Classifieds: Hippies Seeking Land

Today is Saturday, and we have been on this trip for about 2 ½ weeks. Today I felt discouraged. My life feels embarrassingly cliché. Here is a short clip - the story of our life:
Four hippies file out of the VW van - in any random town - at any random gas station, grocery store, coffee shop, or real estate office. Inevitably someone will ask, “Where ya’ll from?”
All four hippies at once: “Uhhhhh….”
“Where are you going?”
“Uhhhh….”
“Ya’ll musicians or something?”
“No man. We’re travelin’ around looking for a place to live.”
“Where do you think you’ll end up?”
“Uhhhhh…..”
In mean honestly… Do we really want to go through the WHOLE explanation yet again? REALLY? For this random gas station attendant, person parked beside us, or coffee shop patron. Do we honestly want to rehash the fact that we’re from Alaska, California, Colorado, and Kentucky? That we all met in New Orleans doing disaster relief.
“Oh yeah? New Orleans huh? How’re they doin’ over there?”
That we are traveling around looking for 20-40 acres where we can start a sustainable community… You know, just like all those other VW vans, full of idealistic hippies. “Oh, and by the way… ya’ want some granola? Cause we’ve got plenty.”
Anyone in their 20’s and early 30’s is excited and intrigued by this information. They want to tell us about everyone they know who is doing anything sustainable - or that they are just about to do EXACTLY the same thing themselves. Older people flash us the familiar “OF-COURSE-you-wanna -start-a-sustainable-community” face. I know what’s going on behind that face. If you turn the corner of that forced smile, this person’s brain is sifting through all her friends who tried to start communities when they were OUR AGE. And how all of them FAILED.
Yes, I recognize I’m bein’ a little paranoid. I hope so anyway. But I don’t blame “the face of experience.” There are 10 million hippies that wanna start communities. if it were even a little-bit easy, we’d all have been born in tiny villages, raised on fresh baked bread and organic veggies by 23 mommas, 18 papas, a forest and a river.

But we weren’t. We were raised on Spam, Jiff, and saltines - by one mother, a tell-a-vision, and a 12‘-by-14’ back yard.
According to “Creating a Life Together” by Diana Christian, which - by the way - is the official bible of this expedition, only 10% of the communities that try to form, ever transform to actuality. And that’s 10% of the people who even make it to the “trying phase.” It has already taken me 7 years just to work my way out of the “talking” and into the “doing.”
Despite my initial confession of discouragement, I’m pretty sure that we (the Tuff Roots) are in the running for that “successful 10%.” Partly this is because we are determined to be clear and communicative about what we are looking for, and the steps we need to take to reach these goals.
So, here I am… on the blog… trying to make all this very sharp and understandable for everyone. If there are any remaining curiosities… or fundamentals I have glossed over, please let me know.
WE ARE INVISIONING:
*20-40 acres
*Water on the property (pond, river, creek)
*Plenty of trees, but preferably 2 acres clear and flat for garden space and building structures
*A structure on the property would be nice, but we aren’t willing to pay a whole lot extra for one, because the land is what’s most important, and we’d probably end up drastically renovating it anyway.
*Zoned so that we can have one large communal building and enough out-buildings for up to 10 families.
*One hour or less commute to a nearby city or town (work/fun/people who aren’t scared of my hair - armpit or otherwise)
*Under $250.000 (Ideally around $150.000)
We recognize that it will very likely take longer than the 3 or 4 days we allot ourselves - in any given town - to discover this 30 acre squirt of utopia. We are using this trip to: learn about land prices and discover the perks and deficiencies of the areas we visit (length of growing season, rain fall, zoning regulations, job opportunities, general vibe. Etc.).
We will use this information to choose an area.
We will move there
We will begin encouraging others to move there
We will compile our resources, obtain more resources…
From that point on - there will really be no stopping us.
The Tuff Roots could very possibly re-configure the universe.
Am I getting carried away? Can you tell I’m feeling better? See… It’s all about re-connecting with your goals. We’re NOT just another band of roving hippies guzzling fossil fuels in the name of sustainability. We are THE TUFF ROOTS.
Good lord. I’m gonna stop before ya’ll decide I’m too cheesy to make a community with.
I love you.
Jes.
*side note - I apologize to all those who take offence to my lavish use of the term “hippie.” I have only one response: “if it don’t apply, let it fly.”
*other side note - (for a more logistical “Benja - composed” list of our strategies, click the “mission and vision statement” piece on the right hand column at the beginning of this blog)


Everywhere we go we meet kind souls and kindred spirits...
Hi Jaqui!

Some of them are even doing the same thing we are! This is Brett, Seth, Charley and Matt. We met them outside a real estate office on the Olympic Penninsula. They looked a little like us, VW and all, so we made lunch together.

all the interesting food in our van can attract an odd assortment of critters... no mice yet, but an interesting breed of elves that are exceptionally good at finding ALL of our secret food stashes.

We Brought EVERYTHING with us. Even the sewing machine.

This is my brother (sorry, this is Valisa speaking). He is one of our gracious hosts. Thanks for being understanding when we call and ask if we can stay with you... uh, tonight, and when we show up and don't leave for several days.

Creative Pennies

Seattle is a hip city and the culture is definitely kick’en it on the funky tip. You know you have found that new wave progressive vibe when you go to a Hemp Rally downtown and a former Seattle Police Chief gets up to talk about his organization of law enforcement officers who think the current drug war is dangerously misguided. After a short visit with Valisa’s brother Hig and his wife Erin, we headed out on a Ferry towards the Olympic mountain range.
Westwind Farm at the Salt Creek community is just outside of Port Angeles, WA on the Olympic penninsula. Beautiful farmland with a creek full of tiny salmon sets in front of stands of trees which roll up to the tall Olympic mountains. Plus side: Lots of infrastructure, already a working farm, Orchards, Row Crops, main farmer has set aside land to build more houses on. Neg. Side: 100-200 inches of rain a year…can a Colorado desert kid survive that??? Also, the farmer, Peter, did not clearly spell out how we could assume partnership/ownership of the land with him since we want to “own” land not just work on someone else’s farm. We are going to write Peter for some more information and questions to feel out whether or not this farm/community could be a good fit for us.
Overall the Olympic peninsula looks beautiful for farming and has protected watersheds above many of the pieces we looked at. Plus there are Lots of trees so if the rain gets to be too much we could grab our animals and build an arc. Although we can’t forget, as Bryan said the other day, “Rain is a natural resource“…a scarce one in many places we have visited.
Land is expensive everywhere…especially so when you start looking in beautiful places, close to hip towns and cities, or near colleges. It takes bling to make bling-bling or so the saying goes. And that is why we have been looking for more than just a cheap piece of land in a very rural area. The more I look and see “perfect” pieces at double what we want to pay the more I realize that really good land is valuable to many people. The question is…do we walk away from the land we want because of the price tag or do we pull a few tricks out of the magic hat and try to get the land we want.
The intentional communities how-to book, Creating a Life Together, is both frightening and inspiring at the same time. It is scary how complicated all the land buying paper work, taxes, real estate transactions, loans, by-laws, and such can be, especially to those of us who have never done it before. But it is also inspiring to read about all the people who have found a myriad of creative ways to bring people together to pool resources so that beautiful land can be liberated by those of us with fewer zeros in our bank accounts.
The other day my artist friend Shannon Bowley called. She did volunteer recruitment with Emergency Communities and had just got some extra flow from some commissioned art pieces she is working on. She promised us 5,000 dollars as a loan in case we find the perfect thing and need a little help. Everybody sing, I get by with a little help….
On a larger scale, Earthhaven community in North Carolina created a program called EarthShares in the first year of their community. They owed just under half a million dollars on the property they bought and needed a way to keep the bank/owner financers from trying to snatch the land back should they fall on a hard month or two. So they wrote up some brochures about their venture in sustainable development and structured a way for people to invest money in their project with a timeline for pay back with interest just under what the bank would have charged. Something like a green or socially conscious stock option. In four years they have paid back all of the money to the bank and now continue payments to their investors. Still in debt in a way, but they are growing and successful so both borrower and lender are proud of what they have accomplished together. All I am saying is….let us not run from the fear of the unknown but let us all reach out to our networks and support systems to find a way to materialize our dreams. The worst that we could do is fail…but at least we tried. As Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we might win by failing to attempt.”
Stay tuned for further information about the Tuff Roots Stock Option.

Fruits of Disaster

When my brother asked me if we wanted to pick blackberries I wasn’t expecting a trip to another disaster zone. “It’s a long walk from downtown,” he said. When my brother says it’s a long walk, you best ask how long no matter how robust you feel. After all, he and his wife will set out on month long treks without batting an eye.

Ten miles seemed a little far, so the boys and I set out in the van, leaving Jesika at the house to get some writing done. My brother’s favorite blackberry patch is set in an upscale neighborhood overlooking Puget Sound. Years ago a sizable portion of the waterfront sloughed off and slid down the bank towards the sea.

We scrambled through barbed vines below a jagged scar, fenced off and forgotten, the rubble almost invisible from the road above. Under a layer of bushes sagging with ripe fruits, fragments of streets and houses peek out at us: a dog chain and bowl still attached to a broken post, a cement staircase curved around a sandy beach, a long black tongue of asphalt protruding from a sandy bank. Here and there you see garden plants that still struggle for survival under the encroaching berries. A large clump of bamboo slumps under the weight of criss-crossed branches.

I try to pay my respects to these crumbled piles of dreams. I kick at a broken flagstone and imagine the excess and opulence, and the downright disregard for nature that would lead someone to build these teetering money-pits by the bay, and instead fight off a childish smirk. Money can’t buy wisdom.

I wonder if blackberries will grow over Waveland. Will we build a fence around New Orleans and watch it sink beneath the sea? Eight years, and the rest of Seattle seems to have forgotten this neighborhood ‘s slide into the Sound. How long until we forget the wrath of Katrina?

Here in Seattle the houses creep towards the bluffs (and the bluffs inch ever closer to the manicured lawns). On the Gulf Coast Levees are rebuilt, residents return, and the drunks still stagger down Bourbon Street. We search for land and speculate about sea level rise, global warming and earthquakes, and suddenly the finality of land-ownership seems a little less secure.

Amber Waves of Grain

We just got to Seattle after spending 2 days in Spokane. There was all kinds of horrendous forshadowing concerning Spokane. Everyone told us it was conservative to the core, and we were gonna hate it. Regardless, we were hell bent on going there cause we’ve read all this great stuff about the Tolstoy community that had us really interested. Besides, Sherman Alexie is from Spokane. He wrote “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” And that’s a damn good book.
Anyway, we employed the ol’ tried and true strategy that we use in EVERY new town we enter: Pick out a café that looks like it’s got wireless, and saunter on in. Maybe eat a little granola first, so you aren’t tempted to buy a pastery.
*side note: This trip has been sponsored by Waves of Grain granola. We have about sixty seven hundred pounds of it - donated by Benja’s sister, LeAnn, and her partner, Marcus. They make kick ass granola in Durango CO, and… let me tell ya, it just never gets old. Any time one of us is getting a little cranky in the van… just pass down the granola. Chances are the blood sugar was just a little low, and if not - at least it keeps the grumpy mouth full so nothing else rude can escape.
Ok… where was I…
The girl behind the counter (Rachel) recommended that I try this Raspberry Mate combo, and while she was brewing it - informed me of the fact that Ani Difranco is pregnant. I had no idea.
All sorts of interesting discussion transpired after that and - before ya know it - she’d invited us all to spend the night at her house.
We spent the rest of Thursday exploring Spokane, and arrived at Rachel’s house just in time to witness as her partner finished (drum roll please) the LAST sentence of the LAST essay of his COLLEGE CAREER!
Of course we were forced to celebrate this monumental event with them. It would have been rude not to. Right?



The next day, Tolstoy was on the agenda. Because they had never returned ANY of the 10 phone calls we have left them over the last month and a half, we decided to drop in unexpectedly. We drove around Spokane farm land for about 2 ½ hours - trying to follow our internet directions and failing miserably. Needless to say, there was plenty of grumbling - muffled by granola of course.

FINALLY we had had our fill of picturesque farm machinery and amber waves of grain.

We had exhausted all our creativity - singing out of tune and butchering the lyrics to “America the Beautiful.” We were actually TIRED OF GRANOLA. At this point we all realized that we HATE TOLSTOY FARMS, and we want NOTHING to do with them. Stupid ol’ phone-call non-returners.
We didn’t want this to be a completely fruitless venture, so we stopped and picked apples off the side of the road. Then we went swimming in a lake, came back to our new friend’s house, and made stir-fry and apple pie. It was REALLY GOOD apple pie.
When we left on Saturday we decided that we actually LIKE Spokane and, depending on how things go further west, Benja and I may attempt to check out Tolstoy again on our way back. But - before we do - I am going to leave them an answering machine message to remember. An answering machine message that will COMMAND ATTENTION. An answering machine message that will leave them frightened….
yet intrigued…
And hopefully feeling a little sorry about being such a bunch of NON-PHONE CALL RETURNING SUSTAINABLE SCHMUCK FARMERS!!!

Mission and Vision Statements

Vision Statement

To create a healthy community of diverse and socially conscious individuals in order to steward land through sustainable development and educate through practical application.

Mission Statement

To bring together a diverse group of dedicated individuals who are searching for healthy, socially conscious, and environmental alternatives to the mainstream unhealthy and fragmented social structure. We seek to draw people together who wish to pool financial and material resources, skills, sweat, and visions in an effort to create an intentionally formed community composed of a tight circle of family and friends. Stewardship of the land and sustainable development of the community’s property shall be at the forefront of all community visions and decisions. Children are a key community element as we create a caring and safe “village” setting for community members to raise children and outreach to local youth to help educate and inspire young people in the surrounding area. We will also work towards financial self-sustainability through the formation of a solid foundation for socially conscious small businesses related to healing, education, sustainable living, and sustainable agriculture.

Goals

~Find Geographic area to settle in, find work, and begin in depth land search.
~Assess number of potential community members interested in the chosen area and encourage everyone to relocate to nearby towns.
~All community members should examine how much capital they have on hand and how much borrowing potential they could potentially represent.
~Set up non-profit to begin volunteer educational outreach while writing off as much as possible on taxes as we work to find land.
~Explore possible Corporate Entities to do the actual land buying and establish it ASAP

Kindness and Community

Western Heratage Cultural Institute
Two days ago (I think it was two days ago) we visited the Western Heratage Cultural Institute. We were shown around by Bernadette and Bevin. Bevin lives on the property and Bernadette lives close by and is on the board of directors. Bevin has been focused on starting communities for the last… ummmm… lots and lots of years. He said that this particular one was his 8th try, and he is considering moving on to something new. The Western Heratage Cultural Institute is a very note-worthy combination of folks. The majority of them are Mormon. Bernadette and Bevin, however, spoke about goddess centered and earth-based philosophies. They both alluded to some struggles within the community due to this diversity, but seemed hopeful that everyone is being “more real” with each-other to work out the conflicts.
These two philosophies meet in the middle over their common assurance that (in my words, not theirs) the shit is about to hit the fan. Whether this upheaval will be a result of Armageddon - or the earth shaking off her shackles… whether the source of this insight is the Bible - or the Mayan Calendar - the preparations that need to take place are the same. As Bernadette said, “I’ve been growing so far left that, all of a sudden, I turned a corner and ran smack into the right!“
Now they are all working together to build a sustainable community, and to network with other farms and neighborhoods in the area to create a general system of support - and they have accomplished a lot in the six years that they’ve been working together.
They have a large, well-functioning green house and quite a number of structures (6... 7...?) built in earth ship fashion. They dig many of their buildings into the earth - to maintain a moderate temperature throughout the year - and they use structural materials such as straw bales and tires. They have a semi-large garden and, though they do have water on their property, they have found a way to irrigate using run-off from other farms’ irrigation.

Having worked - personally - with several groups of people who fell apart earlier and over differences - seemingly - much smaller than the ones I witnessed here, I was very motivated and encouraged by the accomplishments: spiritual, emotional, and physical, that I saw at the Western Heratage Cultural Institute.
They did express that they would like to have some younger folks to join in on their projects (They all seemed to be in their late 40’s to 60’s - except for the children.) - but I have a hard time visualizing us leaping into the middle of that Mormon / Pagan struggle. It did, however, lead us to more consideration about joining a pre-formed community of older folks. As I understand more about the difficulties and complications of the community-forming process, I realize how it could very easily leave you old and gray by the time it all comes to fruition. After that, if there is no vitality left to jazz things up - or lift heavy things- it could easily fade away to nothing.
So the question is… do we want to be the wise ol’ grizzled community starters? Or the spark of life that jumps in to keep it going?

General Niceness
I just want to comment, quickly, on the overall grand-spanking-wonderfulness of everyone we have encountered in Montana and Idaho. At each small town we stumble upon, I walk tentatively into the coffee shop to guzzle my daily intake of caffeine and ask if there’s a wireless connection. I say ‘tentatively’ because I just left a few towns in Colorado (which shall remain nameless) where my general appearance seemed to create… what shall we call it? A slight disturbance - stepping onto any random coffee shop or Target. On one occasion I was even told that a certain pregnant woman had to “flee the scene” because the sight of my arm-pit hair instigated her morning sickness.
Needless to say, when I walk around in these small, Montana cowboy towns - I try to permeate a vibration that says, “don’t worry, I’m nice - and I probably won’t give you fleas.”
But it really hasn’t been necessary. Everyone here has been absolutely godly to us. If I receive any odd looks, they seem to be full of intrigue rather than nausea. People initiate conversation, asking where we’re from and where we’re going. They tell us stories and give suggestions.
At the Western Heritage Cultural Institute, Bevin wouldn’t let us leave without accepting grocery bags FULL of kale, peppers, tomatoes, onions, tomatillos, chard, and beans.
Two nights ago - we were supposed to stay in a cabin belonging to Paul, a friend of Valisa’s mom. It turned out the cabin was not quite as comfortable as he had described. His neighbors, Carl and Vikki, decided that we would be more relaxed in their cabin - which was utterly fuzz-cuddly wonderful. They invited us in, fed us dinner, and gave us a book of Hot Springs in the North West.
Even now, as I write this from a Coffee shop in Spokane Washington, we have just been invited to stay tonight in Rachel‘s house. She’s the girl who served us our tea.

The Black Bean

We almost ran out of gas today. At a non-descript station somewhere in Idaho we fill up and breathe a sigh of relief. 21 gallons and sixty some dollars later Brian decides to check the oil. He comes back to the door all flustered, “I can’t check the oil because something fell all over it!” He grabs a rag and slams the door. Jes, Benja and I look at each other. Benja, still half asleep, tries to decide if it sounds serious enough to warrant venturing out from under his blanket. “Will you guys see what he’s talking about?” Jes and I jump out. Turns out something resembling a black inflated bean has broken loose from the engine compartment and is hanging limply from a cluster of wires. Brian thinks it’s important, so we decide we have to do something about it. Unfortunately I don’t have the proper size bolt, so we dig around for something comparable. Brian’s sleeping pad is tied up with a piece of insulated wire salvaged from the internet connections he had torn out of the relief center in St. Bernard. I trade him for a piece of twine and he gets to work. Gee, we sure are creative! One quick-fix later we are on the road to Spokane, and all seems well. “That being said, we should stop by a hardware store,” says Brian, always the pragmatist. Thank goodness for Brioscorea! -Valisa

Questions

Questions to Travel By

So, while we’re traveling I’m looking out the window. I am trying to make sure I pay attention to shifts in the landscape ‘cause – you know - I wanna make sure this is educational ‘n stuff. I have a tendency to get utterly absorbed in my embroidery, or my own head… and then Valisa says “wow, look at that beautiful something-or-other” which pulls me back to here-ness and I realize, “DAMNATION! We just drove over an entire mountain pass and I completely zoned out the WHOLE 13,000 FOOT HIGH 3 BAZILLIAN MILE STRETCH OF IT.

Sometimes… while I’m staring out the window, forgetting to pay attention, I am trying to figure out what exactly the four of us are doing on this crazy venture. It sort of feels like the most important project of my whole life… and, alternately, completely aimless. Sometimes I hear parental – type voices in my head saying things like:
“What the hell are you doing? Gallivanting across the country eh? Trying to find a place to live are ya? Sounds like a good excuse for a vacation if you ask me.”

Yeah. Don’t lie. You know you’ve thought it. You’ve seen the pictures haven’t you? Yesterday we explored Moab – checked out some petroglyphs. Today we hiked two miles to soak in Idaho hot springs.
Nope, I won’t deny it folks. We’re havin’ a real good time on this cross country jaunt of ours.

I don’t feel guilty about it, or defensive. But I don’t mind giving it a little consideration.

I’ve lived in a lot of places already. Kentucky, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Louisiana. And I have family… community… in all of those spots. People who I would be completely satisfied to live and work with all the rest of my life.
I like the land in those areas too. I love listening to the cicadas in the summertime in Georgia. I love when the rain is warm. Hell, I even love humidity… when the air around me has a body of its own. I adore Rhododendrons. Yes. I know. They’re invasive - I’m supposed to hate them… but I don’t. I even enjoy Kudzu.
I love the jungley denseness of the Mountains in North Carolina. I love the open space and the high that takes my breath away in Colorado.
Kentucky… I’m not gonna talk about the hills or the horses, cause that’s cliché - but I was born in Kentucky. My family is there. It will always be my home.
New Orleans… well… I’m not about to defend the aesthetics of the Fast Track Betting parking lot, but I am in love, infatuation, lust, reality-pulled-out-from-under-me, did I mention IN LOVE with my friends and the work they are doing there.

So what the hell am I doing using up all these fossil fuels… burning the blood of the mother – so that I can see if there’s something out there… better?

Bad.
Bad hippie.

Do I think I’m gonna be skipping along and all of a sudden I’ll just trip and fall – slam dunk – into a bowl of Jesikan Utopia? And even better… It’s not just Jesikan Utopia, but Benjan Utopia… and Valisan Utopia… and (Bryan doesn’t fit the flow so well does he? Brian-ian Utopia?) anyway… Tahz, and Shannon, and Lali, and Kiki, and Laura, and Josh… and alla ya’ll. You’re all gonna slam dunk into the Utopian mush pot with me right? And we’ll all move in together and live happily ever after?

I know I’m sweet and giggly… but I’m not quite that naive.

So… why can’t I just settle down somewhere nice, get an exciting job - teaching teenaged derelicts - and start growing carrots or something?

Is it ‘cause I really want a vacation with my friends? Nope.
Is it cause I’m a gypsy at heart and the wind owns my soul?
Yeah right. I wish I were that glamorous.
Is it ‘cause everyone else thought it was a good idea - and I just took a flying leap onto the band wagon?
Hell no. You think I can’t make up my own mind?
Sorry – I even push my own buttons sometimes.

So… where were we? I think this was the part where I had intended to bring it all together and answer the question - or at least pull something that sounded generally grounded and intelligent outta my ass.

But… uh…. sometimes the Goddess leaves me hangin’. Right now – sittin’ on a green carpet in Darby, Montana - in the guest bedroom of Valisa’s first cousin once removed - I am definitely danglin’ for an answer.

I think it’s prob’ly one’a them gol’ durned spirichul thangs.

Valisa, Brian, and Benja and me… we’re just listenin’ to God over here ya’ll.
How ‘bout let’s have a little faith and stop askin’ so many questions ok?

I’m being serious by the way. Just in case you weren’t sure.
Of course, as always, my opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone else in the Tuff Roots conglomerate. (That’s our working title.) The Tuff Roots part – not the conglomerate. I only added that just now ‘cause it sounded cute.

Oh, we now (also) have official traveling titles. Here they are:

Brian: Brioscorea Basoria (I have no idea how to spell it, but you should say it in Latin)
Jes: Death Bunny
Valisa: Dark Fire
Benja: Skinny White Buffalo

Let’s also just take a moment to give thanks for Valisa and her cousin once removed, Nathan, and this beautiful house that he built PRACTICALLY BY HIMSELF out of trees burned in the big Montana fires - and guest bedrooms with green carpets.
And all of you – who we love and talk about constantly - while we’re at it.

Red Rock Vision Opening

From red rock birth
southwest sky blue deeper
the longer you stare skyward
and desert solitude strength
spread out in red pink sandstone
brown green rivers flow in cycle
gushing falling giving
from dry lands
waiting hoping praying
for rain
We spoke to elders
And they:
Grandfather with quiet wit and solem peace
Grandmother with spinning stories and laughing memory
And they made us big pancake breakfast
to sustain us on our way.
When we hunger may we always be fed thus
with stories and smiles.

The crimson desert oasis lunch later
water spring pool Bat spirals
around humming dragonfly
Butterfly drinking deeply
May we pass through
these illusions of living and dying
with the grace of Butterfly
No fear of Metamorphisis

~Benjah

Hey all... Check out this revised version of our mission/vision statement. I tried to take everyones recent feedback into account to form a concrete statement of all of our intentions. Please comment back on this page with any other suggestions and thoughts. Email me directly if you want a working copy of more detailed bylaw documents. aliceandhatter@hotmail.com





Vision Statement

To create a healthy community of diverse and socially conscious individuals in order to steward land through sustainable development and educate through practical application.







Mission Statement

To bring together a diverse group of dedicated individuals who are searching for healthy, socially conscious, and environmental alternatives to the mainstream unhealthy and fragmented social structure. We seek to draw people together who wish to pool financial and material resources, skills, sweat, and visions in an effort to create an intentionally formed community composed of a tight circle of family and friends. Stewardship of the land and sustainable development of the community’s property shall be at the forefront of all community visions and decisions. Children are a key community element as we create a caring and safe “village” setting for community members to raise children and outreach to local youth to help educate and inspire young people in the surrounding area. We will also work towards financial self-sustainability through the formation of a solid foundation for socially conscious small businesses related to healing, education, sustainable living, and sustainable agriculture.

starting out

Today is Friday, the 12th of August, and we are mere hours from barreling out of this state of Colorado.
A month and a half ago, 8… 9… 10… lets just say a large bustling clan of us - left New Orleans and landed in Boulder Colorado. In Boulder we rented a 2 bedroom house together for a month. During this time we sewed, landscaped, had meetings, made money, had lots of visitors, celebrated a ridiculous number of birthdays, and tried to re-adjust to a culture where houses are not rotting hell holes, the air is clean, sidewalks are not made of pallets, and we have to actually pay for stuff.
Needless to say, we are still adjusting.
After 8 fast-paced months of cooking healthy meals for the masses, organizing a non-profit, keeping the peace, and maintaining a rockin’ dance party in the kitchen… some of us are feeling a little lost, purposeless and displaced.
I should only speak for myself.
What I truly need is a home. I need a space where I can focus my passion and creativity on a project that isn’t going to slide out from under me in 6 months or 5 years. I need my long hours of work to potentially result in me making money (or some resource equivalent). And I need to make friends without the looming reality that I will have to leave them in the next year or so.
This is why Brian, Valisa, Benja, and me (Jes) are going on this really spectacular road voyage… to seek our fortune.
We are counting on the fact that whatever “home” situation we stumble upon will be so in-arguably fantabulous that the rest of you will be seduced (permanently, temporarily, or - at very least - in hologram form) to join us.

Right now I am officially psyched on this blog idea. I solemnly swear to keep anyone who’s interested informed of every spectacular moment on this trip… unless, of course, it has been deemed inappropriate. Benja, I am certain, will serve as my censor. I mean editor.
So far we have been on the road for 2 days, and they haven’t been terribly eventful. We still haven’t left Colorado.
We are still in the process of creating a name for our traveling crew. These are the prospective titles so far: (I won’t differentiate between serious and silly because it switches. Yes. You would be surprised).
Roots, Root Seekers, Arial Roots, Tuff Roots, Tap Roots, Rhizomes, Bulbs, The Bulb Heads, Embers, Burning Embers, The Smoking Embers, The Hopeful Embers, Dark Fire, The Ember Keepers, Whispering Embers, Seed Seekers, Remember the Ember, RemEmber, We-Told-You-So, Rising Ground, Transplants, Non-native Transplants, Gassy Embers, Gas-Roots, The Idealists, The Flakey Idealists, The Young and Flakey Idealists.

That’s it so far. Any new ideas or constructive feedback welcomed. Be nice to us.

Our Blog is called “The Last Bite.”
On that note - visualize someone’s birthday party. It is a big birthday party and there is 1 utterly decadent raspberry rhubarb pie (you are welcome to fill in your desert of choice). The pie is disappearing quickly. There are a lot of hungry folks swarming around that kitchen counter. Pieces are whizzin’ outta that pan so fast that some folks are getting worried. Maybe even a little angry. Soon there is only one piece left. One polite, drooling guest cuts that piece in half. The knife gets left in the pie plate and people drift by, nibbling a bite here and there as they go. Pretty soon it’s been whittled down till no person can legitimately eat another smidgeon without eating “the last bite.”
At this point, all kinds of crazy psychology gets involved but don’t worry. I’m not gonna go there.
The bite could get eaten ½ hour later when some lucky soul finds himself alone in the kitchen.
It could be devoured loud and proud by the boldest sister at the party
Or maybe it gets left on the counter till 8:30 the next morning when it lands in the sink on top of a mass of dirty dishes where it is saved - in the last possible second - by a very enthusiastic gutter punk.
One way or another… no matter how long it takes… no matter how many times it gets divided… no matter how small… the last bite is always savored.
Just tryin’ to keep that in mind… while I’m missin’ all of you.

The Last Bite remains intact

Most of the meal has been devoured and enjoyed, yet a small piece still remains in the center of the table, awaiting a hungry hand. Here in the USA, we are left with the last bites of clean water and buried petroleum.

We travellers are the last bite of the Made With Love Cafe volunteers searching for a home after leaving Hurricane Katrina's disaster zone. Here is the story of our search for land and community.

Mission statement:

The community to be formed will bring together a diverse group of dedicated individuals who are searching for healthy, socially conscious, and environmental alternatives to our current unhealthy and fragmented social structure. We shall strive to draw people together who wish to pool financial and material resources, skills, sweat, and visions in an effort to create an intentionally formed community composed of a tight circle of family and friends. Stewardship of the land and sustainable development of the community’s property shall be a goal at the forefront of all community visions and decisions. Children shall be one key element in the community goals with a strong emphasis on creating a caring and safe “village” setting for community members to raise children in. The community will also strive to outreach to local youth to help educate and inspire all young people in the surrounding area. This focus on youth may culminate in the creation of a home school center or seasonal education programs. In addition to environmental sustainability, this community will also attempt to be financially self-sustainable through the formation of a solid foundation for socially conscious small businesses related to healing, education, sustainable living, and sustainable agriculture.
We are looking all across the U.S. for the place to put our roots down right now. We would love to hear from anyone who knows of specific land out there that is crying to be protected and that could nourish our community in return. Currently we are seaching in the North West U.S.