Over the past few months, we have come to the realization that a thatched roof for our cottage just isn't in the cards. We're both in love with the idea, but making it a reality would be a massive undertaking, and right now, neither of us can muster the energy. Between the reed collection, the eventual workshop we'd want to organize with Deanne, and the weeks of installation time required, we're not feeling very inspired.

We still want to experiment with thatch, and we still plan to harvest reeds this winter, but we'll start by using them on a small outbuilding instead of our home. A thatched garden shed perhaps?

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So, we've decided top our timber frame cottage with slate. Not only is it known to last hundreds of years, but it turns out our land is situated in the middle of one of the largest slate-producing regions of the world. The more we learn about slate, the more we are convinced it's a good idea. Lately, Tyler has been reading The Slate Bible, and scouring craigslist for reclaimed roofing material.

Just recently, we found over a thousand tiles that came off a barn built in the 1800s. Tomorrow, since it's supposed to rain (and thus, there's not a whole lot we'll be able to do on our building sites), we've planned a trip to northern Vermont to see them. We can't wait to take a mini-road-trip, and a day's vacation from working on the land!