous wallpaper.
For the past 7 years now, I have been renovating the house, room-by-room. Hubs has been putting in some serious elbow grease for sure!!
Popcorn ceilings (all vaulted and 20something feet high) smoothed out in entry/living room and family room - what a nightmare!!
After pics:
The guys had to take out all the drywall, and re-fit/level the walls...joy joy!
New everything - the tile looks AMAZING.... faucets are in now, just need a shower curtain (for looks only, no one uses the tub...)
Above pic -Seriously UGLY sinks 'before'.....
And nice pretty sink (after pic) below
One step closer to EC!
Cheers,
Tami
The good news - after many months of planning, we finally have kitchen and master bedroom/bath plans completed. My architect is very creative and came up with some beautiful plans for the renovations.
Now that the drawing phase is completed, I need to come up with the $$$ to get the demolition and beautification process started! That's going to take some time, but at least things are moving in the right direction.
My house was purchased when I was a single momma...needed a nice place to live yet didn't have a crazy high budget. So I searched and searched and found this house that needed a TON of cosmetic work. It was stuck in the 80's and my first project was to de-brass everything. Yep, shiny brass was everywhere along with horrendous wallpaper.
For the past 7 years now, I have been renovating the house, room-by-room. Hubs has been putting in some serious elbow grease for sure!!
Before and after on the upstairs hall bath, work courtesy of the Tamster and hubs and kiddo:
After pics:
Downstairs hall bath, not yet completed, but pretty darned close:
And nice pretty sink (after pic) below
One step closer to EC!
Cheers,
Tami
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Celebration Time...Come on!
Bet you have that song in your head now, right? When I first started this blog, I mentioned that I wanted to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. But I also wrote that according to many who live in Ecuador, I could very well wake up to a parade or some kind of celebration.
Our very first night in Salinas, we were at Score Sports Bar, chatting up Will and Wendy and Deana and enjoying our first meal in Ecuador. Since we were traveling with my son Alec, 17 yrs, and this being his very first trip overseas, we decided to go easy on him and let him get his fill of hamburger and fries. The kid survived the driving from Guayaquil to Salinas in our 'egg car', so some reward was in order.
Horns honking are nothing new. Many drivers around the world use their horns to announce all sorts of things: get out of my freaking way, I'm here, I'm there, hey how ya doing, need a ride?, I really want to give you a ride, etc. Ecuador is no different. But the horn honking we were now hearing was a tad, um, persistent. And loud. And then we saw the trucks loaded with people in the back,and cars with streamers and balloons hanging everywhere, and more trucks filled to the brim with kids whooping it up. And then the buses with everyone, and I mean everyone, hanging out the windows and screaming. And we did what anyone else in our situation would...we waved. Oh mercy, that got 'em started. They loved it! Their whooping and hollering got even louder. (how was THAT possible?)
And then - I still get giggles when I think about this - a truck came by, with a full band in the back. And they were playing. Sounded pretty good. So a few more minutes of buses, cars, trucks filled with kids in the back and more whooping and hollering....oh, the celebration? Local college celebrating 35 years - at least that is what we could decipher from the posters and signs on the vehicles.
This is a Saturday night after all, so why not celebrate something? We head back to our condo, which is a few miles away from the Salinas Malecon, closer to Muey and LaLibertad, and settle in for the evening.
BAM, BAM, BAM! I wake up to crazy fireworks. Seriously wild, crazy fireworks. Maybe a few shots fired as well. The kids must still be having a grand ol' time! It is at that moment I am glad we are staying just outside of party central. Eventually I go back to my slumber, all the recent traveling has worn me out...
Hasta Luego,
Tami
Our very first night in Salinas, we were at Score Sports Bar, chatting up Will and Wendy and Deana and enjoying our first meal in Ecuador. Since we were traveling with my son Alec, 17 yrs, and this being his very first trip overseas, we decided to go easy on him and let him get his fill of hamburger and fries. The kid survived the driving from Guayaquil to Salinas in our 'egg car', so some reward was in order.
 | |||
| Chowing down |
Horns honking are nothing new. Many drivers around the world use their horns to announce all sorts of things: get out of my freaking way, I'm here, I'm there, hey how ya doing, need a ride?, I really want to give you a ride, etc. Ecuador is no different. But the horn honking we were now hearing was a tad, um, persistent. And loud. And then we saw the trucks loaded with people in the back,and cars with streamers and balloons hanging everywhere, and more trucks filled to the brim with kids whooping it up. And then the buses with everyone, and I mean everyone, hanging out the windows and screaming. And we did what anyone else in our situation would...we waved. Oh mercy, that got 'em started. They loved it! Their whooping and hollering got even louder. (how was THAT possible?)
And then - I still get giggles when I think about this - a truck came by, with a full band in the back. And they were playing. Sounded pretty good. So a few more minutes of buses, cars, trucks filled with kids in the back and more whooping and hollering....oh, the celebration? Local college celebrating 35 years - at least that is what we could decipher from the posters and signs on the vehicles.
This is a Saturday night after all, so why not celebrate something? We head back to our condo, which is a few miles away from the Salinas Malecon, closer to Muey and LaLibertad, and settle in for the evening.
BAM, BAM, BAM! I wake up to crazy fireworks. Seriously wild, crazy fireworks. Maybe a few shots fired as well. The kids must still be having a grand ol' time! It is at that moment I am glad we are staying just outside of party central. Eventually I go back to my slumber, all the recent traveling has worn me out...
Hasta Luego,
Tami
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