It’s been a while.
Author: doug
The perils of doing the “ecological” thing
Here you see the local herrero, installing the metal gate posts he promised 3-4 months ago. He has a good sense of humor, and we have a running joke about his never getting anything done on time.
I stopped by his shop the other day and spoke with his wife. He wasn’t there. I mentioned there was no hurry, since since several months had passed, though the rotting wooden posts were getting worse.
The next day he showed up, and the day after that the job was done. I know who I’ll talk to the next time I need a response 😉
What you see in the foreground are the “ecologically” treated fence posts, that lasted (in sandy soil) perhaps three years.
Dunes, doin’ their dune thing
I’ve mentioned before the boardwalks from three years or so ago: here and in a picture here.
One I walk almost every day has the odd distinction of being at ground level near the road, where it is rotting away and creating opportunities to fall that would inspire lawsuits in the Untied States of Amurka. Yet where it crosses the dune, at a level based on wind erosion, the protected dune has regained its normal height.
Which is almost to the height of the handrails of the boardwalk.
In which I fail a simple technological challenge.
Returning from the beach, I thought I’d use the video on my camera to catch the “mewing” sounds of the frogs. I turned it on, heard better sound further along, turned it off, started it again just in time to catch a raucous call, and a loud bird landing next to another overhead in a dead tree.
When I got home, I discovered that I had turned it off when I thought I was starting it, so missed all the good stuff.
So anyway, here’s the bird:
Curious advertising choice
Couple years ago, a Brazilian chef opened a slightly upscale restaurant in nearby and otherwise not-upscale Parque del Plata. I took the wife to have lunch there once, and next to the sign showing they were open was a very convincing chain holding the gate locked shut. I doubt it’s still open.
I mention it today because I’m trying to clear my desk of little pieces of paper, mostly presupuestos, or estimates which you get every time you ask a price here, and came across this advertising piece for the restaurant.
Why would someone go to the bother and expense of creating these things, using a defective Google map that shows significant residential areas underwater? Boggles the mind. This mind, anyway.
Dead things on the beach
If you dig it, it will fill
Remember the pond-digging last month?
After a few days of heavy rain, we have a pond which almost looks like it’s always been there.
And you spotted the local wildlife enjoying it? This is locally called Tero-Tero for its call. Up north, Southern Lapwing. Same bird exists in Australia: very territorial, spurs on wings. Rather aggressive if you happen upon them with young.
The sausage machine
Inspired by local expats who have started making sausage, but not by their product or prices, the kid decided to make his own, and diligently cranked and cranked and cranked with a neighbor’s manual grinder. Lot of work.
So when we found an electric one at Tienda Inglesa, we said why not and shelled out some bonus points. The kid cranked it up, and it worked like a charm!
For an hour. Unfortunately, not completely unexpected with products sold here.
The sitzbad
Given a bathroom space that didn’t allow for a full-size bath tub, we recalled the sitz bad of my wife’s apartment in Frankfurt. I made a wood model of the seat, and the albeñil Martín went to town. No doubt this will end up as the single most expensive item of construction, but we’ve lived with a place to soak for almost seven years, and will install a solar hot water heater when I get around to buying one.
Of course, there’s always got to be a surprise, and in this case it comes through the semi-Medieval plumbing they do here. The draining water from the bath (this was its first test) goes into that little floor drain, then exits the house. Except that it doesn’t go into that little box; it floods into that little box, under considerable pressure, of course flooding the bathroom if you don’t slow it down. Not a show-stopper, and not unsolvable, and fortunately the floors consist of tile over concrete, so even if it were to flood the adjoining room it would simply be an inconvenience.
What a difference a year makes!
A little over a year ago, we started construction on our remarkable new house. Have a look.
This is what it looks like now:
Looking from the sleeping toward the back back.
The storeroom on the right replaces the charming defecation facility I photographed in August 2012. All that’s lacking is the kitchen. I plan to build the cabinets, and been waffling and indecisive about how I want to do them. But, as Stuarte Wilde said: There is no hurry on the creative plane, nor is there any lack of opportunity.