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Our Beach House in Mirasol

The first two weeks: January 5-14, 2007

At the end of 2006 we signed a contract for the purchase of this 4 bedroom, 4 bath, beach house with a back-yard heated swimming pool and a large beautiful garden in the town of Mirasol, about an hour and 15 minutes west of Santiago.

We took occupancy January 5, 2007 after several weeks of getting ready by organizing items from our Santiago apartment that were better suited for the beach house.

Our wicker set from North Carolina would be perfect for the beach, so we had the cushions redone by Dionis, who did our dining room set last year. His wife and son came to deliver the finished product.

Boxes and bags staged and ready.

Two trips by a small moving van, plus our car made it.

We received a brief orientation to the house by the former owner, María Elisa (far right), as well as got to meet Carmencita, who would help us maintain the lovely gardens, and Carlos, an architect, who would work with us for the next several weeks to do projects such as install an automatic sprinkler system for the garden and modify a storage room into a laundry room.

Then the moving men arrived and the work began!

This cabinet was originally Adella and Pop's in Orlando Florida. It has made many moves from them to us, around the States and on to Santiago. Now it has a new place in Mirasol, and it sure makes it look like home!

Safety first! Construction projects included the mounting of several fire extinguishers in the house, in the kitchen upstairs and next to the bed rooms downstairs.

We also got to hang a new kitchen clock, some nautical items, and other decorations that gradually transformed the beach house into a home which reflected our personal taste and style.

We took a work break with a brief lunch at a local restaurant about 10 minutes from the house, at the Pacific Coast (can't get much closer than this, can you?), and then enjoyed some quiet time up on the terrace.

Mónica and Gustavo came over on Saturday and worked with us to get things more settled. They too enjoyed some rest breaks with us on the terrace and on the "new" park bench we had bought at an antiques mall the week before in Santiago for the garden. Bit by bit the house was getting into shape!

Gustavo enjoyed reading on the bench and alongside the pool. It's such a restful place.

The following weekend, Alejandro, Flaca, Agustín, Coté and César joined Mónica, Gustavo, Margy and Artie as well. Ale did a BBQ for us that was great!

In the soft light of the overhead lamp next to the BBQ grill, Agustín, the new 3-month old baby boy of Flaca and Ale, became the center of attention. His happy face and pleasant manner was like a magnet for the family and photographers.

That night, and the rest of the weekend, we all enjoyed special times with him, and like the Paparazzi of Europe, we captured every moment on camera.

When we were not working, resting or taking pictures, the center of activity was the kitchen and dining room. Everybody pitched in, taking turns at cooking, cleaning or helping in some way. We enjoyed the time together to replenish our energy, share stories and just laugh. The beach house already felt "like home," and these first two weekends were creating special memories for all of us.

From enjoying Mónica's special Chilean dish, pastel de choclo, to basic chicken and rice dinners, or Margy's home-made pancakes, it didn't matter what we ate. It all tasted great! Nothing like hard work and fresh sea air to spark a strong appetite. Then of course we ended with various desserts, such as this in-season fresh January watermelon, or just a typical stack of cookies for Artie!

The place makes us feel like kids at times (with Margy's big "smile for the camera" grin), or just want to relax, share pictures on the PC, or hang out and talk.

There's plenty of space to share activities in the same room, or head off to other areas to relax in solitude.

Brother and sister, Ale and Coté, enjoyed some quiet time up on the terrace, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the nearby bay.

Later, Ale and Carlos did some architectural brainstorming to figure out how to make best use of the storage closet space that would soon be converted into a convenient laundry room.

César even got "roped into" a short task, working with the pool man, to trouble shoot a pool issue that would soon to be fixed.

Time for a break! Time to explore the neighborhood. This grand view is only a few blocks from our house.

Now the challenge is to get down to the bottom to get to the ocean and enjoy the view close-up! A picturesque steep and winding foot path got us there in about 20 minutes (stopping for pictures along the way of course).

Mónica got too close and a strong wave caught her by surprise (right after this picture!), so she walked home with wet pants and a big smile. The power of the sea in this spot is impressive. It's just for viewing. No swimming.

There was even a cave to explore.

Then back to the house to enjoy the view from up top. What a great view and house! We love it. Come visit!

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Our wicker set from North Carolina would be perfect for the beach, so we had the cushions redone by Dionis, who did our dining room set last year. His wife and son came to deliver the finished product.


Boxes and bags staged and ready.		Two trips by a small moving van, plus our car made it.



This cabinet was originally Adella and Pop's in Orlando Florida. It has made many moves from them to us, around the States and on to Santiago. Now it has a new place in Mirasol, and it sure makes it look like home!


		Safety first! Construction projects included the mounting of several fire extinguishers in the house, in the kitchen upstairs and next to the bed rooms downstairs. We also got to hang a new kitchen clock, some nautical items, and other decorations that gradually transformed the beach house into a home which reflected our personal taste and style.


We took a work break with a brief lunch at a local restaurant about 10 minutes from the house, at the Pacific Coast (can't get much closer than this, can you?), and then enjoyed some quiet time up on the terrace.


Mónica and Gustavo came over on Saturday and worked with us to get things more settled. They too enjoyed some rest breaks with us on the terrace and on the "new" park bench we had bought at an antiques mall the week before in Santiago for the garden. Bit by bit the house was getting into shape!


Gustavo enjoyed reading on the bench and alongside the pool. It's such a restful place.

When we were not working, resting or taking pictures, the center of activity was the kitchen and dining room. Everybody pitched in, taking turns at cooking, cleaning or helping in some way. We enjoyed the time together to replenish our energy, share stories and just laugh. The beach house already felt "like home," and these first two weekends were creating special memories for all of us.


From enjoying Mónica's special Chilean dish, pastel de choclo, to basic chicken and rice dinners, or Margy's home-made pancakes, it didn't matter what we ate. It all tasted great! Nothing like hard work and fresh sea air to spark a strong appetite. Then of course we ended with various desserts, such as this in-season fresh January watermelon, or just a typical stack of cookies for Artie!

The place makes us feel like kids at times (with Margy's big "smile for the camera" grin), or just want to relax, share pictures on the PC, or hang out and talk.

There's plenty of space to share activities in the same room, or head off to other areas to relax in solitude.

Brother and sister, Ale and Coté, enjoyed some quiet time up on the terrace, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the nearby bay. Later, Ale and Carlos did some architectural brainstorming to figure out how to make best use of the storage closet space that would soon be converted into a convenient laundry room.


César even got "roped into" a short task, working with the pool man, to trouble shoot a pool issue that would soon to be fixed.

Time for a break! Time to explore the neighborhood. This grand view is only a few blocks from our house.

Now the challenge is to get down to the bottom to get to the ocean and enjoy the view close-up! A picturesque steep and winding foot path got us there in about 20 minutes (stopping for pictures along the way of course).




Mónica got too close and a strong wave caught her by surprise (right after this picture!), so she walked home with wet pants and a big smile. The power of the sea in this spot is impressive. It's just for viewing. No swimming.

Then back to the house to enjoy the view from up top. What a great view and house! We love it. Come visit!


Back to Margy and Artie's homepage