Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Tales of the Traveling Totes #24 Our Cabo Home


Welcome to our September 2020 edition 
of Tales of the Traveling Totes, where 
blogging friends take their MacKenzie-Childs totes 
on adventures near and far.
Miss Madi K and I were able to venture far, quite 
a few times for this post as we were finishing up 
the rebuilding of our home in Cabo.  Those of you 
who have been with me for years know that we 
purchased a home there 15 years ago and tore it 
down 4 years ago this month.  It took a year to tear 
down and get the building permits, and three years 
to rebuild (much, much longer than we had anticipated),
so in July and August, once tourism opened back 
up in Mexico we went to hold hands with the builders,
and make sure things were done right.



In July we traveled with friends.  Since the house 
wasn't complete, we stayed at the resort we have 
enjoyed through the whole building process - 
Villa La Estancia.






We had a blast - and not just from the waves - and 
everyone enjoyed driving up to the house and 
seeing it in progress.  We had planned a trip with 
these friends and two others for the end of April, 
hoping the house would be done then, but then 
Covid hit and the house wasn't ready, so that 
was postponed. 




Of course, we enjoyed delicious food while 
there, with a few of our favorite restaurants open 
for take out.  These pictures are from The Office, on the beach,
and it opened for sit down by the August trip.







If you remember, we had the opportunity a year and a half 
ago to go to Highpoint, NC for the furniture market, 
so hubby and I handpicked all of the furniture for the home 
from there.  The builder imports over a million dollars a year of furniture to Mexico, so he was able to get us into the very exclusive suppliers that a regular designer wouldn't be able to access.  It was such a fun experience, and the results were spectacular.




The home is ocean front and the most breathtaking view
is down the beach for sunset.




The master bath is huge and we wondered if it would 
be awkward, but the way the furnishings filled it up, 
 turned into a spa retreat.  Miss Madi K loved hanging 
out here. 




The master bedroom is also spacious.  Everything here is much 
nicer and more spacious than my home I live in.  When 
we went to rebuild, the builder said we "couldn't" 
keep any of our old furniture.  We can now see his vision, 
as it was more Hacienda Style in the dark woods. 

 


We did the kitchen all in white with gold accents. 




This is the groin-vaulted colonnade that leads from 
the kitchen to the living on the left and entryway 
on the right.  




The entryway dome is a work of art, as are all of his ceilings.  Fantastic ceilings are this builder's specialty.  We sent him 
a picture of an idea, and they created this masterpiece with plaster.  The craftsmanship is amazing.  The light fixtures are like pieces 
of jewelry.








Our home is in Pedregal, a subdivision that is built 
on seaside cliffs, so there are height restrictions, so 
that you don't impinge on your neighbors' views. 
That made the front of the house one story plus the dome. 

The door is another specialty of this builder and it

 is curved and has 
curved glass and opens with a floor to ceiling pin 
so that it pivots rather than swings.  That was all 
the his idea.  Sometimes we would come to visit 
and get great surprises like this.




This is not a place for people who can't do stairs! 
Bedrooms are on two lower levels and it is 32 
stairs from the lower level up. 




The outside is the party place. Miss Madi K was ready to take a ride down the slide, but the three-way power hadn't been hooked up yet. 

 
The three-way runs the air-conditioning and the 
massive pump needed to put enough water down the 
slide for a two level ride, dumping you into the lower pool.  




The slide actually coils around and goes under the 
upper deck to exit into the lower pool.






The pool gets the beautiful sunset views too.
We are water people, so we spend most of our 
time here in the pool.  You can see the swim up 
bar to the right. 


We were sure by our trip in August they would have 
the power in, but they didn't.  We brought our youngest 
son and his wife and baby, but we decided we were 
staying in the house no matter what.  It was hot and humid 
at night, but pleasant in the pools and with the ocean 
breeze during the days.  We laughed and said we were 
"GLAMPING"!!!




Since January, we surmised that with our luck the house 
would get finished right at hurricane season.  Wednesday, 
August 19th, we were scheduled to have the three-way power 
connected for the AC, and that very day Hurricane Genevieve 
hit.  The rains were torrential and the winds were severe 
enough out on the point of our property to take down 
our two newly planted palms.  This is to be our "sandy beach" 
with a hammock strung between the palms. 

 
Cabo has already been hurt so badly by the coronavirus 
and even when tourism has opened up, there are few 
tourists here.  Now they were hit with a hurricane 

and there are two more storms forming off the coast.  


Our hearts and prayers go out to 
the beautiful people of Cabo.  They are so careful with 
protecting everyone from the virus.  You step into a tray 
of disinfectant before you enter a store or restaurant.  They 
even had that tray on our job site.  They squirt your hands 
with disinfectant before you enter and they were wearing 
masks long before we were.  They are sooooo grateful for 
visitors, and make you feel so welcome.  
We hope they can turn things around. 

 

Now for the fun giveaway.  These adorable coasters 
in Parchment Check are the giveaway for this time.
Leave a comment with Rita and Miss Luna to 
have a chance at winning.

Visit all of our ladies and see where their totes 
have traveled to this summer of 2020.

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney ChildsThe French Hutch
Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron
Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda
Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box  
Rita with Miss Luna C Panoply 
Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul
Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader
Cherry Kay and Carrie Ann Hall @ Entertaining Women  

14 comments:

  1. WOW, just WOW...I don't even know where to begin. Your home is like a resort and absolutely stunning. I love all the "whites" and the views are breathtaking! You and your husband must be so patient to wait so long for this to be completed, but now that I see it, I can understand! You will enjoy creating many memories in your new home! Are you able to get down to the ocean? Thanks for sharing! Happy September and happy travels!

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  2. Oh Jackie, your house is a palace! It is beyond gorgeous!! So totally worth the long 4 year wait, and the builder you found and his talent is incredible! The view are more than breathtaking, and really all I can say is WOW! Your whole family will have the times of their life here, and sliding down 2 levels into the pool???? Wowza! I hope you get back there asap and enjoy full power and AC!
    Jenna

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  3. The house is outstanding love the white as a backdrop for the ocean. Hopefully you can take the whole family for a celebration very soon. Please share more. Stay safe.

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  4. Jackie, all I can say is WOW! I feel as if I've been on an exclusive excursion to paradise! What an amazing new home!!! We've traveled very little to Mexico, though one thing that has always stood out for me and impressed me with the architecture are those amazing groin vaulted ceilings. A marvel of engineering!
    I enjoyed seeing every beautiful space, the beautiful new furniture, the delicious Mexican cusiine, and those joyful photos of you and your friends having a wonderful time. Thanks for the awesome virtual escape!!!

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  5. Oh Jackie!!!! All I can say is WOW! What an incredible home you have built for you and your husband and family. So many memories to be made here. I see why it took so long now and what a talented builder you found. It was so worth the wait. So many spectacular views to enjoy and every little space is gorgeous. The furniture was spot on. You really did a beautiful job of decorating, I love it all. I hope you are back there to enjoy it ASAP. Take care, and remain safe and travel safe. Happy September Jackie!!!!

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  6. Jackie, your Cabo is simply outstanding, even more than I ever imagined! I can only imagine how thrilled you are to be at the finish line, and appreciative of the time and effort your builder did take in getting the job done. I know you must be looking so forward to sharing the dream with your entire family, and as a reader, I can't wait to go along for the ride. Bravo, and congratulations! Happy September.

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  7. Another big "Wow" is not enough for this exceptional home. Every detail is amazing. What a wonderful builder you found, even though it took a long time to build. Now, you can enjoy with family and friends and hopefully relax. The columns are gorgeous. Everywhere you look, it is utterly gorgeous. Like a 5 star resort with bells and whistles. Truly a lifestyle for the Rich and Famous. It takes my breath away. Thank you for sharing this masterpiece.

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  8. Jackie, your home looks like a 5 star resort! It is stunningly gorgeous. Your views are amazing, too!!! I love your pretty furnishings and your colors. It truly is an architectural dream! I know it took a very long time to build, but I think it was definitely worth the wait! I also enjoying seeing the photos of you and your friends having fun. We all need those special times with our closest friends.

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  9. Your home is fabulous, stunning, gorgeous, and so many beautiful views I would never want to leave. Your furnishings are so lovely.
    Glad it is almost finished.
    Glad your friends were able to visit. Enjoy.

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  10. Jackie, you must have had a blast decorating your new home! I'm loving those sunsets! I told Joe our next home will have sunset views :-) Madame Jumel is not a new addition, I think I've had her for a few years now. Glad you got half of your goodies from the barn sale, it's like Christmas when the boxes arrive. Keep enjoying those sweet grandchildren! Wishing you a happy and healthy rest of your summer.

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  11. What fun! Oh, you must truly be in your element. A new second home is such a treat! And this is so beautiful -- all those wonderful vistas and that fabulous brilliant blue water! Love it!

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  12. Oh my word, Jackie, your home is so incredible! I'd want to live there permanently. The decor is so luxurious and the two pools...Wow!! Thanks for sharing your Cabo home with us!

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  13. Breathtaking, Spectacular, Amazing, Beautiful...Truly Paradise! Thank you for letting us peak into you beautiful home!

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