La Loma de San Antonio

www.LakePatzcuaro.org
Click for updated photos and information.

June 20, 2008

Donald took this photo on a walk with Bob and Carlos.

Front of home!


Back of home!

Photo taken November, 2007

Casa Girasol


Front of house!


Back of home, point West towards stairwell!


Back of home, pointing East, showing master bedroom with balcony.


West side of home, showing sala or living room.


Juan is walking towards my home, past Carlos and David's home.


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Casa Girasol

Side view of back of home!


Back of home!


Roof top kitchen!


View from roof top!

Carlos sent new photos!

Front yard, looking straight down from first floor.
My street is on the other side of the wall
and will be finsihed in a few months.

Left side of yard.
Notice blue water tank in bottom right of photo!



Right side of yard showing right corner of property
with front gate just to the left.
Stairwalk with go up from there.

Carlos sent more photos!


Inside of my home is being painted!

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Newly painted living room!

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Handpainted!

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Living room side of the kitchen bar!

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Juan sitting in the staircase window!

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New backyard fence with door into Carlos and David's yard!

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Outside of garden terrace!


New paint for roof-top kitchen!

Carlos Dews (dewscarlos) recently sent these photos:

Casas Las Rosas and Girasoles



Casa Girasoles
The beautiful curved kitchen bar



Casa Girasoles
Third-floor, roof-top, sculpture garden, with open kitchen and half-bath in back.



Casa Girasoles
View from the roof-top, sculpture garden towards the west and the woods



New fence along side between Casa Las Rosas and Casa Girasol.
White wall is back wall of my back yard.



Living room view, facing west.



Living room view, facing north.

Dougie and I, sitting in the Plaza Chica, in fount of statue of Gertrudis Bocanegra, a local heroine in Patzcuaro. She was shot by a firing squad in 1818 for her support of struggle for Independence.

Newly remolded Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra in Patzcuaro!
Behind kitchen wall is half-bath!

Our recent visit to my home in Eronga!

Standing in the mini-sunflowers.

Sunset over Lake Patzcuaro!

Carlos, Dougie and Juan
on third floor of Casa Girasol!

Day of the Dead on Lake Patzcuaro!

Cementary in Tzintzuntzan

Second floor view from master bedroom to west side windows!

Photo taken from master bedroom.
Left side of center wall is bathroom,
with view into the kitchen area with back of bar,
and showing main entrance into living room.
Right side is into dining room
with view of front of bar
and front curve of living room.
Outside windows are full size of the open space.

Back view of open kitchen showing back of bar.

Background is top stairwell.

Third floor, open kitchen.

Foreground is staircase!

Brian sent this photo of the back, side view of my home. The side bricks are actually the side wall of my home and the adjoining wall Carlos and David's home. Remember, in Mexico, homes go from one side of the lot to the other, with the open area in the middle.



The left side of home is the staircase to all three floors. The top floor shows the bathroom door on the right, with large horizontal bathroom window and the larger vertical window to the left of that.

I'm so excited, I can't think!

Hi, This is a letter from my friend, Charles (Carlos) who is my soon-to-be-neighbor in Patzcuaro. Thought you might find it interesting.

Hello friends,
Juan and I had a long talk this morning about our progress in building community here in Eronga, and I was stunned to find out how much we are doing. For example, our various construction projects--we are presently building four houses and about to start one other--are supporting right at 200 people in this area. Our workers are paid fairly and are devoted to us because of this fairness. We pay rock-bottom prices for materials. The company where we buy our materials had to lay off half of its workforce of 8 recently when we had to cut back on building. They are all working again, happily. We do not overcharge for materials as most so-called architects and contractors do here. You pay exactly what you would be charged if you were a Mexican building your own house, and we provide you with the bills to prove it. The land we sell, too, is at rock-bottom in terms of its price, and we do all the arranging of paperwork for you, to say nothing of wining and dining and gently but persistently wheedling the sellers. Our 13 albañiles (workers) are the best in the area, and all are used to building houses for gringos, so the plumbing and the electricity are done properly. Even their peones (helpers) are thrilled to be working for us.

We (and when I say "we," I mean our dear Juan with our encouragement and all the help we can give him) are making valuable contacts in this municipio (city office) with the people in local government, who have pledged to help us in any way they can with utilities, roads, and all the necessary papers. They realize just exactly how much we are contributing to this community and are happy we are here and bringing in new money. We are now the third largest employer in the municipio, following the Rosenthals' furniture factory and the municipio itself.

I hope you will forgive me for bragging so outrageously, but I am so proud of Juan (and of all of us). His and Maria's store is bringing in as much as or more than our own pensions put together. I am amazed and thrilled that our pittance has been leveraged into something really important and beneficial for this wonderful village and its hardworking and friendly people. I challenge all of you to try and do likewise. This is the way to change the world for the better.

Carlos
Colectiva Las Rosas

Front of home, facing north.
Photo shows all three levels.

Top floor kitchen and bath are at
back of terrace.
First floor front door is third opening from left,
under middle, small terrace.
Front stairway follows the
mound in the foreground
and wanders around, up to the front door.

Back view of my home with Eronga on the left side,
about 2 blocks away,
and Lake Patzcuaro on the right,
about half a mile away.
Home faces north and photo is to the north-northeast!

Bottom of photo is main, lower, street which curves down
and around the front of my home.
Mound of dirt in the foreground is property line
and front edge of future 2-car garage.
Bath, kitchen and workshop with full windows of backyard
will be behind the garage.
Total second floor will be an apartment.

Donald just returned home with a CD full of photos:

Back side of home with camera pointing West.
Brick wall is between my home and Carlos and David's.
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Front of home with camera pointing West.

Left side of photo is Carlos and David's home!
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Other side of home, with camera facing East.
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Back of home! Right side of photo will be location of
2-car garage and upstairs apartment.
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One of two water storage units.
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Donald sent these photos of my home in Eronga!


Back of home, showing new "applananda," a strong, stucco finish.
Notice top level - Left side, stairwell; then stair landing with large window;
smaller-long window, open kitchenette; and deeper square window on right, the bath.
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Back of third level, showing side bathroom door and kitchen door.
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Staircase, right side; open kitchen's bar, left side.
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Third floor, roof-top Kitchenette!



The kitchen will follow same curve as the other floors!
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Bathroom is behind kitchen!
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Third floor, roof-top garden entrance from staircase!
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Thanks to Carlos for sending these photos!

My Eronga home!

Mexican roof-topping!


View of back staircase!
Roof-top cross, placed on the top roof of all new homes!
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West side of home!

New fence along road and property line!
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Third floor facing northwest.
Eronga is to the north.

The new barda on the roof,
a meter high banisher around perimeter.
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Carlos and David's new home!

Curved windows of their sala, or living room!
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Carlos and David's dining room!

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Roof-top, third floor banisters and staircase are complete!


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Notice balconies on top floor!

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My next door neighbors, Carlos & David's, new home!

This is the sala of Carlos & David's house,
which already has its columns in place
and the lower part of the wall below the windows.
The windows will go all the way up to the top of the columns.
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New staircase:


This is the big, beautiful window between the second
and third floors of the staircase, facing east.
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Photo taken on third-floor showing third floor rooftop landing of staircase!
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Photo looking towards the lake, from my roof top.
The first uncleared lot past the pine trees belongs to Travis;
second lot, Carmen; and third lot, Katherine.
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Photo is looking down on home of Carlos & David's.
Construction has started on infra-structure of the streets.
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The new drainage ditches in the middle of the street, going downhill to my street!
Eronga is in the middle ground, before the mountains.
Lake is to the right.
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Workshop to construct a sterling silver necklace.

Graduating class of silversmiths.
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Ilsa and friends form their silver pendant.
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Planishing silver!
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Ilsa, Fernando, and Carlos, practicing their metalsmithing skills.
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Bottom left, clockwise: Fernando, Maria, Juan, Carlos, David, me and Travis.
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Travis & I returned from our driving visit to Lake Patzcuaro!

Ihuatzio - pyramids of ancient capital of the Tarascan.
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View of Lake Patzcuaro from my home!
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Staircase at back of home will have large windows.
Now completed to 3rd floor, roof top terrace!
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Back yard of home
where double-car garage will be built!
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Walls have been plastered smooth and ready for painting or tiles!
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Juan, Carlos & Me!
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Travis at front window of my home!
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Pergola will go up the side width of the backyard.
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Future view of pergola from kitchen window.
This is my shared side, backyard wall, that I join with Carol.
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Pergola will start here and go up in 5 levels.
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The interior walls on second floor are complete! 

Juan is standing in kitchen at the bar. 


Juan is at second floor, front door, facing both bedrooms. 
Kitchen is the corner on right side. 


First floor kitchen; stove on left, sink on right! 


First floor, front bedroom back walls. 

First video posted:


Please let me know if you can view this video. Thanks, d

Click to join Erongaricuaro

Top roof is complete.
Interior walls are being plastered smooth!


Front of my home!



Back of home, with full afternoon sun!  Important, at 7000 feet.   
Left side of photo is location of a glass enclosed, spiral staircase, 
to the third floor patio, which will have bath and wet-bar area.  



Second floor view from living room, over brick curve of bar and into kitchen, 
with back kitchen window showing Carlos and Will's back wall.   
Left side of photo shows plastered walls. Center brick walls are the kitchen's. 
Conduit lines are chiseled into the brick walls, inlaid with pipes or wires, then plastered over. 
One the brick walls, the black, vertical line is gas; white, horizontal line in center is water line; 
red vertical line (difficult to see) under window is electricity.   



Second floor view. Front door is bright spot on left side, 
with kitchen wall & bar on far right.  
Two shown doorways are to bedrooms. 
Notice electric outlets and switch boxes holes with leading wires plastered over.



Second floor front bedroom!

Key West

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David & Travis


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Driving to Key West!


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Southern most part of America!


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The begining or end of Hiway 1


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Flamingo Crossing Homemade Ice cream!


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New photos of the roof with supports and the start of front fence.

Carlos sent these photos of the second floor walls,
including front, inside,and back views.

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Casa Girasol (Sunflower House)
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Carlos took photos of the first wall on the second floor,
the front corner side of my bedroom!


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First floor, front, curved corner of living room,
showing sunflowers.


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Wild Cosmos are growing everywhere!

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