My maternal grandmother grew up on a farm in Bermuda. Farm land was scarce and under Bermuda law, no house could be built on tillable land. Houses were built on the ancient coral bed outcroppings that were uplifted from the sea eons ago. My great grandfather grew casaba for local markets and Easter Lilies for export to Macy's. She was born in the 1890's and the family moved into the house when she was 6 months old. The house was 200 years old at that time. Water for drinking and cooking was recovered from rooftop rainwater that was collected into a large cistern. Otherwise, there is no freshwater on the island. By law, the roofs were made of slabs of the ancient coral and heavily white washed for the collection of water. The homes were built from cut coral blocks and stuccoed over. The houses were strongly built to survive hurricane winds and as was the practice in the rural south, the kitchens were separate from the living quarters because of the risk of fire. When my great grandfather died, the land was split up among his children. The old homestead is no longer in family hands and with the exception of one family, the rest of the property has changed ownership over the years. The view from the highest property, my grandmother's, was spectacular. Mom's sister was born in Bermuda and later in life she returned to live and work in Bermuda, but ultimately sold the house and moved back to the states.