Home Construction Week 17..
September 25-October 1, 2006

This past week the workers finished up on the walls, supporting beams and wooden platforms for the roof. Architect Arturo tells us that the men will probably pour the concrete for the roof Tuesday or Wednesday. There is a little sense of urgency because Thursday through Sunday no noise producing construction will be allowed due to the LPGA Tournament. The pictures above and below show the men preparing the roofing support. The wood is well oiled so that the concrete doesn't stick to it when the wood is removed.

The photo below shows the roof support for the entry of our home. The picture is taken from the future living room looking out toward the street in front. The ceiling entering the home will have three different heights. The lowest is the ceiling that is visible at the front door, then there will be a slightly higher sky light over the staircase and finally the higher living room ceiling The final photo below shows the progress of the garden gazebo (asador). The columns are made of clay (barro). This gazebo will be finished traditional Mexican style, contrasting with the more modern look of the house.
Sandra and I are looking forward to the golf tournament next week. We plan on following the events Monday through Sunday. Monday through Wednesday are the practice and pro-am rounds. Thursday through Sunday are the actual tournament rounds. We hope to get some pictures of the players (jugadoras) to post on the blog next week. We are rooting for Lorena Ochoa to win!

Wild Flowers......Part 2

It is September and here in Morelia the wild flowers of Michoacan are in full bloom. These are some of the pictures I took today while Sandra and I were taking our daily walk.

Home Construction Weeks 1-16 Summary...
Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico
Tres Marias Residential Golf Course

The three photos below were taken from the street in front of the house. Pictures were taken during weeks 1, 8 and 16.

The next three photos below show the back of the house. Photos were taken during weeks 1, 8 and 16.

The final three photos show the view of the house from the street above us during weeks 1, 8, and 16.

Home Construction Week 16...
Sept. 18-24, 2006

The photos from week 16 don't show too much difference between week 15. Only difference is that all the brick walls have reached full height and the workers are beginning to build the support beams and posts for the roof. Also, the cement for the garage floor and gazebo floor have been poured. The photo above shows the front of the house. The photo below shows the back and side view of our home.
The photo below shows the posts and beams being installed to support the cement ceiling. On top of this wood support; steel rebar, foam squares and cement will complete the roof of the house.
The workers are beginning to plaster the ceiling in the rooms on the bottom floor. In the photo below some of the plaster work can be seen in the upper right corner. Where there is plaster the white foam squares are being covered. There will be two coatings of the plaster before the ceiling and walls are prepared for painting.
The photo below shows the concrete driveway. The cement will be covered with a beautiful red stone, called pigeon's blood. Architect Arturo Vargas was able to locate it for us after Sandra and I had seen it used at Tres Marias.
The final photo below, taken from the lower level television room, shows the garden gazebo's concrete floor. There will be 4 clay columns which will support a tile roof. This will be our outdoor BBQ area. I have always wanted to live in a climate where I could spend time outdoors dining. We are also looking forward to coffee and breakfast on the terraces. Wow, we really feel fortunate to be able to live like this in our retirement.

Home Construction Week 15...
Sept. 11-17, 2006

The two photos above show the progress of the house at the end of the 15th week of construction. One photo is taken from the street above our lot and the other photo is taken from the street below our lot. You can see that the walls for the upper level are about complete. The walls are about done and work on the ceiling/roof should be starting soon.

The photo above shows the north facing side of our home. The lower floor shows one of the guest bedrooms. The upper floor from left to right shows the service room, kitchen and dining room.

The photo above shows the 2 car garage, with a partial view of the entry in the lower right hand corner.

Photo above shows the entry way, with a partial view of the garage on the right hand corner.

A couple of weeks ago I explained how the workers used foam to lighten the weight of the concrete on the ceilings. The photo above shows what the finished result looks like. The white squares are the foam and the grey is the concrete. This photo is taken from the back yard.

The final photo posted above shows the gazebo (asador) that is being constructed. It will be covered with a red tile roof and Sandra and I will use it for outdoor cooking and sitting in the yard enjoying the view. I'm sure we will also have a couple of hammocks to wile away the afternoon.

Mexican Independence Day September 16........

September 16 is Mexico's Independence Day, and the night before on the 15th is the Noche Mexicana Celebration honoring Father Miguel Hidalgo's famous cry of freedom, known as "El Grito". Sandra and I celebrated the evening at Tres Marias. The party was advertised from 8 pm until 1 am. At 8 o'clock I was ready to go, but Sandra said we should wait until 9 or 9:30 to go, so as not to arrive to early. Well, I hate to be late for things so I was antsy to leave while Sandra took her time getting ready. We arrived about 9:30 and discovered we were the only ones there. Most of the others arrived at 10:30 or 11:00. I guess I got another lesson on "Mexican Time". One thing about living in Mexico is that time is relative. One might as well learn to relax, don't worry, be very patient and try not to arrive too early. The photo below shows Sandra and I before the crowd arrived.

The menu featured a Menu Michoacano. The buffet featured tacos, sopes, enchiladas and pozole. Drinks were atole (a drink made from corn), rumpope (an eggnog drink), tequila and cafe de olla (coffee and cinnamon drink made in a clay pot). There were also various postres (sweets), though I was too stuffed to try any. The photo below shows the dancers performing with the first band to perform.

Of course, what is a Mexican party with a Mariachi band performing. This photo shows the band.

The last photo is one I took of Sandra dancing a solo performance to the song "Guadalajara". Sandra is from the state of Jalisco and Guadalajara is the state capitol and the state song. I was really amazed at how Sandra danced. She told me she learned from watching other dancers perform. The beautiful hand sewn blouse Sandra is wearing is one we purchased in Oaxaca about 5 years ago. We returned home about 1:30 am only to be kept awake until 4 am by the partying of the youth at the nightclub down the street from our apartment.

Lorena Ochoa Visits Tres Marias Golf Course.......

Lorena Ochoa HEIGHT: 5'6" BIRTH DATE: 11/15/1981 BIRTH PLACE: Guadalajara, Mexico RESIDENCE: Guadalajara, Mexico EDUCATION: University of Arizona TOUR STATUS: Exempt ROOKIE YEAR: 2003 OFFICIAL WEBSITE International Player SEASON OVERVIEW STARTS: 20 VICTORIES: 3 TOP 10 FINISHES: 15 2006 EARNINGS: $1,931,324.00

Tuesday afternoon Sandra and I were out practicing our game when Jorge, our golf coach told us that Lorena Ochoa was playing a practice round with her professional teacher. Now, we have been following Lorena's progress on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) for the past 2 years and were quite excited to actually get a chance to see her play. We watched her play two holes, she was hitting several balls trying to land on different parts of the greens. Sandra and I were amazed at her length off the tee and the absolute ease of her swing. Lorena is a petite young woman, but has an absolute perfect swing, generating lots of club speed and can really crush the golf ball. All of her drives went about 270 yards and ended up right in the middle of the fairway. No one else was watching her, the course was empty so we had an opportunity to talk to her and get autographs on a hat and golf glove. I will post a few pictures we took and then I copied some facts out of the LPGA web site for those unfamiliar with Lorena. I think Steve and Stacy will enjoy this blog because they know how much we all enjoyed collecting sports memorabilia back in California.

My observation:

Lorena, the youngster, and Anika Sorenstam, the seasoned pro are battling it out for #1 woman golfer in the world this year. It reminds me of the titanic battles years ago between Arnold Palmer and the youngster Jack Nicklas. The LPGA will be playing their next tournament here in Morelia October 4-8 and Sandra and I are rooting for Lorena to win for Mexico!

Home Construction Week 14...
September 4-10, 2006

This past week the walls for the rooms on the first level of our house have started to arise. Now Sandra and I can get a better idea of what the rooms, their dimensions, and their views of the canyons, mountains and golf course will look like. The two photos below show the house pictures taken from the street above us and the street below us.

The following photos will show the progress of construction on the master bath, master bedroom, living room, dining room and kitchen.
The master bathroom (bano principal) is shown above. To the left will be a glass enclosed indoor garden room. The doorway leads to the walk in closet (vestidor) and a dressing/makeup (tocador) room. We are excited about the indoor garden as we both want to bring a bit of the outdoors inside. The photo below shows the master bedroom (recamera principal), it will have great views from the bedroom as well as the terrace.
The next photo below is taken from the front door. It shows the entry way (vestibulo) and a view into the living room (sala/estancia). The staircase leading downstairs is show on the left. The living room will also have great views, as well as a nice terrace.
The final two photos will show the dining room (comedor) and the kitchen (cocina). Both of these rooms will also have fantastic views. The red cable in the lower right hand corner is where the kitchen island will be located.
A big decision for Sandra and I right now is the placement of the kitchen cabinets, stove, oven, microwave and refrigerator. We both plan on cooking together and want an arrangement that is both aesthetic and practical. Decisions, decisions!! Next week we are hoping the walls are completed so the workers can begin on the ceiling/roof of the house.