Templo de Jesus, Calle 60 Merida, Yucatan

Parts and Pipes, The Organ Speaks!

It sat silent for years, in a small former church building that had housed the Mason's Lodge of Rome, New York since just after WWII. It was built in 1899. No one seemed to remember the last time it spoke. One of the last remaining Masons did recall it being used to lead patriotic songs and Christmas sing alongs many years ago before most of the lodge members had passed away.

I purchased it off Ebay, flew to NYC from Merida, then to Rome NY by train and then spent two days dismanteling the organ for shipment to Mexico. The crates of parts and pipes have sat scattered about my house the last ten months. It is now finally together and speaking! I can't say exactly that it makes music, but it does speak. Every pipe, from the 16ft wooden bass pipe to the smallest 2" metal pipe, now speaks, not counting the three wooden pipes that termites had their way with, but that's another story, another post. For me it's a glorious sound, a voice born only from a pipe organ. As far as pipe organs go, it's a small organ, only seven ranks of pipes, but I'll say this, it's the little pipe organ that could! It needs a tuning, all three hundred plus pipes will have to be tuned one at a time, by hand. Believe it or not, I have made friends with someone in Merida, a concert organist, that has offered to tune it! I would have never guessed I'd be so lucky to have someone in Merida to help. I'd been told the last tuner for the Cathedral organ, a Swedish man, died years ago.

I will post more photos soon and hopefully with a few hours practice time, I can produce a youtube video to share.

Remembering Dr. Peggy Jean Morrison 1937-2009

My dear friend Peggy Morrison, ill with lung cancer since October, passed away last week. It's difficult to hold back the tears as I think over my friendship with her from many years ago in Pensacola Florida. She was the one person that got me started buying and selling vintage clothing. She had a passion for it, same as me, and encouraged me with the beginnings of my twenty five years in business as a vintage clothing dealer.

Pensacola, situated in northwest Florida on the Alabama Florida state line has never been known for fashion correctness nor forwardness, never will. But oh how I remember Dr. Morrison, a tall striking woman with auburn hair, her southern dedication to fashion codes and rules. Her summer white linens freshly starched, perfectly accessorized. And then after Labor Day, the switch to fall wardrobe, then winter, spring etc...... I really never knew anyone like that before her. The only fashion rule I can remember from my youth was my mother's no white shoes before Easter rule. Pensacola's fashion code, being a navy base and gulf coast beach town, was simply cut offs and flip flops, and I'm talking flip flops long before they were trendy!

I'd lost contact with Peggy in recent years, after moving to NYC. Then last summer, from my home in Merida, I felt an urgency to get in touch with her and catch up. We did catch up, via emails and skype calls. In those few short months she sent endless email jokes and funny stories. The type email jokes had they not been from her, I'd surely deleted, never read. Then late October she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, all those years of smoking no doubt. I'm sure she was trying to hide the severity of her condition from me during our last few phone visits, but I knew her condition wasn't good and it'd only be matter of time. I'm heartbroken I didn't have one last visit with her, but I know she understood my reasons for not being able to travel from Mexico to Florida to see her.

A special sadness for someone never married, no children, only a scattering of cousins here and there, but a very special love for the lovely person and friend she was. I do hope she hears my prayers and thanks for that which she meant to me.

Construction Complete! Now for Landscaping

FINISHED, almost

Work begins on the pool and new patio

Today begins construction of the swimming pool, new outdoor living areas in the rear garden and a new bathroom with laundry area. Completetion date: Dec 2oth. Also, prep work for painting the exterior area of the courtyard and loggia is almost complete for painting. Hoping to be finished with painting the courtyard and loggia in two weeks. With the courtyard painted this will complete work on the main house except final polishing of the floors. The facade of the house has been approved for resotration by IHNA, the Mexican government's historical commission. Restoration of the facade should begin in Jan or Feb. (note: restoration of the facade has been delayed by the city of Merida untill July '09)

Kitchen Finished!

Courtyard Garden?

A house like this should have a lush tropical courtyard garden, correct? Well, the courtyard of this house was cemented over years ago, just an ugly slab of concrete. I don't like it, it has to go. One problem, under the layer of concrete there's a huge water storage tank twelve feet deep, twentyfive feet long! Rainwater from the roof of the house is funneled into this tank and was pumped into the house to flush the toilets back when the house was used as a school. Much debate and thought when into the idea of converting the tank into a swimming pool, but I really didn't want a swimming pool in the middle of the house. The pool will be built in the rear garden. A contractor gave me a very high bid to demolish the concrete slab and fill in the tank. I decided me and my chicos would do it. It was a huge project, but nothing really complicated. We managed to removed the top layer of cement, break open the roof of the water tank, pump all the water out and fill it within three weeks time. Our one fiasco was one of the steel beams for the roof of the water tank extended under the house next door and we broke a hole in the neighbors kitchen wall and floor as we removed the beam. The neighbors weren't so happy about it, but were good sports once my albanil went over and made the needed repairs the next day

poco a poco

Moving day arrived mid June. It's exiting to actually be living in the house, it's now a home though there's much more work to be done. I was lucky to find an albanil from the Governors office that specializes in plaster repair. There are only a handfull of people with his expertise, it's been such a pleasure to watch his work. He is restoring plaster details in the dinning room.

poco a poco

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More renovation photos

Renovation work continues and is going well. The electrician completed the electric on Friday, except for installing the power points and switches which will be done once the painting is completed. Choosing tile for the bathroom was causing much stress, most of the new ceramic tiles simply did not feel right in a house with original antique pasta tiles in all the house except the bathroom. The bathroom had a make over sometime years ago with gosh awful green and blue ceramic tiles. For the walls I decided on an off white on white embossed mate ceramic tile, but found it impossible to decide on tile for the floor. Then last week, my dear friend Brian Worthington from London/Shanghai offered to me antique pasta tiles which he was removing from the colonial house he is renovating. Mr. Worthington's house is located four blocks from my house. He's doing a complete makeover, hopefully he'll allow me to take photos, if so I'll post them here when possible.
The albanil and I ran with the gift of tiles. A day was spent cleaning and preparing them for installation in the bathroom. Today a new albanil began installation of the wall tiles. Turns out the tile store mixed up my order and about half the tiles were the wrong pattern. The correct tiles should arrive tomorrow and hopefully all wall and floor tiles will be in place by the end of the week.
I'm still planning the trip to NY to retrieve the antique pipe organ in Rome, NY, but am waiting word from the seller to confirm travel dates. Can't wait to be in Manhattan again!

Week Four Renovations

Week four of renovations. We are making good progress. All rough plumbing is in place, Electrical is two thirds complete. The albanil (stone, cement mason) has completed work on the kitchen walls and should have all interior walls repaired and ready to paint soon after the electrician completes his work cutting into the walls to make way for the new wiring. Remember, the walls of made of stacked rock, cutting into them is no easy task and the ceilings are twenty feet high. I think I have made a decision for the bathroom tile, but that decision is subject to change hourly. I have my eye on a stove and a fridge at Sam's Club. Yes, Merida has a Sam's Club as well as Costco and Home Depot. I will purchase those items once I return from New York. Travel dates for New York are still up in the air, but I should be in NYC before the end of March and plan to be there for about ten days.
I bought a antique pipe organ off Ebay last month and will be traveling to Rome, NY to dismantle and crate the organ, then drive it to New Jersey in a Uhaul. From New Jersey, the organ will be shipped by sea container to the port at Progreso, Yucatan, Mx, about thirty minutes away from my house in Merida. If renovation of a old house isn't can of worms enough, this organ surely will be. However, this organ is listed on the register of historic organs and will be a very exciting project. I will post photos and details as progress unfolds regarding relocating and rebuilding.

For sale: Two colonial houses in Merida Centro, for details and photos: meridahome4sale.blogspot.com

What do you do with your time?

The number one asked question from people regarding what I do since I retired and moved to Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. What do I do? First let me say how much I enjoying living in Merida. There is so much to do! Endless gringo parties, art openings, concerts at the beautifully restored opera house, outdoor evening concerts and dances at different parks around the city almost every night. However, I do have to say the gringos parties are at the bottom of my list of favorite things. Honestly, how much can one take of all the gossip and complaining about the difficulties of finding a housekeeper, a house boy, a gardener,how much to pay the albanil (stone mason) and where to find "American" products in Merida?
Another frequent question, do I miss NYC and the vintage clothing business? Yes, I miss both very much. Not a day went by in NYC that I didn't meet someone or something that inspired me in some way. I miss the vintage clothing more that I can express, the surprise of the next vintage find, seeing the beautiful people wear the clothing from my shop, meeting the designers and celebs in my shop. Oh well, it's all dust and glitter now.
One thing I do not miss is the presence of the horrible woman that owned the used clothing store next door to me, I think it's call Family Jewels. How vulgar is that name???? Even more vulgar, the owner and her crib of shop girls. Like mother like daughter was the term that always came to mind when I'd see them thru the shop window. I loved it when ever so loyal clients of mine would report to me goings on about that shop, the stories of her laid up barefoot on a chase lounge snapping orders to her ribbon clerks or how smelly the inventory of clothing was. Or the crazy prices and poor condition of clothing. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth a fortune! Especially disturbing to me and the other tenants of my building, was her habit of dumping her garbage on the door step of my shop. It started the moment I moved in, continued till the day I moved out. I can only guess that type behavior directly relates to one's mental health and personal happiness.
Most of my time in Merida has been spent locating, buying and renovating a house to live in. I find the early Spanish colonial architecture and 19th century European architecture here in Merida amazing, I spend hours if not days looking and searching about the city enjoying the beautiful old houses. Last January I bought a very small one bedroom colonial house which I renovated and currently live in. I recently purchased the house next door which was originally part of my house, the two houses were divided into separate properties many years ago. My intentions were to unify the two houses into one house again. But, another house I'd had my eye on for a while come up for sale and I purchased it the first week of February. Renovation work began last week and I plan to moved into it in a few months. The first two houses are now for sale. For information and photos check out this link, http://www.meridahome4sale.blogspot.com/
This new house will be a very special project for me. I will write more about it later and will post photos of the renovation process often.
I'll be visiting NYC at the end of March. It Would be nice to visit with old friends and clients if possible
The photos below are of the new house and the first two weeks of demolishing what was a large cinder block and metal roof addition on the back of the original house. Next week we begin interior work including new electricals, plumping and plaster repair. I believe this house to be a Spanish Colonial era house circa late 1700s, remodeled in the late 19th century in the "French Style" so popular in Merida at that time.