dream house

I grew up thinking that Silver Lake would be the place I would land. My mom's best friend lived there, bought cheap in the 60s, and when she found out my mom was pregnant, she decided to do the same, or so the story goes. The house is a block from the reservoir, has a terraced back yard with fruit trees I'd never seen, several patios, and a quality that I was so in love with since I was a kid. So, of course I would always beg to spend the night there, for days at a time.

We went over a couple weeks ago for a birthday party and it was the first time I had been back in years. I felt all sorts of nostalgia.





But I remembered something more than my childlike jealousy and longing. While in San Francisco, I dreamt about this house often. I wondered what it meant, and I still don't know ( my guess is that home was always calling, and this big beautiful house led me there in my dreams) but I told Ceci about it and we remembered all the time we spent together there. It was a weird experience to be back in the place that stayed with me so vividly while I was away. I want someone to give me an explanation and tell me that one day I will own a home on a small road up in the hills. Of course, the place of my dreams has turned into the most expensive neighborhood. When that changed I gave up any hope that it would really happen-there's always Echo Park.





The mix of Mexican, Argentine, family heirlooms, vintage wood, textiles, and music make this house magical. And now they have a new little puppy running around, and it's no exaggeration when I say Maggie Mae is the cutest dog I've ever seen.



And it's not that we're looking for a house, but wouldn't it be nice if one just came to us and it was perfect with tiles, hardwood floors, oozing with charm? I sat with a psychic last summer ( sometimes a day in Ojai leads to a psychic reading, ok!) and she said I would find something quiet, unexpected, to be open to looking somewhere I didn't already have in mind. I also had this image of a pomegranate tree stuck in my head and was sure we would find somewhere hidden with this tree plopped in the front yard. But now I know she was talking about home. We didn't think we would stay here, but it ended up being the most practical choice, allowing me even more time to be with my family, which is what I've been wanting for the last 8 years. So dream home, Silver Lake, terraced shady secret garden patios,all of that- I can wait because I'm living in another kind of perfect, one I know very well.


P.S. Jorge just got a new camera so excuse the feels-like-excessive photos of me, but everywhere we go turns into a chance for him to test his new photography skills. I'm still working on my smize.