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Entries made in October, 2012

October 2012, in Photos

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

10 Acres in Vermont Land Payoff Status: 91% ...

"The Hay House" in Old Saybrook, Connecticut

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Our Vermont vacation has come to a close. Our family has flown home, and all that remains of the previous week is a wealth of memories and photos. Tara and I are back in the car, headed west. Before we return to Minnesota, we have one last natur...

A Family Visit to our Land

Sunday, October 14th, 2012

Brimming with anticipation, we wend our way through rural southwestern Vermont, passing scenic farms with red barns nestled at the feet of breathtaking mountains. As we draw near to our land, fiery-colored trees line either side of the road, creat...

An Alan Family Vacation

Sunday, October 14th, 2012

A few months ago, my grandmother mentioned wanting to see Vermont again. Years ago, she and my grandfather went on vacations to New England, taking trains to see the fall color. She wanted to go again, and to see Tyler and my land in person. So,...

Second Thoughts in Vermont

Friday, October 5th, 2012

Burrs and sweat clinging to our clothes, we bid our land goodbye and head into town for a bite to eat. As we drive together in silence, evening falls, smothering the landscape in a misty blackness. For reasons unspoken, our triumphant mood is dar...

Clearing the Drive

Friday, October 5th, 2012

After a three day cross-country road-trip, we've finally arrived at our land! As we pull up the drive, I hop out of the passenger's seat to open the gate. There is a palpable gravity in the moment as part of me realizes, perhaps for the first tim...

Off Grid Power: Tim Sefton's Stirling Engine

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

One of our homesteading goals is to generate all the electricity we need right on our own property. During spring, summer and fall, it looks like we'll be able to accomplish that with solar panels and a battery array. For winter, however, when th...

Thatching Research: Deanne Bednar's Strawbale Studio

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

The second stop on our roadtrip to Vermont is to see a woman named Deanne, a natural builder, and the illustrator for several cob-related books such as The Hand-Sculpted House and The Cobber's Companion. Her land is home to the Strawbale Studio, ...

1/12th Scale Timber Frame Model House

Monday, October 1st, 2012

Awhile back, I found Tyler crouched on the floor, with a determined look on his face, scissors, tape, and cardboard strewn about him. Much to my delight, he was painstakingly constructing a scale model of our timberframe cottage! Using Peter's bl...