ice cream cone life

Last weekend we went on an adventure to celebrate our second year of marriage.  Here are some snapshots from the road. 

As we passed by the iconic fundos, or large cattle farms, that are so typical in southern Chile, my mind invented stories for the generations of families that have inhabited the old German-built estates. With their shaker-siding and often colorful trim, they are a sight among the miles and miles of green. And as the volcanoes and mountains come into view, these relics of another era become more prevalent. Perhaps this part of Chile once reminded someone of a home far away, left behind to escape a war, or tyranny, or persecution. 

It is easy to imagine from the passenger side, that life in these parts has changed little in the past century. On cold winter nights, the house is heated with wood, as is the case in all of southern Chile. Perhaps an old woman is inside making cheese from her cow's milk and an old man is hunting conejo.  Even the radio provides little evidence to the contrary as the breaking news highlights the daily price of livestock. Here time moves slowly and the imagination flies.