Boy, it has been awhile since I brought folks up to date on our adventures! No excuses, just didn't seem like there was alot to talk about. We got so busy with the house and that seemed a bit mundane to write about that over and over. But finally finished it. We are now enjoying some gardening,(an herb garden) and tending to our landscaping. It is getting colder so not sure how long the herb garden will last and will wait till spring to see what trees, etc. made it through the winter. We planted a wide variety of plants and trees, including an orange and lime tree and 2 avocado trees.
As I sit here today, I now realize why so many people put in radiant heat in the floors. My toes are freezing! It is actually warmer out in the sun than in the house. Most homes are made of cement and it tends to hold in moisture and cold. The heating systems are individually located near the ceiling of the wall so heat is more up and than down. I use my ceiling fans to push it down. Will be needing some heavier socks and booties. We keep a fire in our fireplace almost daily but especially if it is rainy and windy (which is typical of our winter here--but luckily no snow.) A truckload of wood runs about $125 (delivered and stacked) and lasts about 2-3 months (depending on how often you burn.)
About a month ago, I was out walking Sunshine and on my way home I stopped by the neighbors because they were out in their driveway playing the drums. This is very much a party thing in Uruguay. This family invited some others over to play with them so they had about 5 drums/drummers all playing away. I went and got Mark and we went back down to listen and be neighborly. I even got in on the drum playing! As it got dark, the father started a fire in the backyard. The family invited us to come sit around the fire, which we did. We were offered wine, beer and food. They passed around a jar for everyone to drop a few pesos in for the libations. It was a very enjoyable, spur of the moment evening and beneficial evening. Frederico, one of the sons, does yard work in the neighborhood and gave us the name of a firewood person. We got our last load from them and the wood was very dry and burns beautifully!
We had some visitors in late May. Bryan and Kelly Madiera and their son, Brandon, from Port Charlotte, FL came down to check out the area. They are in their late 40's (I think) and are looking for a retirement area. They connected through a blogger who writes on Uruguay--not ME.) We happened to know the blogger and he asked us to take over communication with Bryan and Kelly because he was going to be traveling when they visited. We gladly took over emails, etc. and helped them to plan their trip. They came for a week and that gave them enough time to check out most of the country. Their favorite area was the interior vs the shoreline. We love the shoreline, but agreed that there are some very nice, quaint towns not far from Punta and Montevideo. They are beginning to be inhabited by very wealthy Americans, Europeans and Canadians as second or third homes.
Last week, for instance, we celebrated our 37th anniversary at a great restaurant in Eden. Eden is about 25- 30 minutes from Punta and is a beautiful countryside drive. The town has a restaurant, a park and a darling church and sits in a valley. There are some beautiful new homes being built and some renovations going on. The restaurant was fantastic. All fresh food, prepared and served daily. Mark had lamb and I had rabbit--absolutely delicious. They served a candied sweet potato (like creme brulee) with the lamb and we had rice pudding and apple pie for dessert. Two bottles of wine all for about $75 US dollars. Incidentally, the wine was from a local vineyard was pretty darn good! Right beyond the town, up the hill, sits a property that Mark and I looked at when we first arrived. It has the most stunning view of Eden. A forty acre chacras, with a small home and hired hand home + 80 sheep surrounded by a manmade stonewall. Awesome property for someone! Cost: $350,000 or less.
Some of you may have heard of another small town called Garzon. A famous restaurateur, Frances Mallman, bought the whole town and put in a restaurant. Now it is growing with a few shops, etc. They held the Punta Wine and Food Festival there the last week of November and I put up pics on my blog. It is a very exciting time for Uruguay. People from all over the world are beginning to recognize the merits of this small country!
Speaking of Expats--we have been to several fun outings. It is always interesting to hear where people are from and why they are here. Last meeting I met a Canadian who now lives in Dubai but is thinking of moving here. Our American friends, Moises and Laura, have begun hosting a Mexican Fiesta once a month at their house. Moises is a chef from San Diego and wants to open a restaurant here eventually. So once a month he invites expats and for $25/each you can eat and drink all you want at his house. Everything is homemade, chips, salsa, guacamole, soups, etc! Great get togethers!
We continue to scout out our area and have found new restaurants, like our new favorite pizza place. We ordered a pizza with 5 ingredients and when they brought it out, we had 5 pizzas with one ingredient on each! That was a hoot and little embarrassing at the same time! Little by little, we are finding the "gems" (bakeries, consignment clothing shops, etc.) around here and not just the tourist spots. We continue to enjoy the beach near where we live. In addition to shells, you can find pieces of old, colored glass in blue, green, white and amber. We collect it! It is fun walking the beach looking for it. Reminds me of mushroom hunting in Illinois.
Lately we have been hitting the movie theatre. During the week it is 2 - 1. So far $7 + $3 for popcorn, we can enjoy a new movie in a comfortable seat the movies. Saw Hangover II and Solo Tres Dias (with Russell Crowe). Both good to mediocre!
Since my last blog, one of my highlights, was going home to visit my mother, sister and our girls, Brittany and Bailey. It was over Mother's Day weekend and we got together at my sisters house, in Fort Myers for a week. That was a very memorable Mother's Day, as one might expect. We got my mom a new computer so that she can Skype everyone on a regular basis. She loves it and has taken two computer courses to learn everything about her new "picture phone" as well as the Internet, etc. We look forward to many visits in the coming year! Skype or email us--No Reservations required!!!
SORRY FOR NO PICS, HAVING TROUBLE UPLOADING!!
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