http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml On the Mesa with the Cicola's: Blog Wed, 07 May 2008 10:30:50 -0500 http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/b28039973ed58822bb509f7437cfddd8_4820789a.writeback Tue, 06 May 2008 10:26:18 -0500 Our final appraisal came in on March 20th. The original appraisal done 9 months earlier without the house built ago retained its' value which made us very happy. The house is just over 3100 sq. feet. We have an alarm system, surround sound, central vacuum, radiant heat floors, forced hot air and air conditioning, 2 fireplaces, great room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths and a studio, besides our 20 acres and spectacular scenery. As soon as the inspector left on the 20th I began unpacking cartons and in 2 days I had over 150 cartons emptied, contents put away and boxes collapsed ready for the dump. We began sleeping in the house for a week or two before closing just make use of those big beds but we didn't make the final move from the rv until the tv's were hooked up a few weeks later. The final closing was March 27th. We still have little things that need to be completed and Bill and I are doing the finish tile work in our showers and my tub. New Mexico continues to be a beautiful, peaceful place and we are loving every second of every day. Our neighbors were up for a big housewarming party and we tested the house for big crowds and entertaining. The house has been well recieved. Our neighbors say they feel happy here- that's the bold colors we've used. Landscaping is the next order of business. The dirt is so fine and blowing all the time- we need to cover it fast! The hot tub will go in very soon and the pool will follow next season. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/55c47a8779f0f828f86ba0c0c124562d_4731ed50.writeback Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:52:32 -0600 Ruby never made it to our home. About 2 weeks before we were to bring her home she was found dead one morning. We think she was stepped on by one of the llhama's on the ranch. We decided to take a black male who we named Rufus, and the original Rufus became Petey. We are having the best time with them. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/f0f6b03d67db9432b91b7e5dce7af545_46c31db9.writeback Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:37:29 -0500 About 12 guys arrived on Aug. 13 to begin framing the house. By 11:00am that morning I was walking through hallways already. What a crew. The teamwork was amazing. They resembled a bee hive working furiously all day long. Bill and I are busy staining trusses, beams, corbels and posts. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/bf399ce8efa3eab93726b0f3971fc609_46b24e67.writeback Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:36:39 -0500 After a day and a half the radiant heat runs were completed. We are scheduled for the pouring of the foundation next Wed and a week after that the framing is scheduled to begin. We have selected our counter top materials and tomorrow we go to Albuquerque to make final selections for the house and bedroom flooring materials. I have a few tile samples on the way for shower and tub finishes. We are having a lot of fun. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/607099697dfb17df945369d523f39ef5_4649de64.writeback Tue, 15 May 2007 11:23:00 -0500 See album called Making a Ruin. We are surrounded by ruins. There is a town west of us, or rather what remains of, Shilo. We have 3 major pueblos in our backyards and even on the preserve we have ruins. So Bill and I decided to build one in our front yard. New Mexico magazine ran an article on making your own adobes so Bill made a frame and we have been experimenting on differernt mixes to mold our bricks. So far we have made 2 batches and both seem to have dried well. I will post more pictures once we really get going. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/b7caaf10579f0ca5fc955c2b710b840c_4627ee6c.writeback Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:34:20 -0500 We closed on our construction loan and begin clearing land on April 23. Spent a few days traveling last week- stayed overnight in Flagstaff and made a side visit to the Zuni Pueblo and Sedona. Went on to Vegas for a few days. Bill came up a winner! On our way home we stayed in Gallup NM and visited some national monuments and the Ice Caves at Banderra Volcano. Bought some yard art- a metal burro and bull. New Mexico has a lot of beautiful places. Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/806af93171631145f11011c014e2ddda_45f04348.writeback Thu, 08 Mar 2007 11:09:28 -0600 see photos for March 2007. We left New York and spent a few days with Ace celebrating her 21st birthday. We returned to the city and stayed for a week doing lot's of touristy things- saw several shows, visited Ground Zero, a few museums, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Saw the Biody exhibit at the Seaport. We left the city and began our road trip across the country. Stopped first to visit my sister in NC then it took 3 1/2 days passing through Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas before arriving in Mountainair. Life in Mountainair is quiet. You can here the wind moving around the canyon and slowly making its' way up the mesa. We can hear the low hum of the Santa Fe engines rolling along the tracks in the canyon. At night the stars are so plentiful and low you can almost grab them. Sometimes a navy test jet appears out if nowhere and zooms around the canyon. Our contracts are signed, deposits made and applications for permits are in the process of being procurred. Our builder says we should break ground in about 2 weeks. We have taken many road trips just exploring the area and looking for Native American artifacts. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/5bc15c11152f4d49110cbbbdf9bbab99_45608448.writeback Sun, 19 Nov 2006 10:20:24 -0600 We flew into NM on the 14th and returned to LI on the 18th. We met with our builders on our site to position the new house on our building envelope. We signed up and received our new mail box at the Post Office. Our furniture arrived the morning we did and was pt into storage in town. We visited the ruins at Gran Quivera one afternoon. The weather was absolutely wonderful-73 degrees in the afternoons. We saw coyote, deer and a bull snake. One of the site specialists said we have elk tracks on our homestead- we can't wait to see that. The stars at night are so thick and clear. By Thanksgiving we will have our building plans finalized. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/f3772e791dcb9e5a92f51fa60a69f2f2_455208a2.writeback Wed, 08 Nov 2006 10:41:06 -0600 The moving van arrived at 7:30am. Marco, our driver, Miguel and Chuck did a great job. They said we did a great job packing and our load was mostly boxes so it was an easy move for them. They finished and left about 11:45. They will arrive at our storage unit in Mountainair between Nov. 13- 15th. We are flying out for a planning session with the builders so we may be there to accept the van, if not John will meet them. We are settled into our new rental in E. Quogue. We have 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, laundry room, a beautiful view of the canal and bay and furniture to sit on again! We have sold my car so everything is working out as planned and on schedule. Next move will be in late January. http://onthemesa.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/ae2ce7f9a411c30d743c7c41805ba3e4_453f4408.writeback Wed, 25 Oct 2006 06:01:28 -0500 Ace came home for a break this past weekend. We went pumpkin picking with the cousins, Ace and dad did a night fishing trip, we had lunch at the local pizza place. Mom and Ace visited with Grandpa on Monday and Ace finally went through the last piles of stuff she had at home. When she left Tuesday morning it was with a tear filled hug and reassuring words about our futures.