New Digs

It has been a long time since I have settled in to a new home. I lived in my last house for almost 7 years, which is the longest I've lived in any house since I left my parent's home over 30 years ago.

My new home is a rental, and it is unlikely that I will remain here for anywhere near 7 years, but nevertheless I will endeavour to make it home. It is not hard to feel at peace here... we live high on the hill overlooking the bay of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. While it is a hard climb up the hill to get to, the wooded setting and lovely view of the bay certainly make the effort well worth it. During the day the sight of white boats bobbing in the blue waters against a backdrop of green hills is a better view than any art I could hang on my walls, and at night the sound of the waves crashing far below lulls me better than any musical composition could.

The house itself lies in a small development of 9 houses, each a fair distance from one another. While small, it is comfortable and pleasant and our spacious deck is a room of it's own. The entire building is about 16ft wide and 18 ft long and is divided into two halves... one contains the bedroom and bathroom, while the other houses the kitchen and living area. I could complain of the lack of comfortable lounging furniture... but instead I think I will just go out and buy a nice deck chair that we can use both inside and out and will provide a good resting place from which to watch TV. We already have a classic Nicaraguan rocking chair; table and four chairs and a desk.

In the coming weeks I also hope to buy a number of planting pots for our deck in which to plant herbs and leafy greens (lettuce, arugula, spinach, etc.) as they are exceedingly difficult to find in the market here.

Unfortunately all this shopping is going to be a tad difficult as the road to our house is so steep it is all but impassible to anything other than a 4 by 4; and we do not own any vehicle at all.... but I am sure we will work something out. Our next project is to get a large bottle of drinking water up here; and to find a carpenter to build me some frames upon which to stretch canvas, as I am eager to do some painting!

Stay tuned, for more adventures from Casa Pia, Nico Vale, San Jual del Sur.


The front door of "Casa Pia"