Sunday, January 22, 2012

A Cabin in the Sky


Last Saturday Ivonne invited me to take a short road trip to Ojojona, a small town less than an hour outside of Tegucigalpa. There she and her husband have purchased several acres of land near the new windmill farm.
On our way to their cabin we stopped at Ojojona. We visited a couple of small shops
and purchased freshly made, warm tortillas from a home/resturant. The grandmother of the house welcomed us and shared that she was 90 years old and had been in a film that was shot on location in the town not long ago. She recited her lines for us. She is standing next to the tradtional wood burning stove. Everyone was very welcoming even if we did interupt their breakfast.
They have built a one room "cabin" with a front porch that offers a panoramic view of the valley that holds Tegucigalpa.
The cabin is a joint venture with another couple who have been friends for many years. Both couples have children in the same age range. Almost every weekend the families join forces and have worked to clear, landscape and build "conveniences". The cabin is solid and has one room with a sleeping loft. The cabinets and table, ladder to the loft and other elements are made from shipping crates that her husband's materials for his custom window business come in. The windows were a project for the dad and the kids. They have a well and have figured out a water system. There is a shower and toilet system some distance down the hill from the cabin.
They contribute to their community in many ways. Their church has a medical mission on nearby land that they plan to develop into a community resource center.
At the cabin Ivonne made pancakes and shared stories about her mother, her family and growing up in Honduras and then moving to the US and coming home again. We had a feast of warm pancakes, tortillas, cheese, hot coffee and fresh air. I filled my eyes and camera with views and with details of the many small wild flowers. I especially enjoyed the swaths of blue that cut across the landscape. We had a long slow drive home through saturday afternoon Tegucigalpa traffic. I was ready for a nice afternoon nap by the time we arrived home about 2:00pm. A lovely morning. I am honored and happy that Ivonne shared this very personal space with me. A labor of faith, love, family and friendship.

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