Maricasa Update - Love that Caribbean - All the news that's fit to print

November 5, 2006    Kathe and Jean, partners in the development of Maricasa, are going forward with the project at Maricasa but with great sadness
at the loss of Colleen, our other partner, who passed away in August. Colleen's memory and dedication to Maricasa will be honored with a memorial on the
property that she so dearly loved. Her mighty energy, love and spirit will soar over the jungle where she spent so much time. Colleen was an integral
part of Maricasa and will be missed. It was her dream to have a safe and beautiful place filled with spirit for women to live.

Kathe is on her way back down to Maricasa to continue with the design and the environmental impact survey. We will have more frequent updates as we
make progress.

May 22, 2006           On the Update Photos page there is a new photo with the preliminary artist´s rendering of the Maricasa site plan. Check it out
and watch for more drawings as they become available. Progress is being made on the Environmental Impact Survey as we move toward the permit
process.

April 13, 2006           There was a clear popular winner of the logo contest. Logo entry #1 received more than 3 times as many votes as any other logo
entry. The artist will receive the prize for winning the popular vote for her logo. The shareholders of Maricasa are undecided as to how we will use the
winning entry and what the final logo will look like; we will keep you all posted as we make a decision. Thank you for entering your designs and for
voting....click the link to see the entries.

We have made some great progress on clearing the land in preparation for laying out the location of the lots. We will keep you posted as it progresses.

March 10, 2006        The work has started!!!! In the last few days we have had the surveyors here with their transits marking boundaries and beginning
the process of creating a topographical representation of the property. Once they are finished we will be able to mark the trees we want to keep and
the location of all the Mayan mounds so we know where to build what.
If you are interested in seeing what the architect has built for others in this area you can click on this page to see a lovely home that is for rent on
Laguna Bacalar or on this page for another home that is rented out part of the time.
  I want to remind you that March 15th is the deadline for sending in your ideas for logos for Maricasa. We have only a few entries and would like many
more. Send in your idea!!! It might be a winner.

February 9, 2006        A whole month has gone by since I have updated you. Remember that we were working with an architectural student? Well, that
helped us to firm up some of our ideas but it turns out we had to look for another architect. We really wanted someone who has a sense of artistry, is
local to the area and knows the building materials, is a builder themselves and would be fun to work with as well. We did find that person. His name is
Ricardo Romay and he lives nearby.
We have visited several of his buildings and are really excited about our venture with him. He has a good sense of design and style, his crew does
excellent quality work, and he will work with us to get the whole project done from start to finish. A big bonus is that he speaks pretty good English
and his wife speaks almost flawless English.
While we have been working on the design issues we have continued to work on the grounds and they are looking really beautiful. We have lots of
visitors scheduled (some of them have already come and gone) and we are looking forward to the others who are headed this way.
Recently we had a fun day in Majahual visiting with women who came on the Olivia Cruises Costa Maya tour. We got to meet lots of interesting women
and talk about Maricasa to them.
Keep your questions coming...as the project reveals itself we will have more and more information to share with you. Until next time.

January 8, 2006            Maricasa needs a logo. Do you have a secret ambition to be a graphic designer? Do you like to doodle? Go to the
Logo Contest page (the contest is over so no link to the rules) to read the rules and maybe win a fabulous prize!!!!

January 5, 2006            Happy New Year!!!! 2006 finds us still working on the planning for Maricasa and getting ready to welcome many visitors.
February has lots of visitors coming, March has a few and April has a few. If you are planning to visit, I recommend March, April after the 10th or May.
There is a new webpage available for those who are scheduling visits to us... see the hotel list. Also, there is travel information regarding flights into
Cancun, rental cars and buses on the transportation page.

December 12, 2005        Hurray!!!! We have purchased the adjacent property and Maricasa now has almost 7.5 acres on which to build. The property
shape is now better as it measures 100 meters across the waterfront by 300 meters back to the country road and is not so long and narrow. We are
really excited about the increased possibilities that this offers the development.
  We really enjoy hearing from all of you with your questions and comments about the process, so keep it up.

December 5, 2005        November was a busy month for us here at Maricasa. We have started working with an architectural firm that will do the
preliminary conceptual design. We gave all our ideas to a young graduating architecture student who has designed some really interesting cabanas with
various floorplans. The designs have lots of nice curves, wide porches with room for hammocks, palapa accents, and lots of windows with louvers to
direct the breezes. Once we get a little further along in the design process we will post some of the design concepts on the website.
  We have also engaged a biologist to do the Environmental Impact Study; it is necessary in order to get our building permits. We understand that the
permit process is lengthy...
  Since arriving back at Maricasa in October we have been camped on the property and redid our shower to make it easier to use...it is really delightful
and quite beautiful now since we rebuilt it out of bamboo. Colleen has been making paths through the jungle so we now have access to more parts of the
land...when you come visit you will be able to really enjoy walking on the green shaded paths with birds squawking and chittering in the canopy.
  We have also acquired our FM3 visas making us residents in Mexico instead of tourists...doing this makes it easier to do business.
  I have posted some new photos up on the website on the photos page...we look forward to seeing some of you in the next few months. Please make
contact with us so we will be sure to have our calendar open for your visit.

November 9, 2005        We returned to Maricasa to discover that the wind blew a little bit here and there was some rain. Other than a few broken
branches and some small trees tipped over there was no damage to anything in the local area. Lifetime residents tell us that, because of its location,
this area rarely receives direct hits from hurricanes and buildings are mostly made from reinforced concrete and would not be leveled in any case.
  Within a few days of arriving back at Maricasa we took off on a road trip to visit some friends in Xcalak and then up north to see what damage
Wilma (and Emily earlier in the year) had caused to get an idea of types of structures to avoid when building here at Maricasa. We got to the
communities of Playa del Carmen, PaaMul, Akumal and Tulum which all received the direct impact of both storms. We were quite pleasantly surprised to
see that, though there was some damage, the towns were not obliterated as some news reports would have you think.
  Beachfront buildings took a lot of damage on the ground floor with broken windows and sand washed up where it shouldn't have been. Thatched roofs,
either decorative or structural, were randomly affected and the jungle vegetation was mostly denuded and ragged looking. Billboards and power poles
were atilt or down and there were some seaside roads that had some damage. Buildings made with concrete withstood the most direct hits from waves
and wind and were still structurally sound while more fragile structures were leveled.
  This is all very encouraging as we start the next phase of our development here. Yesterday we met with the architectural firm that is going to do the
conceptual design portion of Maricasa. We gave them all of our ideas; they will visit the property this week and then start on the design.

October 22, 2005       We are back in Quintana Roo though not at the property as we decided to wait out Wilma somewhat inland. We will return to
the land in a couple of hours and send out another update in a few days to give you an idea of what effect Wilma had on the land.
  Maricasa is incredibly green and lush at this time of the year. I have put some film clips up on the website for you to see a woman's-eye view of the
property...they take a little time to load, but they are worth it. Access them from the Photos page.
  If any of you are thinking of visiting, November through May are the best months to do it...we would love to show you around...just let us know when
you are planning to be there.
  If you want to see a bird's eye view of Maricasa, check out this link to a satellite photo . Maricasa is on the mainland, southwest of the narrowest
part of the island and opposite the little wedge-shaped bump on the island. You can see the seaside village of Calderitas just southwest of Maricasa. If
you pan farther south you will see Chetumal.
  Unfortunately we have to report that the Hotel Oxtankah is still not up and running...they are now saying December.

October 1, 2005        Hello everyone...yesterday Colleen and I crossed back into Mexico on our way down to Maricasa. We are really excited as the
fun part of the project is about to start. We will be looking for an architect to help us do the design for the land and then we will start putting in the
infrastructure like a road, sewage system, water system and then the building of the first structures. We can hardly wait to see the first shovelful of
dirt being moved!!!!
  We have lots of jungle left to get under control and decisions about how to best protect the big trees we have and want to keep. It is going to be a
lot of fun and, I suspect, some hard work too.
  We have lots of women who have said they are coming to visit during the December to March months when it is the coldest in the US and Canada. We
are looking forward to our visitors and hope that the Hotel Oxtankah in Calderitas is up and running. When we get there in 2-3 weeks we will let you
know so you can make plans to come visit too.
  With visions of palm trees and toucans dancing in our heads.....

July 10, 2005            We are pleased to announce that Maricasa SA de CV has a new shareholder. Jean F. Marquardt, currently the Executive
Director of the Taos Center of the Arts, has been in nonprofit management for over 25 years. During that time, she has also been involved with the
women's community, San Franciso Feminist Health Clinic, battered women's shelters and of course as many women's music festivals on the west coast,
Michigan and the south as she could possibly fit into her schedule. She has worked for AIDS organizations, legal aid and law offices as a paralegal, done
mediation consulting, and produced the Santa Fe Indian Market. As an artist, she paints and does ceramic and bronze sculptures and this summer will
try her hand with concrete. Since participating in the Crone's Project retirement visualization, she has been interested in creating a women's
retirement community. She will be participating in the planning process as we move forward.
  Jean says, "I am investing in Maricasa. I spent 2 weeks at Maricasa in June where we worked on an extensive feasibility report and we are developing
a business and marketing plan. This project has my support. It has a strong financial basis that will provide a wonderful and beautiful place for women
with moderate means as well as others who want to live in a safe tropical paradise."

June 7, 2005        As of yesterday, at around 2 pm, Maricasa, a Mexican corporation, now owns 5 acres of waterfront land for which we have been
negotiating since March. We have started clearing the part closest to the waterfront and it looks wonderful. The first rains have started and
everything is beautiful and green...the trees are fully leafed out and we are ready to start the planning phase.
  Right now there are 5 of us here to participate in the planning process....it is very exciting!!!!! One of the first decisions to be made is whether to
purchase an additional adjoining parcel making a total of 7.5 acres....we will keep you updated.
  Colleen and I will be in the US during July, August and September returning to Calderitas the end of September...we will then be in Calderitas for at
least 6 or 7 months so plan a visit.

April 9, 2005        There is a new page with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The questions came from the readers of the website and may answer
some of your questions. As we get more questions, this will be updated.

April 1, 2005        We asked for a representative of INAH, the National Institute of Archeology and History to make a site visit to the land to let
us know whether we would have to work around any Mayan ruins when we begin construction. With him we located and marked 4 mounds that are clearly
of stone construction that are called platforms. On these platforms the Maya built their homes. Under the platforms they were likely to bury their
deceased family members.
  It was really exciting to see them and have Alan describe what the area must have looked like hundreds of years ago. There are pottery shards
everywhere we look. We just have to leave a 1 meter space around the mounds and not build anything on top that might penetrate into them. One of the
mounds has three big trees growing out of it and we can envision a tree house up the trunks above the mound. We can also clear them of brush and plant
grass or flowers on them. Just down the road are the Mayan ruins of Oxtankah where there is a visitors' center and it is less than 2 miles from the
property.
  This morning we built an outdoor shower near the fresh water spring up at the waterfront and this afternoon we will be enjoying the fruits of our
labors.