A walk through Sol y Mar
My faithful readers have been asking for photos of our new digs in the Condominios de Sol y Mar (which the gringos call Solimar), so this morning I took Chica and the camera for a walk. But first, a shot of the one area in our place where order has been established: the living room. Jomamma, you can see our dehumidifier at left, biggest one we could afford. Doesn't Chica dress up the décor?Outside our front door is this view of the nearby golfcourse. The fate of this golfcourse is murky at best, and it could end up in a couple of years sprouting more condos. Qué sera... Meanwhile I'll enjoy the expanse of green and hope they're using recycled wastewater to keep it that way. Ever the optimist. That silver ribbon you see beyond the trees? That's the Sea of Cortez.Chica and I wander the walkways, trying to look subtle as we check out our neighboring units, trying to guess how many snowbirds have returned to their Mexico nests. I see Washington, Colorado and Vancouver plates in the parking lots already. There are also a number of people from Hermosillo and Obregon who have weekend places here. The Capt and I are just about the only year-round residents, other than the caretakers.Sol y Mar was originally a resort hotel, designed with a lot more outdoor space than the average condo village. There are nonfunctional but imposing fountains here and there, communal areas with barbecue pits and benches, two swimming pools. Everything is built of exposed red adobe brick, and some homes are covered in ivy. The complex has two water storage cisterns, each with two pumps, so the water pressure is excellent.Although there are few variations in floor plans, the land isn't flat, so the architects and designers had to get creative. The units don't stand like identical soldiers in a row (one of the aspects of condos that always put me off). I'm going to investigate when it was built, but my guess is sometime in the 70s or 80s. Look closely and you can see edges crumbling here and there, especially since tropical storm Jimena had her way with us. My edges are crumbling a little too, so I feel right at home.
