So, you've discovered that living on a fixed income with variable spending habits has it's challenges huh? - well, what to do? - change spending habits (not likely) or go back to work (visible flinch)?

Before we get too much further down the road I need to note some mile markers. In March of '06 I pretty much gave up formal work per se, or better said “corporate America gave up on me” - it happens, and probably for the best, but our love of “things nice” continues unabated it seems.

And so begins the decline of the work life, weaving unsteadily like an old tire given a toss down the drive, as it slows it wobbles left and right and woogety woogety it eventually ceases forward progress ending in a tightening spiral until it falls flat – that's what happens with us as well - trust me.

There I was wobbling down the drive, not yet spiraling, but wobbling left and right, slowing down – when fast forward to last year on one of the forums, I met a fellow and we found our lives in sales and Denver etc. overlapped and we became friends. They now live in Albuquerque after living here for several years and are in the process of building a beautiful new home. I had always hoped to build another house and maybe I had some pent up ideas that needed a home, or maybe I'm just the way I am, but I suggested a few things and they liked some and shared initial plans which fulfilled a need in me to feel I was once again “building” or creating something productive.

This summer they planned a trip to MX to buy copper sinks about 200 miles from here in Santa Clara de Cobre which is a village known for it's fine copper work. As they would be here in the GDL area for a few days as well, shopping in Tonala and Tlaquepaque, I offered the casita because it was vacant for the summer.

I enjoyed their company and we spent a couple of days shopping in GDL before they headed for the copper village. Before they left we had lunch in Tonala at one of their favorite restaurants which was quickly added to my list of favorites as well. Then we found an onyx shop nearby with sinks and almost anything else you can imagine (and some you can't begin to imagine) in onyx, marble and travertine. Table tops, fountains, decorations etc. and at a very reasonable price, so they earmarked a square sink for purchase on their way back.

At Santa Clara they purchased 5 copper sinks of varying sizes including a large country kitchen sink with beautiful hammered floral designs for an unbelievably low price. In fact, all 5 sinks were about the minimum you would pay north of the border for a single plain country sink. Also they met a fellow that has imported copper topped furniture from the same area for 12 years. The line is high end specialty items that are gorgeous, not the typical “rustico” rough furniture and junk typically thought of as Mexican, these pieces are truly unique and beautiful and largely unknown NOB.

The wheels began to turn slowly in my head as I was planning a trip to TX and CO to visit my Mother in Oct. I began to see the potential for swinging by Santa Clara, buying a couple of sinks to throw in the back of the jeep and sell in TX to pay for the trip. More conversations led to more ideas and we decided there might be a market for some of the onyx and copper items and decided maybe we'd do a bit of export/import.

We now enter the realm of “be careful, you're not in Kansas any more”. Working in MX is very tightly controlled, a work permit is needed and is very expensive and tedious to acquire, so I told my partner, I have 3 things to overcome, first I'm not getting a work permit; this really isn't a problem as the company is based in the US and what little I do here is more fun than work. Next I don't want to make any money the IRS can see, that part of my life is over and I'm not getting back into hassling with taxes and earning too much while on SSI; not a problem, we're not likely to make much and again it's not paid to me, but to the company. Finally, to be bone honest, I don't want to go back to work; again a no brainer, I'm the “MX contact” locally here to talk to the suppliers and shippers etc. and I'll do the web page work, so more fun than work, and at that point our 3 way partnership was formed.

We needed a name that would engender the finer class of products we intended to deal with and after some search and thought, we decided on Hacienda Magnifico and www.haciendamagnifico.com was born. What had started as a good idea now became a more serious concern – how the heck do 3 gringos that don't know much, if anything, about export/import and less about speaking Spanish actually make this happen? - seems the old need for a challenge never really goes away, so “onward through the fog”.

So began the odyssey, we already had some vital pieces, the fellow already exporting furniture offered his line of product and expertise which is invaluable. Just knowing the consolidators for packing and shipping through customs is a big part of this project. Next, knowing that furniture and the sinks and other products are covered under NAFTA and are duty free streamlines the process. Discussions with the copper folks revealed they are already capable of packing and shipping to NOB destinations and were excited about someone to market their products.

The next task was for me to contact the onyx shop and see if they were interested in selling to and through us – enter a very large language gap. I met the owner Franscisco, and waving my hands wildly I tried to explain in Spanglish what we wanted to do; he listened to me for a few minutes, apparently could see the sincerity on my face and called Jesus his delivery guy, talked to him for a moment and handed me the phone. Turns out Jesus speaks pretty good English and said he'd be there in 10 minutes.

Our adventure into the world of onyx began and it's unbelievable. After discussing our apparent success (or beginners luck) my partners decided to make another trip down in early Oct. to take us to the next level. Business cards were created and a letter of introduction was written and translated into proper Spanish by another couple now living here lakeside. The letter introduces us and our intent as we want to carry several other items and one of my jobs will be to watch for interesting items that are unique and high quality.

We believe that much of the truly high quality unique things produced in Mexico are unknown in the US. Generally a guy goes south of the border, loads up a trailer or truck of junk, hauls it back across the border and sells it as “authentic Mexico” - when in fact it's actually “authentic Mexican JUNK”. Our goal is to deal in high quality items at a reasonable price as compared to what is not coming in.

My partners arrived a few days before my neighbor returned from Canada and just before I was heading for TX. We met with Franscisco and Jesus and took pictures for the website of about 20 different sinks and accessories – yes, you can have a matching travertine Kleenex box cover and soap holder. Also began our education and documentation of the different types of onyx, travertine and marble so we can properly market and order product.

Next we met with two metal art artisans with really interesting creations. In one case language wasn't a problem, in the other case we met the older gentleman who was obviously the family patriarch and he asked us to come back on Lunes (Monday) to have further discussions, we assumed with someone who spoke English.

We returned the following Monday and he was there and motioned for us to get into his car. We were all looking at each other and shrugging our shoulders as no one understood what he was telling us. Now, at this point you have to step outside yourself and assume an alternate persona for purposes of situation analysis. I mean, here I am, just a kid (well, an old kid) from Nebraska with no experience in foreign business or residence, yet already I've lived out of country for a year now and here I am talking to people about international exporting etc? - how the heck did this happen, and more importantly at that moment, exactly why am I getting in the car with a guy who doesn't speak English and where is he taking us?

Realizing he's not all that big (and the 3 of us could take him) we figured it couldn't be that much of a problem and besides, holding the three of us for ransom would cost him more to feed us than we'd be worth. So, merrily we're motoring through the narrow back streets of Tonala and you'd have to see it to appreciate it, pictures hardly describe it and words absolutely can't.

We pulled up to the curb and got out and he opened a large steel door to an open courtyard which turned out to be their “factory” or more appropriately their “production facility”. He proudly showed us different tasks being performed by maybe 6-8 guys, some cutting with torches, some hammering and one was painting. Their specialty is colored metal wall art done with heat and melted copper etc.

Eventually his son Victor arrived and he speaks very good English and we had a nice conversation and returned to the main store to take pictures and get pricing. Again, at times it's amazing to stand back and see yourself doing things you absolutely never in a million years imagined you'd ever do – and having fun besides, truly a new part of the “continuing adventure”.

As the “business” matures I'm sure there will be more “stories of the road” but for now it's an interesting evolution in this chapter.

Continued meetings with the suppliers has refined our thinking and added some additional items, plus I need to make a day trip to Guzman, a town west of here to search for the maker of leather wall masks, yes, sounds a bit odd, but when you see one you'll be fascinated.

Soon the website will show progress as I refine our product line (and figure out how the heck to make Adobe Elements work?) and we decide how best to present it. Some of the onyx sinks are unbelievable with swirls of green, reds, golds and browns and will be offered as specialty items. Yesterday I saw a sink in the shape of a leaf? - yes, a beautiful two layer onyx and marble sink. To imagine starting out with a big hunk of rock and ending up with this work of art is mind boggling. They're produced in Puebla, SE of Mexico City and we want to make a trip there, possibly next February when my partners are back in town.

All of this has inspired me (and run up red flags) to start Spanish lessons. My neighbor and I are taking them together with a tutor near us. It's going to be hard for the old man to buckle down and learn and relearn stuff like basic sentence structure etc., plus Spanish has some interesting quirks, but if I'm going to live here and especially if I'm going to deal with native artisans it's going to be necessary, so there will probably be some future stories about this process – and I do mean “process”.