will let them last much longer this time. Great job! 
Alaska Native Heritage Center
17 hours ago
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Painting Parrots!
The tacky hanging parrots that followed us back from Mexico over the past few years were suffering badly from the effects of weather! Acid raid had taken the paint off their heads and overall fading of the paint was evident. Sierrah, our youngest granddaughter offered to spruce them up for us. She did a remarkable job! She wants to be an artist and after seeing her steady hand and attention to fine detail, I have no doubt that she will be! Thanks Sierrah! The parrots are much happier now and the coat of Varathane 
will let them last much longer this time. Great job!
will let them last much longer this time. Great job! Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Patio
A few shots of the patio where we do most of our entertaining and socializing. The new benches are a nice addition!
Our lot is basically 120’ X 240’ with the back half or almost 2/3 on a 30 degree upward slope and basically unusable but is in effect, our own wildlife sanctuary. As well, there is a 100’ long driveway down to the “Old Island Highway”. This driveway actually extends across the highway to the waterfront, giving us ownership of 16’ of waterfront. This is really good for nothing but it prevents any development across the highway which would block any view we have.
The slope at the back is home to an eagle nest and a pair of deer. These are the deer who used to feast on Norma’s flower garden before the electric fence went up. I don’t know where they go to eat now but they have had to change restaurants! There are also some raccoons and a wild cat. At least there was a wild cat but I think he tried to take on one of the raccoons one night and I have not seen him since. This suits me fine because he sprayed the inside of my workshop earlier this year and I had to buy some very expensive deodorizer to make the shop inhabitable again.
When we bought the place in 1989 there were two very small lots on either side of our driveway. One was vacant and the other had a very low profile house on it. Our view was unobstructed. The empty lot was for sale but they wanted more than we could afford after having just bought our house and I really did not think it was large enough to build a house on anyway. The other house was owned by a local pilot as a rental property. The owners put it on the market many years ago and I made an offer that was not accepted. I was not too concerned about this one anyway because it was quite a bit below our house and did not affect the view at all.
Well. over the years the empty lot sold and a house went up. They found a way around the city height restriction by bringing in a bunch of fill before measuring the height and our view suffered. The other lot and house also sold and the owners did the same thing! What was a full front window view is now interrupted by two houses in front. We still have a view, but not like we had.
Our lot is basically 120’ X 240’ with the back half or almost 2/3 on a 30 degree upward slope and basically unusable but is in effect, our own wildlife sanctuary. As well, there is a 100’ long driveway down to the “Old Island Highway”. This driveway actually extends across the highway to the waterfront, giving us ownership of 16’ of waterfront. This is really good for nothing but it prevents any development across the highway which would block any view we have.
The slope at the back is home to an eagle nest and a pair of deer. These are the deer who used to feast on Norma’s flower garden before the electric fence went up. I don’t know where they go to eat now but they have had to change restaurants! There are also some raccoons and a wild cat. At least there was a wild cat but I think he tried to take on one of the raccoons one night and I have not seen him since. This suits me fine because he sprayed the inside of my workshop earlier this year and I had to buy some very expensive deodorizer to make the shop inhabitable again.
When we bought the place in 1989 there were two very small lots on either side of our driveway. One was vacant and the other had a very low profile house on it. Our view was unobstructed. The empty lot was for sale but they wanted more than we could afford after having just bought our house and I really did not think it was large enough to build a house on anyway. The other house was owned by a local pilot as a rental property. The owners put it on the market many years ago and I made an offer that was not accepted. I was not too concerned about this one anyway because it was quite a bit below our house and did not affect the view at all.
Well. over the years the empty lot sold and a house went up. They found a way around the city height restriction by bringing in a bunch of fill before measuring the height and our view suffered. The other lot and house also sold and the owners did the same thing! What was a full front window view is now interrupted by two houses in front. We still have a view, but not like we had.
Mexico Travel Facebook Page
For those of you interested in road travel in Mexico, a Facebook Page has been started by Bill and Dorothy Bell. Bill and Dot are long time Mexico travelers, writers and authors of the popular website, "On The Road In Mexico".
I was one of the early members and the site is growing rapidly. It seems, so far at least, to give an honest look at RVing in Mexico without the alarmist tactics of the USA media. Have a look and join up if you think you like it.
I was one of the early members and the site is growing rapidly. It seems, so far at least, to give an honest look at RVing in Mexico without the alarmist tactics of the USA media. Have a look and join up if you think you like it.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Kiva Interest rate Question
A reader left a question in the Guest Book regarding the interest rates charged by the Kiva "Partners" who take the money from Kiva and do the actual lending and collecting on their behalf. Yes, the interest rates charges by these "partners" has bothered me. In comparison to interest rates charged in Canada and the USA, these rates seem high. On the other hand, compared to interest rates charged in developing and third world countries, these rates are very reasonable.
We know a Mexican who lives south of Mexico City who is very well off. He was telling me that even with his preferred interest rate he still pays almost 30% on his Visa card. This was when I was paying 6.5% on my card. Neither of of us ever lets the balance go unpaid after the due date but those are the rates we would each pay if we did.
The other consideration is that these people would probably find it impossible to get a loan from any other source. All the loans I have made have been paid off quickly, usually in three or four months in order to limit these interest payments. So yes, I am concerned but considering all of the above, I still feel Kiva is a worthwhile effort.
For an opinion from the field, read here.
We know a Mexican who lives south of Mexico City who is very well off. He was telling me that even with his preferred interest rate he still pays almost 30% on his Visa card. This was when I was paying 6.5% on my card. Neither of of us ever lets the balance go unpaid after the due date but those are the rates we would each pay if we did.
The other consideration is that these people would probably find it impossible to get a loan from any other source. All the loans I have made have been paid off quickly, usually in three or four months in order to limit these interest payments. So yes, I am concerned but considering all of the above, I still feel Kiva is a worthwhile effort.
For an opinion from the field, read here.
The Finished Benches
Yesterday Norma took the girls shopping so I used the time to finish staining the benches. They look pretty good if I must say so myself! They are very heavy and it takes three people to lift them so they will not be moving very often but that also means they will not be walking down the driveway either.
Today is Norma's birthday so we will be able to sit around a fire tonight. Our neighbour Pauline and the girls baked a cake for Norma yesterday which we all enjoyed last night after a feed of fish and chips down on the dock. It was a very pleasant evening.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Testing Google Maps
Testing the new link feature in Google Maps.
Here is the La Siesta RV Park in San Miguel de Allende that was recently closed to make room for Sam's Club. This was the only RV park in SMA that was accessible to rigs larger than 26 feet. I think this will work well. You can zoom in and out.
View Larger Map
Here is the La Siesta RV Park in San Miguel de Allende that was recently closed to make room for Sam's Club. This was the only RV park in SMA that was accessible to rigs larger than 26 feet. I think this will work well. You can zoom in and out.
View Larger Map
Monday, July 25, 2011
New Benches!
Brooks and LindaLee came up for the weekend so we tackled a project that Norma has been hinting at for some time, outdoor seating around the fireplace. The two benches we built are extremely heavy and solid, being built from 2X6 spruce that we bought up here and various pieces of 4X4, 6X6 and 8X8 salvaged from Brooks' "burn pile" at home. It will seat eight people. We do most of our entertaining outside so they will get a lot of use.Our granddaughter Sierrah and her friend Courtenay, the granddaughter of our neighbour, Pauline started staining them today while Norma and I built two coffee tables out of leftovers.
Brooks also got me a great deal on a sliding compound mitre saw to replace the one that finally packed it in after cutting about 2000 square feet of flooring and completing many other projects. This one is bigger, heavier and has more bells and whistles than the old one and just may last as long as I do!
Thanks Brooks and LindaLee! And thanks Sierrah and Courtenay for the staining! Now we are all picking slivers out of our hands...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Shakira Concert in Merida
On Saturday night the Yucatan city of Mérida put on a free concert as a gift to it's citizens and visitors. The city supplied and prepared the venue, an unused railway yard, and local businesses paid for the concert. The performer was the Columbian superstar, Shakira who put on a solid two hour concert.
Tickets were required but were available free for the asking at most businesses. The majority of people stood, but there was preferential seating for the disabled and for youngsters who had demonstrated outstanding academic or sporting prowess. Teachers and coaches were previously invited to nominate students for the treat. 150,000 tickets were handed out! There were no riots, no looting, no fires lit. Why? Mérida is civilized!
"Good evening, Mérida! Tonight is yours!"
Tickets were required but were available free for the asking at most businesses. The majority of people stood, but there was preferential seating for the disabled and for youngsters who had demonstrated outstanding academic or sporting prowess. Teachers and coaches were previously invited to nominate students for the treat. 150,000 tickets were handed out! There were no riots, no looting, no fires lit. Why? Mérida is civilized!
"Good evening, Mérida! Tonight is yours!"
Gold Still Glittering
Gold is hitting record highs! It passed $1,600 this week and shows no sign of leveling off. My financial "guy" told me earlier this week that they are anticipating a small correction in gold but they are expecting it to recover quickly and go even higher, maybe even to $2,000. Others in the industry are mentioning values starting with "3"! I think I mentioned that I have a substantial portion of my investments in precious metal funds. They are not going up quite as fast as gold but are generally tracking it. It would be nice to have a few actual gold bars stashed away but I would probably spend too much time stroking them.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Eagle Neighbours
Our eagle family neighbours have been busy lately. On Friday they were doing some nest repairs and talking loudly to each other.
"Here Honey, I found the perfect stick to repair that hole!" "Oh darn, I dropped it! That's what I get for talking and flying at the same time." "It's OK, I will get another one!"
"Here Honey, I found the perfect stick to repair that hole!" "Oh darn, I dropped it! That's what I get for talking and flying at the same time." "It's OK, I will get another one!"
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