The Rites of Spring

February 15th through 20th


Roby and I got all excited after Valentine's Day thinking Spring was in the air with 70 degree temperatures and sun. We were actually able to take off our long underwear during the day. Taking a shower was actually enjoyable; didn't have "numb" butt when it wasn't under the water! The forecast looked good for the week ahead so we took advantage and worked in the garden. Kieren and I planted the seeds for lettuce, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cilantro, and a few other root crops. We follow the biointensive/biodynamic theories of gardening so it is very important to follow the phases of the moon to make sure you plant the right crops on the right days. Also, everything starts out in a box and there will be several different transplants before it actually goes into the ground. We have signed up for several workshops on biointensive/biodynamic and permaculture gardening so we are going to become experts and have our own garden. The great thing about biointensive gardening is it is designed to work anywhere and in any type of soil. The size of the garden does not have to be very large because the technique is to plant to maximize space but yield larger amounts of crops. This is all talk of course because I truly have very little clue what I am doing. Our first assignments have been to pull weeds and rake out the beds. Our biggest reward has been to eat many of the vegetables currently ready for harvest. We have made almost daily salads with the swiss chard, radish flowers, fava bean leaves and many sautees with the leeks, mustard greens, onions, garlic and the "one" asparagus. This coupled with the fresh eggs daily from the chickens helps cut down on the grocery bill. We are looking forward to summer and the abundance of fruits, vegetables and nuts we will have.

Two days of gardening in the sunshine was just what the doctor ordered. I didn't have to take my Vitamin D these last few days!! Not wanting the sun to go away but knowing it was not going to last forever, we decided to make good use of our days off. We did a reconnaissance mission to scope out some good routes to go cycling. First was a beautiful road along Highway 175 toward Clearlake. It does not matter what road you take you are always going to ride past a vineyard. We did not venture all the way to the lake but we were able to get a good view from the top of the hill. This route will have to wait for us to get in better shape-a bit too much hill action! Next stop was Mountainhouse Road. As the name suggests, it too had a windy steep ascent. Once we hit the intersection with Highway 128 we decided to venture west to Boonville in Anderson Valley. Our goal was to check out the first solar powered brewery. Unfortunately it was closed. Instead we walked around town which consists of the County Fairgrounds, three wine tasting rooms, four restaurants and the most expensive gas station in the area ($3.95 a gallon).

One of the great things about the Mendo area is the towns all have their own identities and each very involved in the arts/culture. Mendo itself maybe has 1500 people but they have a symphony and opera and playhouse. In fact most of the towns support music both classical and local bands. It doesn't matter which night of the week it is you can find a play, musical, poetry reading or concert in each of the towns. Not to mention some of the best culinary treasures. This is only the start of it because you can't forget the wine. Hopland is basically a blip on the map. A town of 870 people but it supports 6 wineries. The entire Mendocino County has 23 wineries and three microbreweries. They are probably the greenest/organic wine country. Just looking through the "To Do Magazines" Activities we had to start a calendar to remember all the events. Almost every weekend starting in April something is going on whether it be a whale watching festival with a chowder contest, a beerfest, wine tastings, or special concert. Now we just have to figure out how we are going to work around our duties to make them. First one is the weekend of March 6th in Fort Bragg for a Whale and Chowder Festival.

Sorry for the digression.

We decided to take a different route home and made a loop back to Hopland. Our intentions were to do a bike ride the next day. Due to Roby browsing in the bookstore until afternoon, our long ride to the "City of 10,000 Buddha's was going to have to wait for another day. Instead we took a ride along the Feliz Creek Road which follows the river through Hopland. The creek is rushing through rock outcrops and is lined with trees and wineries. A great place to ride because very few cars travel the road. After the initial three miles we decided to take a detour down Road 110. It was a nice leisurely ride through the countryside over an old fashioned one lane bridge until we turned the corner and the road started climbing. Thinking we needed a bit of a workout we decided to head uphill. We should have known better because the ascent never ended. Around every corner I figured we were going to reach the crescendo, but no just another corner and another climb. 20 minutes later we decided to turn around and enjoy the downhill. Oh the cool breeze!

Saturday night we decided to hit the town and take Travis the volunteer out for his last night at SLI. He is from Alaska and has been helping build the Tiny House for the past several months. A Latin Jazz Band was playing at the brewery so we decided to catch the show. The same characters were at the bar as the previous weekend. The older over-dressed bald gentleman was a little lite in the loafers and spent the entire night on the dance floor. He reminded me of a male "Elaine", but at least provided good entertainment.

Unfortunately the spring-like weather was just a cruel joke because the cold temperatures and rain came back. Out came the long johns and daily doses of Vitamin D!

Settling In

The second week was spent working on the "tiny house". We are up against a time deadline to try and get the majority of it completed because the interns will be arriving March 1st and taking over our room. Roby and I are going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming from our new abode. Based on how things are progressing the likelihood of the "tiny house" being finished is not great, but hopefully it will be habitable.

Initially we collaborated with Sarah and Kieren to design the interior space to locate our shelving, storage, furniture placement, etc. This took all of 10 minutes, but a day and a half to measure and draw in autocad. It was then time for our "weekend". The weather had improved a bit. Although still a cool 58 degrees the rain had subsided and we headed to the Coast for the afternoon. We took Orr Springs Road past the Hot Springs and stopped to do a hike in Montgomery RedWoods before reaching the town of Mendocino. This road puts Waimea Canyon to shame. For 25 miles we endured the windiest obstacle course. Roby tried driving fast and staying center to try and help alleviate my motion sickness. (Later I was told by our new friend Jini that smoking some "herb" before riding the road would help my motion sickness). Thankfully we were in the truck so the elevated suspension helped reduce the pain.

Part way through the ride we stopped at Montgomery Woods and did a two hour hike through the redwoods. The fresh air was a relief and the quietness of the forest was incredible. No one else was around so we had the Woods to ourselves and when we reached the "stage" area we encountered an entire grove of massive redwoods towering over us with the sound of a small stream flowing in the background. Felt just like John Muir.

Onward to Mendocino. Unfortunately we got a late start so when we arrived it was close to sunset and many of the shops were closed. Nevertheless, we walked around town and took a stroll down the seaside trail. The town has a very "Maine" feel to it architecturally and the wildness of the ocean beaches. Although I was not looking forward to the ride home, we were expected at Jini's house for dinner in Redwood Valley about thirty minutes north of Hopland. We decided to try Highway 20 a more traveled road hoping it would not be so windy. No such luck. I think it is going to be awhile before I see the coast again.

Our new friend Kieren is staying with Jini at her farm while she works at the SLI so she invited us to dinner on Wednesday. Another previous intern Frost was going to be in town so Jini had a little party for him. Jini is the anointed "Mom" to all the interns and she hosts several parties throughout the year for them. Many have returned to the area and stay with her. Jini's house is quite like Grand Central Station. People are always coming and going whether it be interns or neighbors stopping by on their way home or old friends just passing through. As we entered you immediately had the feeling you were in a grandma's house. From the canned fruit on the shelves near the doorway, to the musical instruments in the family room, to the countless books and the cluttered kitchen. Jini's house sits on several acres with 3 barns, goats, chickens and the organic garden. She is an amazing person who has been involved in every aspect of life. She has been a professional saxaphonist, an ayurveda medicine person, a professional winemaker at Fetzer, and spiritual teacher who has traveled with Depok Chopra and is heavily involved in local charities. We have only scratched the surface but know if you want anything in Mendo you go to Jini. She has offered to show us the ropes and take us anywhere we want. She has all the connections to the wineries in Redwood Valley so she said just give her the word and she will arrange wine tastings for us. In addition to being fascinated by Jini we met Frost, Stanley, Peter and Charlie. Another great evening of food and entertainment. We are batting two for two on perfect parties. We will definitely be spending quite a bit of time with this group.

The balance of the week/weekend we pushed forward on the "tiny house". I got my first lesson on how to use a chop saw and a table saw. Sarah is my idol-nothing better than a girl who can use power tools!! With our new found skills, Roby and I installed the pecan/hickory wood floor in the loft. This required quite a bit of ingenuity and some unique yoga style positions. Due to the wood being a bit warped the tongue and groove did not fit perfectly so we had to pound them together. This led to a dilemma when we got to the end of the floor because we did not have enough room to slide the hammer. McGyver to the rescue. We pooled our construction knowledge and found a grinder and dremeled out the groove to allow the tong to slid in without any force. Amazing it worked. Mission accomplished.

On the weekends we are required to give tours to any visitors wanting a viewing of the site. Not having practiced or much guidance, Roby and I worked as a team and gave two tours. You would have thought we were old pros and full of knowledge. I guess all my legal training on being a "mouthpiece" has paid off. The guests seemed to enjoy the tour and they believed what we had to say. We even sold one of our guidebooks.

Saturday we took off early and headed to the Wine and Chocolate Tastings in Redwood Valley. Amazingly the sun came out and 70 degrees greeted us this fine afternoon. I think Cupid was blessing us for Valentine's Day. We were meeting up at Jini's house so she would be our guide. Along with the original gang, we met Kimber and Eric, along with Seth. Kimber and Eric live further north and they have a house off the grid. We may go up and help build some eco-buildings on their property later this spring. We are family now so we don't need to knock on Jini's door. "Mom" was ordering everyone to make a sandwich to take with him for the trip because only chocolate was going to be served. Jini led the way and our first stop was at her favorite winery-Lolomis. Being our first winery we paid our $15 dollars and received our "touring" wine glass. They were free pouring the wine serving a "ladybug" red and white which are blends, fume blanc, chardonnay, and several different ports. The winery was located along the river with a big grassy yard to meander through while sipping your wine. Next was the Oster Winery. They are a small boutique winery with only Cabernet Sauvignon. Being a smaller company than Lolomis and a more expensive wine about $45 a bottle, the portions were just enough to wet your lips. They did have exceptional chocolate though. Not only was the 2004 vintage fantastic but the grounds and setting for their winery was ideal. They had their grapes and facility nestled in the woods with family picnic tables set up for all to enjoy the surroundings. You could have easily spent the entire afternoon there but we had a few more stops to make and the event was going to end at 5:00 pm. Jini hustled us off to Frey Winery which has more economical wines and many of them are sold in the local stores. Not bad for an everday wine. We have been told this winery does a lot with the SLI and we will have several events at their facility. Again, another prefect setting. These wineries are so much nicer than going to a tasting center in the middle of town. You have all the charm and spirit at the farms. Jini saved the best for last, the Germain Robin Distillery. The table was lined with some of the best Vodkas, Cognacs, Brandys, flavored liqueurs and Abstinthe you will find. They are voted by the top judges as being the finest made. A perfect night cap.

Although Roby and I did not have our traditional lobster dinner for Valentine's Day, the Wine and Chocolate Tasting with our new friends was a great substitute.

The Arrival Week

We woke late morning at our cottage in Sonoma and barely made it out by the noon checkout. We had a quick lunch and picked up the 101 for the hour drive to Hopland, California. The rain and fog did not hamper the quality view of the surrounding landscape. As you drive toward Hopland it is a sea of grapevines lining the rolling green hillsides. The only thing missing was the large stone castles and you would have thought you were in Italy. Not wanting to stop watching the breathtaking view we decided to venture past Hopland to the bustling town of Ukiah about 12 miles north. Ukiah is the hub of Mendocino County and has the majority of the stores and restaurants. We were instructed by Sarah,the site manager, we needed to purchase waterproof boots to work in the garden due to all the rain and muddy conditions. We were unable to locate them in Phoenix-the store clerks kept saying something about there not being enough of a demand for them in the desert. We found a Walmart in town which had an array of different ones from which to choose. With boots in hand we headed back to Hopland and arrived at the Solarliving Institute (affectionately called "the SLI") late afternoon. We drove through the large iron "sun" sculpted gates toward the store passing through the garden and fruit and nut orchards. The parking lot boasts charging stations for electric vehicles and a biodiesel pump station. Our first stop was in the Real Goods store which is the "greenest" store on Earth. Not only is the store constructed out of natural materials and has no heating or cooling equipment, all the items sold are eco-friendly. Everything imaginable for sustainable living can be found in it from hemp clothing to compost toilets.

We introduced ourselves to the store manager Leslie and she led us to the SLI offices to find Sarah. After quick introductions to the staff Sarah took us on a tour of the site and showed us our accomodations. Sarah was correct about the boots. SLI is located in a floodplain and it had been raining non-stop for two weeks. Welcome to Mudville. Our temporary living quarters are in a clay/straw structure in the intern village. Sarah set it up perfectly for us with a futon donned with silk/organic cotton sheets. She even welcomed us with a bottle of organic wine and chocolate. You would have thought we were in a five star hotel.

The best part was having a drawer! We actually were able to unpack our backpacks and put clothes away for the first time in over a year. The cobb-made shower house is located just down the trail from our room. It sports an incredibly hot shower which is important because the structure has open windows and the cold air seeps through. Roby and I fight for the hot water. The kitchen and recreational room are located in a 40 foot diameter yurt. They have outfitted it with a large commercial kitchen and comfortable sitting area with couches and tons of reading material. A wood burning stove provides the heat which is needed often this time of year because you can often see your breathe inside late at night. The bathroom is located up near the store which is a slight walk from the intern village. The boys tend to fertilize the site during the day and I found a short cut through the trees to the store.

Now that we had the lay of the land it was time to get to work. After unpacking our bags we participated in the group clean of the intern kitchen. We were finding things growing "arms and legs" inside the refrigerators. To make it palpable local organic wine and snacks were served. It felt a bit like the Big Chill. Later that evening we met several volunteers who were staying on site. Gene and Jill are from the Virgin Islands. They had been at the SLI for about two months. Kieren and Tony are past interns who came back to do some additional work. Andy is a friend of Kieren's from Wisconsin. We developed our own little intentional community as they call it up here. We did several group meals and Gene gave Roby some guitar lessons. Several nights we had impromptu concerts. Conversations were never a bore. Gene and Jill are very involved in channeling and we learned a lot about the 7th Dimension? Our second night we did a big dinner and Jill invited a friend from town; a very important person to meet- the bartender at the Hopland Brewery-Sharron. She had been an international model in New York but now on a quest to find a new life. Her friend Clark came for dinner also and he is a jack of all trades-from construction to massage therapy. I can't even touch the surface of the stories we heard that night. All I can say is "Mendo" is like a vortex and people from all walks of life come through here. If this night represents our next nine months we are going to have the time of our lives.

Staying up past midnight on our first night of work made for an interesting morning. Thankfully we do not have to start until 9:00 am. Our work schedule is very lax. Roby and I only need to work 20 hours a week. As the caretakers we must keep the site clean, feed the chickens, and give tours of the facility to visitors. Once the 7 interns arrive we will be their mentors and help them with their projects and community issues. In addition, we have signed up for seven workshops ranging from biointensive gardening to solar installation and design. We are even going to learn about alternative building methods that are demonstrated throughout the site.

As practice Roby and I are helping to build our future residence a 96 square foot home. You did not read that incorrectly, it is less than 100 square feet. We decided to write a separate blog and document how to live in a "tiny house". It will definitely be a test of our love!! Maybe we can sell the story to the Discovery Channel.

Gene has been working on the electrical and plumbing. We were his apprentices and wired a few outlets. Next was insulating the roof with wool a more eco-friendly material than fiberglass. This task would have been easy if the strips of insulation were the same size as the roof slats. Unfortunately the wool sheets were 4 inches too short. The dilemma we encountered was how to cut the material. If only we had sheep shears!! We improvised and Roby cut it with a box cutter which was no easy task. His right forearm is now the size of Popeye's. Thankfully we only had 85 square feet. Probably the only time we are going to be grateful we are living in a "tiny house". The wool worked great. The loft sleeping area was much cooler and the road noise was completely muffled which is a feat in itself when you are up along the 101 Highway in California.

After two days of working, it was time for our days off. We do not work on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Unfortunately the weather was not cooperating and we were blessed with two straight days of rain. They call it "Mediterranean" style weather. I guess they think it makes them feel better if they believe they are in Italy. We decided not to venture to far from home. We did a bit of grocery shopping at the local all organic co-op. It is an amazing store and I could spend all day in there. We are trying not to eat too much meat and have found the soy products to be quite delicious. All organic vegetables, fruits, olive oil, beer, wine; you name it; they've got it and alot of it is local. The weekend arrived and we worked on Saturday and Sunday. Gene and Jill were leaving so we had a celebratory dinner with several bottles of wine from a local winery. At midnight several of them including Roby ventured up to the Ukiah Brewery which is the first all organic brewery and listened to some local music. He said the eclectic group of people in the bar resembled some sort of a time warp. One young couple with dreadlocks and tie-dies, an old bald guy with a mullet in a shirt and tie, a group of little people, and the SLI gang all dancing to raggea. The best way to describe Mendo is a culture stuck in the 60's but so much more progressive than the rest of the country. They have been living "green" for 30 years and don't understand why it has taken everyone else so long to catch on. Everyone has an organic "herb" garden, probably the largest percentage of people living off the grid, growing alot ot their own food, harvesting their own water, and living a happy life. It is a world unto itself. So far, we love it here!

The Decision

November 2009-January 2010

When Roby and I ventured out in March of 2009 we truly set out to "redefine in 09". We definitely made some dramatic changes in our lifestyle and attitude but as November came rolling around we were no closer to finding our new "Kauai" than when we left the island. Once we completed our week long seminar at the US GreenBuild Conference we were inspired but also still clueless. Our house in Phoenix had tenants, we had no notable job prospects and we couldn't live with our friend Kelly forever, although I am sure the three weeks we were there felt like a lifetime to her - Thanks Kelly! Therefore, we decided to do what we do best-pack up the truck and move onward. The ski runs of southern Colorado were calling. Our initial goal was to spend a few months in Durango but as usual our plans changed dramatically. In fact the trip was completely revamped and we did not stay put in any one place. The poor Toyota Tacoma had to endure another 1500 miles in the month of December traversing the entire state of Colorado visiting our friends the Kennedys' and the Printz' and hitting several different ski areas-Wolf Creek, Breckenridge, Powderhorn and Telluride.

During our tour we had received a call from the Manager at the Solarliving Institute offering us the caretaker position for the facility. I guess our experience in Spain and Italy with compost toilets sealed the deal!! We happened upon the position while surfing the internet when we were in Phoenix and figured we have nowhere else to go so why not apply. We would have a free place to stay and the opportunity to attend all the seminars and workshops they offered for sustainable living and alternative energy for free. And, it is located in Mendocino County. You don't have to twist our arms.

The position required us to be in Hopland California on February 1st therefore our Colorado trip was going to be cut short. After New Years we headed back to Phoenix to resolve some issues with our house and once again pack up the Toyota for another nine months of fun filled adventure. Due to time constraints we did not adhere to our normal "Zen" way of traveling the back roads and headed west on I-10 to the 101 north through California. We made a few stops with one night in Sonoma before reaching the Solarliving Institute on Monday the 1st.