Post-Move photos

Entrance to the Retreat also known as Caney
Communeros in Barichara, Santander, Colombia

I'm a little too tired to write much... the guys were great - on time, funny, and worked very hard. I just want to go on the record and say that if anyone in America has a chance to hire a Colombian, you will get your money's worth. They are such hard workers and most of the Colombians have such a great attitude about getting the task done well and fast, it is a pleasure to work with them. The only caveat is that there is a certain laid-back perspective to the culture wherein, "It will get done when I get there..." holds sway.

Second story apartment with 180-
degree views of Barichara countryside.

Example: I made an appointment to have my DirecTV dish antenna moved from one place to the other. I made the date a couple of days in advance of when I needed it, because I'd had one experience with that business already. The day came and went and no one showed up - or called. I called the next day and it was re-scheduled for Monday morning. Nope - no one came. I called right away. "He'll be there after 2 p.m." He wasn't. I called again. "He'll be there by 5 for sure." Guess what? We called the office at 5:30 and were told, "He's on his way." The sun sets here just about this time... was he going to do all this in the dark? Yep. And once he arrived, he worked doggedly and carefully to make sure everything was done correctly. By flashlight. Thankfully it wasn't raining. I was impressed.

Once I retrieved the cats from the other place, I secured the apart ment as best I could so they could explore and stay here, have a couple of meals and know it was home. Somehow they found a way out and went exploring last night, waking me up at 5 a.m. to open the door because however they got down, they couldn't get back up.

Small galley kitchen reminds me of my liveaboard life.

Then they had breakfast, laid around for awhile and around 9:30 a.m. I realized Sombra had gone. Ultimo was here all day watching the peacocks, the dog, the ducks, the chickens like a cat's idea of a great movie from the second story... tree house! Then just as it was getting dark, Sombra showed up again... she was freaked out, but at least she knows this is home... she ate and then she left again. This behavior repeated itself again today... and when she's here, she's almost panicky - not her usual purring and affectionate self.

I am hoping that in a few days she will start to be more like Ultimo, just hanging around and enjoying all the birdie entertainment. If anyone has any cat psychology ideas to share, please do!

Ultimo is relaxing and watching the various birds... now.

Today I watched Ultimo attempt to bring down a peacock... he sort of swatted at it, and in a few minutes he had the peacock's mate, a rooster, two ducks and some curious hens all beginning to crowd around him. He suddenly realized he was outnumbered by birds that are almost as big as he is... he took the smart route and headed back to the apartment. I was sitting at the top of the stairs and started laughing - poor cat, suffering such humiliation.

Anyhow, the move is done... and since I'm going to be away for a bit, I'm leaving some things in boxes until I return. It turns out the number on my apartment/retreat is "7" - if you are into numerology, you probably already know where this is going, but if not, click here, and read why I like living 'under' this number... I started the resting part today!