Two weeks and things are looking different

We're about three weeks into construction as I write this, but last week we got some photos.

We haven't gotten photos from the architects yet, these are from a different source. I know the architects are waiting to take pictures until they think more meaningful things happen, but we're so excited that we could get a picture of a single old Coke bottle being picked up and we'd be over the moon.

Angie made a friend on Instagram a few years ago when she was looking for someone to photograph in Mérida on one of our trips down. She's a super sweet person and Angie has kept in touch with her.

They were talking on Instagram a couple weeks ago and Angie said if she was ever in the area, take a pic of what's happening.

Her friend is working in Mexico City at the moment, so she wasn't able to go to the property but she had one of her friends go over there to check it out, and he sent back some photos. Super exciting!

He circled some things in the photos, I guess in case we didn't recognize our property, lol. But circle anything you want, I'll take it.

You can see the gate has been removed and a large hole in the wall has been opened to accommodate the excavator working to clear the lot.

The small shed at the front of the property has also been removed.

Most of the trash has been taken out, just some small piles here and there remain. There was another photo where he circled the trash. I think he thought we might be shocked to see trash in the yard, but I wanted to say "you haven't seen anything!" Because that looks so much better already.

It's a little hard to tell in the third picture here, but I think they did remove the large tree that had been burned out at the base. I'm not sure if it had been struck by lightning or if someone had a "campfire" too close to it and burned it. I had a feeling it would need to be removed since it might be structurally unsafe. If it's gone, we'll just have to replace it with a different tree in the future. It was a cool tree, other than the burned trunk, but better safe than sorry.

I joked with Angie that the blue Beetle that parks in front of our property might need to find a new spot during construction. But he's still able to park there, so far! Angie loves it and hope he parks in front of the house, once it's built, all the time, too.

That's what's happening so far, and I'm just beyond happy about it. They could stack a stone on top of another stone and send me a photo and I'd probably run around the house in joy.

This has been a dream for over 10 years now. I've had the 'retire early' bug for longer, but Mérida specifically since around 2009. Every milestone has been huge. Buying the property, hiring the architects, getting the designs. Seeing the beginning of construction is the most exhilarating feeling of them all, so far.

My original goal was to find a house and restore it. I found a couple of houses and, for reasons previously blogged, lost them both. Finding this lot a little outside of my preferred area seemed like my last gasp as prices went up. I was never certain if it was the right choice or incredibly unwise. Even up to a month ago. But with dirt being moved, I am calm and confident.

It's the pandemic still, so not possible, but I want to have a party! That's how happy I am by all of this. I want to call and thank everyone along the way who has made this possible. Isaac, the realtor; Alonso, the notary; Alfonso, the banker; Francisco and Fabián, the architects; and so many more. Someday, when this is all complete, I hope we can have that party in Mérida.

Seeing things change on land that has probably changed very little in, I don't know, at least the last 50 years? It's amazing to even think  about.

Who knows what will come next. If the house will be finished on time, if we'll have setbacks or other problems. The future is always uncertain, we only have to look back on the last year to be reminded of that. It's been difficult and we've lost some amazing people along the way. Right now though... right now things feel okay for a little bit, and I'm happy to live in that for as long as I can.

Take care and stay safe.

Jay