AYUDA!!!!

Well, it has been and interesting couple of days. The good news is that we were able to get internet, high speed no less and cable TV as well. We will be hooked up on the 13th so I can start sending pictures then.

We decided not to spend the money on the cheap ($200) particle board cupboard for the kitchen, but rather have one custom built. Our friend Norma took us over the the shop where she had her lovely kitchen built and introduced us to the owner. My cabinet is to be in 2 pieces, each 36 inches wide. One side will have 2-15" drawers on the bottom with a 21" opening above and then 2 shelves behind doors above that. The second part will have 2 banks of 3-10"drawers on the bottom and then 2 banks of 4 shallow pullouts inside the upper doors. The lower drawers will be lined with slats for air circulation. The intent was to get something cheap built which we could later put in the garage. Well, he informed us that he didn´t use cheap wood and the options were oak (we´re talking solid oak, a lovely fine grained variety called roboly) or cedar. Oak was cheaper and also better. He hauled out his calculator and the bad news was it would be $487. We scratched our heads really hard and after about 2 seconds agreed that this would be an acceptable price. Oh yes, I forgot to mention it will have a crown moulding as well to top it off. The boards are about 1/2" thick and there is NO plywood. It will be no garage cabinet now, this one will go in the guest room as a dresser/TV cabinet. I will post pictures later of the shop and door when I get my computer up and running.

Then he motioned over to a door leaning on the wall that a lad was sanding. He wanted to know if we needed a door. The door is 1 3/4" thick and SOLID wood. It is carved from top to bottom. It was ordered he said and the lady changed her mind and he would give us a good deal. $450 if we wanted it. Again we thought hard for about 2 seconds and agreed that perhaps we could find a place to put it.

What a rewarding morning that was. Then off to downtown where we stopped at a market. We got a whole stem of bananas, the little ones that are really tasty, for $2.00. Actually we were quoted $1.50 but the price went up when it came time to pay. We didn´t argue much, there are probably 75 bananas on the stem. Pineapples were 50 cents each and mangoes 30 cents each. Norma gave us a delicious papaya off of her tree.

Then we went home to cook dinner. There is a little room out back where I moved the stove. The door has a latch on it but no knob from the outside. To make sure we don´t get locked in the room Harry had figured out that if we clip a clothes pin on the latch from the inside it doesn´t hook when closed. Harry went out to fire up the barbeque and then later I followed him out closing the door behind me to keep the warm air from coming in the house. Click - OOPS! no one put the clothes pin on the latch and now we are locked in a very warm room with a barbeque going and bars on the windows and doors. What to do!! It is dark and about 8:30 at night. My brain scans back to the few Spanish lessons I have taken and I remember the word AYUDA (HELP). So I climb up onto the scooter being stored in there and press my face to the bars and call as loud as I can, AYUDA! AYUDA! AYUDA! add a few whistles for effect and suddenly the neighbour boy appears, who mercifully speaks English. He was able to come throught the house and open the door for us. It was a very short jail term, but long enough for me. The next day we got a key cut and have stashed it in the room. No more OOPS, we may not be so lucky the next time.

My sister Gail is coming tomorrow and we will be leaving for Bocas to go sailing, so unless there is something very noteworthy, there will be no more posts until after the 13th. Hasta que yo vuelba...Rose