Our House in the Clouds

Building a Second Life in the Andes of Ecuador

Nonfiction, History, Americas, South America, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Our House in the Clouds by Judy Blankenship, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Judy Blankenship ISBN: 9780292748729
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Judy Blankenship
ISBN: 9780292748729
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

While many baby boomers are downsizing to a simpler retirement lifestyle, photographer and writer Judy Blankenship and her husband Michael Jenkins took a more challenging leap in deciding to build a house on the side of a mountain in southern Ecuador. They now live half the year in Cañar, an indigenous community they came to know in the early nineties when Blankenship taught photography there. They are the only extranjeros (outsiders) in this homely, chilly town at 10,100 feet, where every afternoon a spectacular mass of clouds rolls up from the river valley below and envelopes the town.

In this absorbing memoir, Blankenship tells the interwoven stories of building their house in the clouds and strengthening their ties to the community. Although she and Michael had spent considerable time in Cañar before deciding to move there, they still had much to learn about local customs as they navigated the process of building a house with traditional materials using a local architect and craftspeople. Likewise, fulfilling their obligations as neighbors in a community based on reciprocity presented its own challenges and rewards. Blankenship writes vividly of the rituals of births, baptisms, marriages, festival days, and deaths that counterpoint her and Michael’s solitary pursuits of reading, writing, listening to opera, playing chess, and cooking. Their story will appeal to anyone contemplating a second life, as well as those seeking a deeper understanding of daily life in the developing world.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

While many baby boomers are downsizing to a simpler retirement lifestyle, photographer and writer Judy Blankenship and her husband Michael Jenkins took a more challenging leap in deciding to build a house on the side of a mountain in southern Ecuador. They now live half the year in Cañar, an indigenous community they came to know in the early nineties when Blankenship taught photography there. They are the only extranjeros (outsiders) in this homely, chilly town at 10,100 feet, where every afternoon a spectacular mass of clouds rolls up from the river valley below and envelopes the town.

In this absorbing memoir, Blankenship tells the interwoven stories of building their house in the clouds and strengthening their ties to the community. Although she and Michael had spent considerable time in Cañar before deciding to move there, they still had much to learn about local customs as they navigated the process of building a house with traditional materials using a local architect and craftspeople. Likewise, fulfilling their obligations as neighbors in a community based on reciprocity presented its own challenges and rewards. Blankenship writes vividly of the rituals of births, baptisms, marriages, festival days, and deaths that counterpoint her and Michael’s solitary pursuits of reading, writing, listening to opera, playing chess, and cooking. Their story will appeal to anyone contemplating a second life, as well as those seeking a deeper understanding of daily life in the developing world.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book The Texas Cookbook by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Chicano Politics and Society in the Late Twentieth Century by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Mary Austin Holley by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Of Wonders and Wise Men by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Pacific Blitzkrieg by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Birds of Houston by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Flying Under the Radar with the Royal Chicano Air Force by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book To Be Like Gods by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book No Hope for Heaven, No Fear of Hell by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book The Prague School by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Feminism, Film, Fascism by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Literary and Artistic Patronage in Ancient Rome by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Dramatists in Revolt by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book The Art of Faulkner's Novels by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Foodways and Daily Life in Medieval Anatolia by Judy Blankenship
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy