The House in Maldonado

LOTS of you have asked if we were taking before and after pictures of our house. The answer is that yes, we have, although a number of our photos have had to be discarded as we're having some sort of regular problem with our camera. But for those who have been besieging me with requests for photos, I'm going to try and upload some for you!

First off, here are pictures of the front and back of the house, taken in early February when the work was just getting started.

In April, during an unusually strong storm, the septic tank "floated" up into the back yard, creating quite a mess!

When you enter our house, there is an entry way, with lots of windows. You then walk into the dining room/living room combination. The house was apparently built in at least 3 stages. The step up into the dining room marks one of the areas where the house (probably originally a small beach house getaway) was expanded. Here are the "before" pictures from February.

"During" photos, from early April

"After" photos from early June

I've got visitors on the way, but I'll try and post more of the house later today!

Moving to Maldonado

We're living in Maldonado at last! It's hard to believe that we're finally here after reading the job request over a year ago. As most of you know, we've been living in Montevideo for 6 months while the mission-owned house underwent major renovation. What a transformation! I'm going to do several posts on the house as so many have written us asking about progress and wanting to see pictures. Those of you who aren't interested in "house stuff" can just skip all of these posts! First, I want to write a little about the moving process.

We received word Wednesday morning, June 3rd, that our crate was to be delivered early on Friday morning, June 5th. We were actually traveling to Maldonado for the day when we got the call to get ready! The delivery was 7-10 days earlier than we'd expected, but we were thrilled to finally be moving in. We spent Thursday in Montevideo and left around 6 am Friday morning to get to the house before the movers.

Those who know us well always want to know how the piano arrived! Our first major purchase when we married 29 years ago was a Yamaha 7' 4" grand, not knowing at the time that we'd haul it a bit farther than might seem reasonable. It arrived in great shape and we've really enjoyed having it to play again after leaving it in El Salvador in June of 2007.

The trailer with our belongings from El Salvador and the crate we packed in Greensboro, NC

The piano was the last thing in the trailer, so the first thing off.

Figuring it out as they go

So far, so good!

The forklift is too small for our steep driveway, so the workers pitch in and push the forklift up the hill!!

Safe and sound!

Pushing the forklift with the Greensboro crate up the hill

It's always been amazing to me how much cardboard and tape that Central American moving companies can use! Most of our items arrived in good shape. There are always a few items broken, but nothing of great sentimental value was damaged. One "first" this time was that all of our furniture (except the piano, which had been stored in a different location) was covered in mildew. Thus, the unpacking process was lengthy as with each piece we had to cut through the layers and layers of cardboard and tape, then carefully clean every nook and cranny to (hopefully) eliminate the mildew. Here are a couple of examples of creative Salvadoran packing!

Our Neighborhood Church

Above the roofs of the houses and the trees across the street, we can see the spires of Iglesia de Las Carmelitas (the church of the Carmelites). The building itself is amazing in terms of architecture, a testament to the once important status of the Catholic church in this neighborhood (currently, only 3% Uruguayans are regularly practicing Catholics).  The spires can be seen from quite a distance, towering above all other architecture.  We've been trying for 5 months to find the church open so that we can see the inside!  (Here's a link to a television spot on YouTube; it's in Spanish, but has great views of the interior - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vLagVjCkis).  Although supposedly the church has an active congregation and ministry here in the community, every time we walk past we find that the large metal doors are closed and there is no sign of life.  How sad it is to see a church that is more of a monument and tourist attraction than an open, inviting door for those who are seeking solace and guidance.  Here are some pictures that I took yesterday:

Living in El Prado

For the past 5 months, we've been living in the Montevideo neighborhood known as El Prado. It is a old, gracious section of the city with many homes that were built in the 1800's. In colonial times, the well-to-do often had a "country home" in this neighborhood, although with modern transportation we're only around 20 minutes to the colonial "downtown." Here are a some pictures, just to give you a bit of the flavor of El Prado.

The mission-owned apartment building.

We lived in the lower right for 2 1/2 months; now we live in the upper right.

Philip sitting in front of an amazing tree!

Our beautiful street, Avenida Agraciada (Agraciada means graceful or genteel), lined with sycamore trees.

The Botanical Gardens, 2 blocks from the apartment.

A monastery a couple of blocks away. We hear bells all through the day!

Newer, more modern condos and homes

Old Sidewalks - it's important to look down when walking!

The neighborhood public school. Uruguay has one of the highest literacy rates in South America, with schools in every neighborhood.

Older, traditional homes

Castillo Soneira, is within walking distance, right next to the Uruguayan version of the U.S. White House. It was recently up for sale - asking price 1.8 million U.S. dollars!

An abandoned, run-down home on our street

My favorite house, right across the street