The Big Reveal

It's the Before & After of it all.

Slappin' On The Tool Belt

It happens to be Father's Day and guess what we didn't get for Larry? A tie.

Wrapping up a crowbar; a hammer; goggles; and a thingy for pulling up ugly tile and ugly paneling has it's challenges.

So here it is ... our new home, so far.

For those of you who might have an idea that I'm a spoiled Greenwich girl, think again. We have two things going for us: Larry loves a challenge and I have one excellent quality; I am a truly adaptable chick. (This means I can pretty much host a party for one, in a closet, providing I have some bright paint and good music. Will somebody please tell Larry just how lucky he is?)

Being born a Ballard means I have a dominant feeding gene. I like a big, inviting and cozy kitchen. Looking at this, I'd opt for a can of beans heated over a garbage can fire in a back alley.

Luckily, we do have three months, (minus a planned two week holiday to visit family in the states), to get this heap in some kind of living order!

Truth be told, I'm excited about the challenge, but I am holding my breath just a little.

Down... Down... Down-Sizing.

Our Palace

The beautiful "Jacaranda House" which Larry built ... mostly from Sarasota! By August, we will have had the pleasure of enjoying this luxury for a year and a half. It was nice while it lasted.

Well,nothing stays the same and anyway, I need to be knocked down a rung or two on the ladder of life. Besides, Larry and I both need a new challenge...

And here it is!

Yeah, yeah. The bigger the problem, the greater the opportunity.

Thankfully, I know Larry can fix anything. And we got some fixin' to do!

Yes. I fondly call this my own little dump, or "the crack house downtown." But the truth is this little house is well located near the heart of town and in an all-Panamanian neighborhood... plus, it sits on a dead-end street. One neighbor sells "Duros" or strawberry Icys from her home, so we know where William will be spending his pennies. All the neighbors seem lovely, and there is even a grazing horse nearby.

By September we hope to have an "After" to show, but Larry has his work cut out. He'll have to gut most of the house. The area to the right is a separate apartment and in the back is a narrow but long lot where we will have a garden, patio with fireplace, a covered area for William's skating ramp, and of course a place for Baby, my goofy, obese, asthmatic rooster and his little hen, Honey Bun.

If you put on your cheaters and look way down the road to the left, there is a horse grazing in front of the yellow roof.

That's our untucked William in the photo. Being a social guy, he'll do just great in the hub of activity downtown life presents. He can be my errand boy!

Truth be told, I am truly excited about what lies ahead.