July, 2011 Ingrid & Yves in Amish Country G Sunday, July 31st, 2011 We've driven all night and all morning. Gone are the cool days of green New England, exchanged for the heat and rolling hills of rural Ohio. Windows open, driving westwards, it feels like like we'r... Land Hunting, Part Five: The One? G Saturday, July 30th, 2011 Today is our last round of land-hunting; it is another hours-long marathon of calling realtors for information, punching distant addresses into our GPS, driving up and down winding dirt roads, and ul... Sheila, Kai, & Their Tiny House G Friday, July 29th, 2011 After land-hunting our way through most of western Vermont, we ended in the state's largest city, Burlington, at the home of Sheila and Kai, the thoughtful, socially-aware, and environmentally-consci... Land Hunting, Part Four: Scouring Vermont G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Waving goodbye to Mike and Eliza, we take to the road with gleeful anticipation. As we drive over the Green Mountains, bound for the western valley of Vermont, I'm busy plotting a circuitous route t... Land Hunting, Part Three: Another Map, and a Plan G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 When we weren't working, leaping into rivers, sailing, or berry-picking while cat-sitting at Mike and Eliza's house, we were poring over another map, this one of a single state: Vermont. With some l... Land Hunting, Part Two: Much to Learn G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 It was in Ray's office that our romanticized, starry-eyed plan began it's transformation to concrete, complicated reality. In spite of all our reading and research, the list of things we didn't know... Land Hunting, Part One: Finding Vermont G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Earlier this month, we packed the car and hit the highway heading east on a road trip across the country. Bound for a two week stint of cat-sitting in Maine, we left nearly a week before we were sch... Getting Out the Map Again G Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 If a self-sufficient lifestyle was the only goal for our next project, we could probably make do on a quarter acre of land just about anywhere. What we're really yearning for, however, is a quiet sp... Dreaming of Our New Life G Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to lead a self-sufficient life. As a child, I was inspired by children's book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, liv... Summer Day with Eliza & Mike: Part Two G Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 Hours after walking in the woods, when our berry-picking snack had worn off, we were all hungry for dinner. Tyler and I wanted to visit one of Maine's quintessential eating establishments for our fi... Summer Day with Eliza & Mike: Part One G Tuesday, July 26th, 2011 Yesterday, we picked up Mike and Eliza from the Portland bus station and met our internet-friends for the first time in real life! This morning, Eliza prepared a massive breakfast of waffles and gar... The Good Life G Monday, July 18th, 2011 Today, we were on a mission to do two things. First, check out the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, and second, visit Helen and Scott Nearing's homestead in Harborside, Maine. But before we did a... Sailing in Maine G Saturday, July 16th, 2011 Back in February of 2009, while Tara and I were preparing to leave the country, our friend Kit was seriously considering quitting her job to enroll in a boat-building apprenticeship. While we were o... Farm Hopping G Friday, July 15th, 2011 So far, the highlight of house-sitting in Maine has undoubtedly been our daily excursions into the surrounding countryside to buy food. There are literally a dozen (maybe more) small farms and homes... Leap PG Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 Tyler makes it look so easy, climbing over the guard-rail with a rakish grin on his face, peering down at the river far below, with a hint of nervousness glinting in his eyes. The twinge of apprehen... House-Sitting in Maine G Monday, July 11th, 2011 A month or so before we returned to the US, we learned that our friends Mike and Eliza were looking for someone to take care of their cat while they went on vacation. We immediately jumped at the ch... Thoughts on Returning: Part Two G Friday, July 8th, 2011 Tara: A nighttime storm is approaching and the air hangs heavy against my chest like a lead-filled x-ray apron. We're heading to town for some late-night grocery shopping. In the garage, I open th... Our First Garden: Part Two G Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 After countless hours of pulling tendril after tendril of thick, white, quack grass roots from the ground, it was finally time to plant. Beginning a garden a full week after the very latest recommen... Our First Garden: Part One G Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 When we arrived in Minnesota last month, we spent most of our free time in my mother's giant garden. She wasn't going to plant much of anything this year, until Tara and I offered to help. Ever sin... In Minnesota G Saturday, July 2nd, 2011 I wish I could say that our homecoming in Minnesota was as wonderful as our joyful return to Illinois, but in reality, it has been extremely difficult. In fact, there is an enormous, gaping hole in ...