Rounding Turn Three, Four's In Sight

Hell, I can smell the finish line from here. I'm talking about the guesthouse. We've actually gotten some sand and stone dust delivered already for the plastering (alright, 'parging' if you want to be persnickety) of the outside walls and the inside walls and ceilings.

Sand and Stone Dust Ready to Go

I talked to Isidoro last week about the resumption of activity with the project. He's finishing up a house in Consejo, and should be able to start here in a couple of weeks... that was a week ago. So, maybe with a little luck, work could start this next week. I still have to order 25 bags of cement.

I even had Cody clean up one-third of the parking palapa, where we store some of the building supplies, like bags of cement, pipe, etc.

The other bit that is a sure sign of progress on the guesthouse is that I have Cody also digging a small trench so I can run current and some other things from the house to the guesthouse.

Cody, Resting Alongside the Trench

Things like, #4 wire for 220V service to the guesthouse; coax (betting on the come that some day we'll have cable service here); bellwire (for the gate doorbell); and 4-conductor wire (for the wall-mounted gate control switch). This all will be buried in 1.5" PVC schedule-40 tubing for protection.

Something not related to the guesthouse, is that we're finally getting our screen doors installed today. This was one of those 2-week projects that turned into a 2-month extravaganza of waiting for the cabinetmaker to deliver and install the doors. Not an unusual occurrence here in Belize. We are getting quite good at patiently waiting (it's a learned skill for Gringos).

Power-Planing the Back Screen Door

So, back to the guesthouse for a minute. Once the plastering is done, then what's left is

• tiling all the floors,
• measuring, ordering and installing:
• louvers,
• sliding glass door,
• roll-up door,
• burglar-bar door,
• utility metal door,
• burglar bars on the windows (we already have most of them),
• cut a couple additional window holes,
• finish the bathroom,
• get and install kitchen and bathroom cabinets,
• paint inside and out,
• apply Cool Seal to roof,
• finish the electric installation,
• hook up plumbing, and
• run a gas line from the tank to the stove. 

 For the most part, none of this list is in the right order.

So, with luck, we might have this done in a couple of months. Then, we can really start to enjoy the pool.

Speaking of the pool, the new pump motor should be here in my grubby little hands, sometime around the 6th of April. I can't wait for that.

Let's see, what else is happening... Oh, of course. Band Fest 2010. Right here in Corozal. This is the biggest thing in a long time to happen here. Town crews are out painting curbings, sprucing things up. Already lots of new people in town. By Wednesday, if you don't have all your shopping done, you may as well plan on waiting till after the weekend, cause with over 8,000 people showing up, there will be precious little to buy - at least that's what we've heard through the rumor-mill.

Band Fest 2010

Saturday, 27 March, 2010, there will be school marching bands from all over belize right here in Corozal for a competition to claim the title as the top marching band. Last year, Corozal Community College's band was ranked 3rd in the nation.

Practice By Central Park

It all starts with a parade early Saturday morning with all the bands participating. Parades are always popular here and a great crowd is guaranteed. It should be an exciting and lively day. Don't miss it.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Lot's happening over the next few days or so. I'll try to keep up with most of it.