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 Hanif Kureishi by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Love and Politics in the Contemporary Spanish American Novel by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Birthing a Better Way: 12 Secrets for Natural Childbirth by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Border Healing Woman by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Another Steven Soderbergh Experience by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Donut Dolly: An American Red Cross Girl's War in Vietnam by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Red State by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Hollywood Exile, or How I Learned to Love the Blacklist by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Cinema of Anxiety by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Cooperation and Community by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Mexican American Fertility Patterns by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Damselflies of Texas by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Hereditas by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book Big Bend by Judy Blankenship
Cover of the book The Scarecrow 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