One Man's Trash is Another Man's Fence

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Sonshine Hacienda was all set to open in December of 2011. There was a grand opening celebration and everything. When the government suddenly decided that all casa hogars -- children's homes and orphanages -- needed to have a 10-foot fence surrounding their facilities. It was another 6 months of fundraising and building before Sonshine would actually open.


Maybe it is because I live behind a fence -- las cerca -- or because the people in Las Manitas, where we live, are so creative, but I am fascinated by the fences in our neighborhood.

There are fences made from the ocotillo cactus, which grows wild in Baja...


And fences made from old fishing nets (San Felipe is a fishing village, after all).


There are fences made of pallets (they must be fans of @Pinterest)...


And fences made from used tires (there is no limit to the number of tires discarded on the side of the road, thanks to the number of pot holes and off road vehicles in Baja).


But my personal favorite fence material is one I never would have considered... the box spring.


And this is all just in our neighborhood!

Of course there are "regular" fences as well, wrought iron and brick and traditional styles, but those are the exception to the rule. The "wealthy" families in a poor neighborhood.

But I'm more drawn to those who use what they have and make it work. It's the life that Randy and I are learning how to live.


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