Shades of the Past

I've loved architecture for a long time now, so I enjoy combining it with photography. Sometimes I then do additional editing or manipulation of the photo. This is a shot I took of an old theater in the historic downtown of Fort Myers. A retro look 'they' wisely decided to keep! This building is no longer a theater but they kept the marquee, thankfully. The theater was originally named after Thomas Edison who had his winter home here. I did 'edit' a bit - the graphic on the building I did and then digitally added it to the photo. :)

This post, with a little more information, I also posted on Tsu. I find this social network to be a great place for me to show some travel photos, shots around my garden, posted recipes; and I've have learned gardening tips, enjoyed banter with others and been inspired in my photography. If you are interested in joining the community, you need an invitation. Here is mine: https://www.tsu.co/TimeForCoffee 
This link can be used to take you to the page to join and is the "referrer short code." Please feel free to ask any questions by commenting. 

Thank you for respecting copyright laws. © Carol Lloyd 2015 all rights reserved worldwide.

Here It Is

I thought you might like to see the end result of our labors. These pictures that the realtor had taken are amazing and make it even look better, well, at least bigger! I think it looks amazing in real life, if I do say myself!! (And I just did.) :-) Here's the link.

Modern Conveniences

By and large I'm very happy to have been born during the "modern" age that I was. I realize that modern is always changing. I like indoor plumbing, cell phones, color TV, computers and obviously the internet! However, I do think that our imagination for labeling eras or movements has seriously declined. When I was in college (which was more than a couple of years ago) the current architectural movement we were studying was called "Post Modern" which of course followed Modern. Really!? Where do you go from there? Maybe Post Modern will just have to have various phases which continue until the end of time! I don't know I'm not keeping up on the architecture trends. I can hope they've improved their historical legacy, giving greater meaning to the eras. After all, Post Post Modernism just doesn't roll off the tongue!

In any case, my love and appreciation of modern conveniences has been tested lately in the realm of a kitchen sink. Conclusion: Yes, I love them and find them incredibly useful!! Going 5 days without a kitchen sink, because ours was being resurfaced, cramped my style or rather - daily routine. This absence also propelled the greater use of other conveniences, namely the microwave. It's pretty hard to cook or clean up without a sink so microwave dinners came to the rescue. Still, it's not like a microwave and a sink are interchangeable. So glad to have the sink back in use, plus, it looks like new! The rest of the house, though, still is a disaster area.

Thankfully, we see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It's not over yet but... It should be gorgeous when it's all done. The five and a half weeks spent painting, repairing, replacing, cleaning and staging will be worth it in the end, I trust.

One type of "Reality" TV Experience

I watched one of the recent House Hunters International the other day. Guess what! It was filmed in Merida, Mexico, so I had to watch!! Since I've watched that real estate market for so long, I'm always curious if they'll show one of my favorites. Sure enough, two of my all time favorites were given the chance to shine.

The first one shown was in the more modern area of town, in the outskirts. That area I never did a lot of perusing because I love the colonials; plus, it was on a golf course - no interest. The second one was none other than "The Hidden Street." Always fun to see, and I liked hearing the couple's reaction to this rather eccentric place. Our reactions were similar - it's fun but too spread out. I always told Brian we would have to get walkie talkies to ask each other a question if not in the same room, or to find each other with ease. This couple sells sofas so I thought it was rather funny to take them to this place which has a sunken, cemented in living room furniture! They talked about jackhammering out the seating! It was only selling for 565K so why not jackhammer! Although actually I'd seen the place selling online for a mere 495K earlier in the year.

Lastly, they showed the couple Casa Chablis. Yes, if I had the money this place would be our number one choice. Amazing! As anyone would (if they had that kind of money) they picked this stunning place. But speaking of money, "that kind of money" definitely went up for the show. Too bad this couple hadn't done some earlier homework. Just like the Hidden Street which had gone up in price so had Casa Chablis. On HHI they were selling it for 450K, a bargain for those who had a budget of 500K. However, I had never seen it online for that price. I can't remember the highest I had seen it for but I saw it go as low as 365K. It appears this couple "negotiated" the price down to 439K. Truly a bargain for them but if only they had a little more information behind them. In the end, they are happy and certainly do have a wonderful home. I'm just not in their league so all that money as a gift seems a bit excessive!!

Parting Shots!

The trip has come to an end. So often I have mixed feelings as I'm heading home. I absolutely love traveling but the bed is never as comfortable as my own, restaurant food can get tiring (and expensive); plus, the familiar is settling. On the other hand, I love adventure, trying new things, and new surroundings are stimulating - both creatively and by challenging my perspective. I guess I can appreciate the combination of it all.

Here are some parting shots - just a random collection that caught my eye.

Along the Way - Doors of Merida

Although Merida has almost a million people, it doesn't seem like such a big city. Each neighborhood has it's own little or bigger park with an accompanying church and a flavor of it's own. We've stayed in three different B&B's to get a feel for some of the various areas of the city. We are in the third place now and this part of Merida is quite different than what we've been in previously. It's closer to the central square or Zocalo, busier streets and a greater mixture of building functions, like hotels, auto shops, police station, ruins and houses.

Along the way, we walk by so many glorious facades. Some of them have definitely seen better days, and some are wonderfully restored. I find I'm surprised by nearly every turn of the corner. I don't always have my camera with me so ... not everything is captured for others to see. Below is a small representation of just the doors we pass as we explore this amazing city.

 

 

These doors help in part to convey the variety of the city. It's fascinating and all kinds of worlds lie beyond these doors. I'm intrigued. There is no doubt this city can pull at one's heart. It does mine.

Home and Garden Tour

A realtor in conjunction with the Merida English Language Library (at least that's where we met) does a tour of three renovated homes once a week, during the tourist season. I realize it's an opportunity to try and sell houses but I still wanted to go inside some of these homes! So Brian and I along with 50 to 60 others (tourists!! ;-o ) heard a bit of Merida's history, and then, did a brief walking tour. I know the houses chosen can change but I was hoping to walk the interior of La Calle Escondida - the house which sucked me into Merida's real estate, Spanish colonial architecture, and was a big part of The Process. That was the first house!

Much of this house in not colonial at all, in contrast, parts are whimsical, others thoroughly modern. I'd seen the video, perused the pictures and imagined what the spaces must be like in actuality. The photographer definitely shot the home with a wider wide-angle lens then I have. The spaces seemed even grander and larger in the photos. However, I would never say the rooms were cramped!

1st Courtyard Looking towards the Street

The idea of The Hidden Street or in other words - La Calle Escondida, is a fun one. You first walk into an entry room and then immediately into a courtyard. It is this part which is the "hidden street." The architect used the sides of the courtyard to mimic a Merida street. On one side, the side shown here to the left, are bedrooms, upper and lower. However, they look like actual building facades with balconies. The other side, below, is the wall dividing the homes which he has superimposed different types of facades, some with deterioration and all.

1st Courtyard Looking towards the House and the Rest of the Property

Following are some interior shots. The second courtyard with the pool and outdoor living spaces is probably my favorite area. Although, the master suite isn't bad either!

Interior Sunken Living Room

Pool Coutyard & Master Suite Balcony 

Looking across to Master Suite
from Rooftop Area 

Outdoor Living Area below Master Suite

Last but Not Least - the Master Suite

OK, this is probably enough for one post. Trust me, I have more pictures, but I'm sparing you the full rendition. I'll show you more of the other houses at another time, and maybe some pics of where we are staying. Can you tell I used to be an architect?! Enjoying the architectural/cultural differences.

Carnaval de Merida and Around Town

We are here in Merida for Carnaval or as it is called in New Orleans - Mardi Gras! We didn't come particularly for this celebration but our winter getaway to revive Brian happens to coincide. I can't say that we've gone to all of the parades, since there are six in all! Nor did I take any pictures - just wanted to enjoy the time. However, one of my fellow bloggers did take pictures so I refer you to him. The Children's Parade you can find here. I understand it is often thought of as the best. Kids are always cute and they are certainly done up. One of the other evening parades can be found here. We don't even consider going to any of the daytime parades as it is WAY too hot!! I don't know how the people in the parade do it - survive even.

Brian and I did do some wondering of the town with cameras in hand. We ended up in one of the neighborhood parks called Santiago. Naturally ice cream was in order! Here are some images from the park and along the way.

Adventure's Roadmap - The Process Part 2

  The picture that started it all!

La Calle Escondida

I mean doesn't that pool and environment look inviting? I figured it was over budget (which it WAY was) but I couldn't resist looking just for fun and pleasure! Although perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself! (To see The Process - Part 1 click here.

That city which is 20K inland from the gulf coast is Merida, Mexico. Would I be bored there? I decided to take a look. OK, I come to find out that it's a city of almost a million people!! Well, there must be something to do there! I did a bit of research but in typical fashion a big part of the initial phase began with a perusal of the real estate. The picture above was a "hook" shot on the first page of a realtor's site under "featured listings." With one click I was whisked away into Spanish Colonial Architecture as I've never experienced. So many of the renovated homes are colorful, joyful and, in my opinion, works of art. I was hooked! (To see more pictures and a description of the home pictured above click here.)

In several previous posts I revealed my near obsession with the colonial architecture of Merida. I scoured a dozen or so different realty sites - for months! I got to know many properties, and they were easily recognizable to me as they appeared on other sites. Some I fell in love with. After so much time the inevitable SOLD sign would appear on some of MY properties! "Oh no!! All the good places will be gone before we get there!" I'm disappointed to see one of my favorites get sold because I just know it would have been perfect for us.

That sounds silly perhaps but this was part of relaxing and just enjoying the process. I've yet to even set foot in Merida and here I was getting disappointed if a special house was sold. So I let go and enjoyed the pictures, video tours and learning more about the city and it's neighborhoods. Of course to actually start looking for a property in another country was the beginning. Then, there was migration for reasons like cost and environment. I changed locales a few times. However, Merida seemed to fit the bill. This must be the place! Or is it? It finally sank in during the phase of seeing "my" houses sold - this was a process, a journey. No decisions have been made, even yet. There's still more to come!

To see past posts with Spanish Colonial Architecture and my fascination with these gems click on the label entitled such. For The Process - part 3 click here.

Chalk up another one!

Oh, the culinary pleasures of traveling! It is quite warm in Rome; so what is called for in the afternoon? A very simple but delightful cup of frozen coffee. It's not ice cream but scoopable - 2 scoops even, with a portion of whipped cream on the bottom and the top, served with a spoon. Yummy, refreshing and rejuvenating!! :) The many delectable forms of coffee just keep coming!

Rome has a delight and/or surprise around every corner, it seems, and sooo much history! Naturally, I revel in the architecture both grande and vernacular. My camera is drawn to the magnificent structures and street scenes. (Just a few pics!)

Street scenes above

Interior of the Pantheon

Pantheon at night

Last night we went out for a walk to enjoy the sites all lit up in their finest! At night the city and it's monuments have a very different atmosphere. Rome is warm, inviting and decidedly social! The city starts to come alive at about eight. After dinner one night, around 9:00 we were treated to a shot of Limoncello. A delicious lemon liquor originating from Italy. Again yummy! Also, it was very warm and inviting of them!! So we've had tequila in Mexico, plum vodka in Poland and now Limoncello in Italy - all freebies even! Do we look like lushes? :P
At any rate, we are enjoying the "flavor" of Italy in so many ways.

Coffee and Colonials!

Do the two really go together? Sure! They seem to for this girl! :) By the way, when I talk about colonials it's not the typical American colonial architecture, that leaps to my mind, with a symmetrical front, perhaps a couple of columns and 2 stories. Like this...
Actually colonial architecture has a few forms in America but the colonials in Mexico are quite different. The facade is generally very plain and flat which reveals nothing about the layout within. Here is one video of one such colonial. It is on the upper end to be sure but there are more expensive ones too. Thankfully there are less expensive as well! I don't know that this is my favorite but it's VERY nice and gives you a flavor of these houses.

Just having fun!

I'm no longer "international" at least physically! I'm back in CA and enjoying get togethers with people to catch up! I'm glad that this past trip to Mexico doesn't have that usual surreal feeling, you know, like it never happened but was just a dream. I'm not sure why this trip is different than most, maybe because the pace was more relaxing, I'd been there before or what? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the time and looking forward to the next time, whenever that is.
For the past few months I've been perusing Mexican real estate. Perhaps a vacation home in the future? Of course some lifestyle changes would need to occur to make that happen. In any case... I've loved looking at the old colonials and how people have restored them! It strikes that architectural bone in me of days long ago. I would never want to go back and work as an architect in some firm, besides I'm probably a dinosaur at this point. However, this colonial architecture is new to me and the climate is also different than anything I've ever worked in before. I wish I could see more before and after pictures of the same place. There are places both restored and not yet restored to look at but not usually of the same place! All in all, it's been a blast!
There have been some "overly desirous / covertness" issues to work through with God because I can get too involved or personal about things. That, too, has been good (the working through) so I can just enjoy the process and have fun! Whatever the outcome is or isn't. It's good to have some architectural juices flowing again!