Water, water everywhere, but no where to swim?

     
      Jim and I have been staring at an empty shell of a pool for months now. The process of selecting a plaster finish has been a nightmare. So many colors. So many different types of plaster. So many different opinions from pool installers. After wading through the options (sorry for the pun), we finally picked a finish of small aggregate pebbles in a soft beige color. Supposedly this will yield a long lasting finish with a pale aqua water color. Really?
      Let the plastering begin!





















      The crew began work on a Thursday afternoon. They grouted the tile and waterproofed the entire pool surface. The next day was plaster day. The stuff goes on like cake frosting. Thick and runny.

      After a bit of hand troweling, they let the stuff sit for awhile. Lunch! Then it was time for the acid wash. Yuck. Muratic acid fumes and smell. Scary stuff! Can you believe they pour that junk on the walls with a garden watering can? Whatever.

     
      After poring on acid, they power wash it off the walls. This is the process of removing excess plaster and revealing the small pebble finish.


      Well, it didn't all go according to plan. They let the finish sit too long and it hardened up and the power washer couldn't take it off. Maybe that lunch was too long? Anyway, off they go to get more acid and a stronger power washer. Scruba-dub-dub and washy-washy and the pebbles emerge. All is saved.


      So here we have the completed plaster job. Lovely. But something is missing. Oh yes, water?


      Bring on the water trucks. Two of them carrying 4300 gallons of liquid each. Hummm, that be a ton of agua. Back the suckers up our driveway? Not an easy feat. But, ya mon, we do dis all de time.
No problem, mon.

      I'm wondering exactly how much water it will take to fill this pool. The delivery guys tell me that two truckloads may not do the job. Three" Are you kidding? Oh well, we're about to find out.

      It doesn't take very long to go through the first truckload. On to the second. The goal is to fill the pool up to mid skimmer door level. When the second truck is finished we are shy about 4 inches. So out comes our hose and we top off the job from water in our cisterns.  Voila! A pool!

      Hey just look at this. It's a cloudy afternoon but the shimmering water is amazing. Just the color we imagined. It matches the shoreline down below. But you can't see that here. Trust me.

      And it looks just as inviting from the far-end looking back at the house. Nice color.
Hey, how did we get this picture?

      Well somebody had to try the pool out.
'Hello' to all our friends up north. It's 88 degrees here today. We've heard it's a tad cooler elsewhere. He, he, he!

Have we lost our way?

      So many things are happening at once that Jim and I can feel our heads spinning. At the same time, nothing seems to be happening at all.

      Our island friends tell us that this is a normal experience. Once the walls and windows are finished, the project seems to move in slow motion. And yet there is progress!

      Why look, we have a compass to point the way.
And a nice marble one to boot. Nicely sitting in the middle of our outdoor pavilion, surrounded by lovely travertine. Is it pointing at true north or magnetic north? You will have to come and see for yourself!




      The driveway is finally attached to the main road. There is a whole, long story about this. Friendly me sends an e-mail to the neighbor who owns the lot immediately below us to advise about our driveway and hers. Guess what? She hires an attorney and complains we are blocking access to her lot. Enter the developer, and our driveway is now complete. All we need are a couple of columns and a gate. Fun in paradise.

       Moving on. And yes 'moving' is a good word for the next subject. Solar blinds. The sun is so intense down here that the furniture and rugs would be burned to a crisp without some kind of protection. So we came up with a valance system to hold solar shades and ceiling lighting too.
We weren't sure these shades would roll up and down correctly and be hidden when stored. Surprise! It works. No, there is no motor. You have to move them the old fashioned way. With your arms. Kind of like forced dumbbell curls. Pull that cord. At night, lights shine up on the ceiling. Groovy!

       Check out the stucco work. We have chosen two colors. An off-white for the main house and a dark greyish brown for everything below. You can see here a hint of the 'below' color at the left. We think it all is coming out very well. Anybody who wants to help plant bushes is invited. Hurry!

      OK. So I understand that the weather up north is getting chilly. So sad. So sorry. He, he he.
Down in de-islands it's time to go boating. In 15 days the ol' boat will be launched again.

      Can't wait! So many islands to explore. So many Pina Coladas to taste. So much fun to have.

      Hurry down. Hurricane season is just about over and the weather is spectacular. The Christmas winds are just around the corner.

      House? What house?