More Rain; New Water Heater; Another Builder...
Last Monday afternoon, I drove out to meet with the foreman of the lot-clearing crew to reiterate the scope of work we all agreed to. The meeting went well, and then it rained and/or was insanely windy the rest of the week, meaning no further progress has occurred.
While our water heater looks somewhat new, it also seems to be leaking in the room it is stored in, and our hot water is getting a lot of rust. Why not buy another new thing for the villa? *sarcasm mode* I shopped around for a 28-gallon, short-boy water heater, with prices ranging from $550US to $1100US—quite a big spread! The $550 one was in stock and made in Tennessee, so that's the one we went with.
During the week, I researched more builders via Facebook, and on Friday, met up with one to see some completed homes (from the outside). I was surprised to be picked up in a TRUCK! This may sound odd to you, but on an island where almost everyone drives a golf cart, trucks are rare! Every other builder we have spoken with has traveled by cart or sometimes, motorbike, if not hauling goods. With the exception of going back to Arizona for a funeral, this was the first time I have been in a vehicle in nearly 6 months - and my first time on the island, ever!
My view for 90 minutes...
It was an extra treat on account of the rain and cold wind!
I like this company, although I have liked many of them AT FIRST. We're trying to coordinate a time to view finish work inside of a home they built that is an AirBnB - it's high season, so that may take a bit - and I'll have Nathan scrutinize them.
Saturday, Nathan swapped out water heaters. This was an adventure as the unit sits in a small closet, behind our 100# butane tank, water filtration, and water pump. A water heater is also bulky and awkward to lift and maneuver in a small space. Draining the old one shows that it was likely NEVER drained for as long as it was installed (which is a mystery - no date on it). I had asked our property manager about routine maintenance items and I don't believe I ever received a reply - guess I should've pushed harder on that. An ounce of prevention...
We expected the bottom to be rusted out, but it was still intact. I'll be setting a calendar reminder to drain the new one next January.
After that weekend fun, we decided to go on an adventure and drive around a bit, then I suggested we walk the beach in town. It's still nuts to me how little we are at the beach/in the water, living here full-time. We parked by Belize Chocolate on Front Street and walked all the way north to see the new basketball courts at Boca Del Rio Park, picking up a cocktail en route and back. It was actually sunny, but the wind was whipping!
It is now "concert season" on Ambergris Caye - a handful of yearly visitor musicians are scheduled for the next 2 months. We're not huge on live music, and are strongly anti-Jimmy-Buffett, and most of these artists seem to be JB-knock-offs, so I don't foresee us getting involved. The fans are rowdy and do enjoy their cocktails. And decorating their carts.
Hopefully, they take all this plastic home with them!
Not much of note planned for this week - I did receive a breadmaker I ordered from Amazon, so perhaps I'll start tinkering with that!