LVI. Nuestra Nueva Casa

Our New House

We're the liver-red casa on the left. The grillwork will be replaced by a wall
with glass brick windows changing the garage into an office/bedroom, maybe
performance space.

There were eight of us around the table yesterday at the notaria's office for all the papers we had to sign in order to gain the deed to our new home. The now-previous owner—elegant, frail and friendly—was there with una amiga. We were there with our lawyer. The realtors’ office was represented, and of course there was the notary himself, a dapper fellow. 

Most of the money had already changed hands—a one-way street from our bank to theirs. We were in and out in an hour, came home and took a nap, drank an extra margarita before dinner and retired early. We were beat. 

Breezeway from front door looking out to street, kitchen
window to right.

Today is another let-down day after the adrenalin rush of our transaction—culmination of weeks of way-out-of-my-comfort-zone financial dealings, plus all the 3AM paranoias about what could possibly go wrong. My therapist—I mean, sensible spouse—was talking me down to the very end.

I went over to the house this morning and found some cool things I hadn’t noticed before like the indirect lighting hidden all around the living room cornice to illuminate the brick-domed ceiling above. Wall sconces on dimmer switches are always a plus. And I hadn’t noticed before how fine the view is from the mirador to the mountains, and how much we can see of the sky. 

Dining room with kitchen entry at left guarded by large Virgin.

On the other hand, a cucaracha and I surprised each other in the closet off the patio, the one that also houses mops and garden tools; I couldn’t get the garage opener to work and quit trying after jumping back from the crackling sparks of an electrical short.

I accomplished my main goal, though, of watering all the plants that our erstwhile realtor had been neglecting, poking around in drawers (discovering some colorful ceramic plates I liked), and making mental notes of how to proceed with cleanup and maintenance.

The configuration of this house is interesting and unusual but not uncommon around here in the central area. Because the properties are pretty much cheek-by-jowl and the blocks

We'll add some of those colorful ceramic tiles to counter top
and replace shelves to right with cabinets.

are big squares, the property width is only about 20 feet, but it goes back well over a hundred. There’s a long breezeway entry walk, past the garage and kitchen and you enter a dining room and through that to a large living room with brick domed ceiling. There are octagonal skylights in each of the last three spaces.

Past the living room you enter a patio with many plants, a wall fountain, and steps leading up to what will be a second story mirador. Straight ahead you go through the patio to the bedroom with its bathroom and at the far wall of the bedroom is a big window and glass double doors onto a very narrow and plant-filled space that mainly is there to give the room more light. 

From the dining room looking into living room and past our friend Wayne into the patio. Refinishing the tile floors is one
of our first orders of business.

Patio with our detached bedroom straight ahead, steps to mirador on left, fountain on right.

Bedroom fireplace and its own narrow patio which is mostly there for the light. The house was designed by the previous
owner--a gringa who lived in Mexico for many years and eventually became a Mexican citizen; she accumulated several houses, much artwork, and still enjoys an idiosyncratic personality. The design is notable for having no windows to either side of the enclosed property. All light comes through skylights or from interior garden space.