Wabi-Sabi and such

I was in such a time constraint on our last visit to get the kitchen counter finished that I feared on my return trip that I would be very unhappy with the tile work. In fact, the more I ruminated the worse the job  became in my memory. Surprisingly, once I looked the counters over upon our arrival I realized that I had done a very credible job and my fears abated. A few small touch-ups were all that were needed-which was good since there were a boatload of unfinished projects to complete. So diving right in, first up was the kitchen sink, refrigerator water line and the new dishwasher which arrived the day after we did.

As per usual things quickly became a bit complicated. We needed a trip to the hardware store to replace the leaky sink valves and a trip to Home Depot for the correct fittings for the dishwasher. But within a couple of days everything was done and the dishwasher was up and running-and it’s surprisingly quiet. One interesting thing is that since dishwashers are not that common only small boxes of soap pods seem to be available.  We might need to pack a big box for our next trip.

One of the things that we wanted to get done was was the first part of the deck, which turned out beautifully. Our contractor Wilbur and son took their time and the whole thing came out exactly as I planned. With this experience with them I feel that I can lay out what I want and have the confidence that I don’t have to be around while the job is being done. This is good because there is a lot more to do.

The deck is going to be expanded on either side with different levels so that it flows with the slope of the yard. I felt that it was a bit too ambitious to try to get this done all at once and I was right. Between removing all of the sawgrass by uprooting each plant ( a lot of work) and laying out/pouring the footings/building the deck, it took the better part of  four days. It’s better to get this part right rather than to rush the finished product.

While the deck was on it’s way and I was working on the sink/dishwasher project, Dean took on the painting. Unfortunately his plan to mask off the ceiling and the walls to get a clean, straight edge didn’t work out. The tape came off only to reveal very messy edges. The only solution was to carefully paint the straight lines as best as I could. Since this is not sheet rock, our word/phrase of the day quickly became “wabi-sabi”, a Japanese expression which among other things, refers to natural flaws in a crafted work which the craftsman doesn’t try to fix in respect of its nature. Yeah. Works in this case, too. I’d paint a bit, fuss over the line and then say “Wabi-sabi?” Dean would scrutinize, nod approval and I would continue. And so it went. I found out later from Wilbur that the secret to getting crisp, straight lines in concrete corners was to use caulk and put a smooth bead down before painting.  Doh! Now I know. Wabi-sabi indeed!

With those projects done it was on to sorting out the a/c units in the bedrooms. While I would like to put inverter-style a/c units like the one we have in the living room, I can’t seem to find them in a window-mount configuration. So standard units it is, for now.   As no project is without it’s issues, the fun part came when I had to cut the blank out in the a/c opening in the  master bedroom. I thought that it was wood-turned out to be concrete. Fortunately between my diamond blade on my circular saw and Wilbur’s  grinder I was able to make short-but very messy-work of the job.

With our list of projects shrinking we did get an opportunity to do some car shopping. Yes, the language barrier proved to be a bit of an obstacle, but nothing that couldn’t be surmounted. One thing that I finally snapped to was that while people tend to use ClasificadosOnline to list everything, they don’t tend to remove the postings once they sell and that leads to wasted time. So this first foray into car shopping was a bit of a learning curve but now I know how to be more focused so I’ll be better at it the next trip.

We did take a moment to go down the hill to the Puerto del Rey marina to scope it out. Wow. They are really sinking a LOT of money into that place! It’s amazing how much they are expanding it. According to the  main office the investors are sinking $350M into renovations and trust me, it shows. This is great since this is where a lot of the day trip/snorkeling charter companies work out of. I would love to be able to keep a boat here.

We also took some time to go back to Rancho Original in Guavate for a pork fix and afterwards drove through the national forest on 184 down to Patillas. The east side of Puerto Rico has some amazing scenery. Everyone thinks San Juan and beach when thinking of Puerto Rico, but there is so much more!  The mountains are cool and lush, with rivers and springs, waterfalls and lakes.

The hills can be gentle and rolling or steep and dramatic. And at every turn as we drove down from Guavate we were treated to  stunning vistas of the Caribbean and the Atlantic. We stopped several times just to admire the scenery. How could anyone not think that they were living in paradise! Once we hit the ocean and the beach-just to dip a few toes in the sea-we started back up to Fajardo. There is a stretch of road after we left the beach which I swear is every bit as dramatic as the Amalfi coast highway, only with greenery.

I don’t think that we could ever grow tired of this beauty.

With our time winding down we did make it out to eat one night at a well-reviewed restaurant, Tasca OleLelolai, which does a Spanish/PR cuisine. The place has a very pleasant atmosphere with a great view of the island of Culebra and Fajardo’s harbor, so we sat outside. W e had Tapas plus entrees (steak mofongo and shrimp mofongo) and wine. All in all, a very nice evening out and yes, worth the price. The next time we are going to hit a few more of the top-rated places so that we can give some recommendations.

Even though we did take some time off, this trip was still all about the projects and getting them done. Having said that, I am happy to report that with our must-do projects list winding down, we pretty much have the place ready for visitors. Yes, there are more things to do but nothing that is urgent. It’s very livable as it is-and that means that the next trip really will be a vacation-oriented one.

So, it’s back to the cold and snow. While we were gone, New Jersey had yet another bitter cold snap and and a winter storm that dumped several inches of the white stuff. Not a fun return as this winter has been nothing but brutal and just isn’t going away.  Fortunately it lifts the heart to know that paradise is only a plane ride away.