lebensraum -- but without the nazis

The house has a number of features we have not yet discussed, but they can wait until a bit of contextual and temporal fabric has been woven.

So, we will end our little tour with a visit to the living room.

I really need a different term for that room.  The courtyard is the living room.  In our climate, almost all of the living will take place in the space that the architect designed to be the heart of the house.

But we do have circumstances where alternative space is required.  Right now, as I write this, is one of those circumstances.  We are being treated to another tropical downpour.  The rain does not hamper the use of the pool, but it puts a crimp in outside entertaining.

The back-up living room (that is the best I can do for this essay) will also be the site for functions that are not well-suited for the courtyard.  Such as, my planned movie nights.  Because it is the same dimensions as the kitchen, it will be a perfect auditorium once I buy some appropriate furniture.

The furniture that is currently occupying the space came with the house.  It is functional -- and it certainly is contemporary Mexican.  The addition of a movie machine (my word for television sets) will be enough to start my home theater.

The room lends itself to multiple family functions.  The north end is a natural for larger conversation settings.  Perhaps, Bible study.  And, of course, for sharing movies followed by in-depth discussions.  Almost as if I had transplanted an eighteenth century Paris salon to twenty-first century Barra de Navidad.

The south end is perfect for more intimate arrangements.  A place to play chess -- or, more likely with my family, Balderdash.

It is also a great for solo pursuits.  To merely sit and read a book -- once I import the biography section of my late-lamented library.  Or to pause and think while looking out on the courtyard.

So, there you have it.  The house in all of its glorious pieces.  Where the whole, I hope, will be greater than its constituent parts.

Now, that we have a new set for the situation comedy that is my life, let's get on with the living.