Dear property owners and
friends of Valle Escondido,
 A new sign has been installed at the crest of the
hill after entering the valley. It reads " Bienvenidos al Paraiso ", which
means "Welcome to Paradise".
A fitting invitation, I
believe.
The weather was truly cooperative in
November, which meant that we were able to move more rapidly
than we expected. We had very little rain, and sunshine almost
everyday.
Sales of the new duplexes have been going
very well since buyers can now walk through an almost
completed Villa.
We have had a road grader working on
smoothing the roads for the past week, and it has made a big
difference. No more bumps and holes. You can now drive a small
car (not just a 4x4 any more) anywhere in the valley. The
machine that makes the concrete paving stones has arrived, and
the operator and his helpers will begin making the many stones
required. We have purchased another machine just to make the
concrete blocks for the foundations.
The first
single-level Villas in the duplex area are near completion.
They have been painted on the inside with two base coats and
then a hand wash finish coat. The outside has had the two base
coats applied and will be hand washed this week. The wash is a
color additive that is applied with sponges by hand which
gives an antique look. We try to blend the colors so they
match up with the old tile roofs and the general character we
are trying to achieve. The floor tiles have just arrived from
Spain and are being installed this week. In next month's
report you should see photos of a completed and furnished
home.
We have begun the ground preparation for the
two-level duplex units. We have sold a number of these, and
all the owners are eager to move in. The first step is to
transplant the twelve-year-old coffee plants from the area
where the duplexes will be constructed. This requires a
backhoe to dig a line of holes in the area to which they will
be moved. Then the backhoe must carefully dig up the coffee
trees with as much root and earth intact as possible. They are
then placed in a Bobcat and moved to the new location. The
Indians carefully plant them into the new holes with more rich
volcanic soil placed around them, and then watered through the
night. We have been successful in transplanting the coffee
even though the old farmers here have said it could not be
done. We have found that everything grows well in this rich
soil. Coffee trees are beautiful plants and makes great
natural 'privacy screens' between the homes. After we move the
coffee, we begin preparing the area for the foundations. We
expect to have the first two-level duplex completed in April
2002. You can see the new renderings for these units here:
The three-step biological septic
system has been installed for the duplex area, and testing
will begin soon. The underground electric service has been
started, and provisional power is in place until the main
system is operational in about two more months.
We
have been continuing our work on the stone bridge area with a
new tiled roof on the small guardhouse and a new stone
powerhouse. This area is the first thing you see when you come
into the Pueblo area, so we have spent a great deal of time on
the details to make this a really beautiful place to watch the
water gently flow by.
The Pueblo is transforming
quickly. We have finished constructing the pools and test-run
water through them just this week. It is all gravity fed from
the river above, into the pools and then back to the river
after passing through the Pueblo. We have beautiful fish that
will be making it their home soon. The gardeners are working
hard to prepare the planters for the flowers that will be
showing their colors in the coming weeks. The first five
buildings in the Pueblo all have their roof bases, and the old
tile is being carefully applied. It takes a lot of time to do
the tile roofs due to the varying angles and pitches of each
one. We are putting a lot of time and energy into the Pueblo
area, and the charm of the village can already be seen.
We are heavy into coffee picking season. Lots of
native Guaymi Indians are in the plantation picking the ripe,
red beans. The trucks leave each day for the processing plant
filled to the top with sacks of coffee.
Of course, in
a project of this size, there are many other details, too many
to go into here. Please feel free to contact me if you have
any questions or suggestions.
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Gallery
click below to enlarge
Mexican replica fireplace
Hardwood kitchen cabinets
"Welcome to Paradise"
Duplex from river's edge
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Life should be more than just water over
the dam
