Rob and Diane's New House Blog

We're Back!

We're back after a two month road trip as far north as Reno, Nevada and as far south as the Osa Penninsula in Costa Rica. We're putting the finishing touches on the house to get it completely ready as a vacation rental. It will be available starting with Thanksgiving 2007. For more information check out:

http://vrbo.com/150158

In late November we plan to return to Central America for more exploration. We'll have awesome on-site managers, Karl and Kim to take care of guests and the house. Hopefully, I'll have time to do some photography of the new garden--it's shaping up nicely and we just ordered a gorgeous talavera ceramic fountain for the courtyard. Stay tuned....

Home, Sweet Home

Well, we finally moved in last weekend! We love our new house, though we are still moving more stuff, and finishing projects. We have 2 workers this week, but will be down to one next week. Our plan is to leave next Thursday to drive to the US to register the truck and see family and friends, then drive south, ultimately to Costa Rica and maybe Panama. We'll be back in Cabo Pulmo in October to put finishing touches on the house to get it ready to rent. We hope to have it ready for Thanksgiving when we'll head south again. Stay tuned!

Don Quixote in his New Home

Morning Glory

A native I started from seed. Flowers are only open til around noon. A beauty!

Rock Daisy

I collected a small plant last year by the roadside and it has reseeded in the garden. I transplanted a seedling to the new Native garden and it is thriving. It's an annual so I hope it will reseed some more.

More of "The Guys" by Outdoor Shower

More Fountain Courtyard Plants

Portulacas

These are in the Fountain Courtyard. I started them from seed a few months ago. It has been fun to see the different colors emerge. I pull out and kill the colors I don't like: white, white and lemon yellow.

The Guys Moved In

Fountain Courtyard

This is one of our favorite spaces, though we've had little time to enhoy it. We still need the fountain, but luckily I found that we can order a talavera fountain from the same place I got the fountain for the old house.

View Toward Kitchen

Unfortunately, we are still missing our dining table and chairs. We commissioned them from a rustico furniture maker (Lupe) in Mireflores in February and he said it would take two months. Unfortunately, for him, he got some wood or sawdust in his eyes and has had a long recover, a log fell on his leg a few weeks ago, and his son rolled Lupe's car a few months ago (son was ok, but not the car).... We'll get them in October.

Barbeque

We went to La Paz a couple of weeks ago and found this Cardinal tile--perfecto.

Stairway

Kitchen

Kitchen cabinets are done. We used recycled palm wood (from an old palapa that was damaged in the hurricane) for slats.

Livingroom Area

Passionfruit Climbing up Chain in Courtyard

Upstairs Dresser

We bought rustico pine furniture to paint. Using black this way is new for me. I like it.

Drawer for Master Casita Dresser

Still Working on Upstairs Bathroom Paint

Upstairs Bathroom Door

Now I Like the Purple

Junk Metal Sculpture

Mosaic Saltillo Surrounds Fountain

Plants are Growing

Don Quixote Moved In

More Comfortable

Rob managed to get our DVR (digital video recorder) setup to record much of the French Open tennis tournament. We watch movies here now too (but are still living in the old house).

We Continue to Move Furniture In

Gate Installed

Generator House Inside Garage

Flagstone Installed

Rock Journey

Rocks

Rob and a couple of the guys took the truck up the arroyo and somehow loaded some muy grande rocks. This one needed some technological help to move it into place in the garden.