Small update on the new Puzzle Palace

 We are thrilled!  The first of the month Alex and Chris finished our puzzle bed and the built in furniture for the main room!  It looks amazing.  And yes, you heard that right.  It is a puzzle bed.  Even better, all of the furniture was made using reclaimed wood.  By that I mean, when the guys in Florida crated the puzzles, they used 2x4's and pressed wood.  We had so much of this left over, it has built 4 benches so far, 1 for the pantry, and 3 in George's workshops.  And now, our bedroom.  The bed itself is a take on the lost day puzzle.  Each of the 8 corner joints are an OCC burr.  It can be disassembled and put together elsewhere, but I have said many times, I am not moving again!  The built in cabinetry along the back wall use the same materials, but also some of the extra shelving for the faceplates of the drawers.  The bedside tables have puzzle opening drawers inside and are also made using 2x4's and shelving.  It truly is a wonderful job they did.  I am so happy that Chris was able to take my ideas from inside my head, add more to them and make them come to life.  He's very gifted.  And Alex was a wizard with that chisel.  

We can't thank them enough for the amazing work they did for us.  

I took the summer off from school as I mentioned in the last email and boy has it paid off.  Boxes are being unboxed, rooms are being completed. It's amazing how much happens quickly when I'm home and go on the rampage with the contractors.  We had a bit of a hick-up with the plumber installing a sink tap in the bidet and the designer ordering a pot filler with a 6 inch arm.  Apparently he doesn't understand the concept even though he drew it into the design.  I sent it back and ordered a new one to be installed by the 20th.  

Antonio and Claudio have completely installed the screens in the palace so there will (hopefully) be no mosquitoes getting in.  I am still waiting on some cabinets to cover up this god awful plastic orange exhaust pipe that no one wants to take credit for.  Daniel has almost finished my pantry shelving and countertop.  I think he only has the resin to do and that room will also be finished.  

Our good news!  We are moving in on the 20th come hell or high water.  We may have to shower in the room next door as the contractors have pushed the finish date back time and time again.  I think they realize this time I mean it.  I've terminated all additional work and will find new people to get the job done.  One and a half years is too long for a three room project!

We have received the Harold Razier collection and have distributed the boxes accordingly.  Next step is to open them and the rest of the boxes we have in the lower level of the Palace.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel as the saying goes.

Yes, we will be moving into a construction zone, but I will be able to cook in the kitchen I (mostly) designed and we will finally be able to sleep in our own bed.  I feel like I have been waiting for this day forever.  

The new marble sign has been delivered and we are waiting to install it.  

There was a guy who was supposed to do it for us, but we wanted him to gently chisel out the old piece rather than destroy the wall we just had finished.  Sadly, he commented that we had money enough to do it again so he would do as he wished.  Guess how long he remained on the property👿.  Sadly, one of our painters left in much the same manner after screwing up a wall and wanting to be compensated to redo it.  I don't suffer fools, and I don't throw money out the window (on anything but puzzles that is😂)  I'm sure we will find someone soon to finish the job.

George's workshops are finished!  He gave Hardy (Bambu A1Mini) to Stefano at the bar to use with his son; and Laurel (Hardy's partner) to our friend Rudolph who promptly ordered a larger version.  Have no fear, the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges are still in the workshop and printing as I sit here and type this.  

In the mean time, George and I have gone on another glamping trip.  This time to a naturalist camp along the west coast.  It is a beautiful area and just the kind of peace and quiet we need after these past few months.  

One thing about this kind of holiday:  There are bugs and birds and things that go bump in the night.  Here are just two examples of what I mean.  I spider that lives underground and centipedes!  EEK! 

The birds woke us up every morning and the bump in the night? Well according to the owner of the resort, it was a fox that hit the side of the tent.  

It truly was a wonderful week.  I was fortunate enough to get not one but two massages.  We swam a few times in the infinity pool here and the stars at night!  Amazing.  Sadly though, we didn't see the meteor shower.  

I have taken this time to catch up on my blog (obviously), and to do a bit of cataloguing of puzzles.  I have now completed our Berrocal list (348 puzzles, art, and books), the Hanayama cast puzzles (294), and the crystal puzzles (1198).  My next up is finishing the list of single player games (562) that I have purchased over the years.  One step at a time.  George continues to design puzzles in his sleep and then put them in his computer when he wakes up.  

This was a long overdue break.  I hadn't realized how tense I had gotten until I calmed down here.  Next week I promise to give an update on the work that has been completed so far.  While it may not seem like it, it really is a lot!

Has it been 3 months already?

Oh my how time flies.  I always have the best intentions to keep this blog up to date, but then life gets in the way. 

I guess the best news is that I finished my B1 course and passed it.  The language lessons have taken up much of my life these past 6 months and I've decided to take a 3 month break to get our palace finished.  That and do be honest, the course was so intense that nothing was really sticking.  I've decided to go back in October and be a real adult and take the course over again.  After all, I'm trying to learn the language, not just get bathroom art.  

George and I have lived here for 2 years now and really haven't seen much of the country together.  We've both done Italy in our former lives, but have decided it's best to make new memories together. 

Our first weekend away was in April.  We decided to go to the seaside.  I booked us into a "house boat" and we enjoyed a weekend away together.  Now I know we have weekends all the time, but we are never alone, and we are never without some type of work or another to do. This was exactly what I needed.  We got to watch a boat be set into the water.  And for everyone who thinks we are well off, we are not.  These people who own boats like this are!  

The house boat

George Found a real benchy.

Finally relaxing

After this holiday We had Andreas Nortman come over for a visit and to take a bunch of photos of puzzles.  He's in charge of the Twistypuzzle.com museum upkeep and he had quite a few images that needed updating. 

May was a very busy month. We had a birthday party for a friend and a slew of visitors.  Bob, Marti and her son Doug, Frans and Jack and his wife all showed up.  

At the end of the month after my exam, George and I went to the papal spa near Viterbo, and then did a glamping trip followed by another shopping trip to our favorite used market and a night in a quaint little place with a jacuzzi in a cave.  

Common pool at papal spa

glamping site

Cave jacuzzi

Oh, and let's not forget the Panicale Passagiata.  This year's theme was Etruscan music.

June was full on studies to finish the course. I took and failed my first language exam for citizenship.  I had no idea what it would be like so I just used it to practice.  Next test in September.  

We had some folks come over from the UK.  One couple won a week at the WPC through a G4G auction and I'm sure you recognize the other monkey in the photos from past posts.

Our bed is being finished

I bought my new little zippy car and we had a going away party for a few friends. 

First party in the beer garden

The little zippy car

On Antonio's saints day we broke in the bbq oven and for 3 weeks we had a local group of archeologists stay with us while they excavated a hilltop near by.

 And the rest is history.  I can't believe it has been 3 months since my last posting.  Things sure do get busy around here.   Next update?  Next week or so...we will have some very good news to share....

TedX Sofia

At the end of April I took off a few days of classes and George and I headed to Sofia to give a TedX talk.  I'd like to say that we visited the city, but we didn't have time.  Sadly, the day after we returned I had my final exam in my A2 Italian course. I passed.  On to B1!

But Sofia.  It was very nice.  We listened to many good talks, and met some wonderful people.  We will be having many guests coming from Bulgaria in the near future.  Surprisingly, one was a magician from Italy so I was able to practice a bit while there. We might need to keep in contact with him.  If nothing else to see his next show.  

On the first night we had coctails and drinks at the British ambassadors residence.  

On Saturday we were the headline group.  Or maybe the one everyone could ignore if they wanted a longer sleep.  I jest, it was a well received talk.  TedX has very kindly put it online and you can view it here. 

I want to make a (non-political) comment.  We drove the Tesla over.  A few comments about this.  It was a piece of cake!  The car of course tells us where to charge.  Now many say it's insane to sit so long and charge (30 minutes maximum).  But as I've said before, it is enough time to grab a bite to eat and to go to the bathroom.  Well, George and I hit on a formula that really works for us.  We drive with a fridge in the car (loaded with his beer).  We plug in the car and have our lunch while enjoying a movie.  Netflix in the car!  I'd have never dreamt of this 20 years ago.  Oh, and as to the cost? It was less than €250 for the round trip!  You can't do that in an ICE machine.  And no, we never had problems finding a charger.

When we returned home, we discovered almost no work done in our absence.  This of course was rectified when I got back!  But more on that in the next post.  

And for all you prudes out there, there is no nudity in this video.  ;)

Another month gone by.

Well, February is over and March has begun. The weather is changing and I've been able to turn off the heat in the castle.   As usual, I had the best of intentions to post a blog before now, but once again life got in the way.  

This attending the university has really helped my Italian progress, but it is a real killer on my free time. I drive an hour plus there each morning and the same trip back home in the afternoon.  Classes are four hours per day and when I get home, I usually study for another four hours after lunch.  I wouldn't recommend this intensive course for anyone.  There is really no time to digest the information learned much yet put it into practice.  If I were to tell you I've been worn thin, I wouldn't be lying.  I've lost all sense of civility and have become grumpy.  Poor George is putting up with me because he knows I need to pass the CEFR by next October.   He is relying on me yet again for this.  The good news is, the government seems to have changed the laws so once I get my citizenship his is a walk in the park.  No language exam for him.  

The pressure I feel is immense.  So much so, I've sent out a few emails to folks that are probably on the rude side.  If you read this, you will know who I am talking about. I wish to offer my sincere apologies.  I am really at the end of the tether.  

In other news, George had his 80th birthday celebration.  We invited many of the new friends we have made since coming to Italy.  It was well received.  Needless to say, I made too much food as usual.  But then I had a brilliant idea!  Everyone got a tin and was able to bring home dinner for the next day as well.  This helped us not waste so much.  Next time though, I make half the food.  2 days of preparing is a bit much for a birthday party.  But all had fun so it was worth it!

Saturday the 8th of March was Women's Day. Our young Daniel gave me a lovely cake and bouquet of flowers.  He's so thoughtful.  

We had our friends Rudolf and Vasi over for dinner and those lovely men brought me some fresh eggs and vegetables from their garden.  A wonderful fresh gift!  

George had a cancerous growth removed and I had the first cataracts surgery done.  He can hear, and I can see!  Between us, we should be able to drive. 

George continues to unbox books but has slowed down this week to get ready for our trip to Sophia.  Work continues in the hotel and it looks like it will be done by mid April!  Fingers crossed!

A very calm January

 Why write when there is nothing to write about?  I wouldn't want to bore anyone with drivel.  

That said, here comes the drivel.  We've had a dull month to say the least.  Well, it's been needed really.  Our youngest stayed until the 9th of January.  A nice trip for her and some good mom and bug time for the both of us.  Although, she did spend more time running around Italy than she did at home with us. 

We managed to finish the laundry room.  It is looking spiffy now.  Everything has its proper place.  I love order and this is the epitome of it. 

The kitchen is almost complete.  But where is the missing pot filler? It seems to have gone missing somewhere between the factory and my wall.  I do hope they found where it fell off the truck, because it has never been delivered here.  I have 1001 complaints about what they didn't do, or what was done incorrectly, but if we ever want to move in, I have to just keep my mouth shut and fix it once we move in.  Yes, that means paying to have the job done twice, but I am beginning to think that is why so many people have jobs here. 

The master bathroom sauna has been encased, but other than that we wait.  We originally ordered a toilet/bidet combo, but after a visit to Oskar last October, decided perhaps we want the extra bidet anyway.  We prefer those with the water coming from the bottom to the lazy Italian ones that we have in the castle.  Sadly, it is impossible to get now.  I am guessing we will settle for whatever they give us because we have had enough waiting.  This project started on 1 March 2024.  I am not at all happy that we are coming up on one years worth of work.

The other bedrooms on the second and third floors have been all shelved and work will begin soon on the hallways.  The third floor bedrooms have all been puzzleated and all is on full display there.  I will have signage up soon.  

The dead cat room is now cleared out and the crates have been opened.  The sawstop is in the center of the room and Antonio will soon begin to design the layout of the shelves.  I'm only allowed to make sure all is neat and tidy.

The garage's have both been sandblasted.  We opted to leave the bricks and the original rock exposed.  It has a certain rustic charm to it.  New doors have gone in and I'm hoping that the big garage gets the electric run soon.  I'm tired of parking outside and tourist season will soon be upon us.  It will be near impossible to charge the car when that happens.

We had an interesting visit from Italian FAI about wanting to add the castle to their spring walkabout.  Sadly, we all agreed that this is not a good year for it as we are still a work in progress.  We will be added to their list in the next year.  

Oh yes, We managed to have the Singmaster library and puzzle collection finally arrive.  George found a couple of podcasts here and here that are an interesting read.  I'm going by what he said and am now assuming that we have a collection of over 18,000 books in the WPC.  

George unpacks books daily, but somehow doesn't get very far.  He's in nerd heaven.  I can't tell you how many times I've found him reading a book instead of unpacking them.

There were some amazing twisty puzzles in the boxes, including my 2 holy grail puzzles of a crystal Mickey Meffert's ball, and an original Meffert's space massager.  

Elena has gotten into my head as well, and is unboxing puzzles at a rapid rate now.  We only have the great wall of china, a lock bathroom, and a downstairs bedroom to finish.  A few touches on the workshop area, and we might actually be able to say we are close to finishing this building stage of the project.  

George continues to design puzzles and other things and is enjoying his newly finished printer room.  This week he has made me a set of wine barrels to hold our boxed wine.  And before you say yuck! Boxed wine!  Move to Italy.  Why pay the same price for a bottle of the same brand of wine when I can get a 5 liter box for that stays fresh longer because it is vacuum sealed?  But yes, I hate the look of the boxes so his genius self made these for me.  Gold for red, silver for white. 

I have bitten the bullet and have started at the Università per Stranieri in Perugia.  My classes are 18 hours over 5 days followed by another 4 hours of study each afternoon.  I've discovered I will be eligible for citizenship in October 2026 as long as I can use the language at a B1 level.  I tested into B1 for speaking, listening and reading, but my writing is severely lacking.  Back to school for a year or so for me.  Which of course means fewer blog updates.

George will begin classes in March if I can get his happy butt out of bed in the mornings.  He's not a 7:00 riser. 

We managed to acquire our departed friend Harold Razier's collection (sans Berrocal's) and hope to see it in the coming months.  It has left his home and is now headed to the warehouse in Miami where it will board ship and for god only knows what reason will be shipped to Northern Europe before arriving here.  We have some very well traveled puzzles.

Speaking of, we have added yet another piece to the collection: Prix Vasari (Opus 329).  This is yet another I have bid on many times and lost.  I'm happy to have finally found it.  Now we are waiting for the mineral oil to warm up so it works.  

In other news, George and I are officially married for the third time. The first of course was in Boca in 2018.  Then we decided to get married on a ship in 2019 as we really didn't have a 'wedding'.  And finally, this past week, we were married in Italy.  Funny thing that.  We weren't actually in attendance.  They took our previous two marriages and decided that that was enough and issued us a completed license.  I just love Italy.  

George and I have been invited to Sophia to give a Ted talk on our WPC adventure.  If you are there in March, please feel free to come see us. 

And finally, my beautiful lover turned 80 on the 30th.  What a wonderful journey he has had.  I wish him many many more years filled with love and laughter.