Bitter Jackass V

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Kumquat Cottage

(Home)

The sticks were still up inside holding the poured concrete roof but the back view is promising to be a handsome facade very soon. Compare it to the "Before" picture below:

The ceilings are lofty and Roy has used corrugated zinc to mold the texture on them. The floors were not ready to be acid-stained yet and we are investigating the possibility of embedding slate flagstones in the floor too.

The rooftop terrace is quite spectacular, affording views of the avocado and coconut trees as well as the distant valley beyond the town. Note the spot reserved for the skylight which will illuminate the dining area below.

This mahogany dining set is at the Artbox in Belmopan and will charm our dining guests soon. I took photos of beds, furniture and cabinets (everything from IKEA to Ligne Rosset) to show local carpenters, so the next trip will be all about custom interiors.

I took a Solar Water Heating Tube to experiment with. After two hours of leaving it on the roof in the sun the water inside was scalding hot. With two more of them joined together we will have enough free hot water for an everlasting bath.

There are two sources of slate in Central America, both in Belize. The Maya use it for carving and Roy and I went looking for pieces we could line our floor with. It all depends on permission from the Forestry Department (as well as hiring a team of horses and laborers to drag it up from this beautiful spot between Che Chem Ha and Black Rock Lodge).

Inspired by climbing asymmetrical cylindrical steps through a teak forest in Thailand to get to a Buddhist monastery, I developed these steps to get down to our creek. Colored cement poured into oildrum moulds and pressed with local leaves. You have to pay attention as you descend and the experience is like a meditative dance (or you break an ankle).

They now tumble down the hill to the water in quite an artsy way; our first finished installation. the whole house is designed with flow in mind, from the front entrance at the top of the driveway through the house, down to the stream.

We brought in a machine to dig out the front staircase, an L-shaped grand affair that Greta Garbo would look fabulous descending (if she ever visits). It will be lined with rock and river stones.

There was a big drought and our pond at Bitter Jackass dried up. This is OK since it gives Roy a chance to finish the job he started last year before rains prevented him digging deeper. A giant tapir was seen at the front gate and we found her hoof prints all over the place, including a direct hit on one of Preston's long-suffering chocolate trees.

Next trip in July-August. By then the septic tank will be complete and the whole place plastered with a natural white sand. Then we can get on and do up the furnishings and garden a bit. the goal is to have it rentable by Christmas.