Talca, the city and Vivero Arboles Nativos

We left Valaparaiso for Talca and the home of Anita who had returned two days prior. After Mish and I got lost several times, had to double back due to closed roads, and the normal dilly dally that goes with getting our gear set up we made it there and pulled our bikes into her driveway at her house in the city. It didn´t take long for Anita to put a cup of strawberry punch (with booze) in our hands, and before we finished our drinks Berta came through the door with their mother, an 80 year old firecracker who lives on her own. We talked over paila de choclo, a dish made by covering a piece of meat (chicken) in cornmeal mixed with raisens, olives, onions, etc. and baked in an earthenware bowl, a chilean standard. No photo. Mish and I shared her 30 yr old sons bedroom, and although we didn´t have a chance to meet him, he wants to take me mountain biking when we return through Talca.

Next day we visited a tree nursery on the outskirts of town. This all started because Mish suggested that we buy Anita a tree as a thank you and plant it at her farm. Ramon and Isabella run the tree nursery and specialize in natvie Chilean species. Their emphasis is to repopulate areas clear cut by logging with a diverse flora of native species. The current practice is to replant clear cut area´s with a monoculture of trees to facilitate easy wood harveting in the future, but this does little to support a complicated ecosystem. With their help we selected a ¨California Cypruss¨. We then toured their property and were gifted with apples, plums, pears, and grapes all in a prime state of ripeness. A quick tour of their house on the property introduced us to a handcrafted kitchen with post and beam construction using rough sawn lumber and smooth wood boards for the vaulted ceilings and walls. The wooden table was handmade without any metal fasteners and could seat up to 16. The chairs were handmade as well. Bottles of perseved fruits, marmalaids, and vinagers lined the shelves. This was the kind of house that would have been at home in Sebastopol California. There was also a very cool handmade coffee table that showcased the seeds of various navtive plants under the glass top.