People here make full use of rooftop space. They eat, play, do the laundry, and plant whole gardens up there. Some gardens are quite formal:

This one has cypresses, for crying out loud! And looks lovely, if the building is a little rich for my blood:

One of my favorites is this cram-something-into-every-can, let-it-all-hang-out demonstration of abundance right across the street from our house. The shop downstairs is where Munchkin gets her hair cut, and is owned by the same people who live here–actually, they don´t just live above but more or less in the shop, since whenever we go there the kids are hanging out watching movies in the same room where their mom cuts hair. She needs another trimming of the bangs; when we go, I’ll have to summon up my Spanish and ask about the garden:

(Things I’ll miss about San Miguel, #4 of 20)

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