tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post5778516631872498098..comments2024-03-23T20:52:19.525-06:00Comments on An Alaskan in Yucatán: Living Here: Cool, Cool WaterMarc Olsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-64484685183370815582012-11-07T11:32:51.049-06:002012-11-07T11:32:51.049-06:00OK, let's try to get together.OK, let's try to get together.<br />Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-20561541512556423272012-11-07T11:32:18.380-06:002012-11-07T11:32:18.380-06:00It does get chilly here, but not by SMA or norther...It does get chilly here, but not by SMA or northern standards. I have never needed anything heavier than a sweater or light jacket in Merida. There are pueblos in the interior of the Peninsula that get down to near freezing once in awhile. I haven't experienced that so far.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-69144853934726181342012-11-07T11:29:14.272-06:002012-11-07T11:29:14.272-06:00As I sit here in San Miguel wrapped in my rebozo (...As I sit here in San Miguel wrapped in my rebozo (it must have been pretty cold last night), reading your blog it's hard to imagine it being that cold in the Yucatan. But then I think back to a diving trip I took to Cozumel, in March actually, and the wind was really chilly. We all had to go out and buy sweatshirts. Shannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10707196505818823372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-89477714610322901912012-11-05T18:11:12.132-06:002012-11-05T18:11:12.132-06:00And it's a good idea and would work in many ca...And it's a good idea and would work in many cases. Variations of it have crossed my mind. In this case, with a roof that's two stories up and not terribly close to the pool, it would require festooning the back of the house with a lot of hose. If I can't make a nice-looking, permanent installation, I'd rather just live with cool water...Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-51285733337653489932012-11-05T15:34:35.639-06:002012-11-05T15:34:35.639-06:00That's great - we'll be there over the hol...That's great - we'll be there over the holidays (Dec.24th - 1st). Feel free to drop by for a visit.<br /><br />p.s. I don't quite look like my avatar.paul rodhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527043754131381936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-82750771160028992022012-11-05T14:31:45.274-06:002012-11-05T14:31:45.274-06:00I just looked at the post. We're neighbors. I ...I just looked at the post. We're neighbors. I walk by your place just about every day.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-77313358616341103372012-11-05T12:26:26.009-06:002012-11-05T12:26:26.009-06:00Some folks simply run a length of hose - like gard...Some folks simply run a length of hose - like garden hose or that clear plastic hose that's everywhere - up to the roof. Arrange a few large coils of lots of hose on the roof, paint it black, and return to the pool. A small pump works best to circulate the water slowly and only run it when the sun is shining. If you lay a sheet of plexiglass over the coils, they get even hotter. <br /><br />Well, it's an idea, anyway, and the only cost is hose and pump. YucatanManhttp://dispatchesfrommerida.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-1598654770408907442012-11-05T07:19:46.637-06:002012-11-05T07:19:46.637-06:00I'm going to add some photos and drawings of o...I'm going to add some photos and drawings of our house on the blog today (hopefully). <br /><br />You can never have too many 'building a house in Merida' blogs.paul rodhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527043754131381936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-37433996016245681002012-11-04T17:19:40.123-06:002012-11-04T17:19:40.123-06:00Paul, I am glad that my observations helped out. I...Paul, I am glad that my observations helped out. I just took a quick look at your blog. The designs pictured there are very interesting and I will spend some more time looking at them. Thanks for reading and commenting.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-43421290047023635452012-11-04T08:15:18.947-06:002012-11-04T08:15:18.947-06:00Just started reading your blog, Marc - very enjoya...Just started reading your blog, Marc - very enjoyable.<br /><br />We are in the process of renovating our first house in the Centro, and the decision to go with a similar 'passive' unheated system has been made easier by reading your posts on the subject.<br /><br />Gracias.paul rodhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15527043754131381936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-71975127204173354402012-11-03T18:42:18.210-06:002012-11-03T18:42:18.210-06:00There are solar pool heaters of various designs, a...There are solar pool heaters of various designs, and I've thought about buying one, or finding plans and building one. You are right, just a few degrees would make a lot of difference, and a solar heater could accomplish this. The only ongoing expense would be to run a pump and shouldn't be prohibitive. However my problem is that the way my pool and patio are designed, I don't have a good space for one...I'd have to take out too many plants and trees and it would be ugly. Going to the roof, which would be the best place, is just too far. If I ever build another place, a solar pool heater will be included in the construction design.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-65307013962194209382012-11-03T18:36:34.077-06:002012-11-03T18:36:34.077-06:00Although afternoon weather may be fairly warm, esp...Although afternoon weather may be fairly warm, especially for us northerners, the pool water can be pretty chilly. I think that most of the folks swimming in the winter months around here are foreigners...read Eric's comment above. After being here for so many years, although I do get in occasionally, I tend to act more like a Yucatecan in this regard than not.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-43691139130568605412012-11-03T16:37:37.447-06:002012-11-03T16:37:37.447-06:00Our very first trip to Merida was in January. The ...Our very first trip to Merida was in January. The weather was warm, but I could not stay in the pool for more than a few minutes. I think the key is to just plunge in and kick around a lot. I would love to find an inexpensive way to heat the water just a bit in the cooler months. Just a few degrees would really help, but we all know that takes energy and energy is not cheap.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00954933541900671235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-36509592929354389312012-11-03T14:36:32.545-06:002012-11-03T14:36:32.545-06:00Do you find that many people don't use their p...Do you find that many people don't use their pools much in the winter? The mid-day heat in November or January still seems like good swimming weather to me, coming from the north. Debbiehttp://www.themeridainitiative.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-14850888098732149832012-11-03T09:39:09.249-06:002012-11-03T09:39:09.249-06:00It's all about what you get used to. I no long...It's all about what you get used to. I no longer can take the cold like I used to and tolerate heat fairly well, now that I have lived in this climate for a few years. I manage without AC and in fact don't like it.<br /><br />I know Yucatecans who wrap up in blankets and drag out their parkas when it gets below 70F...a hot summer day where I grew up.Marc Olsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289566244668566622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6277313567524932904.post-88601437349307482332012-11-03T07:24:09.940-06:002012-11-03T07:24:09.940-06:00Mary and I still laugh about our first visit to Me...Mary and I still laugh about our first visit to Merida, over Christmas 2009. Our rented casita behind a home in Garcia Gineres looked out onto our hosts' lovely pool. The day after our late arrival brought a temperature of 73ºF, which is summer for those of us from Buffalo. Mary, being the hardier, went for a swim. A concerned neighbor contacted our hosts, concerned that she would die of pneumonia! ~eric.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com