Gotta start somewhere

Yesterday I met Placido, a local Mexican contractor who's going to help me transform this place, poco a poco. He was referred to me by Linda and Rich, a snowbird couple who have separate condos just up the walk from me. They remind me of Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera with their separate-but-equal Blue House. They've been here since 1995 and have transformed their abodes into glossy spreads out of Sunset Magazine. A pair of real "just-so" fanatics. I learned a lot, getting tours of both condos, but had to overcome a little letdown when I came back home and looked around at mine.

But wait! 1995... that's 14 years ago! Gee, maybe I could accomplish a few improvements, given 14 years.

And with the help of Placido, of course. This gentleman really lives up to his name. He's in his thirties, with a wide, tranquil face and gentle eyes, very patient with my many questions and not at all pushy with his ideas. After I walked him around and showed him the many things I was concerned about, we came up with a wish list, and he sat down and toted up prices. Not so bad, I thought, looking it over. Linda says one of the things she likes about Placido is that when he names a price, he sticks to it.

So next week he will come in and begin painting a sealer on the brick inside, so that it won't erode any further. Then I have to decide whether to leave the brick natural, or paint it. That's what Linda did, in bright Mexican colors. She says she feels like she's living inside a Talavera bowl, with all the spectacular chrome yellow, orange, purple and indigo blue.

Talavera pottery

 The brick outside will also have to be done, too, of course. Preferably before next summer's rainy season.

Also crucial is termite treatment and replacement of the wood those voracious little insects have devoured. Yuck! There's very little wood in these buildings, other than trim, cabinetry and furniture, but termites tunnel through the brick to get to the wood. Mexican termites are tiny, but have huge appetites. Part of the sealing process will involve plugging the little holes in the bricks where they travel.

To replace the flimsy sliding glass back door that slips off its track all the time, a real door, framed with glass brick on each side, will be my Christmas present to myself.

Then I'll have a new front door put in, since the one I have is so cracked and fits its frame so poorly I can see daylight through it, and an easy kick would bust it open. Painted my favorite color, teal blue.

We talked about building a ramada (basically a roof, with the sides left open)  for the back patio, since my washer and dryer reside there. Mine won't be as rustic as this one, shown in Sunset Magazine, since the condo association has to approve it. But then, this one probably wouldn't survive hurricane winds, would it?

So for the next year all my shopping will be at the ferreteria (hardware store) or the taller de pintura (paint store). Any money I spend, that's where it'll go.

Anybody got any recipes for beans and rice?

P.S. The article about the ramada says the Indian who built it rubbed motor oil into the supports to discourage termites.