And so, we're in.  The first week has passed us by with one little adventure after the next.  We've spent time in the living room basking in the realm of all of it's glory; the beautiful wood frame, the details of the thatched-roof, the contrast of our blue couch against the natural elements of the eucalyptus.  Our Dometic propane refrigerator has proven itself worthy.  Our beers are cold and our meat is frozen.  She's small, but effective and that's all that really matters as we dip our toes into off-grid living.  There are only two things currently plaguing us.  Termites and sunlight.  The termites have already found their way through the floor boards and are feasting on the crossbars of our elaborate roof.  We've tried wiping the wood and mopping the floors with neem oil, but they've deemed themselves much stronger creatures and the house is currently being fumigated, with a heavy dose of terminex being applied to the underside.  Our other issue is solar.  The first four days, our marine batteries stayed above half their charge and then on the fifth, the sun never came out and the next twenty-four hours sucked them down to the "auto-shutdown" level.  The sun has not come out long enough for them to regenerate their charge and we've been powerless for over twenty-four hours now.  We tried recharging them with a generator last night, but apparently the electrician didn't hook up the cords properly and we still have no juice.  They're trying once more today but it seems as if we might need to buy an actual marine battery charger and a better inverter.  This is all part of the learning process and a process it will be.

Through it all, I profess my profound love for the boldness of Ian's spirit - his ability to take the plunge and to see a vision through.  Some people live their lives wondering if they could ever do such a thing, and then there are people like him that do it.  Cheers my love, and congratulations.  You (we) have done it.

our first Nica trash fire

  

Chee-hoo!  The waves have been good this week.  Yesterday, Ian got on a boat to a far away spot up north called Playgrounds.  Thanks to Jason for the five a.m. phone call - my babe came back grinning and sunburned.  Amarillo has been worthy this week too.  A little more user friendly for Allegra and I - we scored some fun ones over the last few days.  The guests are on their way out this weekend.  One last boat trip for Ryan and Ian this morning to Manzanillo - let's hope the winds held up for them.

We're excited for a Fourth of July celebration at Chele Palmado's tomorrow.  It sounds like the boys are putting together a feast.  It's comforting to know that even in Nicaragua, there will be an Independence day fiesta and just another excuse to indulge in excessive amounts of food and beer.  God Bless America.

Lady Gray's gas tank has graced our bank account with a slow leak in her top half.  So long as we keep her below a third, she's fine.  Unfortunately, the closest gas station is forty minutes away in Rivas but fortunately, the family at the church in Gigante "se vende gasolina."  Today on the way home from Amarillo, I purchased two gallons of red gas, yes red, for ten dollars.  When I asked about the suspicious color, she told me it's Super.  I believed her and so far so good.  Lady Gray seems happy therefore, I'm happy.  Our mechanic is currently looking for a new (used) tank.  Three attempts at welding the original, have all failed.  Oh Douglas.  He runs on about a 66% success rate.  (including the rate of reliability - in terms of showing up when he says he's going to show up)  Bless his guilty smile though.  He knows when he's been bad.

And so we are moving into Phase Two of our time here in Nicaragua.  Next week will be the real beginning for us.  I can't express how excited we are to be underneath our own thatched-roof.  The beds and oven are coming on Monday and as for the fridge ... let that unexpected adventure begin.  We've managed to push back Managua again.  Tuesday.  It looks like Tuesday, for real.  Clint is currently on the same mission for the illusive propane refrigerator and we're hoping he gets some solid info before we blindly delve into the city.  We haven't been to the house in a few days and it sounds like it's in its finishing stages.  Now that we have enough gas to get to La Vista and to Rivas, we'll be checking it out this afternoon.  Pictures to follow.  Thanks for reading everyone.      

Some pics

La Vista development is doing some pretty awesome stuff with the construction of the casitas and I thought it was about time I'd post some pics of the real deal. Ian took these when he was down there in September. These are photos of someone else's house being built, but it provides a nice visual for how ours is going to look. All the casitas are made from eucalyptus and they all have vaulted, thatched roofs. The windows at the top of the roof suck hot air out of the casita so it stays cool. We've drawn up a rough floor plan for ours and to keep it priced at 45K, we're able to get a 600 sq. ft. lower level with a 300 sq. ft. loft. We've included a guest room in our plans so friends and family can come visit and we're able to sleep four when it's suitable enough to be a vacation rental. For more information on La Vista and for more photos of the development, go to http://www.playacolorado.com/ click on "properties" then click on "eco-lots."

At the Start

My boyfriend Ian, is a man of great ambition who sees potential for growth and development in an eco-friendly development named La Vista, just north of Gigante, Nicaragua on the Pacific side of the country. On a recent visit, he became acquainted with two men from Australia who had recently bought up a grip of land in the afore mentioned area and were selling plots in the La Vista development that boast an "off-the-grid" lifestyle complete with thatched roof casitas and the ability to run off of solar and wind power. The purpose of Ian's visit was to stake out a spot for a meager investment. He wants something that's his, something that has the potential to generate revenue while we're are away and something that we can potentially flip in the future if in the end, it's not the life for us anymore.

Being the man that he is, I trust his judgement with all of my heart and am excited at the prospects of living abroad, learning Spanish, and running as far away from the race of American life as possible. I have no problem with the notion of surfing my thirties away accompanied by the most simple form of lifestyle that two human beings can reasonably create. Life in a thatched roof casita with the man I love sounds pretty righteous.

So begins our journey...