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So for my first four day weekend (i.e. not working on a computer), my project was to make us a nice kitchen table and benches. We had only one little plastic table and if you glanced it with a foot or knee your drink or food would end up all over the table. It was quite frustrating. Berry was very adamant about getting a table up there as soon as possible.

I wanted something sturdy that would last for a long time. I sketched out a few ideas and started in promptly at the crack of noon last Thursday. They had a drill and some screws and I figured I would bust it out in a day or two. Well, that did not happen. The screws they had were flat head screws and if you use the drill you end up with nice gouges in your wood (which our table has a few).

Luckily Lisa made a trip to Sodimac (think Home Depot or Lowes) and brought back some 3 inch phillips head screws just in time for me to work on the legs of the table. I quickly found out that the drill has only one speed. Fast, super fast. It stripped the head of the screw in less than five seconds, even when I pre-drilled the hole. I looked around for regular screw drivers. None to be found. Tools have a tendency to get misplaced around the campo. For the legs I screwed in the 3 inch screws by hand with my Leatherman that I got for Christmas. I finished the table after a long day, but it was done and we drove it up to the hill house. My forearms were aching. At the end of the day, I was missing my DeWalt 18 Volt Multi Speed Drill more than a tall MaiBock at The Terminal.

The next day we get up and visit some of the neighbors around the farm. It’s a nice little walk in the rain and we get to see where some people that we’ve met live. After lunch I start on the benches and looked a little bit harder for any screwdrivers. No luck. I get about half way done before it’s time for dinner. I leave it with just the legs and support to do the next day. After a few hours of twisting the screws in and a little bit of compromising on my table/bench plans, we had two great sturdy benches.

Below are a few more pictures of la mesa.

One thing that jumped out of us when we got here, even driving in at 1am from Santiago, was foxglove was absolutely every where. Berry literally squealed as we were weaving through the bumpy country roads and saw the flowers when the headlights shined on them.

Here are some shots that Berry took while she stole borrowed my camera for a day.

I hope everyone is safe, happy, and trying to stay warm. Chao!

We had a great Chilean Meal for New Year’s Eve, roasted sheep over an open pit. We got a late start on so we didn’t eat until well after 10pm. The kids were wiped out and the adults got to stay up till midnight. That’s the first time I’d seen midnight on New Year’s in a couple of years.

It was raining a bit so we cooked the sheep in the shed.

The fire is getting closer.

The sheep is ready to cook.

Finger Lickin' Good, ya'll

*cough*cough* Smile! *cough*cough*

Bradley (one half of the Bumble Bees) channels his inner Fred Flintstone.

A great shot of Scott and Lisa

Berry with her sweet sleeping baby boy.

We had a really good time, cooking, eating, and talking all evening long. Not a bad way to ring in the New Year.

Taken on my commute to work this morning.

You have a different perspective living in rural farmland 45 minutes outside of Puerto Montt. Splitting fire wood for a fire in the evening with friends and family  is different from splitting wood because you cook all your food on a wood stove. Running water is not a given even in such a wet and rainy place Ilque is. Our water comes from mainly cisterns or an old well at the back of the property. Our picky eaters know realize that if they don’t eat what they are served, they get nothing else. Dry shoes and feet are very important, but some how very difficult to achieve.

This morning I woke up early to start to fire for tea, breakfast, and to knock off the chill of the morning. Once the flames started going good enough, I went to brush my teeth. No water. I checked the kitchen sink. No water. Awww, crap! I put on my boots climbed up to our cistern which supplies the house. Bone dry. There was an absolute monsoon last night while we slept so there could only be one thing. A leak. No time to fix it so I turned on the well which is the back up when the weather dries up later in the summer. I now know one of the projects I’ll be doing on my next day off. That is if Berry doesn’t get to it first.

The morning bright, warm, and sunny, but now rain has moved in. It looks like it will be a bit like that for the next few days. The farm house is quite. Berry and the kids are back at the Hill House and the McLean’s are out visiting neighbors. I’m able to knock out a good bit of work and poke a way at this blog.

I’ve got a couple of more photos that don’t really belong anywhere right now… so here we go.

Our breakfast table this morning.

Yerba Mate - Tea of the Gods! It's like main lining caffeine with a cool straw.

Bacon. The family pig. It is the quintessential pig.

To find out how they got Bacon The Pig you can go here.

Every morning when we walk across the campo to get to the farm house, it’s like a mini adventure. You walk through fields of knee high grass, dandelions, and scrub bushes, through marshy wet lands, over small creeks on old faded boards, and finally through the gates to the farm house where our host family and the internet connection lives.  Mmmmm, sweet tasty internet.

The past few days have been absolutely gorgeous. Saturday we mainly hung out at our house on the hill and had all the children with us. Sunday I mainly worked inside on various projects on line. I worked mainly from the main dinning table for most of the day. It’s the main source of all activity and noise on the farm. Needless to say it didn’t help with concentrating or sinking deep into thought on some things that I needed to get done.

After I was finished with my on line work, I decided to make a small little office desk to go upstairs where I could be a little bit more out of the way. I took some scrap pieces of wood from the bodaga and fashioned myself a nice, light, little desk. You can see it in the picture above. That is my new work area. It has a nice view out to the eucalyptus trees and a small field. Right now I have the window opened and a fresh breeze is coming through.

Hopefully I’ll be able to go out and play some this afternoon or this evening. We’re so far south the sun doesn’t set until 10 pm. It’s really been tough to get accustomed to it. Off to go get some work done.

La lluvia, lluvia, lluvia, siempre la lluvia (Rain, rain, rain, always rain).

We’re here. Granted not after some difficulties, some of our own making, and a few minor set backs, but we’re here. There are plenty of stories to tell. But I want to tell them in order and when I have time to get some of them down. Right now… how about some pretty pictures to look at? Everyone likes pictures.

Heading into Puerto Montt on a sunny day.

Berry with one of her Christmas presents.

The kids climbing up to roll down.

Our front porch on the campo.

A view from our front porch.

Of course a kitten found us here. His name is Sombro.

Boats at the ferry in La Arena.

On the Calbuco Por Costa bus heading to the farm.

New Friends.

Taken this morning while walking across the campo.

That’s it for now. More to come later. We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and are gearing up for a Happy New Year.

Needless to say we made it back from Chile safe and sound. It took me a while to not say “Si’” or “Gracias” all the time.

We had a fabulous time while we were there.  Granted, ten days was entirely too long to be gone from The Bear and The Mouse.  Chile now is such a fantastic place, different, but still absolutely stellar.  We want to thank all our friends and family who helped make this trip happen especially our host family, the McLeans.

We can’t wait until we can go back.

So we’re here.  Not just Chile but our destination.

We’re in town today doing some errands and getting hooked back up to the world.  We made it to the farm out in the country.  We actually slept lying on our backs last night instead of some version of sitting up.  That was fantastic.

It is absolutely beautiful down here.  Entirely different than what we were expecting but still very cool and very intriguing.  The farm is about 45 minutes outside of Puerto Montt and is extremely remote.  The cabins are also a bit more, um… rustic than we thought, but that’s cool.  A little like “Little House on the Prairie”.  Granted we’re really not spending that much time inside during the day so far.

We arrived yesterday morning on an overnight bus from Santiago.  We woke up with some nice man sharing his mariachi music with the whole bus.  Luckily, I kept Berry from strangling him otherwise it might have caused some complications with our vacation.  We got in to Puerto Montt a little bit before 10a and we we’re looking for our host, Lisa.  We knew what she looked like and we were hoping that she would be able to pick us out of the crowd.  That worry was soon quashed, when she came right up to us, “You’re the only ones that look like gringos!”  Nice.  She is warm, easy and has a great laugh.

So we load up everything onto into the back of the truck and head out to the farm or campo (rural area).  It is beautiful, quiet when the multitudes of children, sheep and chickens are asleep:>, and peaceful.  The sky is huge without light pollution.

We walked from our host’s house (about 15 mins) to our cabin last night around 9pm down a rocky road, in a light drizzle and did not hear a single sound except our laughter.  The children of our host are adorable and free spirits sprinting here and there around the campo, working like men and playing like children.  It makes missing our own little ones a bit easier.  The family who manages the campo have 6 stair step children from 11 to 4.  The youngest was a hard nut to crack but I finally got her yesterday.  I am a jungle gym for the others.

The landscape looks the same until you look closely and the trees are shaped differently and the spring colors are a bit different  Berry has recognized a magnolia relative, eucalyptus and something akin to sweet shrub.  The daffodils though still make her smile.  Spring for a second time this year is wonderful.

We feel so fortunate to be experiencing such a drastic change of culture.  NO ONE speaks english much at all.  That has been interesting.  We miss you all and hope you are safe and well.

We made it to Chile! I’m in a Santiago bus station right now taking a break from walking around Santiago Centro, Plaza De Armas, and Mercado Central.

Berry and I are fine. We’ve got a 12 hour bus ride ahead of us to get to Puerto Montt tomorrow, but we’re having a great time.

For a little bit more of where we’re heading.

Here is the area we’ll be hangin out. A little place called Putenio.

The farm and family we’ll be staying with for a good portion of our stay.

We will post photos soon. It’s been a pretty hectic day and we’ve got miles to go before we sleep.

Peace.