OK, now we're having a REAL tropical rainstorm. It's relentlessly pouring. I was going to enter this as it was happening, but it's overwhelmed the satellite. The overflow on both the cistern and rotoplast are rivers. The eaves on the house can't handle the flow, so the plants below are being pummeled. It's nearly impossible to talk on the verandas because of the roar of the rain on the zinc roofing. It's a little better in the house because of our wonderful wood ceiling. In order to visit or watch a DVD, we have to close the shutters to block out some of the sound. This is what makes the jungle, the jungle. It takes a lot of rain and boy are we getting it!
I worry about Rene as he took the weedeater to clear fence lines. He couldn't find a piece of plastic for a cover at home, but I gave him an old plastic poncho in case it rained. Ha! This is beyond rain. It's a deluge. He hasn't come back yet, so imagine he's sitting under a tree under the poncho. We can't really help him, but feel guilty leaving him out there. I could write a book about Rene, but will say here, he worked for 25 years supervising a survey crew all thru the jungles of Belize. He's very self-sufficient when it comes to survival. Even if we got nothing else from our adventure here, Rene's stories and generous help would make it worthwhile.
I have clothes hanging on the verandas, trying to dry. They go as far as damp, but not dry. We're trying to rig up hooks near the ceiling of our bedroom to string a line. Heat rises, right? I could whine about needing a dryer, but this is still quite a learning experience. Don't know if our kids would enjoy this, but maybe our grandkids would. Frogs & lizards. Oh, to answer a question, yes the "chicken frog" is here. Not sure what he/she looks like, but sure can be loud. Art actually saw a golden colored frog a couple of days ago. Maybe that's old "chicken". Rene said that the golden color is very rare. Anyway, maybe the grandkids wouldn't enjoy it tho'. They're the Gameboy/Nintendo generation. Wish they could come down and give it a try. Maybe someday.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
rainy season
We had rain off & on all day yesterday and it looks threatening again today. Rene just came to work and told us that this is the beginning. Things will start growing like crazy, which they already are, and that we need to pull all vegetation and dead leaves away from the buildings because the snakes and bugs will try to get in away from the wet. I can see today's activity. We're so happy that we built wooden building, up on stilts. Rene & Bonita had a coral snake in their house, but they have a concrete house, on the ground and near the river.
I also have to do laundry, which is really a trip when it's so humid. Nothing really gets dry. Sure wish we had a butane dryer. That's why the name, Dreamer Farm. The cistern is overflowing, so water isn't a problem. We are going to ask Rene to get up on the roof and clean the gutters to keep the leaves out of the cistern.
I am going to have to do some extra shopping to be sure that we have enough supplies in case weather hits. There's a spot on Paslow Falls road that is low and floods, making it impossible to drive out. It's pretty far for our gringo legs to walk to the village. We're not really worried, just trying to listen and learn.
I also have to do laundry, which is really a trip when it's so humid. Nothing really gets dry. Sure wish we had a butane dryer. That's why the name, Dreamer Farm. The cistern is overflowing, so water isn't a problem. We are going to ask Rene to get up on the roof and clean the gutters to keep the leaves out of the cistern.
I am going to have to do some extra shopping to be sure that we have enough supplies in case weather hits. There's a spot on Paslow Falls road that is low and floods, making it impossible to drive out. It's pretty far for our gringo legs to walk to the village. We're not really worried, just trying to listen and learn.
Friday, May 14, 2010
May morning
It's strange to me that the days & nights remain fairly even. It now gets light about 5am and dark settles in about 6:30pm.
So many bird sounds. I've tried to identify them, but with so much vegetation the they're almost impossible to see. I always open my eyes in the morning with a smile to the grating calls of the Chachalaca. They sound like a squeaky gate, carrying on for over an hour. We watched our DVD of "The Count of Monte Cristo" a few nights ago & now it sounds to me as tho' the Chachalacas are saying "Jacopo, Jacopo, Jacopo." (He's the Count's trusted friend, played by Luis Guzman). If we ever leave here, that's the sounds I'll miss the most.
We finally had a short rain last evening. Only in spurts for about 15 min., but lovely. Of course, the gutters overflowed because of leaves. We'll have to ask Rene to get up on the roof to clean them when it's dry & cool. I don't have to worry about carrying water to my plants for a couple of days.
Early morning is so lovely. It's cool with the mist hiding the harsh sun. As the sun breaks thru, we have to shut our front shutters to keep the house cool. When the sun rises above the veranda roof, we'll open the shutters again to allow the breeze to blow thru.
We've struggled to see what we're guessing is a warbler in a cohune by the house. What a lovely sound. Being from the mtns of Oregon, our bird experiences were totally different. We'd watch the osprey & bald eagles, the blue jay, robin, red winged blackbird, pine siskins, grossbeaks, crossbills & blue birds. Our favorite was the little rufus hummingbird who spent the summer near our feeders. That's on today's shopping list. I need a feeder for the large hummingbird we see in the flowers. We're off to the metropolis of Spanish Lookout, always hopeful.
So many bird sounds. I've tried to identify them, but with so much vegetation the they're almost impossible to see. I always open my eyes in the morning with a smile to the grating calls of the Chachalaca. They sound like a squeaky gate, carrying on for over an hour. We watched our DVD of "The Count of Monte Cristo" a few nights ago & now it sounds to me as tho' the Chachalacas are saying "Jacopo, Jacopo, Jacopo." (He's the Count's trusted friend, played by Luis Guzman). If we ever leave here, that's the sounds I'll miss the most.
We finally had a short rain last evening. Only in spurts for about 15 min., but lovely. Of course, the gutters overflowed because of leaves. We'll have to ask Rene to get up on the roof to clean them when it's dry & cool. I don't have to worry about carrying water to my plants for a couple of days.
Early morning is so lovely. It's cool with the mist hiding the harsh sun. As the sun breaks thru, we have to shut our front shutters to keep the house cool. When the sun rises above the veranda roof, we'll open the shutters again to allow the breeze to blow thru.
We've struggled to see what we're guessing is a warbler in a cohune by the house. What a lovely sound. Being from the mtns of Oregon, our bird experiences were totally different. We'd watch the osprey & bald eagles, the blue jay, robin, red winged blackbird, pine siskins, grossbeaks, crossbills & blue birds. Our favorite was the little rufus hummingbird who spent the summer near our feeders. That's on today's shopping list. I need a feeder for the large hummingbird we see in the flowers. We're off to the metropolis of Spanish Lookout, always hopeful.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Off-grid challenge-toilet !
Living off-grid brings a lot more challenges than setting up a solar system or trying to have a successful garden. Some of the REALLY basic needs have to met right away. One of our first problems was a bathroom. Now for the guys it's not that big a deal, but I refuse to expose my delicate posterior to the elements. During one of our first trips to stay on the property, we had a fellow dig a latrine and Rene & Amelio put a terrific top on it. It certainly wasn't conventional, but it worked fine. It took a little convincing that it was private, but after a few giggles (by me) looking at cohune palm frond walls, we found it quite comfortable. Of course, the palms wouldn't last forever, but got thru the building stages and our first couple of visits.
We had the bodega and guest rooms built next. When we came down to check on the progress, Amelio surprised us with his version of a composting toilet. Not fancy, but very functional. Note: this is the photo with the blue seat. We put a screen under the toilet seat to keep bugs from going up or down. Since this is on the upper floor, He fabricated a metal chute under which we've place a 10 gallon barrel. When it's time to remove, it's easy to pull out, place a lid on it and take it to the special compost bin. We use wood shavings with a rule of one to two cups depending (fill in the space yourself). We've found that there's almost no odor with this setup.
When we had all our stuff shipped down, we tho't we needed a more normal looking toilet in our house, but since we're very sensitive to electricity and water useage, we bo't a Biolet non-electric toilet. This is a white plastic thing with a bucket inside. The theory here is that the water passes thru holes in the bottom of the bucket into a pipe in the ground and the bucket is removed and carried to the compost bin. Sounds ok, but in practice we hate it. They recommend that you use their special, wonderful composting material, but hey, we're in Belize and it's not that easy to get it sent down here. We actually use the wood shavings here also. They're clean and smell nice, which is more than I can say for the toilet. The holes in the bucket mean that we have to put it in a garbage bag to carry outside. The bugs love this thing and I'm constantly spraying to keep it bug free. The venting has been a problem as the toilet itself it light weight and tends to move, disconnecting the vent joints. We're handling all this just fine, but, if we get another water source, we may choose to go the conventional route. We MUCH prefer the homemade version that Amelio created for our guest house and have even tho't about changing to it. A huge consideration too is that the Biolet cost us $1448US before shipping & customs and the homemade version cost about $50BZ including the seat. Wow!
If you're considering off-grid living, I hope some of this is of value to you. If not, you can smile every time you flush.
DRAT ! i Can't get this darned notebook to read my SD card to publish the rest of the photos. As soon as I figure it out I'll update. Thanks guys. G.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Musings
It's the end of April & I've been back in Belize about 3 weeks. The weather has been hot & muggy. According to our Mayan friends, this is unusual for April. We've also had a couple of rip-roaring thunderstorms. The first was a couple of weeks ago and came down from the north. The deluge hit hard & fast with lightning right overhead. We dashed to throw the breakers on the solar panels to isolate the inverter in case of a strike. Not sure if that's the best answer, but works for now. The storm 2 nights ago came from the west and once again, filled our cisterns. We're very conservative & our 10,000 gallon in ground cistern has stayed nearly full since it's beginning. We use the 600 gallon Rotoplast for irrigation & laundry.
We've had another repair dilemma. The bearings went out in the differential in the old flail. I had to laugh at a question from our son. I told him that his Dad was struggling to figure out what had happened & how to fix it & Tim asked if he had an instruction book on it. The poor old flail is at least 50 years old & shows every year of it. There probably wasn't a manual on it was new. Art has never been a mechanic, but has figured it out. After several trips to Spanish Lookout & lots of experimenting, he found the correct bearings & lock washers & it's working.!! We sure need the thing as we've had just enough rain to encourage the weeds to grow.
Still don't have the chainsaw working. Bo't a new coil for it in the States and it doesn't fit. After several discussions with the fellows at Crossroads in SL, they ordered one for us and it's the same incorrect one. I spent some time with them on their parts computer & we discovered that there are 2 different ones for mine. Jacob has been really helpful. He was going to order the new one. About 15 min. after leaving the store he phoned me to say that they had one in a saw that they'd take out & put in ours. We left it with them to do a tuneup to be sure all is well. Would you believe that a couple of days later we got a call that this model is unique and that there is actually a 3rd coil used only in this model. Can you hear me screaming from here? Anyway, they're ordering this unique coil.
The computer continues to be a frustration. Both Dell & the Geek Squad responded with "so sorry, but since you had the stupidity to take it out of the country, It's no longer our problem." Note: from previous experience I found that Dell Finance was in India and service was handled from the Phillipines. At least Belize is an English speaking country. I'm sending the computer north with a friend & she'll ship it to our daughter in Oregon & hoping for the best. Ha!
As I previously mentioned, my garden was a bust. I did salvage a couple of tomato plants I started in bags & three that Rene had stuck around. I transplanted them to the back of the house under the trees. I'm holding my breath, but they seem to be recovering & a couple have little tomatoes. Not sure of varieties, so will all be a surprise.
We've been enjoying watching birds visit a tree that has fruit that looks like a green cherry. Were thrilled to get photos of a gorgeous pair of tanager's who stayed for nearly a week. In the NW we don't see bright red birds. The Aracari visit here periodically, but are quick & shy. We have black & white warblers bouncing around, looking like tiny convicts in their striped attire. Some look more blue than black. Of course there are lots of greenish finches and our resident Kiskadee's to keep us entertained. They may not call it spring down here, but it still seems to be the nesting time. A not too bright pair of Kiskadee's have made a nest in the gutter on the guest house, right over the drain. A downpour might wash them away. We don't have many flowers yet, but have one large red bush that keeps a hummingbird busy. Unlike the little Rufus that we see in Oregon, this lovely thing is larger with a dark purple body & green highlights. What a joy!
We've had another repair dilemma. The bearings went out in the differential in the old flail. I had to laugh at a question from our son. I told him that his Dad was struggling to figure out what had happened & how to fix it & Tim asked if he had an instruction book on it. The poor old flail is at least 50 years old & shows every year of it. There probably wasn't a manual on it was new. Art has never been a mechanic, but has figured it out. After several trips to Spanish Lookout & lots of experimenting, he found the correct bearings & lock washers & it's working.!! We sure need the thing as we've had just enough rain to encourage the weeds to grow.
Still don't have the chainsaw working. Bo't a new coil for it in the States and it doesn't fit. After several discussions with the fellows at Crossroads in SL, they ordered one for us and it's the same incorrect one. I spent some time with them on their parts computer & we discovered that there are 2 different ones for mine. Jacob has been really helpful. He was going to order the new one. About 15 min. after leaving the store he phoned me to say that they had one in a saw that they'd take out & put in ours. We left it with them to do a tuneup to be sure all is well. Would you believe that a couple of days later we got a call that this model is unique and that there is actually a 3rd coil used only in this model. Can you hear me screaming from here? Anyway, they're ordering this unique coil.
The computer continues to be a frustration. Both Dell & the Geek Squad responded with "so sorry, but since you had the stupidity to take it out of the country, It's no longer our problem." Note: from previous experience I found that Dell Finance was in India and service was handled from the Phillipines. At least Belize is an English speaking country. I'm sending the computer north with a friend & she'll ship it to our daughter in Oregon & hoping for the best. Ha!
As I previously mentioned, my garden was a bust. I did salvage a couple of tomato plants I started in bags & three that Rene had stuck around. I transplanted them to the back of the house under the trees. I'm holding my breath, but they seem to be recovering & a couple have little tomatoes. Not sure of varieties, so will all be a surprise.
We've been enjoying watching birds visit a tree that has fruit that looks like a green cherry. Were thrilled to get photos of a gorgeous pair of tanager's who stayed for nearly a week. In the NW we don't see bright red birds. The Aracari visit here periodically, but are quick & shy. We have black & white warblers bouncing around, looking like tiny convicts in their striped attire. Some look more blue than black. Of course there are lots of greenish finches and our resident Kiskadee's to keep us entertained. They may not call it spring down here, but it still seems to be the nesting time. A not too bright pair of Kiskadee's have made a nest in the gutter on the guest house, right over the drain. A downpour might wash them away. We don't have many flowers yet, but have one large red bush that keeps a hummingbird busy. Unlike the little Rufus that we see in Oregon, this lovely thing is larger with a dark purple body & green highlights. What a joy!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Trip to Oregon
Well, I traveled back to Oregon to visit family and check on our house. The trip itself was as usual, frustrating. Picked up my checked bags in Houston, go thru immigration, rechecked bags, did the tap dance thru security, rushed to next gate. I have to fly economy, which is pretty minimalistic, but even the folks in first looked stressed. When I got to Portland I found that my checked bag had had extremely rough treatment, but most things were there. Since it was midnight, I grabbed and ran. Stayed overnight in Portland and flew to Redmond the next day. It was worrying to fly over the Cascades and see so little snow. Only the mountains (Hood, Jefferson, Three Sisters, Washington, Broken Top and Bachelor) had snow. Hope this doesn't foretell forest fires this summer.
Of course, it was wonderful to see our daughter and family. It's strange to go from hot to winter overnight. It did snow several times during my two week stay, but each time it melted within a day or two. It was overwhelming to walk into our house. Most of our furniture is still there and Kris had made sure it was clean for my stay. It's such a pretty house and built with love and hope. I cried! This turned out to be such an ill-fated trip in many ways. The good thing is that I had lovely visits with my brother and family, son, Tim and family and of course, Kris, Dan and boys.
I traveled with a list of chores and there lies the rub. My computer was first on the list. I took it to Best Buy and the Geek Squad because it was still under warranty. They thought they'd have to send it away for service that takes 3 weeks, but after a couple of days I got a call that they'd fixed it. Yippee! I used it while there, but when I got back to Belize, IT DIED AGAIN! Wish I'd bought a notebook while there, but didn't think I could justify the expense. Dummy!
My Stihl chainsaw needed a new coil. We've been using it a lot to clear bush. Surprisingly, no one had one in stock as "they never go bad." I finally found one in Pasco, WA, near where our son lives. Paid too much, but "a bird in the hand, etc." Got back to Belize and it's the wrong coil! ! !
I had lots of things that I wanted to bring back, but ended up leaving in Oregon in order to keep my bag under 50#s. It's hard when you travel alone.
Most of our neighbors had traveled south for the winter so missed out on visits and great potlucks. We sure miss you folks.
So, I'm back to square one, without a computer. I wouldn't recommend the Geek Squad. They sure let me down. My computer's now at the end of it's warranty and is only good as a boat anchor.
It's good to be back home in Belize with Art and Bailey. The weather here has been great. A little warm sometimes, but we get a wonderful breeze here on our hill. We continue to chop and weedeat and look ahead. Art has painted all our footings on the houses with lime wash to stop the bugs. It sure maakes the houses look tidy. I'm finally trying to finish our "Dreamer Farm" sign for our entrance. Don't know why I keep putting it off.
Anyway, dear friends, we can get frustrated with the slowness of things here in Belize, but, here in Cayo you can always find someone who will try to help you. This trip back to the States was filled with similar frustrations. Trying to find things that we needed, such as solar items, with limited luck and heared a lot of "that's not our job." "We don't do that here, you have to go somewhere else."
It's good to be home.
Of course, it was wonderful to see our daughter and family. It's strange to go from hot to winter overnight. It did snow several times during my two week stay, but each time it melted within a day or two. It was overwhelming to walk into our house. Most of our furniture is still there and Kris had made sure it was clean for my stay. It's such a pretty house and built with love and hope. I cried! This turned out to be such an ill-fated trip in many ways. The good thing is that I had lovely visits with my brother and family, son, Tim and family and of course, Kris, Dan and boys.
I traveled with a list of chores and there lies the rub. My computer was first on the list. I took it to Best Buy and the Geek Squad because it was still under warranty. They thought they'd have to send it away for service that takes 3 weeks, but after a couple of days I got a call that they'd fixed it. Yippee! I used it while there, but when I got back to Belize, IT DIED AGAIN! Wish I'd bought a notebook while there, but didn't think I could justify the expense. Dummy!
My Stihl chainsaw needed a new coil. We've been using it a lot to clear bush. Surprisingly, no one had one in stock as "they never go bad." I finally found one in Pasco, WA, near where our son lives. Paid too much, but "a bird in the hand, etc." Got back to Belize and it's the wrong coil! ! !
I had lots of things that I wanted to bring back, but ended up leaving in Oregon in order to keep my bag under 50#s. It's hard when you travel alone.
Most of our neighbors had traveled south for the winter so missed out on visits and great potlucks. We sure miss you folks.
So, I'm back to square one, without a computer. I wouldn't recommend the Geek Squad. They sure let me down. My computer's now at the end of it's warranty and is only good as a boat anchor.
It's good to be back home in Belize with Art and Bailey. The weather here has been great. A little warm sometimes, but we get a wonderful breeze here on our hill. We continue to chop and weedeat and look ahead. Art has painted all our footings on the houses with lime wash to stop the bugs. It sure maakes the houses look tidy. I'm finally trying to finish our "Dreamer Farm" sign for our entrance. Don't know why I keep putting it off.
Anyway, dear friends, we can get frustrated with the slowness of things here in Belize, but, here in Cayo you can always find someone who will try to help you. This trip back to the States was filled with similar frustrations. Trying to find things that we needed, such as solar items, with limited luck and heared a lot of "that's not our job." "We don't do that here, you have to go somewhere else."
It's good to be home.
Friday, March 26, 2010
comments
Hi guys,
So sorry that I'm not great at this and haven't figured out how to respond directly to comments, so will do it this way.
One question was regarding the china closet. Did we have to get a permit. No. Not sure why we would have. I have read that some folks are under the impression that you can't bring in anything made of wood. We didn't find that to be the case. We bro't in a few pieces of old furniture, including bedframes, dressers and tables & chairs, all without problems. Also pictures in frames and some of my carved wood pictures. Our things came in via a container of household goods. No questions about the wooden items. I suspect that the only thing not allowed would be lumber itself. I do know of one carver who wanted to take mahogany out of Belize, but wasn't allowed to. He had to carve the doors in country and then ship them to the US as finished. That's really the only case I've heard of and that was export, not import.
The termites have been trying to invade the wooden structures, but aren't actually getting into that wood. Apparently, they will work up the treated wood looking for furniture to eat. We'll experiment with either treatments or possibly a metal pad under each leg to deter them.
Also had a question about our cabinets. The only thing we put on them was oil based verithane. I spoke to a wonderful lady who has a factory that builds incredibly beautiful furniture in San Ignacio. They spray lacquer on all their pieces.
I'm struggling with vastly different temperatures. I'm in Washington right now, where the temp is in the 60's, but windy. Our daughter in Oregon said that they had 6" of snow and it was still snowing this morning and I called Art in Belize and it was 105 yesterday. Wow! Was hoping the hot would hold off until May, but looks as tho' it's shooting up to HOT a little early.
Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate knowing that someone is reading my babblings and that some of this is helpful. Belize is wonderful, but there has definitely been a learning curve. Gale
So sorry that I'm not great at this and haven't figured out how to respond directly to comments, so will do it this way.
One question was regarding the china closet. Did we have to get a permit. No. Not sure why we would have. I have read that some folks are under the impression that you can't bring in anything made of wood. We didn't find that to be the case. We bro't in a few pieces of old furniture, including bedframes, dressers and tables & chairs, all without problems. Also pictures in frames and some of my carved wood pictures. Our things came in via a container of household goods. No questions about the wooden items. I suspect that the only thing not allowed would be lumber itself. I do know of one carver who wanted to take mahogany out of Belize, but wasn't allowed to. He had to carve the doors in country and then ship them to the US as finished. That's really the only case I've heard of and that was export, not import.
The termites have been trying to invade the wooden structures, but aren't actually getting into that wood. Apparently, they will work up the treated wood looking for furniture to eat. We'll experiment with either treatments or possibly a metal pad under each leg to deter them.
Also had a question about our cabinets. The only thing we put on them was oil based verithane. I spoke to a wonderful lady who has a factory that builds incredibly beautiful furniture in San Ignacio. They spray lacquer on all their pieces.
I'm struggling with vastly different temperatures. I'm in Washington right now, where the temp is in the 60's, but windy. Our daughter in Oregon said that they had 6" of snow and it was still snowing this morning and I called Art in Belize and it was 105 yesterday. Wow! Was hoping the hot would hold off until May, but looks as tho' it's shooting up to HOT a little early.
Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate knowing that someone is reading my babblings and that some of this is helpful. Belize is wonderful, but there has definitely been a learning curve. Gale
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Finally, a bedroom wall
When we first moved into our little house, our only interior wall was around the bathroom. We only had studs defining where the wall would be. Our furniture was the only visual division. We were able to buy some rough Santa Maria lumber. It's beautiful, but the boards were of varying thicknesses and widths and many of them weren't straight. We struggled anyway and were able to build our wall. It is definitely not perfect, the boards are still shrinking, but we love it anyway. It has personality. You will note that we succeeded in bringing down a china closet which is a family piece. The fun drawing on the left was done by my very talented brother, done in colored pencil. The photo above the china cabinet is of my great grandfather and the woodcarvings were my efforts.
Rather than finish the back side of the wall, which is on the bedroom side, we added horizontal boards which became bookcases for our paperbacks. Great insulation.
Rather than finish the back side of the wall, which is on the bedroom side, we added horizontal boards which became bookcases for our paperbacks. Great insulation.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Making a small house work - kitchen
Our log home in Oregon has 2400 sq ft, so moving into a little house with 600 sq ft could be a challenge. Actually, it's wonderful. We had to skinny down our necessities and make the most of every inch. Actually, if we'd been in the States it would have been harder because of building restrictions. Here in Belize, the open walls have proven to be a blessing and a few problems. Also, we made a choice to not have glass windows, but double screens with shutters.
The openness allows for wonderful air flow and light. Of course, the problem end is that it's harder to keep out the little bugs. I have no idea how they get in, but I can't get dinner on the table we've made into an island, because the light overhead draws them in. Ich! It's a wonder I haven't gassed both of us with bug spray.
We finally finished our open kitchen cabinets & the pantry wall, all made of Santa Maria. For now they're open, but I may end up putting curtains over to cut down on bugs and dust. Yes folks, even with the humidity, the surprising thing is that there's lots of dust down here. I suspect that a portion of it is mildew. I have to keep moving things and dusting everything to cut down on mold and mildew & of course, bugs.
The openness allows for wonderful air flow and light. Of course, the problem end is that it's harder to keep out the little bugs. I have no idea how they get in, but I can't get dinner on the table we've made into an island, because the light overhead draws them in. Ich! It's a wonder I haven't gassed both of us with bug spray.
We finally finished our open kitchen cabinets & the pantry wall, all made of Santa Maria. For now they're open, but I may end up putting curtains over to cut down on bugs and dust. Yes folks, even with the humidity, the surprising thing is that there's lots of dust down here. I suspect that a portion of it is mildew. I have to keep moving things and dusting everything to cut down on mold and mildew & of course, bugs.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Oregon
I'm back in our log home in Oregon. It's lonesome here without Art, but am enjoying our daughter & grandkids. Boy do they grow fast. Will head to Washington in a couple of days to see our son & family. Just running errands, visiting with my brother & family and trying to get the house in shape for the next few months. I also have to pick up coils for ours & Rene's chain saws so that we can continue clearing the little poky stumps that keep tripping us up.
I got my computer back, but not sure that it's totally fixed. Luckily, it was still under warranty. I just published a few photos of Art with his Kubota to a previous post. We still have a lot of hand work to do before it can take over care of all the cleared land.
The weather here is typical for this time of year. Freezing at night and in the 50's during the day. It looks as tho' it will be a tough summer because the northwest didn't get the usual snow, so will be a very dry summer. We're adjacent to national forest, so fire is always a huge concern.
Once I'm back in Belize, I'll try to keep updating on our progress and experiences. (I started to say failures too, but hopefully there won't be too many of them).
I got my computer back, but not sure that it's totally fixed. Luckily, it was still under warranty. I just published a few photos of Art with his Kubota to a previous post. We still have a lot of hand work to do before it can take over care of all the cleared land.
The weather here is typical for this time of year. Freezing at night and in the 50's during the day. It looks as tho' it will be a tough summer because the northwest didn't get the usual snow, so will be a very dry summer. We're adjacent to national forest, so fire is always a huge concern.
Once I'm back in Belize, I'll try to keep updating on our progress and experiences. (I started to say failures too, but hopefully there won't be too many of them).
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Traveling to Oregon
No, we're not moving. I'm just taking a trip back to collect some grandkid hugs and check on our house (which still hasn't sold). At least I'll have a place to stay. Art & I take turns as we don't want to leave our house untended and can't think of leaving Bailey with anyone else. He's so much a part of our family. At his size, it's prohibitive to travel with him. He'll only go back with us if we decide to drive.
Another good reason for this trip is to get my computer fixed. I've discovered a couple of places here in SI that might be able to fix it, but parts are hard to get here and expensive, and I'm hoping that it's still under warranty. I've been totally lost without it. Once it's fixed I'll try to post some photos to some of my previous posts.
The weather right now is really bouncing around. We had 2 days of 100+ degrees and now the wind has come up and it's cooled down a bit. I don't really look forward to the really hot weather. The ground is cracking and the leaves are dropping like crazy. Right now we're letting them lay there as a mulch, but may give in and rake some. The teak leaves are hysterical. They're big as platters and you can actually hear them fall. Art mowed the area around them and the old flail made them disappear. Of course, more keep falling, so it's a little futile. One project Art is contemplating tackling while I'm gone is to start cleaning and painting the outside of the Mennonite house. We did it once a couple of years ago, but the back side is weathering already. I'm hoping he'll enlist the help of Rene to take bleach to the back and have Rene do the high stuff. Glad I won't be here, as heights make me crazy.
Well dear friends, I'm heading out now for the cold climes. I have to tell you that we really love Oregon and have always felt it's home, but Belize has really gotten under our skins and we don't want to leave our little place in Bullet Tree. Anyone want to buy a wonderful handbuilt house in Central Oregon????
Gale
Another good reason for this trip is to get my computer fixed. I've discovered a couple of places here in SI that might be able to fix it, but parts are hard to get here and expensive, and I'm hoping that it's still under warranty. I've been totally lost without it. Once it's fixed I'll try to post some photos to some of my previous posts.
The weather right now is really bouncing around. We had 2 days of 100+ degrees and now the wind has come up and it's cooled down a bit. I don't really look forward to the really hot weather. The ground is cracking and the leaves are dropping like crazy. Right now we're letting them lay there as a mulch, but may give in and rake some. The teak leaves are hysterical. They're big as platters and you can actually hear them fall. Art mowed the area around them and the old flail made them disappear. Of course, more keep falling, so it's a little futile. One project Art is contemplating tackling while I'm gone is to start cleaning and painting the outside of the Mennonite house. We did it once a couple of years ago, but the back side is weathering already. I'm hoping he'll enlist the help of Rene to take bleach to the back and have Rene do the high stuff. Glad I won't be here, as heights make me crazy.
Well dear friends, I'm heading out now for the cold climes. I have to tell you that we really love Oregon and have always felt it's home, but Belize has really gotten under our skins and we don't want to leave our little place in Bullet Tree. Anyone want to buy a wonderful handbuilt house in Central Oregon????
Gale
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Treating Wood
When we started this project, much of what we did was hit & miss & just doing what we were told to do. We've made some mistakes & I'm hoping this sharing will help someone else.
We have so much to learn about wood in the tropics, but we're having to learn fast! We'd heard about termites & what they can do, but until you've seen them in action, it's hard to fathom. It seems that the minute you lay a soft wood board down, they start eating it. You'll see what looks like a mud trail on the board and the wood just starts to disintegrate.
When building you have a couple of options (when building a wooden structure). One is to build with hardwood. The Mennonite houses from Spanish Lookout are built of hardwoods. Frankly, I'm not sure of which ones each uses. Many have very funky names - Santa Maria, Billy Web, Bullet Tree & Cabbage Bark to mention a few. I don't mention Mahogany because it's much more expensive, even down here. Our little Mennonite house is Santa Maria, which is a fairly uniform color of red.
When we built our house & guest house, we were extremely aware of costs & chose to use mtn. pine. The appearance is somewhat similar to our northern pines. They tell you it's "pressure treated" but I understand that it's actually dipped in what looks like a Penta solution. The wood takes on a slight greenish tinge & when you get it it's usually still dripping wet. Ick! The surprise is that, once it's dry, it becomes really hard. We like the look of it as it has more character than the hardwoods.
Besides bugs, the sun is very intense & can turn a board into a "C" shape in the course of a day. You have to keep it out of the sun if possible and treat it once your structure is up. We've used two different products for the siding. CWF & Maxim's. (I'll get the exact name & edit this later). One hint I learned long ago, clear finish looks nice, but to get UV protection you're better off with some color. The more color, the more protection. We actually used a cedar color on the pine to counteract the greenish tinge & to make them coordinate with the Mennonite house.
OK, we're terrific, we've painted our brains out & can now relax - WRONG! The termites are making tracts up our concrete piers, heading towards the wood. We've sprayed, but that's pretty short term. According to Rene, they won't eat the treated wood, but will travel, looking for furniture or whatever isn't treated. He told us that they apply a band about one foot wide of grease at the base of every board or pier which traps the bugs. Sounds messy to me. We've seen trees painted white & wondered about that. Had this discussion with our British friend, Jane, & she told us that they use a "lime wash." Inquired & ended up buying a 50# bag to try. You can mix with water to paint the bottom of trees or spread the dry mixture on the ground. We'll probably do both under the house. Wow we have a lot to learn.
I also want to touch on my dilemma about our decks (verandas down here). I'm using Thompsons Water Seal, which I've never liked, but it's all they seem to sell down here, for all the decks around our house. As an alternative, on the guest house & little house I used linseed oil and diesel. I Googled this & found very mixed reviews. Some said it didn't do any good at all. I was also trying to find a % mixture, with no luck. I thought, what the heck, & used half & half. So far, we're really pleased with the results of this mix. It goes on very easily, the diesel helps the oil penetrate, it looks good and seems to be holding up well. The slight diesel smell disappeared in a day. We wanted this mostly as a wood dressing, but the diesel is also a good bug repellent.
Over time we'll be able to judge the two products & will share our observations. I'm hoping this helps someone. These two "old dogs" are sure learning new tricks & I love to share.
We have so much to learn about wood in the tropics, but we're having to learn fast! We'd heard about termites & what they can do, but until you've seen them in action, it's hard to fathom. It seems that the minute you lay a soft wood board down, they start eating it. You'll see what looks like a mud trail on the board and the wood just starts to disintegrate.
When building you have a couple of options (when building a wooden structure). One is to build with hardwood. The Mennonite houses from Spanish Lookout are built of hardwoods. Frankly, I'm not sure of which ones each uses. Many have very funky names - Santa Maria, Billy Web, Bullet Tree & Cabbage Bark to mention a few. I don't mention Mahogany because it's much more expensive, even down here. Our little Mennonite house is Santa Maria, which is a fairly uniform color of red.
When we built our house & guest house, we were extremely aware of costs & chose to use mtn. pine. The appearance is somewhat similar to our northern pines. They tell you it's "pressure treated" but I understand that it's actually dipped in what looks like a Penta solution. The wood takes on a slight greenish tinge & when you get it it's usually still dripping wet. Ick! The surprise is that, once it's dry, it becomes really hard. We like the look of it as it has more character than the hardwoods.
Besides bugs, the sun is very intense & can turn a board into a "C" shape in the course of a day. You have to keep it out of the sun if possible and treat it once your structure is up. We've used two different products for the siding. CWF & Maxim's. (I'll get the exact name & edit this later). One hint I learned long ago, clear finish looks nice, but to get UV protection you're better off with some color. The more color, the more protection. We actually used a cedar color on the pine to counteract the greenish tinge & to make them coordinate with the Mennonite house.
OK, we're terrific, we've painted our brains out & can now relax - WRONG! The termites are making tracts up our concrete piers, heading towards the wood. We've sprayed, but that's pretty short term. According to Rene, they won't eat the treated wood, but will travel, looking for furniture or whatever isn't treated. He told us that they apply a band about one foot wide of grease at the base of every board or pier which traps the bugs. Sounds messy to me. We've seen trees painted white & wondered about that. Had this discussion with our British friend, Jane, & she told us that they use a "lime wash." Inquired & ended up buying a 50# bag to try. You can mix with water to paint the bottom of trees or spread the dry mixture on the ground. We'll probably do both under the house. Wow we have a lot to learn.
I also want to touch on my dilemma about our decks (verandas down here). I'm using Thompsons Water Seal, which I've never liked, but it's all they seem to sell down here, for all the decks around our house. As an alternative, on the guest house & little house I used linseed oil and diesel. I Googled this & found very mixed reviews. Some said it didn't do any good at all. I was also trying to find a % mixture, with no luck. I thought, what the heck, & used half & half. So far, we're really pleased with the results of this mix. It goes on very easily, the diesel helps the oil penetrate, it looks good and seems to be holding up well. The slight diesel smell disappeared in a day. We wanted this mostly as a wood dressing, but the diesel is also a good bug repellent.
Over time we'll be able to judge the two products & will share our observations. I'm hoping this helps someone. These two "old dogs" are sure learning new tricks & I love to share.
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