Final Kitchen Decision Pending

Well, I was a little premature on my kitchen information in the previous posting.     We needed to get the kitchen details finalized.   Earlier I had requested bids from 3 different companies but almost had a heart attack when I saw the projected costs.   I was torn between wood finish and painted finish cabinets until we saw the two final bids for each option.  We will be working with our contractor to install the new kitchen and purchasing appliances from a local appliance store who will install them.

Our cabinets are going to be a rustic birch in a Fawn natural finish.  Our floors will be a terra cotta color tile.  Quartz countertops will be Bradford with cream, yellow, terra cotta and slate gray.  Wall color will be a nice creamy taupe chosen from the color in the sample.  The wall color could change once we see the actual color/pattern when installed.  And I still have no idea what the backsplash will be and that is the final decision.

Cabinet sample

Floor tile/counter top/paint chip

 

 

 

The appliances are different than we originally planned.  We were going to install GE Profile slate gray but Mike has asked for the Electrolux/Frigidaire side by side full fridge and full freezer.  They only comes in stainless so that changed the appliance plans.  I know they look large but each side is only 18.5 cubic feet.

Floor sample for our new fridge/freezer

 

 

I wanted a gas range ever since I saw cousin Terry's Blue Star in her new kitchen.  I've enjoyed cooking on it when we visit so that is my splurge.   The kitchen drywall and gas line should be installed this coming week.   Water line for freezer needs to also be moved into the correct location.

My 36" Blue Star gar range

 

Hopefully construction progress will continue at the current pace.  Mike is on site every day and that eliminates questions and decision delays.  He is keeping us on time & budget and doing a great job!!

 

Demo is ongoing at new house

We had a quiet trip to Cancun December 10th to 17th with Rick & Carol.  It is strange being so far away from them after being 2 hours away for over 12 years. We took a ferry ride one day and were very sad to see the changes to Isla Mujeres, which have happened in just the past couple of years.  When we stayed there before it was a sleepy little island with no traffic.  Now it was packed and is looking more and more like Cozumel - too many tourists!!!  We had considered going there next fall for an extended stay but have cancelled those plans.

Since our return, the house has been our total focus.   Mike is on site daily to oversee the crews working there and has begun to clear out some of the landscaping.  We spent Christmas Eve making two trips to the dump/landfill to throw out some of our overgrown shrubs and trees.

Last week all of the popcorn ceilings were taken down and the existing tile flooring jack hammered up.  The a grinder and sander smoothed out the mastic which the jack hammer did not remove.  This week the 2 layers of lino in the kitchen were scraped up and electrical pulled in for ceiling fans in every room.  Next week the new electrical runs for the kitchen will be pulled in and I'll have more holes in my walls and ceilings.



Living room with no popcorn ceiling or floor covering, just concrete pad



Yesterday Mike measured out and marked the placement of our cabinets and appliances in the new kitchen.  I was finally able to picture it in my mind.  We are getting Holace style KraftMaid cabinets in a painted mushroom (light taupe) finish.  The left side of the kitchen with the sink will have all glass upper doors and the right side with my new 36 inch Blue Star gas range will have standard wood doors.  We will be installing a nice stainless 36 inch range hood and side by side stand alone fridge and freezer so I'll have over 18 cubic feet of fridge and freezer both!!

 

This is the range side of the kitchen.  Higher blue stripe is where bottom of range hood will be placed

 

 

Our homeowner's association approved plans for our sunroom addition so we are now just waiting for Pima County to issue our permit.  Once we have the permit the footer for the exterior wall can be poured.  I am impatient to move in but I want it done right as this will be my forever home.  Excited!!



Desert Living

I don't know about you but I always thought living in the desert would be like the Sahara - all sand.  I just cannot get over all the wildlife and vegetation here in Green Valley.  Frankly, I haven't seen this many butterflies since I was a little girl hanging out in Grandma Burnett's garden.  We have a huge butterfly bush in the front yard and there might be up to 10 different species on it at any one time.

There is a roadrunner who passes through our back yard occasionally.  We think he is the cause of the disappearance of the lizard that was living in our new house's utility room.  And I think that darn roadrunner also goes up the hill in front of our house to stir up the quail.  We have about 30 quail who wander through daily as well.  The largest male stands guard while all the others help themselves to the bird seed our neighbors set out.  Those quail quarrel and chatter like nobody's business.  They are VERY noisy birds.  I miss watching them.

 

We've settled quite well into our rental in Tubac AZ, an artist colony south of Green Valley.  We planned to spend the winter here and it has worked out well since the house will be under construction for the winter months.  I really didn't want to live through  another remodel.

We have been doing little projects at the house, mostly painting.  It was great to find out that our local Ace Hardware has a record of all of the approved paint colors for our homeowner's association.  I made the mistake of buying dark walnut stain instead of the paint we actually needed for our beams after we removed the horrid metal security screen door on the front porch.  Hopefully our new kitchen window will be delivered this week as well.

Now it is time to head off to Mexico for a little vacation with Rick & Carol.  Can't wait to dip my toes in the ocean!


 

 



Destruction in Progress

So we have been camping out in our new house since September 20th and we have been very busy.  Our furniture consists of a card table and 2 folding chairs from WalMart and a small table for MIke's office space.  We did splurge on two twin XL beds which will be going into our guest room.  We figured they would be easier to store for the construction period through next spring rather than a king size mattress.

Week one , all the carpeting was removed, along with the padding and tack strips.  We are convinced the person who handled the original carpet installation was paid by the tack as they must have been shot into the concrete about every 3 inches in both bedrooms, closets and the home office.  That was trip one to the dump.

Next we tackled the kitchen.  All cabinets and appliances have been removed.  The 30 year old fridge is working quite well in the garage.  The cabinets are stacked and will be donated to Local charity White Elephant as they just require either painting or refinishing...all hardware was saved too.  We have the sink and one cabinet left in the kitchen was we needed someplace to set the microwave and prepare our few meals we don't eat out.  Those will be removed when we move down to Tubac on November 1st for our winter rental.  No way am I staying in the house while all the work is done!!

The "fun" started when we began to take down the soffit in the kitchen.  We've done it before and thought it would be a piece of cake.  Famous last words!!  What a nightmare.  The soffit was framed with 1/2 inch plywood covered by wallboard.  The 2 x 4 studs were buried behind all of that so every part of the soffit was a pain in the butt to take down.  After much pounding and sawing, it finally was all down...trip two to the dump.

Then we decided to take out the kitchen archway and expand the doorway into the living/dining room.  That was also a fun experience as it was built never, never, never  crack or split.  It took us 6 hours to demo that archway.  Third trip to the dump.

Right now we are patching holes in the walls and weeding.  We are hoping for some rainfall before we tackle the back yard.  Front yard is weeded and ready for our desert landscape expert, Kathy, to come out in November to design what we want - something very simple and full of cactus.  We will not have a drip system and want low maintenance for when we travel away from home each summer.

Sundays are our day of rest.  We've started going to the movies most Sundays and then stop for dinner at the Arizona Family Restaurant.  Sunday specials are roasted turkey dinner just like Thanksgiving, which is our favorite.  They also have leg of lamb or prime rib specials as well.  And since football season is in full swing, we always ask for a  booth away from the bar.  Some of those Cardinal fans get quite loud!

We are enjoying the slow pace of life here in Green Valley.  It is quiet and all of our neighbors that we've met are very nice.  Everyone looks out for each other and they have all been welcoming to us.  We even were invited to play Texas Hold 'em Poker in a league.  Buy in to the game is a dollar and I won!!!  Yep, got me $9.  They say the size of the game will increase when the snowbirds from Seattle arrive so I think we'll be going a couple times a month once things settle in.

The Latest?

Our latest news?  We bought a house in Green Valley Arizona.  Our great experiment has gone well but one of us (ME!) just can't handle the extended hotel times.  I love to travel but I prefer destination travel rather than full time travel.  So Mike agreed.  We will stay to our travel plans through September 2017 which means this winter we will stay in Tubac AZ and then Hawaii May thru August in 2017.

True to our past, we purchased a fixer upper.  I'd love to have Chip and Joanna Gaines take it on but Mike and I will be making or overseeing the necessary repairs and upgrades.  Our place is a 30 year old slump block townhouse with 2 bedrooms and 2 full baths plus a den/office.   We figure with a townhouse we can lock up and go when the spirit moves us (summer travel with winter stays in AZ). 

Our work list, so far?  The house needs all popcorn ceilings scraped, kitchen drop ceiling removed, enlarging the kitchen entry, all new kitchen cabinets and appliances,  new flooring through-out which will be Saltillo tile, new bathroom vanities and toilets, new gutters, and a new HVAC unit.  We will be the demo labor and handle changing the landscaping to desert based and will contract out the rest.  Most likely it will not be ready for full time living until late 2017.  In the meantime, we'll be 'camping' there October this year and April next spring. 

Yes, I know we have taken on a lot but it is something we enjoy doing.  I will be haunting the consignment and second hand shops in Tucson to furnish it.  I think our one splurge will be a custom mesquite dining room table from a shop in Tubac we have found.

Wish us luck!

Post Mexico Travels

Since returning from Mexico, we've been on the road until this past week.  We drove from Houston to Galveston TX, Galveston to Livingston TX, Livingston to Tucson AZ, Tucson to Santa Fe NM, and Santa Fe to Keystone Colorado.  Poor old Sabine (our Toyota Tundra) is getting some miles on her!

We had fun in Texas but really enjoyed exploring the Tucson area.  It is where we built a house in 2005, which fell through due to lack of golf course for Mike.  We discovered a great little restaurant in Green Valley AZ call Arizona Family Restaurant.  Good plain food, just like Bob Evans.  The clientele is "over 55+" and we seemed to fit right in there.  Green Valley is a retirement area 20 miles south of Tucson.  It has a great climate as it is higher in elevation than Phoenix which makes it cooler in summer.  The area also has a monsoon season during summer which is strong thunder & lightening storms.  They are window rattlers and you would not believe how the rain just pours as if from a bucket.

Next we hit the road for New Mexico.  It was pouring monsoon rain as we left our hotel and a truck in front of us kicked up a 'boulder' into our windshield.  Hit us just right so that we had a big chip and starburst right in front of me!  Mike was VERY unhappy about this.  Our first night on the road we stopped in Truth or Consequences New Mexico.  We were lucky to get a room in a new Holiday Inn Express just off I-25 -- senior rates of course.  We went in search of dinner, driving towards town.  We did not find a restaurant but we did find the Windshield Doctor.  On our way back to the hotel we decided to chance dinner at La Cocina across the highway from our hotel.  Great dinner!  Excellent carnitas tacos.   At 9 AM the next morning we were at the Windshield Doctor and he was able to repair our windshield for $25.  Hooray!!!!!!!

We then spent 3 days in Santa Fe exploring and relaxing.  (I really need to begin using some of our hotel points!).  It has been about 13 years since I was in Santa Fe and it has really become a tourist area.  The plaza is still beautiful but the stores are crammed with junk souvenirs and t-shirts or extremely high priced art and jewelry.   We had a lovely walk though all the shops.  I love old pawn silver & turquoise jewelry so I had hit the mother lode; however, I am a gold jewelry person.   Mike bought me a new gold wedding band in a rare green turquoise.  I love it!

My new ring

Friday we took a day trip to Taos driving the "high road" up and the "low road" back to Santa Fe.  The scenery was beautiful...it reminded us of driving from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe.  When we found a parking lot near the Plaza, the owner gave us a map and told us some places to check out.  Most of the stores were similar to Santa Fe except for one antique shop.  It was gross with glass eyes and false teeth and all kinds of old medical equipment!  The saving grace was stumbling into Plaza Café in the La Fonda hotel lobby on the Plaza.  OMG!!!!  My lunch choice was the Green Chili Pork Stew and a mixed green salad with lemon, ginger, & sesame dressing.   I had to control myself from licking the bowl & plate.  Just the right amount of heat and spice with well seasoned pork and the salad dressing was so full of flavor.  I could eat this every day!  The chef came out to ask us how we liked his food.   We were surprised when he sent us out a sample of his Potato Leek soup.  He makes his soups fresh every morning when he arrives at 8 AM.  He recommended his coconut flan for dessert and we both had to try it.  Amazing!!

Coconut Flan with Caramel Sauce!

 

Our last day in Santa Fe, we met up with our friend Carrie from So Cal.  Carrie was my vendor at First Interstate and became a close friend.  She was also our Big Bear friend.  We spent many fun weekends at Mom and Pop's cabin in Sugarloaf.  She and her husband moved to NM many years ago and I hadn't seen Carrie in 13 years, since a Cardinal Health business trip to Albuquerque.   Mike and I were looking forward to reconnecting and within 2 minutes, it was like we had never been apart.    Great catching up with all that's happened to our families over the years.  At Carrie's recommendation, we had a wonderful lunch at Blue Corn Café.

Next stop?  Keystone Colorado.  See you there!

 

 

Last Day fishing East Cape and Good-bye

 

...Leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again...

 

 

We had our last day of fishing on Wednesday the 20th aboard Scorpion panga with Captain Jorge.  We have had great days on the water with him over the past 2 months and Wednesday did not disappoint.  The sea was choppy by the hotel so we headed south to La Ribera/Punta Colorado where the water was totally flat.  The morning was slow as we trolled looking for any wahoo, dorado, or tuna who would join us in the panga.  Jorge and Mike decided it was time to move a little after 10 AM so we headed back to the spot that was very good to them the week before.  At exactly 10:30 AM we had 4 lines hit.   First tuna we lost, second I brought in, third Mike brought in and the fourth Mike and I tag teamed with Mike completing the catch.



 

Me with my tuna (sorry about those farmer tan arms but it was really, really hot!!)



 

Once all the excitement was over, we started trolling again but weren't getting any further bites.  As we were heading back to shore and packing up our equipment, we got another hit and Mike brought in our 4th tuna of the morning (literally a volunteer...).  We had stopped to reel in the lines and pack it in... and there he was!  A welcome surprise. 

 

Mike and the volunteer tuna

 



We head home to Texas tomorrow morning (July 30th) so this week has been all about saying good-bye to Los Barriles.  We have eaten at El Gecko and Tio Pablo's in addition to the Bay View downstairs.  Pedro, our building manager, is the beneficiary of our last tuna catch (15 lbs).  We really wanted to ship it to Rick and Carol but neither UPS, FedEx or the Smokehouse would either ship fresh fish nor guarantee it would make it past Mexico City  - so lucky Pedro!!  It has been so nice to spend an extended period of time here and get to know the people just a little better.  We will miss Gabby (head of housekeeping), Pedro, Eve at Tio Pablo's, Rafael at Chapito's Grocery, and Junior at El Gecko.

So after a few days in East Texas, we will be on our way to Keystone in Colorado.  Going from sea level to 9500 feet should be an experience, shouldn't it??