How Could We?

How could we afford to do this? And, how can YOU also afford to do this?
We did it simply by being rich...

I'll bet that brought you to a halt. That wasn't the case at all. We're not rich, far from it. We weren't particularly lucky either, except in one or two instances, but, I think we would have been able to do what we've done even without those lucky instances.

Of course, we didn't have kids, but I think even if we had, we would have found a way (our family motto - Ibi Est Voluntas, Ubi Est Via – Where There's a Will, There's a Way) to do this anyway.

The story began, like all good stories begin... Once upon a time, in a land far away...

Many years ago, I had been working for the State of Washington for about six or seven years. Dianna had been working for the Washington State Association of Fire Chiefs for about as long.

A co-worker of mine and good friend, Joel Aggergaard, who, some years later passed away after a rare recurrence of Hodgkin's Disease, was always ragging after me to “Max out your deferred comp, Man”. At the time, I had a whopping $25.00 US per pay period (2-weeks) deducted from my pay.

Eventually, I contacted the Deferred Compensation folks at the Department of Retirement Systems for Washington State, and inquired about how much it would hit me in the wallet if I did max out my deferred comp. Turns out that I would see a negative four or five dollars each pay period.

Needless to say, I filled out the paperwork and began socking away a tidy fistful of money each period. At first, the statements looked paltry, but, believe it or not, before too long, it began to look like real money to me, and the beauty of it all – I didn't miss any of it.

That was step one. Maxing out Deferred Comp and making sure, as time went on, that each raise that occurred was reflected in the amount going to Deferred Comp. It was too easy. It just seemed so transparent to me in that Dianna and I didn't miss the money at all.

Next thing we did was to join an investment club, since we knew nothing about stocks, bonds, and the stock market. We figured this would be a good way for us to learn without loosing our shirts.

This was serendipitous event number two. In the club, we met a young stock broker who was just getting started. He was one of the founders of the club, in fact. He and another young man (we were several years older than either of them) had developed a spread-sheet program to analyze a person's portfolio and overall financial picture and project several scenarios into the future.

We stayed active in the club for a year or so. And, about that time, the club began to disintegrate. After the club folded, we stayed with the broker as our financial and investment advisor. On his advice, we also hired the young analyst to run some projections for us to see where we might end up (taking a first look ahead to early retirement, but with no concrete goal at that stage).

To our utter amazement, his charts and figures indicated that we would be able to actually retire early and have a fairly (for us anyway) substantial nest egg to do it with. We didn't actually put much faith in those projections but, they did make it seem “possible”.

Time went on. We were continuing with Deferred Comp and had begun to put about $150 a month into the market through our financial advisor. He was, by this time with Smith Barney, and was in a suite of offices in an office building in downtown Olympia.

Each time we visited him at his office, we felt like we were going to be “found out”, that we really shouldn't have been there, that we were such small time players. To his credit, our advisor never once made us feel that was justified. He just kept saying the scenarios were correct and to keep on the way we were and it (early retirement) just might happen.

Eventually, we began to believe that we might be able to retire early as well. Although we frequently pestered our advisor to run scenarios of his own (he was now with Charles Schwab and in even fancier digs down on the Swantown waterfront area of Olympia).

We began seriously looking at how we might implement this plan sooner than later. I had also gotten interested in doing “working vacations”. One scheme that really caught our attention was helping with an archaeological dig in the Brazilian Amazon. This place was 300 miles upriver from the nearest town, and seemed ideal. We could go for three weeks and it would be a grand adventure. We didn't care if we had to wheelbarrow debris all day long or what. It just sounded romantic and exciting and just, so out there.

Before we actually signed up for it, I found out it was designed for educators who wanted to observe the workings, with no actual labor involved. That burst our bubble. But, the bug had been planted for adventure.

I found another archaeological dig in Jordan (probably too hot in the middle of the Biblical desert), and another on the Bay of Galway in Ireland, excavating an old monastery and you'd stay with people in town. But, they wanted a six week commitment. We just couldn't finagle six weeks from our jobs (mine with the State and Dianna's with the Fire Chief's Association).

The spirit of adventure was really beginning to grab us. Sometime during this period, I think I watched a program on TV about the Peace Corps. That did it. We both thought, Wow! There's our way out. It would give us the grand adventure we'd been seeking, put us somewhere in the world we'd never get to on our own, and it would pay for two years of that adventure while our Deferred Comp and investments continued to do their thing. Then after two years we'd be able to settle down somewhere, maybe even where we'd been assigned in the Peace Corps – who knows?

So, we began the application process for the Peace Corps. As luck would have it, we went to a recruitment presentation at the Olympia Civic Center. The presenter was the Regional Director of the Peace Corps and he had done his two-year service in Belize, working with inner-city youth in outdoor adventure programming – which was my college area of emphasis. Anyway, that was our first introduction to Belize.

We wanted to be assigned, if possible, anywhere in Central or South America, preferably the Eastern Caribbean islands (of course). They offered us Africa. That was OK too. We thought with our backgrounds in emergency management and non-profit association management, that we'd be offered a similar activity in the Peace Corps. Not so. They wanted us to work in agriculture, and even asked me if I'd be willing to learn bee-keeping. Of course, we said yes all the way around.

In preparation for Peace Corps service, we actually sold our house. That lucky thing I mentioned at the beginning, occurred right here. We picked just about the best time of all to sell our house. The market was just topping out. We asked more than we thought we could get. We had three couples interested in the house, and we got an offer for more than we were asking from one of them. We were happy. They were happy. They've since become very good friends of ours and have even visited us down here in Belize – helping to install some of the plumbing in our house (when they visited, we had no kitchen, kitchen cabinets, or anything). And, they want to come back.

Well, a year and a half later, we still hadn't gotten an assignment. It seemed there was always one more question to answer, test to have done, etc.

About this time, Dianna retired from the Fire Chief's Association and she didn't seem to be missing work at all. We went for a couple of weeks to visit some friends of ours in Florida. While there, we came to the realization that we wanted adventure now, that we were done waiting. So, as soon as we got back, we canceled out of the Peace Corps (which we still have some regrets about doing so), I submitted for retirement in two weeks, and we booked a flight to Belize for a month's vacation.

Fully intending to arrive in Belize at Phillip Goldson International Airport, travel to Corozal and stay at the Copa Banana Guest House for a couple of days, then spend the rest of the month traveling throughout the country to see if we really did like it, really did want to live there, and what part of the country we wanted to live in.

Three days later, we had bought property, bought a car, and had found a place to live, house-sitting for a Dutch couple who spent the rainy season back in Holland. On that trip, we never did get to the rest of the country.

We flew back to the states, had a big garage sale, packed up what was left, shipped it down to Belize. We grabbed our two cats and flew ourselves to Cancun, and took a taxi to Corozal and our new life.

We haven't looked back once. It was, without a doubt, the best decision we ever made in our lives. And we aint' rich! We were working stiffs like everyone else we knew.

If you want to do something, we're good examples of goal-driven behavior, it is doable. We're living the dream here in paradise. You can too! Discipline, stay focused, and when the time comes, the hardest part of the whole thing, is actually making and doing the decision. Turning in that retirement form. From that point on, everything was a piece of cake.

Caught In the Act!

Guilty as charged! They got caught. After nearly two weeks on the lam, concerned citizens, Marlowe and MaryJane, sussed what the problem was and copied this reporter on the message they sent to the missing duo.

Their message, without putting too fine a point on it, was as follows:

Okay you guys have been trying out the pool for over a week. Get out and write in your Blog.
/S/ MaryJane
PS - We are coming down in Dec.

Additionally, there was an anonymous photo that lent further credit to the accusation.

Displaying a Carefree Lack of Regard to Duty,
the Guilty Pair Are Shown Having Entirely Too Much Fun

Caught by the camera In flagrante delicto, their duty to the Blog totally forgotten, the guilty couple have been seen frequently frolicking poolside in their new hangout.

"We're guilty, we're guilty" exclaimed the couple to this reporter. Although it seemed they had to struggle to get the words out between bursts of laughter.

Speaking as one, they said, "We promise we'll get back to a regular schedule. We need to take a break. It's just too much fun!"

Indeed. One can only hope they realize the error of their ways and recant on a life headed toward fun and frivolity, to once again embark on the serious and necessary work of keeping their readers informed.

There are things more important than pursuing a life of leisure. This reporter will ensure the miscreants are more attuned to the needs of readership than they have lately displayed.

But first, all this sleuthing has caused a raging thirst...

Uh, Got a Belikin?

Our First Real Tryout

Ahhh, life in paradise. It's rough duty but someone's got to do it... I'm glad we volunteered.

Welcome to Casa Winjama!

Our first real day of trying our new pool on for size. It was great, but as it's the season, it was cut short by rain. That was OK, as we were beginning to get tired anyway.

Come On In!

The Water's Fine!

The place is really beginning to come together now. The pool just makes the whole place come to life.

From One End of the Pool

To The Other

And the Rain Returns, But Guess What?

We don't care, cause the pool is done! Yea!

Yesterday morning involved some final cleanup of the pool itself, the deck, and surrounding area. The jets for the spa (well, the mechanisms anyway) had to be installed. That took altogether about three hours.

John and the Guys Figuring Out How
to Hook Up the Jet Mechanisms

Once the mechanisms were in, then we spent some time trying to figure out how they worked. Tough to do, since the only way to really tell was to have the pool full of water... A process that takes about 7 hours, for a little over 9756 gallons. John and the guys got it right first time. The jets work perfectly. The nozzle end is adjustable for water flow and the little knob on the deck controls the amount of air coming into the jet. Togther they make an enjoyable combination.

I tried them out yesterday afternoon - in the rain.

John Adjusting the Jet Mechanism

As a thank you for John and the crew, we put on a barbecue for them. We had several 1-1/2" steaks, chicken legs and thighs, German potato salad, baked beans, and veggies. Oh, and there was beer and Coke. We all ate till we were ready to pop. John had loaned us his BBQ - which performed admirably as did the locally made charcoal.

Mariano Getting the Charcoal Up to Temperature

We spent most of the day, starting about 11:00 AM, filling the pool. It finally was full at about 6:00 PM. We let the pump and filter run all night to really make the water crystal clear.

And this morning, here's what it looks like. It's done and ready to go. Gorgeous huh?

Progress, Progress, Progress

Oops. This is a posting from October 17, of this last year that I completely forgot to post.

There was no text in it, just pictures showing finishing of the spa area of the pool.

Spa Tiling is Done

Spa Tiling Almost Done

And a shot of Dianna discussing the finer points of gardening with our Caretaker, Cody.

What's the Name of this Plant Again?

Sunshine Returns

Anyway, just like in the Northwest, grey skies and drizzle don't mean a thing. The show must go on.

Neither rain, nor storm,
Nor dreary day,
Shall stay these workers from
The swift completion of their appointed labors...

or something like that. Resourcefully deploying tarps and plastic, they were able to keep working on the spa.

Deploying the Tarps

Hard At Work Under Cover

Just as they finished the plastering, the sun began to creep out from behind the clouds. Before chancing a removal of the tarps, Mariano cleaned up debris under the tarp.

Emir Helping Mariano Clean Up

Mariano Staying Under Cover

Finally, the tarps were pulled back to help with setting of the plaster coat.

Mariano and Emir Work on the Plaster

Manuel Uses Vinegar to Clean the Tiles

Now the sun seems to be coming out in ernest. and the spa is beginning to look like it should. John said we might get water filling the pool tomorrow morning. Yippee!

Mariano and Emir Finish

Wow! It Looks Great!

Spa Is Nearly Done

More good news. The spa is well on its way to completion. We might actually have a filled pool by sometime this next week!

Hard at Work on the Spa

More Work on the Spa

Here you can see John positioning the venturi controls for the jets. They control how much air is let in and mixed with the water flowing through the jets, making for a bubbling good time.

Venturi Control

Jet Body In Position

Mariano is under the deck busy gluing bits together so the jet and venturi controls all work as planned.

John and Mariano Adjusting Jets

You can see how the blocks are cut to allow the jet body to fit closely. Manuel does the cutting with a power grinder tool and Emir fits and mortars each block after the cut.

Emir Fitting Blocks

Mariano Sees the Light of Day

Casting the beam and filling the blocks - last item on the agenda for the day. Makes for an interesting form layout.

Beam Casting Underway

Another View of theCasting

And, here it is - all done for the day. The forms will be removed and tiles adhered, then the Diamond Brite will be applied. Then we fill the pool!

Final Step of the Casting Completed

A Closer View

Other parts of the project - Cody is busy priming the pump house. It takes time because of the rough texture of the plastering. It will be the same color as the fence. That is, except for the waterfall area. We're hoping to have a mural painted there, possibly by Gale Peterson or one of the other local artists. We'll see.

Priming the Pump House

Dianna, being somewhat anxious to use the pool, is busy chipping "tweeters" of Diamond Brite so the steps are nice and smooth.

Hard at Work

More Yin, Less Yang

In the "More Yin" area, Cody made some progress yesterday with priming the pump house. As you can see below, it got a partial coat. Once he is able to finish that, then we have some primer especially for Snow Seal (if that's the brand name) that he'll pain onto the roof. Then he'll apply two coats of Sno Coat (or the other spelling, if either one is right) to the roof. The, we'll hook up some thin-wall black tubing to the outlets up on the roof, taking care to coil the tubing tightly and all over the roof, to heat water and... there we are. A ready made solar pool heater.

Cody's Priming of the Pump House

Occasionally, miracles do happen. I was under the palapa talking about the pool with John when my cell phone rang. It was the lady from the Post Office saying she had a Special Delivery package for me. Yeah!

I jumped into the Isuzu and zoomed downtown. After explaining to her what the items were, she looked them up in the "duty" book. Ninty-three dollars in duty later, I walked out of the Post Office with the jets.

Shortly After I Brought Them Home

The Jets In All Their Glory

Excitement reigned more or less supreme for a few minutes as we checked the many parts, and figured out how everything fit together.

Slight Yang here... We needed about 5-feet of 2 1/2" PVC pipe for the jets. Turns out, 2 1/2" PVC pipe isn't used anywhere in Belize. Everyone we checked with said, "Oh, that's Mexican pipe". Apparently, Mexicans use that pipe for sewerage instead of 4" pipe as a standard. And it's not used for anything on this side of the border, so no one carries it.

That brought the work day to a halt. As soon as the stairs were done, John sent the workers to his house to do some things, and Agusto was going to go to Chetumal, Mexico to score a length of 2 1/2" pipe. He was going to try to buy just 5-feet of it, but probably will have to buy a 20-foot length. I told them they should keep the extra for the next pool they build.

On with the Yin...

Deck stairs are done and look and work very well. It's so nice not to have to climb up on a rock to get up on the deck.

Front Deck Stairs

Rear Deck Stairs

Cody finished applying fill to the concrete patch job as well as applying several wheelbarrow loads to the area behind the pool, next to the fence. We've had some serious low-lying areas right there with major puddling. This should help alleviate the problem.

Fence Patch Job is Done

Behind the Pool Filling and Leveling

Yin and Yang

Well, today was one of those days.

1. The deck got finished.
2. The jets didn't arrive.
3. Cody started priming the pump house for painting.
4. Tropical Depression 16 is barreling down on us.
5. The weekend rains caused problems by the back fence.
6. Deck stanchion design

First things first - the "yin" of the project - the deck is done. And it's a real looker. I love it.

Just a bit more to go to finish the deck

Just This Tiny Corner

Presto, Chango! It's Done!

Next, John had the guys start on the front and back steps for the deck. They'll be concrete block sides with wood risers and treads. Six foot wide on the front steps and four foot wide on the back.

Emir Working on the Front Steps

Mariano and Emir Working on the Front Steps

Here They Are Working on the Rear Steps

Now You Can See Them

Here's the "yang" of the whole thing - the small cave that Cody discovered under the fence has caused additional problems. The rains of the weekend caused the fill placed back in the trench and tamped after the pipe was laid didn't have time to settle properly and washed into the cave. It subsequently washed out and eroded some of the outer bank alongside the canal. If we don't fix it, we stand to lose a part of the back fence when the coming storm hits. Lots of rain is on the way.

Here's the Ditch and Washed out fill

Eroded Canal Bank

Since we can't fill the pool all the way, I figured it will be better to drain a few inches out of the pool before the rain hits, and it would be a good test of the piping to see if it could handle the load. This part of the drain projecdt worked just as advertised - very well.

Another View of the Bank

Draining Pool Water Prior to the Rain

Another view of the hole under the fence. Cody borrowed the mixer from John and got a good bag of concrete, mixed loose so it'll settle well into the cave.

The Hole In the Wall (So to speak)

The Machine in Action

When it was ready to pour, John's guys helped Cody complete the pour. In the morning, we'll cover it with a couple loads of fill to help encourage water to stay away from this area. All the rest of the back area is Ok. Just this one problem area. I hope the concrete fill works.

Mariano and Emir Help Cody With the Pour

Complete, Looking Good

Cody nudging the concrete further into the cave. We're pretty sure it's all filled - we hope. The last bit of left0ver concrete, Cody put in front of the pump house, sort of a sloped stoop for it. BTW, the louvered window for the door will be ready to pick up tomorrow. So we'll see how easy it is to mount to the door.

Settling the Mix

Shaping the Stoop

Finally, a job Agusto is qualified for...

Not really. He's really very good at the construction trade and has worked, learning all he can from John for about three or four years now.

Agusto Bagging the Tras

Here is a drawing of what I'm thinking right now of using for deck railings, well the stanchions for it anyway.

Deck Stanchion Design