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Entries made in September, 2011

Withering Autumn Beauty

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Be empty. Be still. Just watch everything come and go. This is the way of Nature. Lao Tzu Zoë Keating - Lost ...

Cycling Seasons

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

All summer and autumn, we’ve been riding our home-built road bikes several times a week. These excursions have usually taken the form of early morning rides—a refreshingly familiar way to start the day, and a good excuse to pick up our little-used...

Land Hunting, Part Fourteen: We Did It!

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

I'm fast asleep in the passenger's seat. We're somewhere in Ohio, and Tara is nudging me. Without a word, she hands me the phone with a smile, and continues driving. I'm groggy and confused, blinking away a hazy veil that has been drawn over my ...

Making Friends in Vermont

Friday, September 16th, 2011

With light hearts, we're heading north towards the Middlebury area to meet our kayaking friend, Sue. The drive is a pleasure; the sun is out, the landscape is verdant and hilly pastureland, and the views are unmarred by billboards and advertisemen...

Land Hunting, Part Thirteen: Our Final Offer

Friday, September 16th, 2011

We've decided to go for it! We just made another offer on the Maple Hill Road property, and this one is five thousand dollars less than the last. We're hoping the difference will be enough to cover the septic permitting process. Bonnie (the real...

Land Hunting, Part Twelve: A Solar Survey

Friday, September 16th, 2011

For the last few weeks, Tyler has been in contact with Solar Pro, a solar hot water heating company in town. Last night, he called to see if they had time for a last minute appointment, and our contact, Karen, agreed to meet us at 10:00 AM! We've...

Land Hunting, Part Eleven: A Rainy Day in Vermont

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Tyler: The sun is hiding behind a sheath of steel blue skies this morning. A damp chill hangs in the air, leaving the world without any measure of doubt: fall is here. As we lay in our tent, listening to the rapidly escalating sound of raindrop...

Land Hunting, Part Ten: Re-Engaging

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

As the sun sinks toward the horizon, we pull off the road, wheels crunching over the rutted dirt drive of a lakeside "Fish and Wildlife Area," hoping to find a secluded place to sleep. There's a truck parked near the shore, so we sit for a few min...

Land Hunting, Part Nine: Empty-Landed

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

I'm having second thoughts about our spur-of-the-moment road trip this morning; it's clear that dropping everything to drive out here again was not a sensible decision. The thirty acre property which inspired our impromptu departure was a let-down...

Land Hunting, Part Eight: Back to Vermont

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

Before the proverbial ink has dried on our contract cancellation, we've scoured the internet once more, and found a promising 30 acre property—it's just a few miles from the one on Maple Hill road! (How did we miss it the first time through?) Wit...

Land Hunting, Part Seven: Backing Out

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

In 1998, twelve test pits were dug on the Maple Hill Road property. Results indicated that the soil was definitely unsuitable for a relatively inexpensive leach field system. If we were able to get permitting at all, it would be for a mound-based...

Septic Systems: Part Two

Friday, September 9th, 2011

So far, the quotes we're getting from engineers to take an undeveloped piece of land through the process of soil investigation, percolation testing, land surveying, septic system design and finally, state permitting, have ranged anywhere from three...

Septic Systems: Part One

Friday, September 9th, 2011

For the past few weeks, we've been waiting to hear if the land we're hoping to buy will support a legally permitted septic system. Mostly, this has entailed waiting around for an engineer in Vermont to make an assessment for us. In the meantime, ...