RINCON Y MÁS ALLÁ

Some of the best things about where we live...are the beaches!

If you are beach lovers like we are, you will love it here!! Not only are there a number of different beaches just steps from our home, but even more within minutes and for sure under an hour! All very different, extremely beautiful, picturesque, and well worth the walk or the drive!

Here's a must see must do list...

1-Pools beach across the street from us

2-Sandy beach down the block a bit

3-Casa Islena beach a 4 minute walk from our house - still part of Sandy Beach

4-Playa Maria 3 minute drive - excellent for surfing or watching and wicked sunsets!

5-Aguada balineiro beaches a 5 minute drive from our house (where the fam is from)

6-Corcega & Stella beaches also a 5 minute drive from our house - no waves

7-Anasco beaches also no waves 10 minute drive from our house - also no waves

8-Playa Crashboat huge beach close to the airport - fun beach with banana rides, jet ski rentals, etc

9-Jobos beach Isabella (anthony bourdain stop off for all you foodies! - "DAME LA VACA!")

10-Boqueron balineiro great beach now waves and town like a PR Key West about 45 minutes from us depending on traffic

...so when are you coming to experience it all for yourselves...?

CHARLIES CHEAPIES

Here's a secret, for any and all of you planning to visit us in Puerto Rico.  

CHARLIES RENTAL CARS...just off site at BQN these guys are the BEST.  They pick you up upon arrival in and you never have to wait!!  They have the best rates (even during holiday weeks) great super quick service, brand new cars, and did I say GGGGreat prices?  You can even book it online!  Paula and Pat, our 1st guests, (used them during easter week) and after checking around we found CHARLIES to be about 1/4 the price of the other big name on site rental car companies.  We love CHARLIES! 

KITCHEN ALMOST DONE!!

So here it is sooo far...this is a night foto, and as you can tell the dishwasher (the most important part, since Sean has retired!) has yet to be installed!!

MOTHERS WEEK IN PR!!

Even though the house isn't and wasn't totally finished last week, mom was here and not only a huge huge help, but a super trooper! It was hot, rainy, muddy, dirty, but definitely fun! We sweated, cleaned, ate, drank, laughed, and I think ate some more! Mothers day I took her on an excursion to the top of the TIPPY TOP of the mountain to have breakfast at one of the best breakfast places around. She took the trip up "white knuckled", "aye yi yi-ing" and "braking" the whole time! It was a definite adventure for her I'm sure, if she had known, would have decided not to take, but in the end the fresh baked breads superior food and the endless views made it soooooo worth while!!

We even had a real puerto rican bar-b-cue at a local "balineiro" sans arroz con guandules but of course with plenty of music and rum!!

And yes thats mom in the picture all cozy with the man next to her!! (lol jk mom) Um, and they aren't waving they are telling me they need more drinks...

I was bartender that day!!

Pictures are worth a thousand words!!

SEAN...RIGHT AT HOME!!

Those of you who know Sean, I mean REALLY know Sean, know that having a Bud while watching the sunset on the beach is pretty much one of his most favorite things!

And well, here he is at the beach across the street from our place, and it looks to me that Sean is right at home!!

INSTEAD OF THIS...I GOT THIS...

For about 2-3 months I spent morning, noon and night searching for the perfect square rainshower head and lever handle. Finally I find it!! Of course, I ordered it immediately! I liked it even more when I finally received it. And off to Puerto Rico it went! So when I got to the house I ran straight to the bathroom and you can imagine my surprise when I do not see this...

...But this!! Immediately my hands started to shake and i set out to find who was responsible, and why. And of course when I found the plumber and asked him what the problem was, he politely advised that we were missing a part and he had just (that very day) received the faucet and was unaware that we would need the extra part. That is after of course I had been told "no worries ees fine!" a month and a half earlier.

So after they (being the contractors) order and receive the part (2wks approx) they will then have to remove a number of tiles around the faucet and attach the piece and replace the tiles!

Hopefully it will not take that long and I pray it is completely seamless!!

Wish me luck!!

1st GUESTS!!

This past week we had our 1st guests, which amid the mayhem, they made us forget all the negative, look the postive, laugh, laugh, laugh and laugh some more, but more importantly made us realize how truly lucky we are! Thanks Paula & Pat-aka Dusty Einstein "Can i have 3 shrimp please?"

WOWEE WOW WOW!

And here we are in all our blue glory!! The way the sun is hitting the house, it looks bluer in some ares more than others but as for the spiral staircase, that is not the case. Yes you are seeing a bit of a municipal pool color going on, but, Sean told the painter it was bueno but I didn't and still don't think so.

Perhaps it will grow on me. Perhaps not. Either way I have Willy the painters phone number!

Here's the patio and the patio steps all nice and tiled for skid free ups and downs. Skid free or not I have already taken a bit of a spill, too bad they're not cushioned!

Now all we need is the pool and a landscaper and YEEEEHAAA!!

IS THIS THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE?!?

The last 10 days or so, in what is to be my new home, has been an eye opening experience to me. I love the pace at which people live. Laid back, relaxed, sometimes almost in reverse.
It is a wonderment.

However, how does one moving at such a pace accomplish anything... completely, much less perfectly?

Answer is they don't.

The doors in the house are truly one of my FAVORITE things. They are huge, solid, and the exact color I wanted them. So tell me... Do you see anything wrong with these doors? Sean didn't really think so.

Ps...These are the front doors.

BUSY BUSY BUSY!!

Since Sean was there, alot has gotten done! Still alot to do but... A little sometimes goes a long way!

1-We have railings!! Yay!!
2-We have cabinets or GABINAYS...en espanol!! (still trying to decide whether i love them...)
3-We have interior doors...ok now its time to jump for joy!! (doors are exactly what i wanted....we i mean they struggled with this for a while)

So here you go, a little peek...

...i think this is the laundry room door...


...one of the bedrooms downstairs...


...now here the colors are off because of the sunlight etc... and size is hard to gauge...backsplash is a pale blue glass tile like the "blog" background... all the cut outs look small but i guess i will find out on tuesday when we get down there!!


and these, as you can tell are the railings...sean didnt want wood...im kind of glad because i hate the smell of pledge so...we decided on this after seeing something similar...

ok i bet you're thinking the same thing...what is with the little roundy things on the bottom? perhaps a type of adornment? finial?...hmmm all i know not my fave...but whatev... it took long enough to get here im not even gonna bother with this!!

CAN YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE??

This was taken in January....water views abound...perhaps a little trim needed...

and this one in March... BIG trim needed...CRAZY RIGHT?

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

As the cabinets go in and the doors are stained...the sun is drying the paint!

I AM SOOOO LOVING IT!!

As you can see the paint is sure coming along and I am totally in love!