Today it is gray and rainy, and tonight we are supposed to get gale force winds. We hope that our little house on the hill will hold fast and shelter us through the storm. We have had a few tempestads already this winter, and when the wind is really howling I am reminded of times at sea.

Waves lapping against the sides, the sky darkens, on the horizon you can see the wall of weather coming near. The ship starts to roll. At first you feel exhilarated. The wind pushes life into your lungs. You hold onto the side and feel the energy of the boiling ocean. Up and down you move, keeping an eye to where the sea meets the sky. 

Right now it is like that. The wind is picking up. The view of the valley below has gone dark. We light the candles and chimney for comfort. But this ship is new to us. We are are still getting used to the the weight of her tiller. We hope that the mast will hold. We have patched her sails and given her a new coat of paint, but when the big swell comes, we hope that she will stay upright.

 More photos of the house after the break

We bought a house!

Rather, the bank bought a house and is letting us live in it... but we are really excited! As with all things in Chile, the process has been a long one, and we still won't move in for another month or two, but finally the paperwork is complete and the house is ours. 

So now with a two month old baby, a new house, on-going renovation work, and dreaming up garden and chicken coop designs, we are really busy! Even still, this moment in our lives feels impossibly sweet. Summer here might be turning to Fall, but we are entering Spring with all of the fresh new additions blossoming in our life.