cancunTom a retired ex-pat's life in Cancun

September 2010
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Tag-Archive for "renovation"

A visit to Horatio’s studio……… Author: CancunTom Aug 06

Wednesday afternoon Suzie and I took a ride to the Bonfil area of Cancun to visit Horatio’s studio. This is where he creates his beautiful stained glass. beveled glass, and sandblasted glass works of art. We also got a bonus…….we met his companions. Several dogs and cats and one precocious little kitten.

Horatio’s studio interior with his dogs Canela and Uxmal…..

An example of Horatio’s work…….the blue wine bottle is an actual wine bottle flattened in the kiln and then added to the window………….

I was mesmerized by this cat. It is one of the most unusual cats I’ve ever encountered. It’s coloring and long coat were quite different. It’s name is Paloma and she has a very sweet loving nature.

This is Tic Tac a cute kitten that played peek-a-boo we us from this box while we were visiting…..

Horatio….

From Horatio’s sample kit a stunning piece of glass…..

Workshop table w/ photo books of past projects………

This is how larger panels are reinforced so that they don’t collapse under their own weight. Strips of copper and aluminum are soldered on end, on the back side of the window providing additional stiffness.

Closeup……….

Couch shells…….

Large window w/ sandblasted flying eagle ……….

Horatio does beautiful cut beveled glass work as well ……this entrance-way is an example…..

A 3-way stained glass room divider……

Workmen installing a large stained glass window in a new private home….

Finished installation

Preparing delivery of finished windows to Lorenzillo’s lobster house restaurant….

After installation at Lorenzillo’s lobster house in the hotel zone

A great looking bathroom stained glass window……. An example of a beveled glass decorative window…….

Horacio creates stained glass, beveled glass, sandblasted glass windows, mirrors,and many other items that beautify homes, businesses, churches, and other places. Horatio explained that prices are dependent on complexity of the design, the sizeof the piece, and quality of the glass the customer chooses.

If you have a desire for this kind of work here are Horacio’s contact details:

ROCCO

diseno de vitrales

IMAGINACION EN VIDRIO

HORACIO MURRAY PARRA

viralista

Cel. 044-998–257-7326

Cel. 044-998-224-2015

Bonfil Q Roo

Category: Art, CANCUN, Living in Cancun, MEXICO, Q-Roo, Yucatan, animals | Tags: CANCUN, Caribbean, Cats, dogs, Friends, Fun, Kittens, living in Mexico, MEXICO, puppies, Q-Roo, remodeling, renovation, Sub-Tropical | 3 Comments

Stained Glass by Horacio Murray Author: CancunTom Aug 01

Here are some examples of Stained Glass from the fine art studio ROCCO by Horacio Murray. I met Horacio when I hired him to repair the stained glass in our front door. I had become dislodged by a strike from an exuberant newspaper delivery boy. He is very creative and his work speaks for itself. He also does glass sandblasting that is just beautiful. Click on any image to see a larger version of it.

Click HERE to visit his web site.

Category: Art, CANCUN, Living in Cancun, MEXICO, Q-Roo, Yucatan | Tags: bathrooms, CANCUN, Caribbean, Kitchen, living in Mexico, MEXICO, Q-Roo, remodeling, renovation, Sub-Tropical, Sun | 3 Comments

A day at Marlin Beach in the hotel zone (Cancun) Author: CancunTom Apr 04

I haven’t posted for about a week and even though we didn’t want to go to the beach, I felt that I owed it to my readers to bite the bullet and force ourselves to do so in order to share it with all of you. It was tough, but we made it through the day just for you………………………LOL

Yesterday was a perfect day to spend at the newly restored beaches here in Cancun, Mexico. We chose to go to Marlin Beach in the Hotel Zone. The entrance to the this beach is behind the Kukulcan Mall (km 13) next to the Villas Marlin property. The temperature was 87 with clear blue skies. We had a nice breeze blowing in off the Caribbean and that provided nice wave action which always makes it more fun. We rented a umbrella and 4 chairs in the beach area between the “ledge” and the surf. It was a perfect spot that provided us easy access to the water. Plenty of food was available from beach vendors. We brought in a couple of coolers full of beer, water and soft drinks along with some ceviche, guacamole, sandwiches, chips, napkins, forks, and Styrofoam plates.
First off a video clip to show you the conditions around 11am.

Cancun 2010!

Spring Break 2010!

The Marlin Beach at about 11am

Surf coming in

Marlin Beach is a favorite “locals” beach.

Footprints in the white sand beaches of Cancun……….

Just chillin’ on the beach…………..

Yellow flags=you can swim, the life guards kept people in the areas with the least amount of undertow….

The famous “ledge” in front of the Barcelo Tucancun, Celebrity, and Royal Sands

Wave-runner anyone????

A aqua hotrod…………and it’s for rent…

How would you like to have this guys office??????

Royal Sands II in the foreground and the Original Royal Sands adjacent

It doesn’t get much better than this……………

Don’t miss your chance to visit Cancun and have the vacation of a lifetime. The beaches are just a small part of Cancun. There is so much to see and do that you will never get bored. The people are gracious and friendly. The weather can’t be beat.

Category: Beach Restoration, CANCUN, MEXICO, Travel, Trip Reports, Vacation, Yucatan, weather | Tags: Beaches, CANCUN, Caribbean, Friends, Fun, Isla Mujeres, living in Mexico, MEXICO, Q-Roo, renovation, Sub-Tropical, Sun, Travel, Vacation, Water | 9 Comments

Plaza Las Americas, Cancun Author: CancunTom Mar 23

Plaza Las Americas is a large indoor shopping mall that has been around for several years. It has been undergoing an expansion for at least 3 years. Just before Christmas this past year they opened the new area to the public. It is located at: Av. Tulúm 260, Downtown and is really something to behold. Modern, spacious, bright, airy, and architecturally interesting. I thought I would post a few pictures that I took yesterday so you could see how up to date Mexico can be.

One of the entryways into the new section. It can also be accessed from inside the parking garage which is also new and has a least doubled the amount of parking spaces available to shoppers.

Entry from the older part of the mall

The new part of the mall has both an indoor and outdoor part. The outdoor part is sheltered from rain but still remains open. It is very nice. Check out those ceiling fans.

These have to be the mother of all ceiling fans………they even have end-plates on them like airplanes or racing cars……

Some of the various stores and brands you might recognize……

First up is “California Pizza Kitchen”

Next…………..Michel Domit shoes

iShop……………..the Apple stores in Mexico

adidas’ sporting goods

Tommy Hilfiger

Massimo Dutti

Haagen-Dazs………..yummy but very expensive

Yes they have a SEARS store in Cancun!

McDonald’s, McCafe, and GNC

Hang Ten and Dockers’

Good ol’ Ben & Jerry’s

aldo’s Italian Gelato

Upper level stores…..

Imaginarium entrances for adults and children on the right…..

Johnny Rockets for a taste of USA burgers, malts, and fries

Liverpool

First level from the second level…………

Chili’s on the lower level outdoor section

If you have shopping plans then be sure to venture out of the hotel zone and check out Plaza Las Americas. I promise that you will be impressed and have a great time shopping.

Category: CANCUN, MEXICO, Travel, Trip Reports, Vacation | Tags: CANCUN, Caribbean, el-centro, Fun, living in Mexico, MEXICO, renovation, Sub-Tropical, Sun, Travel, Vacation | 2 Comments

Delfines Beach, Cancun Author: CancunTom Feb 25

Every time we have guest’s at our home in Cancun after picking them up from the airport we take the “scenic” route back home through the hotel zone (fantasy land). When we have some “Cancun Virgins” we like to stop at Defines Beach for a photo opp. This is the first view they will have of the beautiful turquoise blue Caribbean Sea and upon first site it gets a lot of “WOWS”. This past Tuesday we stopped at Defines to show off the newly restored beach to our “Virgins” from Chicago.

Notice that the “ledge” situation seems to be resolving itself. It is much smaller and beyond it, the beach is returning to the nice gradual slope into the surf. Here are a few pictures:

Looking North towards the Hilton