Misty MorningGTuesday, September 20th, 2016 Every once and awhile, our homestead is visited by a churning, swirling blanket of fog. Sometimes I can see it rolling in over the mountains to the West; other times, it seems to emanate from our land itself. The mist moves quickly, settling into l...
Slating Roofing BeginsGMonday, August 15th, 2016 Our slate roof is the last major project between us and a completely finished cottage. We've been trying and failing to schedule a day-long crash-course in slating with a local roofer for weeks. This weekend, with a sunny forecast before us and sti...
End of An Era: Goodbye Camper!GSunday, August 14th, 2016 As if on cue, the end of an era is heralded by the departure of our camper. HOORAY HOORAY, it sold at last! I'm not going to lie: we won't miss it. I mean let's face it, our time of domestic bliss was short-lived... ...rapidly rep...
Home ImprovementsGFriday, August 12th, 2016 About a week ago, Chad let us know that our earthen floor was officially dry and complete. Without wasting a single moment after the all-clear, Tyler and I collected our disparate belongings from the camper, workshop, car, truck, and neighbors' hou...
Earthen Floor Installation, Part FourGFriday, July 22nd, 2016 After the two layers of earthen floor basecoat were dry, Chad and his crew applied a much thinner finish coat. Unfortunately, throughout subsequent days of drying, it cracked significantly. So, they then applied an additional coat of slip to cover ...
Blueberry Picking with Erik & RadhaGSunday, July 17th, 2016 This morning, we drove an hour over the mountains to spend a day with our friends, Erik and Radha. The visit was a marvelous one, replete with deep conversation, dappled sunshine, and idyllic summer activities. We explored Putney's farmer's market,...
Driveway RepairGThursday, July 7th, 2016 We've had some truly epic downpours this summer. A few years ago, this would have been the cause of much despair, but happily all the structures we've built are now mostly impervious to water. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of our driveway. ...
Powered Paragliding Parts Arrive!GMonday, June 27th, 2016 Ever since boxes from BlackHawk Paramotor began arriving a week ago, we've been spending our evenings putting together our pair of crazy flying machines (at our neighbor's place). We're still waiting on a few more parts, but soon enough, we'll be u...
Skylight Window TrimmingGSunday, June 26th, 2016 For the past ten days, we've been in a self-inflicted exile from our home as our earthen floor slowly dries. During this time, we've gotten pretty good at breaking into our house. We usually enter through the kitchen window and tiptoe along the cou...
Orchard Update, Summer 2016GFriday, June 24th, 2016 It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. Miracle Max All of our fruit trees sailed through winter unscathed, with the excepti...
Workshop Interior Finish PlasterGWednesday, June 22nd, 2016 Now that the cottage plaster is done and the floor is drying, Chad and his crew have moved on to the finish plaster in our wonky, wonky workshop. Good luck team, you're going to need it! ...
Straw Bale Cottage Exterior Finish Lime Plaster Coat CompleteGTuesday, June 21st, 2016 Well before Tyler and I could have ever dreamed of completing the exterior plaster of our little cottage on our own, Chad and his crew have finished it. Looks great! ...
Straw Bale Cottage Exterior Finish Lime Plaster CoatGMonday, June 20th, 2016 Next on the docket, Chad and his crew tackle the finish plaster on the outside of our little straw bale cottage. Go, plasterers, go! By the end of day one, most of the house is plastered! ...
Earthen Floor Installation, Part ThreeGFriday, June 17th, 2016 With just a day's drying time for the first layer of basecoat, it's time to reinforce the earthen floor with burlap, and put on another layer of mix. We peek in from the doorway to check out the progress: By the end of the day, the ...
Our Cistern Shed Gets PlasteredGFriday, June 17th, 2016 Today is a whirlwind of activity on the homestead as Chad and Liz prep their crew for plastering. First in line: our cistern shed. Carly tapes off the trim, while Liz and Camille sift sand and mix plaster. I pitch in to collect buckets, make a wash...
Earthen Floor Installation, Part TwoGThursday, June 16th, 2016 Layer one of our earthen floor basecoat has begun! ...
Earthen Floor Installation, Part OneGThursday, June 16th, 2016 This morning, the crew of Vermont Natural Homes arrived, raring to get started. After tackling a few unforeseen challenges, Chad and plastering whiz, Liz Johndrow, whipped up the floor mix using a lot of sand and a little clay. When our mortar mixe...
Earthen Floor BeginsGWednesday, June 15th, 2016 Though we just came back from California, it's already time to leave again. This time, we'll be vacating our little cottage for about six weeks as Vermont Natural Homes installs an earthen floor. Despite what we had originally hoped, we will not be...
Visiting Lian in Oakland, Part ThreeGThursday, June 9th, 2016 We've been eating ridiculously good food here in Oakland. Our visit has sincerely contained two of the best meals I have ever had in my life! One was a noodle dish at an Indonesian restaurant and another was at place called "Casserole House," where...
Missing Felix & NadineGThursday, June 9th, 2016 About a month ago, I was sifting through old journal entries and found myself sucked into Tyler's and my German adventure. As I read through each day, from our arrival in Munich to our departure from Berlin, I was filled with emotion about our frie...
Visiting Lian in Oakland, Part TwoGThursday, June 9th, 2016 This week with Lian has been a wonderfully productive one as we've worked hard to make his place feel like home. First, we taped off and painted his bedroom, changing it from a somber blue into a cheery yellow. We also washed his windows (during wh...
Visting Lian in Oakland, Part OneGSunday, June 5th, 2016 It's been HALF A DECADE since we flew home from our bike trip and spent two weeks chillin' with my brother in California. To amend this shameful situation, Tyler and I have been trying to organize a time to see Lian for the past year or so. Finally...
Learning to Fly: Day Five at BlackHawk ParamotorsGFriday, June 3rd, 2016 I think it says a lot about our personalities that I marked my morning flights on my hand with a pen, while Tyler emailed them to himself so he could make a database of them that will eventually show markers on a google map. Either way, we got a to...
Learning to Fly: Day Four at Blackhawk Paramotors (Tyler)GThursday, June 2nd, 2016 After my engine failure yesterday, both of the student 125cc paramotors were out of commission. I assumed they'd fix them before morning, but when we arrived for class around 6AM, neither had been repaired. While this made for a pretty frustrating ...
Learning to Fly: Day Four at Blackhawk Paramotors (Tara)GThursday, June 2nd, 2016 This morning, I resolved to have a better day than yesterday. I began by sleeping an hour later (until 5:30AM instead of 4:30AM), getting a huge, delicious coffee (I rarely drink coffee), and talking through pre-flying-school jitters with Tyler on ...
Learning to Fly: Day Three at Blackhawk Paramotors (Tyler)GWednesday, June 1st, 2016 It gets ridiculously hot on the field here at BlackHawk Ranch. I haven't worked this hard in the heat since Tara and I laid the rebar for the foundation of our workshop. Several times today I thanked my lucky stars I'm not a farmhand, roofing contr...
Learning to Fly: Day Three at BlackHawk Paramotors (Tara)GWednesday, June 1st, 2016 Today was rough. It began with not nearly enough sleep (4 hours to be exact), and being so sore and battered from the previous two days of training that it felt like I'd been run over. The only good part about the morning was getting towed a few mo...
Learning to Fly: Day Two at BlackHawk ParamotorsGTuesday, May 31st, 2016 Yesterday, kiting was a complete mystery. Bringing up the wing was pretty straightforward—hold the A-lines (the ones nearest to the leading edge of the wing) and lift up. There wasn't much wind so we had to run really fast/hard to keep it aloft. On...
Learning to Fly: Day One at BlackHawk ParamotorsGMonday, May 30th, 2016 I woke up to pee at about five o'clock this morning and when I returned to bed, I couldn't fall asleep. All kinds of nervous thoughts rattled around noisily in my brain: What if it turned out that I was afraid of flying? What if my fear of falling ...
Learning to Fly: Arriving in CaliforniaGSunday, May 29th, 2016 This past week has been insane, what with getting ready to come to California, preparing the workshop and the house for the plasterers that will be coming immediately after we return from California, packing, hosting Tyler's dad for a night, welcom...
Preparing the Workshop for a Plastering Crew, Part ThreeGThursday, May 26th, 2016 The workshop is nearly ready for plastering! One of our last big projects is installing trim around the building's massive 8 foot tall, 8-foot wide alderwood doors. This weekend, we discovered that they didn't come with enough trim to complete the ...
Preparing the Workshop for a Plastering Crew, Part TwoGThursday, May 26th, 2016 While building our cottage we learned the value of mechanical ventilation. As it turns out, the thing is practically airtight. If we leave it entirely closed up for more than a few days, the air inside gets stale and musty. Thankfully, it's small e...
Preparing the Workshop for a Plastering Crew, Part OneGThursday, May 26th, 2016 With Chad and Carly's mid-June arrival looming, we've been working like crazy to ready our homestead. We're going to be on vacation in California for two weeks prior to their arrival, so everything needs to be finished before we leave! First off, w...
Preparing the Cistern Shed for a Plastering CrewGSaturday, May 21st, 2016 The plastering crew who will be putting the final coat on the inside of the workshop is also going to finish the outside of our cottage and cistern shed. Since the cistern shed isn't plastered at all, we need to get at least one coat done before th...
Learning to FlyGSaturday, May 21st, 2016 A few months ago we realized that we needed a break from building our homestead. After years of single-mindedly pouring nearly all of our time, energy and finances into the project, it took a bit for that decision to really sink in. When it dawned ...
Orchard Update, Spring 2016GTuesday, May 10th, 2016 I thought for sure a two-week trip to the midwest would mean we'd miss an event on the homestead I'd been eagerly anticipating: the blossoming of our fruit trees! Fortunately, I was wrong. Just a few days after our return, our trees are leafing out...
Preparing the Cottage Roof for SlateGSaturday, April 30th, 2016 This weekend was doubly productive—while we worked on trimming the indoor eaves, Dan and the crew from Arlington Roofing were here to prepare our cottage for slate. This meant removing our old, holey tar paper, adding a sturdy sheathing, cleaning u...
Sunshine & Barbecue with the HartmansGSunday, April 24th, 2016 It's one of those rare weekends during which nothing has to be accomplished. We're far away from our thousand-headed hydra of a homestead, in Illinois with our dear friends, the Hartmans. The springtime sun shines with warmth, prompting flowers to ...
Bringing in HelpGMonday, April 4th, 2016 Building your own home is an amazing adventure, but one that should probably end at some point. Carly, Vermont Natural Homes Since Tyler and I held our Life Summit, I've been busy getting quotes from different companies to tackle vari...
Sally Brillon's Hearth Cooking ClassGMonday, April 4th, 2016 For my (32nd!) birthday this year, my parents signed me up for a hearth cooking class. They know me well—I've loved everything to do with old-timey foodways since I was a little girl. After a couple months of waiting, my class was held at last on t...
Pulley System Drying RackGSunday, April 3rd, 2016 We've had tons of improvements to our quality of life recently: first the movie theater, then the ladder and railing, and now, a drying rack. For ages, we didn't have a good way of hanging wet clothing and towels indoors. After collecting photos a...
Loft Railing: CompleteGSaturday, April 2nd, 2016 We're finishing small house projects left and right. Most recently was the loft railing. We're still trying to decide where to mount wooden handles on it for easier climbing, but for all intents and purposes, it's finished. We're pleased with how i...
Life Summit 2016GFriday, April 1st, 2016 We recently held a “life summit,” a semi-regular event where we sit down to review our life plan. We've canonized our hopes and dreams in a document that starts in 2008 and currently runs to 2026. Most of the time, reading our plan is a life-affirm...
Our Ladder in MotionGSunday, March 27th, 2016 Here are some crappy pictures taken with a phone, showing how we decided to tackle the raising and lowering of our ladder. We may graduate to some sort of pulley mechanism at some point, but for now, our system of walking stick + spray-painted PVC ...
Slate DeliveryGFriday, March 18th, 2016 The slate for our cottage roof arrived from the New England Slate Company today. It was delivered by Jim of Leicester Service Center, one of the nicest, most craggily photogenic folks we've met in a long time. Thanks for all your he...
Spring is ComingGWednesday, March 9th, 2016 As much as I dearly love winter, there is nothing like a bit of warmth and sunshine to make me feel like a brand new person. Knowing it was going to get up to 65 degrees today, I awoke early, raring to tackle a few painting projects best done in mi...
A Mural of a Ginger FellowGMonday, March 7th, 2016 Today, we received this email via our contact form: hey there, Just to let you know I have painted a big mural of the ginger fellow holding a bug on wall. Its doesnt look exactly like him but hey! i used the photo! Kibnd regards Sam ...
A Tiny House Movie TheaterGFriday, February 26th, 2016 I have planned to build a music listening station and movie theater in our cottage since day one. At long last, this dream has come to fruition! When we were raising the bale walls, I ran speaker wire and HDMI cable through them to prepare. H...
A Tiny House Loft LadderGMonday, February 15th, 2016 Tyler and I have been searching for the perfect ladder/staircase/firepole/anything to reach our loft bedroom for years. Before we actually built our cottage, I was dead-set on having some kind of staircase (inspired by a cob house we visited in Iow...
Winter Water SetbacksGSunday, February 14th, 2016 When I first started writing this post a few days ago, I was going to talk about how wonderfully forgiving and resilient our house is. How even when it gets really cold, our cottage is cozy, snug, and easy to heat. How our straw bale walls and R40 ...
Visiting The New England Slate CompanyGThursday, January 14th, 2016 On this snowy winter's morning, Tyler is taking a few hours off work for the express purpose of going on a homestead-related field trip. He and I take to the road, picking up our friend and neighbor, Charlie, on the way out of town. Together, the t...
Thunderous & WildGMonday, January 11th, 2016 I was walking through our woods today, on my way to meet our neighbor Hercilia for our daily walk. I had my head down, being careful not to trip over rocks and fallen logs, when I heard a thunderous noise that sent tremors through my body. When I l...
A TableGSunday, January 10th, 2016 I'm not sure why we held out for so long, but I am happy to report that we finally bought a table for our little cottage! About a month ago, I headed to Boston to pick it up from IKEA, and then I spent an hour the following afternoon assembling it....
DichotomyGSunday, January 10th, 2016 Our life tends to be very polar. Today was a good example: this morning, we left our homestead-in-the-woods and drove with Ian and Melissa to Manchester, a perfectly quaint town where New Yorkers come to ski and outlet shop. Vermonters joke that Ma...
On Learning and SkiingGSaturday, January 9th, 2016 This weekend, my friend Ian and his girlfriend Melissa drove up from New York City for the weekend. Ever since Tara and I moved to New England, Ian has been saying we should go downhill skiing together. After three winters, I finally felt like I ha...
Reconnecting: New Years in Charleston, Part FiveGTuesday, January 5th, 2016 Over the past few years, as folks have paired up and gotten married, my group of college friends has nearly doubled in size. I am pleased to say that this expansion has been a joyful one—the new folks fit right in. As I watch the partners/fiancees/...
Reconnecting: New Years in Charleston, Part FourGMonday, January 4th, 2016 It's another day in South Carolina, filled with more friend time, and more Charleston explorations. Today, we were even treated to some sun! We found the historical, fruit-decorated houses we'd been searching for, and enjoyed the beautiful gardens ...
Reconnecting: New Years in Charleston, Part ThreeGFriday, January 1st, 2016 This morning, a large group of folks left to explore the USS Yorktown, a battleship from World War II. Tyler and I were among the few with little interest in naval history and a lot of interest in cozy couches and novel-reading. We opted to stay i...
Reconnecting: New Years in Charleston, Part TwoGThursday, December 31st, 2015 This morning, I awoke early and greeted my friends—the few who'd arrived already—with hugs around the breakfast table. It was so joyous to be reunited with everyone again! Then Julia and I went for a walk on the beach, which was approximately a 20 ...
Reconnecting: New Years in Charleston, Part OneGWednesday, December 30th, 2015 Every December 31st for the past seven or so, my college friends have rung in the New Year together. During the first of these reunions, Tyler and I were riding Habib in Tunisia; during the second, we were pedaling through Vietnam. The first and on...
Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter, Part Five: Small VictoriesGMonday, December 28th, 2015 As I was washing dishes today, our water pump kicked on, drawing from the cistern outside to fill a pressure tank under our counter. For the first time this winter, instead of making the usual buzzing noise, it began vibrating with a deeper, stutte...
More Fascia InstallationsGThursday, December 24th, 2015 'Twas the day before Christmas, when outside the house... Two creatures were stirring, a man and his spouse. The fascia was hung on the roof with much care... In hopes that Grace Triflex soon would be there. The r...
Christmastime is HereGSunday, December 20th, 2015 As I sit in our warm, cozy cottage, my thoughts wander to what life was like a year ago. This time last December, I was learning how to build kitchen cabinets, and the house was a total disaster area. We'd recently moved in (despite the house's unf...
Starting an Orchard in Vermont, Part Five: Protecting our TreesGFriday, November 20th, 2015 Yesterday morning, as I drove to the Bocoup office in Boston, Tara texted me a pair of photos and a single word message: Fuckkkkk. We'd really hoped the odiferous garlic clips we used on the trees would be enough to deter animals, but alas...
Finishing the OuthouseGSunday, November 15th, 2015 For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on the outhouse, finishing tasks that remained after we bade farewell to our friends Shlomy, Britney, and Nehemiah. While it seems that winter should really be on its way by now, we've recently been t...
Building a WoodshedGSaturday, November 14th, 2015 I am pleased to report that Tyler and I have just set a new homesteading record. We designed and built a pretty sizable structure—a three-sided shed to protect our newly-sawn lumber—in three measly days. This was by far our least difficult build ev...
Milling Trees into Lumber: Complete!GSunday, November 1st, 2015 With the milling process nearing its end, Tara and I spent the morning hurriedly preparing a place to store our new wood supply. I knew we needed to do this weeks ago, but the importance of this task didn't really register until the lumber started ...
Welcome, November. Welcome, Mountains.GSunday, November 1st, 2015 Hello, November. Sometimes I have trouble with your ever-encroaching, increasingly ominous darkness. It makes me want to curl up and hibernate from the first of your days to the end of January's. Mercifully, our woodland fills me with a sense...
Shlomy Builds an Outhouse, Part Four: Slating BeginsGSaturday, October 31st, 2015 We originally planned to put asphalt shingles on the outhouse, but Tara convinced Shlomy and I to use our reclaimed slate, citing that it would be good practice for next year (when I plan to slate the roof of our cottage). This weekend, after sever...
Shlomy Builds an Outhouse, Part Three: Dutch DoorsGThursday, October 29th, 2015 Shlomy and I have been working on a dutch door for the outhouse this week. We started by spending a lot of time puzzling over the instructions that came with our plans. But, after much head-scratching, we decided to forego the designs and just make...
Bon VoyageGThursday, October 29th, 2015 We're so excited! Our dear, dear friends and adventure buddies Pete and Natasha are leaving in just a few days to start their little road trip to, oh you know, Patagonia. Despite the fact that we only see each other once or twice a year, this feels...
Me Oh My, I Love PieGWednesday, October 28th, 2015 Well, this is it. My life is complete. All my girlhood dreams have come true. I baked an apple pie in my own homey kitchen and it's resting on my windowsill in the goddamned countryside. Let's hope no nefarious wanderer, greedy child, or cartoon an...
Milling Trees into Lumber with a Wood MizerGTuesday, October 27th, 2015 Over the past few years, we've amassed quite a collection of felled trees. Tyler's Note: Having recently taken a chainsaw safety course for loggers, almost every one of these photos scares the crap out of me. There are crazy unsafe...
Shlomy Builds an Outhouse, Part Two: Preparing Slate for the RoofGSunday, October 25th, 2015 Today, Shlomy and I spent the afternoon preparing slates for the roof of the outhouse. There isn't enough of the reclaimed slate we bought a few summers ago to cover the roof of our cottage, so we're using it here. This is our first time working wi...
Shlomy Builds an Outhouse, Part One: Framing & SidingGMonday, October 19th, 2015 Ever since Tyler and I met Shlomy by rooming together at a strawbale building workshop in Rhode Island, I've been impressed and inspired by his drive to become a competent builder. So far he has apprenticed with Christina Ott to learn about cob bui...
Setting Solar Panels to Their Winter AngleGSunday, October 18th, 2015 In April of 2014, Tara and I installed six solar panels on the roof of our solar shed. The process of affixing them was a comedy of errors. After measuring wrong several times, drilling more than a few unnecessary holes, and swearing a lot, we mana...
Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter: Part FourGSaturday, October 17th, 2015 The final major part of our cistern shed (besides the plastering, which we'll do next year) was the doors. I spent a few days this week making these massive things, consisting of a simple frame and a double layer of rigid foam insulation. Other tha...
Grandma Passes AwayGFriday, October 16th, 2015 Oh, grandma. I've missed you ever since you had those strokes a few years ago, and I miss you even more now that you're gone. I miss the way you'd call and casually ask in your New Yorkish accent, "Wanna godda lunch, Dolly?" I'd say yes, and you'd ...
Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter: Part ThreeGSaturday, October 10th, 2015 This weekend, Tara and I experimented with two types of insulation we'd never used before. The first was blown cellulose, which we dense packed into the cavities between the wall studs of our cistern shed. In order to do this, we had to rent a blow...
Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter: Part TwoGMonday, October 5th, 2015 In the previous entry, I mentioned one of the main issues with our above-ground cistern: the short pipe between our house and the water supply freezing. I believe I have found a solution to the problem: heatline. It's like heat tape (electric wire ...
Preventing Our Cistern from Freezing in Winter: Part OneGMonday, October 5th, 2015 Last fall, I wrote about the water situation for our cottage, documenting why we have an above-ground cistern next to the house rather than a water line from our well. When I wrote the entry, I was building an insulated shed for our water storage, ...
Cleaning, Clearing, Merging, Purging our StuffGSunday, October 4th, 2015 Tyler and I spent most of the weekend on an autumn cleaning mission. We started by organizing the ever-growing collection of remnants from completed projects that were scattered about our land. Pieces of plywood, rigid foam insulation and all manne...
Starting an Orchard in Vermont, Part Four: Planting CompleteGSaturday, October 3rd, 2015 I am pleased and relieved to report: all eighteen fruit trees are safely tucked into their new homes! I've brushed their bark with white milk paint to prevent sun scald, wrapped the base of their trunks with mesh to prevent boring insects, pinned o...
On TimeGSunday, September 27th, 2015 Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight. Elizabeth Akers Allen As I grow older, I have become increasingly troubled by the rate at which time seems to pass. My late mathematician grandfather used to say that this shift in velocit...
Common Ground Country FairGSaturday, September 26th, 2015 For the past few years, Tyler and I have tried to coordinate a visit to the annual Common Ground Country Fair with our friends, Mike and Eliza. Last year at this time, I was mourning the loss of my beloved grandmother, and the year before that, we ...
Wild Grape JellyGThursday, September 24th, 2015 When Tyler and I felled a small sapling to make room in our orchard for a pear tree, we discovered a whole mess of wild grapes tangled in its branches. I was thrilled about the unexpected bounty and felt no remorse about removing them. Grape vines ...
The Adventure Cycle Touring HandbookGWednesday, September 23rd, 2015 When Tyler and I first began dating and planning our big bike tour together, we bought two books: Lonely Planet's Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (which was a bit premature, and thus we never used it) and the bible of all bike touring books, The Adv...
This is MartinGTuesday, September 22nd, 2015 During our strawbale workshop, we were fortunate enough to meet Martin, a sweet man from New York City who came to participate. Over the course of the week, we were delighted by Martin's humor, down-to-earth kindness, and musical enthusiasm. What ...
Starting an Orchard in Vermont, Part Three: Planting TreesGSunday, September 20th, 2015 Today, we woke early, excited to finally plant our eighteen fruit trees. Tyler got busy digging holes, while I weed-wacked the entire hillside so we could get a sense of the contour of the land, hidden beneath knee-high burdock and nightshade. ...
Starting an Orchard in Vermont, Part Two: Clearing a HillsideGSaturday, September 19th, 2015 Today, Tyler felled the last three trees we've been talking about removing for our hillside orchard. They were perfectly healthy, but they would shade our site more than we wanted. It was hard for me to let go of them, but if we didn't do the work ...
Autumn ApproachesGThursday, August 27th, 2015 There was a peaceful lull in activity after our workshop. I could exhale, long and slow, and sit a spell on a proverbial porch (someday we'll have a real porch). It was only July, and I felt like a schoolchild with the freedom of seemingly endless ...
Starting an Orchard in Vermont, Part One: Buying Fruit Trees at Elmore Roots NurseryGSunday, August 16th, 2015 We officially started homesteading in January of 2013. Ever since, the topic of planting fruit trees has come up at least once or twice every season. Each time, overwhelmed by the projects before us, we've pushed the undertaking into an unknown fut...
A Weekend in the Northeast Kingdom, Part Four: Bread and PuppetGSaturday, August 15th, 2015 Back in college (a decade ago, somehow), I majored in sculpture. During that time, my art was inspired by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, Julie Taymor, the Weta workshop, and Bread and Puppet Theater. Once, I made a gigantic fabric sheep*. In another a...
A Weekend in the Northeast Kingdom, Part Three: Hiking Wheeler MountainGSaturday, August 15th, 2015 This afternoon, we pile into our pickup with George, Jodi and Oscar for a hike up Wheeler Mountain. Along the way, we talk more about their bike trip and our bike trip, sharing memories and chatting about what it was like to navigate the choppy wat...
A Weekend in the Northeast Kingdom, Part Two: Camping with George and JodiGSaturday, August 15th, 2015 For the past few years, we've been in touch with a man named George who contacted us via our website when we first moved to Vermont. Since then, we've exchanged emails about everything from bicycle touring to house building. At least twice, he's in...
A Weekend in the Northeast Kingdom, Part One: On Our WayGFriday, August 14th, 2015 For the first time in what felt like an eternity, we did not spend our weekend building anything together. This was a big deal. Instead, Tyler took off on Friday, and he and I drove up to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for a three-day vacation. I...
Live Edge Siding for the WorkshopGSunday, August 9th, 2015 Ever since I saw Ben Law's cottage, way back in 2011, I've been enamored with the idea of putting live edge siding (also called adirondack or waney edge siding) one one of our buildings. At long last, we have a building where it would make sense to...
Shifting Light & Visiting FriendsGFriday, July 31st, 2015 There's something about the light today. It has shifted, somehow, seeming less harshly white, and more diffuse and golden. Meanwhile, there's something different in the air, too. The heat and humidity (hot for Vermont, but not compared to the rest ...
Plastering the Grindbygg Gable EndsGMonday, July 27th, 2015 As I type this, I can practically hear my fingers groaning in protest as they feebly punch the keyboard. I am currently suffering from a condition I've dubbed "plaster claw." It's triggered by a long day of gripping a plaster hawk in one hand, and ...
DespairGSaturday, July 25th, 2015 I recently unearthed this gem from our stack of filed journal entries. I wrote it a little over a year ago, in May of 2014, but we never published it, instead posting a very abridged version. I think it was, as my brother would say, "too real" for...
In the WoodsGSaturday, July 25th, 2015 I recently found this in our draft journal entries. I have no idea why I didn't publish it back in July of 2013. Here it is, for posterity, two years later. This morning, I will assemble a concrete form for the timber frame workshop we ar...
Cantrip Scottish Trio Returns!GThursday, July 23rd, 2015 One of the highlights of the fall of 2013 (truly an epic autumn) was going to see Cantrip, a rollicking, toe-tapping Scottish trio consisting of fiddler, piper, and guitarist. When I got an email from Cantrip's guitarist (I'll admit I let out a lit...
Strawbale Workshop, Day SevenGSunday, July 19th, 2015 Quite suddenly, the end of the workshop is upon us. There's a lot of hustle and bustle as everyone kicks into high gear this morning, recognizing that we have just one workday to get as much plastering done as possible. Tyler and I hope with all ou...
Strawbale Workshop, Day SixGSaturday, July 18th, 2015 Time flows differently during an event like this workshop—on the one hand, I can't believe how little time has passed: You mean we've only known these people for six days? Not an entire lifetime? And on the other, it is shocking how quickly time fl...
Strawbale Workshop, Day FiveGFriday, July 17th, 2015 I am too exhausted to record the events that have transpired today. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the constant socializing, and lack of sleep is starting to catch up with me. On the whole, though, things are humming along exceptionally well. It's absurd...
Strawbale Workshop, Day FourGThursday, July 16th, 2015 Our workshop is going to be stunning. It was striking as an open-air structure, and a very small part of me was afraid we'd lose something by enclosing it. Boy was I was wrong. The strawbale walls everyone has worked so hard to raise only serve to ...
Strawbale Workshop, Day ThreeGWednesday, July 15th, 2015 The first two days have been a smash success. The strawbale walls are nearly complete! We're building a lot more than a workshop up here, though. It's remarkable to me how tightly knit our group seems to be already. It's been effortless, connecting...
Strawbale Workshop: Day TwoGTuesday, July 14th, 2015 At supper this evening, as I forced myself to sit down and actually eat some of the delicious chili and cornbread Becky and I made (instead of hovering and letting my mind race ahead to the forthcoming dishwashing extravaganza and the next meal to ...
Strawbale Workshop: Day OneGMonday, July 13th, 2015 The first day of our workshop kicked off with a brief tour of our (mostly) complete strawbale cottage. It was hilarious to see so many people crammed into the tiny space. While everyone was looking around, I turned on our stereo and asked for reque...
Strawbale Workshop: Day Zero, EveningGSunday, July 12th, 2015 Our workshop participants are here! (Well, most of them, anyway) This afternoon was a whirlwind of meeting and greeting, vehicle parking, and staking out of camp spots. I've done so much talking and smiling in the last few hours that my jaw hurts! ...
Strawbale Workshop: Day Zero, MorningGSunday, July 12th, 2015 Our strawbale workshop begins today! Or rather, folks start arriving today. It's 7:40AM on Sunday as I write this. I'm laying in bed with Tara, preparing to head out and tackle the last remaining tasks before Andrew and the students arrive. Our to-...
Journal StatsGSaturday, July 11th, 2015 As of this writing, we've had this journal for 2,748 days. Since then we've published 1,409 entries. I'm honestly shocked to say that in the aggregate, that means we've written something once every two days for the last 7.5 years. We're pretty dang...
Finishing the Workshop Roof (for now)GTuesday, July 7th, 2015 Eventually, we plan to have a living roof on our workshop. For now, we just need the thing to be water-tight. I put roofing felt on it over a year ago, but it's starting to fall apart. This year, we're going to put ice and water shield on the first...
A Stone Facade for the Cottage Pony WallGMonday, July 6th, 2015 The plan for the exterior of our cottage has always been to lay a facade over the pony wall, made with stones carefully picked from the ramshackle dry-stacked walls bordering our property. We wanted to tackle the project ourselves, but knew it was ...
Insulating the WorkshopGMonday, July 6th, 2015 There are several parts of our workshop where strawbales don't make sense for insulation—mainly places where we have 2x4 framed walls (e.g. the pony wall and the west wall). So, we hired the same company that insulated our cottage's pony wall to sp...
Strawbales Arrive!GSunday, July 5th, 2015 The farmer delivered our strawbales today! We hauled them all through the workshop and stacked them in a big tarped pile behind the Grindbygg. As I began sneezing, with snot dripping in mucilagenous streams from my nose, my eyes two itchy, scratchy...
Shallow Frost Protected Water Line GSaturday, July 4th, 2015 A few weeks ago, our neighbor Justin dug a pair of trenches to our workshop: one from our solar shed (for electricity), and another from our well (for water). The depth of the trenches varies from about three to five feet thanks to all the ledge on...
I'll be Seeing YouGThursday, July 2nd, 2015 Back in May, very shortly after returning from Roatan, my parents and brother came to visit, bringing with them my 85 year old grandfather. Though he didn't want to be parted from my grandma Marilyn, whom he visited every day at the nursing home, h...
Workshop Progress UpdateGSaturday, June 20th, 2015 We have dry drywall on the west side of the building: The pony walls are basically complete: The rough framing for the windows is underway: We've disassembled, stained and reassembled most of the windows: Things are comi...
Sibling Camping Trip, Day Three: Family History in Skowhegan, MaineGThursday, June 18th, 2015 Ever since I was a young girl, I've been intrigued by the wealthy Weston family from Skowhegan, Maine (they played some part in funding the Mayflower). Though they aren't blood relatives, their lives are woven tightly into the fabric of my family h...
Sibling Camping Trip, Day Two: A Day in AcadiaGWednesday, June 17th, 2015 The day dawned glorious and sunny, ideal for exploring Acadia National Park. When we asked our friendly ranger what she'd do in Acadia if she had only one day here, she immediately told us we had to do the Park Loop, a 27-mile one-way driving route...
Sibling Camping Trip, Day One: Driving to Acadia National ParkGTuesday, June 16th, 2015 Every time my family comes to Vermont, my brother Lian tries to convince everyone to visit Acadia National Park in Maine. The sixteen hour car drive such an adventure would necessitate never gets much traction. A few weeks ago, when Lian told me he...
Workshop Framing ContinuesGSaturday, June 13th, 2015 For the last few weeks Tara and I have been chipping away at the rough framing we need to complete before our strawbale workshop attendees arrive. We're still having a lot of fun with the process—not having the quality of your life depend on the ou...
Grindbygg Workshop FramingGSunday, May 31st, 2015 After "finishing" our house, we both vacillated between never wanting to build anything again, and feeling excited about the strawbale workshop we are hosting this summer. Mostly, we feared re-living the most stressful project we have ever undertak...
Pascale VisitsGSunday, May 31st, 2015 While we were building our house, we were desperate to find some trustworthy soul to whom we could pose questions like: How did you pour your foundation? Are you happy with it? How did you pick windows? Do you like them? How did you get a clean lin...
The Alternate Reality of RoatanGTuesday, April 28th, 2015 While we were in Roatan it felt like we were living in an alternate reality. I could see with uncanny clarity what it would be like to let our homesteading-in-Vermont adventure pass us by, exchanged for a life of ease in the Caribbean. It was like ...
Staying for a MonthGMonday, March 30th, 2015 I believe when you’re stuck in one spot for too long it’s best to throw a grenade where you stand, and jump... "Tracks" After much deliberation about finances and scheduling, after much checking of the (still winter) weather forecast in ...
Roatan Vacation EndsGSaturday, March 28th, 2015 Our two week vacation is at an end, and it is sadly time to say goodbye to our buddies. Thank you, Pete and Natasha for encouraging us to chill out with you somewhere tropical. Thanks for the many piña coladas, and our nightly sunset-watching tradi...
The Friends You'd CallGThursday, March 26th, 2015 I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them. Mark Twain Each evening during sunset, when Tyler and I swig piña coladas on the porch with Pete and Natasha, our c...
On Needing to TravelGWednesday, March 25th, 2015 Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. Mary Ritter Beard I realized shortly after writing my entry about needing a vacation that this trip is fulfillin...
On Needing a VacationGMonday, March 23rd, 2015 I knew we needed a vacation, but I didn't realize how badly we needed it until this week. It's only now, after unwinding for a few days in paradise, that I'm able to see the forest for the trees, so to speak. The last several months (years?) have b...
Riding to La Sirena de Camp BayGSunday, March 22nd, 2015 Today, we're ditching diving in favor of exploring the island on two wheels! Many of my favorite memories from our bicycle tour involve riding scooters or motorcycles with Pete and Natasha. On this bright, sunny afternoon in Roatan, I'm ...
Learning to Scuba Dive with Ellie at Sun DiversGThursday, March 19th, 2015 Over the past three days, Tyler, Pete, Natasha and I have been pursuing our PADI Open Water Certification at Sun Diver on Roatan. It has been a thrilling, tiring, and nerve-wracking time, during which most of us have had some pretty intense bouts o...
Preparing to Scuba Dive in RoatanGMonday, March 16th, 2015 When Natasha approached us about joining her and Pete in Roatan, a major selling point was the fact that we'd get to learn to scuba dive together. To get a PADI Open Water Diver Certification (the gateway to scuba diving) one must complete two diff...
Hello VacationGSunday, March 15th, 2015 Our first full day in paradise begins with a tropical fruit breakfast, served on the porch. The arrangement is garnished with a paper umbrella—one of many that Natasha brought along for the specific purpose of adorning our piña coladas... because s...
To Roatan!GSaturday, March 14th, 2015 Last fall, Pete & Natasha (the best travel buddies of all time) enthusiastically suggested that we take a break from homesteading and meet them in Roatan, Honduras for a two-week vacation to learn to scuba dive. Even though we knew absolutely n...
Building our First HouseGThursday, January 1st, 2015 Throughout the construction of our house, we often jokingly wished that our lives could be a movie montage…. because building is so much easier in montages. Hell, a trio of goofy teenagers can carry building materials to a remote location and const...
An Ordinary SundayGSunday, December 28th, 2014 It’s a grey, snowless day, and we’re warm and cozy inside our little house, preparing for our very first guests. Sure, we've had friends and family over to see our progress, and we've had folks here to help, but this morning, Rick and Greer are com...
'Twas The Night Before ChristmasGWednesday, December 24th, 2014 It’s the night before Christmas, and we have a house. A real house. I can barely even type those words without tearing up, without being completely overcome by a cocktail of emotions that include relief and joy and a sense of hope. Our kitchen, whi...
NestingGTuesday, December 23rd, 2014 Though it's a bit premature, I cannot curb my unstoppable desire to nest, nest, nest. For the past few weeks, I've been going to our storage unit and bringing home (I have a home!) boxes of the things that remained after our numerous Great Purges, ...
The Kitchen, Part Three: Drawers & Other ProgressGSaturday, December 20th, 2014 Most of the kitchen cabinetry project has been easier than I thought it would be, but there is one task that has been difficult since the start: making drawers. Despite Ana White's insistence that installing drawers is an simple job, it has not bee...
Straw Bale Workshop in Vermont: July 2015!GTuesday, December 2nd, 2014 We are thrilled to announce that we'll be hosting a straw bale building workshop on our homestead this summer from July 13th to 19th! We invite you to join us in learning and building with our friend and teacher, Andrew Morrison of strawbale.com. T...
Building Cabinets with LianGSunday, November 30th, 2014 After my parents headed home from our Thanksgiving week, my brother stayed for a couple extra days to hang out and help with construction projects in the house. I was a little hesitant about this, mostly because a) while we care very much about eac...
Alan Family ThanksgivingGThursday, November 27th, 2014 Back in September, Charlie, and Becky let us know they'd be heading to California for Thanksgiving, kindly offering up their house to our family, should we like to celebrate here in Vermont. To our delight, my parents and brother happily agreed to ...
Good Riddance, CamperGSunday, November 23rd, 2014 Dear Camper, it's time you found a different home. Now that we have a little house, you're the last thing we want to see from our kitchen window. We'll keep you on the land for now, but seriously, your days are numbered. ...
The Kitchen, Part Two: A CounterGFriday, November 21st, 2014 The quality of our lives is rapidly improving now, and one reason is this: we have a counter! This may not seem like a big deal, but considering our camper had zero counters, and it is really hard to make anything or prepare food without a horizont...
Three Cheers for CharlieGSunday, November 16th, 2014 There have been so many times during this house-building process where we would have loved to have had more help. The trouble with this was, we didn't have the wherewithal to organize said helping, nor necessarily the skills needed to show said hel...
Scoundrels!GSaturday, November 15th, 2014 This morning, two woodpeckers started pounding on the water storage shed I've been building. Most of the 2x4s in the framing are scraps that have been laying in various states of cover for the last year… left over bracing from the workshop construc...
Productive Snow DayGFriday, November 14th, 2014 We awoke this morning to find that it had snowed! Our first snowfall in our new house! I spent it inside, cleaning sawdust off of things and staining our loft floor. Tyler spent it outside, working on our cistern/water situation. ...
Cleaning Our Timber Frame CottageGMonday, November 10th, 2014 We've spent countless hours cleaning this place. There is continual sawdust sweeping from cabinet construction, and a giant plaster clean-up operation to finish. Entire days have passed where I'm on the ladder, scraping tiny bits of plaster off of ...
Congratulations!GFriday, November 7th, 2014 Congratulations, Mister Director of Technical Operations at Bocoup! I'm so proud of you, sweetie! ...
The Kitchen, Part One: The Sink CabinetGWednesday, November 5th, 2014 Gods bless Ana White. She's the building maven who lives in Alaska and posts tutorials for constructing anything from mud room organizers to kitchen tables. Eventually, I'd like to be building with our own wood while using traditional joinery, but ...
Hot Running WaterGMonday, November 3rd, 2014 After having lived without hot running water on and off for four years or so, I am convinced that it is life's greatest luxury, with a washing machine coming a close second. It transforms a life of labor to a life of comfort. When I think about all...
A Functional RangeGMonday, November 3rd, 2014 It's official: we have a fully-functional stove and oven! Thank you, delivery dudes. Thank you for hooking everything up, Rich! ...
First Night in the House!GSaturday, November 1st, 2014 Well, I've been saying that I didn't want to move in the house until it was finished (I couldn't bear for life to become less comfortable than it already was in our camper, and I desperately did not want to live in a construction zone) but here we ...
The Chimney Saga, Parts Two, Three, Four, Five, Six & SevenGWednesday, October 29th, 2014 This was originally drafted as a seven part series recounting the maddening tale of our first chimney installation. However, we're writing this months after the fact, and neither of us has the energy to do the thing justice. So, here are all the pi...
The Chimney Saga, Part OneGMonday, October 27th, 2014 A few months ago, we called our local Stove Depot to purchase a chimney and stove pipe. Having never installed a a wood stove, we had lots of questions about which parts to buy and how best to install them. Unfortunately, nobody at the store seemed...
Trimming the Cold RoofGSunday, October 26th, 2014 This afternoon, we trimmed the cold roof sheathing which was overhanging the eaves by an extra two feet or so. On paper, the process looked quick and easy: just snap a chalk line and cut the extra plywood off. In practice, most of actual work was s...
Laying Lodgepole Pine FlooringGThursday, October 23rd, 2014 It's high time we had a floor in our loft. We've been making due (inadvisably) with 1/2" plywood scraps for the last several months. After chatting with the folks at our local building supply store, I decided on "lodgepole pine" tongue-and-groove b...
Skylights, Part TwoGSunday, October 19th, 2014 Donavin came by today to help me install one of our skylights. As he promised, the installation was incredibly simple—for the most part, all we did was put it over the hole and nail it into place. It took a bit of fiddling to get it lined up correc...
Autumn Cold Roof ConstructionGSunday, October 12th, 2014 Autumn has always been my favorite season—moving to Vermont has only bolstered my conviction that this is the absolute best time of year. The explosion of color in our front yard right now is so awe-inspiring, it's almost enough to move me to tears...
Here I Go, Here I Go, Here I Go AgainGSaturday, October 11th, 2014 Whenever it's time for a new step in the process—another batch of plaster to be mixed, another giant job to be tackled, learning how to do yet another thing we don't know how to do—I have to get myself geared up, like a boxer preparing for another ...
Finish Plaster ContinuesGThursday, October 9th, 2014 Since working on the finish coat of plaster requires non-stop focus, leaving no time for photos, we asked our dear neighbors, Charlie and Becky to come take pictures of us while we tackled a section of wall tonight. We've said it before, and we'll ...
Skylights: Part OneGWednesday, October 8th, 2014 I have been procrastinating for months but it cannot be avoided any longer. It is time to cut holes in our roof for the skylights. I know it is an unrealistic fear, but I'm terrified that I'll install them wrong, and that somehow our roof will rot ...
Finish Plaster Begins!GMonday, October 6th, 2014 Today we successfully completed the finish plaster on one section of wall! Here's what we learned from our first foray into the art of finish plastering: Once again, we were nervous about working with a new material, and once again...
Strawbale Cottage SIP Panel Cold RoofGSunday, October 5th, 2014 It wasn't until our roof panels were installed that I learned we would need to build an additional "cold roof" on top of them. A few months ago, I had no idea what a cold roof even was. The physics of it make perfect sense, though. When warm air in...
Off Grid Above Ground Water StorageGSaturday, October 4th, 2014 Tyler: There is a drilled well on our land, and a large clearing next to it. This area is obviously where the previous owners had planned to build a home—it is also one of the few places on our property that gets a good deal of sun. Rather than b...
Getting Sand For Lime PlasterGSaturday, October 4th, 2014 For our plaster, we are using a sand comprised of several aggregate sizes. The grains range from very fine to extremely coarse. This type of sand has different names from region to region; at our yard it's sold as "double wash." When we say "...
Julia Visits!GFriday, October 3rd, 2014 My dear, sweet, talented and beautiful college friend, Julia came to visit us! She was in Maine for a wedding, and drove four hours to come see us and then four hours back the next day! It was one of those quick, last-minute ideas—the kind that wou...
Into FallGMonday, September 29th, 2014 Fall is here. The brown coat is in progress. Sunsets on cloudy days set the woods alight with deep reds and golds and muted greens and greys. Our house is looking house-like. Our hot tub is a comfort. Right now, at this moment, all is good. We're ...
Autumn Leaf-Peeping with the NeighborsGSunday, September 28th, 2014 Ever since we started building our house this spring, we haven't really had weekends. In fact, we work twice as hard on the weekends, because Tyler isn't busy with his job then. The concept of taking a break… it just doesn't exist. The House is all...
Home AgainGTuesday, September 23rd, 2014 Well I'm home again, and while I've only been gone a few days, it feels as though a lifetime has passed since last I walked our land. When Tyler and I headed to Illinois, it was summertime, and now it's clear that autumn has begun, just barely, mak...
Fall Family OutingGMonday, September 22nd, 2014 The funeral is over now, and we're in Champaign for a couple days, just being with family. Fall is nearly here, and that means it's time for a trip to Curtis Orchard for cider donuts, kettle corn, slushies, and goat petting. I love ...
Grandma Jeanne, Forever Loved: Part ThreeGSaturday, September 20th, 2014 Grandma, though I was at your funeral as Pastor Jeremy talked about the nine "fruits of the spirit" and how you "nailed all of 'em;" though I was there when your body was buried in the cemetery under a spray of yellow and orange roses; though I wep...
Grandma Jeanne, Forever Loved: Part TwoGFriday, September 19th, 2014 Feeling tired but accomplished, Tyler and I hit the road to Illinois for the funeral, arriving at 5:00AM the morning of the visitation. When we rolled out of the hotel bed around lunchtime, we greeted everyone with hugs, and slipped into the comfor...
Plaster Faster: Finishing the First Coat of Lime Plaster IndoorsGWednesday, September 17th, 2014 For the past few days, Tyler and I have been applying the first coat of plaster inside the house. Each swipe of the trowel is hurried along by a growing sense of urgency. Winter is fast approaching, and I'm anxious about our upcoming trip to Illino...
Grandma Jeanne, Forever Loved: Part OneGFriday, September 12th, 2014 When I touched down in Albany, just a few hours after I said goodbye to my grandmother, I received an email from my mom saying that she had taken a turn for the worse. In the week that followed, she was in hospice care at her apartment. With my par...
This is Carl & AnaïsGWednesday, September 10th, 2014 A few months ago, Tara was contacted by Carl, an avid reader and cyclist. He and his partner Anais would be in our area for the Green Mountain Stage Races, and were wondering if they come visit, and leave their truck at our place while they went on...
Pre-Plaster Trimming in Strawbale CottageGTuesday, September 9th, 2014 Now that the exterior of the house is mostly taken care of for the year, it's time to really focus on the inside so we can get it plastered. That means trimming out the pony wall... And making window seats... ....
It's Getting Better all the TimeGSaturday, September 6th, 2014 With an actual house-looking object up there on our ridge, and a beautiful wood-fired hot tub to compliment it, life is getting better. With each bit of progress we make, our daily existence gets a little bit easier, a little more comfortable, and ...
A Week with GrandmaGFriday, September 5th, 2014 When I first arrived at the hospital after my flight to Illinois, my grandma was pale and disoriented, but delighted to see me. Now, just four days later, she's so rosy-cheeked and healthy that we've been planning her third annual fall trip to Verm...
New Chapters & Random Thoughts from the AirportGMonday, September 1st, 2014 Right now, I'm sitting in the Albany airport, waiting for a flight back to the midwest to see my family. My dear, sweet grandma Jeanne had a heart attack and is in the hospital, and every ounce of my being is ringing with impatient need to be there...
Finishing the Exterior Brown CoatGSunday, August 31st, 2014 Below, a summary of the week of August 23rd, which was mostly spent working on the exterior brown coat (the second coat of plaster) for the house. "I'm tired, but oh my god, this is so cool! It's so much prettier than the scratch coat!" ...
Book NooksGFriday, August 29th, 2014 When Will came over to talk with us us about spray foam insulation, he suggested we use the space in our eaves for some kind of nook, since they wouldn't be completely stuffed with the blown cellulose we had originally planned to fill them with. Hi...
Our Hearthstone ArrivesGThursday, August 28th, 2014 Our slate hearthstone is done—we picked it up from Ed's Masonry today! ...
We Have a Wood-Fired Hot Tub!GWednesday, August 20th, 2014 When we were living with Tyler's mom, Jodi, both before and after our big bicycle tour, we took full advantage of the fact that she had a hot tub. In winter, Tyler would shovel a tunnel through the feet of snow on the deck to get to it, and we'd ru...
The Little Mortar Mixer That CouldGTuesday, August 19th, 2014 It has been a long time since I felt a deep fondness for a machine, and, thanks to our journal, I can pinpoint the last one exactly. It was four years ago when I fell in love with the little red toyota that Tyler and I drove across Europe and Asia....
Exterior Scratch Coat Completed! And Karina & Ivica Visit!GMonday, August 18th, 2014 High atop our scaffolding, Tyler and I stood with hawks and trowels in hand, applying a scratch coat of plaster to the last section of the last exterior wall. We had about an hour’s worth of work left when two of our favorite people rolled up the d...
A Tale for a Dark, Cold Night: Jenna's "The Legend of Birchthorn"GFriday, August 15th, 2014 Last winter, Tyler and I developed a weekly tradition to while away the long, dark evenings with our good friend, Jenna. We'd lounge in front of her computer with a few ciders, and watch a horror movie—not the bloody kind, but the creepy, paranorma...
Plaster MasterGWednesday, August 13th, 2014 As it turns out, I really, really like plastering. Sure, it has downsides: it is tiring. Lime turns my hair into a grey rat's nest. It chaps my hands and dries them into rough, old-person appendages, and makes it so that the slightest of bum...
Impromptu Garden Update: AugustGWednesday, August 13th, 2014 The garden is doing amazingly, despite (or perhaps because of?) my lack of care: I haven't weeded at all, and I only watered once at the very beginning when nothing had sprouted yet and we'd had a few days without rain. Now, everything is do...
Manic Monday, Part Two: Spray Foam InsulationGMonday, August 11th, 2014 I am mid-plaster stroke, and positively covered in plaster, when Tyler comes running up the rocky ridge towards our house, followed by Will, a man we met a couple weeks ago a party we attended with Charlie and Becky. Will works at Vermont Foam Insu...
Manic Monday, Part One: Solo PlasteringGMonday, August 11th, 2014 This morning, Tyler starts a couple batches of plaster going in the mixer, then heads down to the camper to program for the day, leaving me to tackle plastering by myself. I'm reeling from the sudden change of pace: Tyler took the last couple days ...
Pressing Back & ScarifyingGSunday, August 10th, 2014 Once the first coat of plaster is leathery (has dried enough to be pliable, but won't stick to our fingers when we poke it), it's time to "press back." This is where we go over the wall with our trowels, pushing with all of our might to compact the...
This is Kevin & Joy: Part TwoGSunday, August 10th, 2014 Sunday morning started with coffee and plaster in equal measures... Kevin Joy: Sunday, we spent the morning and afternoon plastering. Once we got the plaster mixed, it was time to smash it into the wall. It's not like spreading fr...
For Better or For Worse: Plastering Begins!GSunday, August 10th, 2014 Our entire home-building process has been full of unknowns and steep learning curves, but the plastering part of it has loomed largest and most daunting of all. While everything about our project feels vitally important, the plaster is most critica...
This is Kevin & Joy: Part OneGSaturday, August 9th, 2014 Kevin and I spent the weekend at Tyler and Tara's homestead ostensibly to help plaster (which we did do), but mostly to ask approximately a million questions. Joy Kevin: Visiting Tara and Tyler on their land is something Joy and I ...
Dad VisitsGFriday, August 8th, 2014 When I was a teenager, my Dad restored/rebuilt a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Minnesota. Like Tara and I, he'd never done anything of the sort when he started. I remember coming along to lend a hand a few times, but mostly, I was too busy being a...
Winter is ComingGWednesday, August 6th, 2014 With each passing day, our cottage is looking more and more like an actual home. It is with a bit of trepidation that I can finally say: if we were to plaster tomorrow, I wouldn't freak out about all the things that aren't good enough yet. It's not...
The First PancakeGSunday, August 3rd, 2014 Lately, in the mornings, I've felt like the first shitty pancake in a new batch: the one that gets stuck to the pan, is gooey in the middle and burnt on the bottom, and falls completely apart. When I told Tyler this, and explained that he'd have to...
Quilting the HouseGSaturday, August 2nd, 2014 Tara: We've arrived at the stitching phase of our building adventure! Like pretty much every other part of this process, I've had a looming fear about it. I was afraid that "quilting" the house—attaching the exterior wire mesh to the interior wir...
A Blur GFriday, August 1st, 2014 The past couple of weeks have been a blur of post-baling, pre-plastering tasks. As usual, emotions have been running high, vacillating between the extreme "total meltdown" and the more moderate "miraculously keeping it together" levels. Most recent...
Installing Range Hood VentGWednesday, July 30th, 2014 Today, we installed our range hood duct, and a wall cap that Tara ordered and painted. Once everything was in place in the wooden box we made in the strawbale, we filled the gaps around the duct with expanding foam. ...
Heat & WaterGSaturday, July 26th, 2014 Today, I arranged a meeting with a master gas fitter to see about hooking up a propane regulator on the outside of the cottage. Our current plan is to run our oven and on-demand hot water heater with a pair of 40lb tanks. Someday it would be nice ...
Making Window RevealsGThursday, July 24th, 2014 It feels like we've been saying we are "almost ready to plaster!" for ages now. And by "ages" I mean a few weeks, back when Pete and Natasha finished installing straw bales in the gable ends of the cottage. Ever since, there has been a non-stop sup...
Off Grid Power Update: Solar Battery Bank ArrivesGMonday, July 21st, 2014 Today, our new battery bank arrived! We now have eight 6v 370aH Deka L16 batteries with a total storage capacity of 17.6 kWh. Taking losses into account, and not wanting to drain the batteries below 50% (it shortens their lifespan), this gives us a...
Blood, Sweat & Tears (and Snot)GSunday, July 20th, 2014 Almost every single day, I injure myself while working on the house. Some are minuscule wounds, others are larger, requiring a bit of super glue to patch them up. The main perpetrators are plaster lath and wire mesh—it's so easy to gouge myself on ...
We're Doing ItGSaturday, July 19th, 2014 A few years ago, when we were dreaming of our homesteading adventure, I happened to read a blog post that completely floored me. It was about a young Vermont couple that was in the process of building their own home. And it wasn't just any house—it...
Electrical Wiring in Strawbale CottageGSaturday, July 19th, 2014 For the past few mornings, I have been wiring outlets, light switches and speaker cables in the house. Each box gets a plywood plate with tar paper and blood lathe. I run the lines through the wall, chainsawed into grooves a few ...
Trenching Power from Solar Shed to CottageGFriday, July 18th, 2014 For at least a year I've been telling myself that getting electricity from our solar shed to the cottage would be a piece of cake. "All we need is a beefy extension cord—we'll just plug that in somehow and voilà, we'll have power!" Each time I ment...
Off-Grid Power Update: Solar Panels ArriveGTuesday, July 15th, 2014 Last April, we received the initial charging equipment for our off-grid power system! We're starting with six 245 watt REC photovoltaic panels, whose output to our battery bank will be regulated by an Outback FM80 charge controller. The week they ...
Farewell Cardboard ModelGSunday, July 13th, 2014 It was with great pleasure today that we realized the cardboard model of our house has served its purpose. Since we now have a life-sized version to work with, it is no longer necessary. For the last few months it has done little more than take up ...
Impromptu Garden Update: JulyGFriday, July 11th, 2014 Here's the update after a month after planting our first impromptu garden: the peas are doing great. One cucumber plant is growing like crazy. The salad mix and arugula were chowed on by the slugs. Mache never came up. Garlic chives are looking and...
Mole Face MorningGMonday, July 7th, 2014 Ever since last week's freak out, we've been getting up even earlier than usual. This lets me spend more time on the house with Tara before I have to go to work, which makes her feel more supported and less like our house-building project is never ...
Chainsawing Kitchen Niches in StrawbaleGSunday, July 6th, 2014 This morning, we chainsawed niches in the kitchen wall to hold spices: ...
Grand Central StationGSunday, July 6th, 2014 For the past month or so, we've had a non-stop train of people passing through our homestead. Besides Dan, Julia, Pete, and Natasha, all of whom stayed for a few days, we've had a whole slew of other folks and friends come for short visits. A few w...
Weekend WorkGSunday, June 29th, 2014 After saying goodbye to Pete and Natasha (we miss you already!), "normal" life resumed, which means pretty much one thing: construction. Even though P & N completed the baling on both gable ends of the cottage (THANK YOU!!), we still have load...
This is Natasha & PeteGSaturday, June 28th, 2014 After our first meeting in Southeast Asia, Tara and Tyler have made yearly trips to Tennessee to visit. When they bought their land, we were super excited for them, partly because it was the beginning of their homesteading dreams, but mostly becaus...
Picking Out A Faucet at 1:30AMGFriday, June 27th, 2014 This is our weird life right now. It's 1:30AM and Tyler is on a bug-slaughtering mission, swatting fiercely at the millions of insects large and small that populate the walls and ceiling of our camper. "Not over the—!" I say, a moment too late. "…...
Thank You Hartmans!GWednesday, June 18th, 2014 So, our dear friends were a wee bit modest in the journal entry they were kind enough to write for us. First of all, they really did drive sixteen hours through the night with a SIX MONTH OLD BABY to come see us. Damn. And then, as if that wasn't a...
This is the Hartman FamilyGTuesday, June 17th, 2014 Julia: The week after I finished school (I’m a music teacher), right in the middle of my husband Dan’s busiest time at work (he's a musician, who also engineers stuff), we traveled from Illinois to Vermont in one very long trek with our 6-mont...
A Picnic Table!GSunday, June 15th, 2014 During the second half of June, our calendar is jam-packed: we're looking forward to not one, not two, but three sets of friends visiting from out of state. In celebration of "guest season," I decided it was high time we had a picnic table. See, ou...
No-Risk GardenGTuesday, June 10th, 2014 Last fall, Tyler and I surrounded our camper with hay bales from our friend Patty's farm in order to prevent cold winter winds from rushing underneath our camper. Months later, the bales had served their purpose and were decomposing into wet, rotty...
Baling Begins at LastGTuesday, June 10th, 2014 So, after three years of dreaming and planning, we've finally reached the baling portion of building a straw bale house. I have to take a minute to register my shock at how long we've been working on this project. Where on earth has the time gone...
Traveller, There is No PathGWednesday, June 4th, 2014 At Karina and Ivica's wedding, we had the joy of reconnecting with Cindy—Karina's hilarious and vivacious Aunt. I have many happy childhood memories involving Aunt Cindy, my favorites being playing "red-light green-light" in the hallway of her apar...
A Very Special WeddingGSaturday, May 24th, 2014 Sometimes we are all witnesses of how life can be weird and magical… Ivica I've sat down to write this journal entry many times. Each time, the result of my effort falls frustratingly short of what I wish to express. Still, I have to try....
A Springtime Trip to IllinoisGWednesday, May 21st, 2014 The day after our SIP roof was installed, we hurriedly packed the car for a Memorial Day weekend trip to Illinois. I drove the entire way—15 hours with only bathroom, food, and gas breaks; Tyler worked non-stop for at least 12 of those hours, progr...
SIP Roof Delivery & InstallationGTuesday, May 20th, 2014 After months of planning our roof, today was the day we'd been waiting for—bright and early this morning, a crew showed up to deliver and install our SIPs! As with any big project, the challenges began immediately. First off, their boom truck had ...
Getting ThereGFriday, May 16th, 2014 When we first embarked upon this homesteading project, we were naively dreaming of an idyllic lifestyle in the woods. It's safe to say that after two and a half years of focused effort, barring the blessing that is our friends and neighbors, we hav...
A Good ArrangementGThursday, May 15th, 2014 For the last few weeks, we've had some new company in our woods. Jonathan, who works at the local Stihl shop, has begun doing forestry work on our land. In exchange for keeping us stocked with split and stacked cordwood, he gets to sell whatever w...
Building Plaster StopsGWednesday, May 14th, 2014 The next task in our building project is assembling plaster stops. These are pieces of plywood covered in tar paper and diamond lath (also called blood lath, for the razor sharp edges it leaves when cut). We'll be affixing them anywhere plaster mee...
Working in the Wee HoursGTuesday, May 13th, 2014 "Tyler!" I hiss, roused in the middle of the night by an unmistakable plunk-plunk-plunking sound on our camper roof. "What is it?" he mumbles sleepily. "It's raining!" I reply, a touch of panic in my voice. We only tar-papered half the roof yesterd...
Cottage Roof Drywall InstallationGSunday, May 11th, 2014 For the past few days, Tara has been painting huge sheets of drywall for the roof of our house in the safety of our grindbygg workshop. I was really pleased that we had a place for her to do this—one of my original motivations for building a worksh...
Cottage Roof DeckingGSaturday, May 10th, 2014 It's amazing how much we can accomplish on a non-rainy weekend—with Tyler having two entire days to work with me on our house instead of his programming, we're able to make a ton of progress! Today, we focused on installing roof-decking, a task to ...
Building A Pony WallGThursday, May 8th, 2014 For the last few days, we have been framing a pony wall around the perimeter of our house. The main purpose of this framing is to raise our strawbales above grade so they can't get wet, but we're also going to use portions of it for storage. Every ...
Designing Our House: The RoofGWednesday, May 7th, 2014 For the past few weeks, I've been doing loads of research about roofing. Our main goal for the cottage is to have something with substantial r-value. Living in a trailer for two winters has made the importance of insulation abundantly clear. Our se...
General ContractorGMonday, May 5th, 2014 Last summer, Tyler was the general contractor for our road building, foundation laying, and grindbygg timber framing efforts. It seemed like he was always on the phone, planning the next stage of our projects. This year, with his new job consuming...
Cinco de CuatroGSunday, May 4th, 2014 Well, we survived that horrible, awful afternoon, and eventually got the stupid tarp on the house without killing ourselves in the process. By the time all was said and done, we were soaked through and shaking with cold, numb to the awfulness that ...
Timber Frame Cottage Ridge Beam & RaftersGMonday, April 28th, 2014 After everyone left yesterday, I had a panicky feeling in my stomach about all that we had left to do. The king posts needed to be installed, as did the ridge beam and the rafters. How on earth would we be able to do this by ourselves? I was re-li...
Timber Frame Cottage Frame Raising: The Big Day, Part ThreeGSunday, April 27th, 2014 After lunch, we finish raising the last bent and place the two wall plates. Next up, we check to see if the assembly is square. Our first measurement shows we're out by a whopping five inches from corner to corner. At this point, Rick and Charlie...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Big Day, Part TwoGSunday, April 27th, 2014 Shortly after raising the first bent, our dear friend Jenna arrives bearing a gorgeous loaf of wood-fired-oven-baked bread, and her tiny, bleating lamb, Brianna. We pause to greet her, and to hold the lamb, cooing at its perfect adorableness, buryi...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Big Day, Part OneGSunday, April 27th, 2014 As I arrange bananas, a water jug, and several containers of snacks on a makeshift plywood table this morning, I do so with a feeling of peace. With the stress of non-stop preparation and the uncertainty of assembling the first bent of our home be...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: The Dress RehearsalGSaturday, April 26th, 2014 It's a clammy, dark afternoon. I just picked up Tyler from the airport after his week in California, and we've been home for less than an hour. Already we're at the house site, going over final preparations for the frame raising of our little cotta...
Timber Frame Cottage Raising: PreparationGFriday, April 25th, 2014 While Tyler spent the week working in sunny California, I held down the fort and got us ready for the long awaited frame raising of our little timber frame cottage! I set a date, invited some friends, and then proceeded to obsess about the weather ...
Tar Paper on Workshop Roof DeckingGSunday, April 20th, 2014 This evening, Bocoup is flying me to Santa Monica to kick off a project with a new client. While planning for this, I asked our office manager to book the flight as late as possible this Sunday—I wanted to take full advantage of the sunny weekend....
Finish Work on the Solar ShedGSaturday, April 19th, 2014 It's amazing what we can get done when there isn't a foot of snow on the ground! This weekend was full-on spring, with glorious warm weather and sunny skies. To celebrate and make the most of it, we spent every single hour of daylight tying up the ...
Straw Bale WorkshopGTuesday, April 15th, 2014 For the past week, we've had the privilege of attending a straw bale workshop run by Andrew Morrison at The Healing Co-op in Middletown, Rhode Island. We've come away from the experience feeling changed and blessed. The hands-on lessons Andrew ga...
The Cottage Windows Are HereGMonday, April 14th, 2014 As the general contractor for our little house build, it's immensely satisfying to watch the pieces of this giant puzzle fall into place. Today, the windows I spent ages selecting arrived. They're stored in the workshop now, awaiting their install...
Fleeing Mud Season to BostonGSunday, April 6th, 2014 Tyler and I have just finished a fantastic week in Boston! He was in the city to work and teach a class on Javascript at the Bocoup Loft, and I was lucky enough to tag along. The mini break could not have come at a better time. After months of snow...
Solar Shed Work BenchGSaturday, March 29th, 2014 One of the last things we did today was build a corner work bench inside the solar shed. I am seriously beside myself with excitement about this. As soon as we were done, I put my soldering iron, multimeter, flux, "third hand" and other electroni...
Building the Solar Shed, Part Six: Interior & Site GradingGSaturday, March 29th, 2014 Today, we started sheathing the interior of the solar shed with utilitarian plywood. As usual, I took the measuring duties while Tyler did the sawing. First, I marked each sheet to fit its designated location, then outlined the spaces we'd need t...
Solar Panels & Charge Controller ArriveGFriday, March 28th, 2014 The first round of components for our off-grid power system arrived today! We now have six REC PE245 solar panels waiting to be mounted on the roof of our solar shed, an Outback FM80 charge controller to regulate their output, and a bunch of assor...
Building the Solar Shed, Part Five: Wiring & InsulationGSunday, March 23rd, 2014 We made more progress on the solar shed today. First, we nailed the sill plate to our foundation using a ".22 nailer". It's basically a tiny rifle with bullet-like charges that you set off with a hammer. The resulting blast shoots a nail straigh...
Building the Solar Shed, Part Four: Shingles & TrimGSunday, March 16th, 2014 This week, we've been working on adding trim and fascia boards to the solar shed. We also started shingling the roof! As per usual, each time we start a new building task that neither of us has done before, Charlie drops by to give us a brief lesso...
Nailing Solar Shed SidingGTuesday, March 11th, 2014 Today felt like spring, and though our land was still covered in snow and ice, birds were flitting about joyfully and the sun shone brightly. Trying to make the most of this fleetingly favorable weather (we're supposed to get another ten inches of ...
Thoughts on Building and LearningGMonday, March 10th, 2014 After a productive planning session with Charlie, Becky treated us to a fabulous supper of homemade pizza topped with spicy merguez sausage, arugula, parmesan cheese, and pickled red onions. As we settled in for the meal, our conversation turned to...
Planning with CharlieGMonday, March 10th, 2014 With Tyler working full-time at Bocoup, I've taken on the role of contractor for our house-construction project. We're still going to work together on the building process, but I'm doing the vast majority of the scheduling, calculating, ordering, a...
Building the Solar Shed, Part Three: SidingGSunday, March 9th, 2014 We haven't done much of anything outside since our shed building blitz this January. For the last two months, we've been hunkered down in our camper, keeping warm as feet of snow accumulate on our land. This morning, a crack appeared in winter's ...
Cold Antler Farm BookGFriday, March 7th, 2014 Our dear friend Jenna is releasing a new book, all about her homestead and the rhythm of seasons and celebrations that accompany it. If you're at all interested in farming, or learning what it's like to quit your job and follow your heart, read Jen...
Designing Our House: The WindowsGThursday, March 6th, 2014 Over the past few months, I've been researching, planning, and gathering materials for the construction of our little cottage. My first area of focus has been the windows. Initially, I went through a phase where I was dead-set on having wavy glass ...
On Starting a Homestead from Scratch: Lessons from our First Year, Part OneGSunday, February 16th, 2014 Over the course of the past year, we've chatted with many folks who are hoping to start a homestead. Like us, they've been dreaming of going "back to the land," of living a simple, self-sufficient life in the country. Quite often, they've sought o...
Clearing Trees for Solar PowerGTuesday, February 11th, 2014 With the roof of our solar shed nearly complete, it's very easy to see which trees are going to block sunlight for the solar panels we want to install on it. Unfortunately, the biggest offenders are right next to our wellhead and camper, two thing...
TodayGSunday, February 9th, 2014 When Tyler and I were journaling every day, we had the process down to a science. While it was far from easy, at least it felt routine. Lately, our journalling efforts have been sporadic, and my writing muscles are weak from lack of consistent prac...
Thirty TodayGSaturday, January 25th, 2014 Today is my thirtieth birthday. I'd never understood the stigma that surrounds milestone birthdays… until a few months ago. Suddenly, an uneasy voice in my head started saying things like: "oof, you really should up your usage of facial moisturize...
Building the Solar Shed, Part Two: More FramingGThursday, January 16th, 2014 We awoke this morning to find a half an inch of snow on the ground, and more soft, white flakes tumbling from grey skies overhead. Crap. The forecast had called for sun and unseasonable warmth! Despite the fact that our springlike weather disappea...
Building the Solar Shed, Part One: FramingGWednesday, January 15th, 2014 When Tyler came back from Becky and Charlie's place a few days ago, casually informing me that we'd be building our solar shed this week (during a brief window when the forecast called for warmth and sun), I could not have been more surprised or mo...
Woo Hoo, I Work At Bocoup!GMonday, January 6th, 2014 I just landed my dream job—as of today, I am an engineer at Bocoup! After eight years running a one-man software consultancy, I am ready for something new. I'm not usually much of a group joiner, but the Bocoup team has totally won me over. ...
It's Good to Be BackGSaturday, January 4th, 2014 The camper is a toasty 60 degrees this morning, and it feels much more like home. Today, we'll get back in the groove of life in Vermont. We'll pick up our winter CSA shares from Becky and Charlie, and we'll no doubt catch up over a glass of wine,...
Winter Arrival on Our LandGSaturday, January 4th, 2014 We're headed home to Vermont after a month-long trip to the Midwest. For the past twenty-five hours, Tyler and I have been taking turns—one of us behind the wheel, and one of us sleeping in a moderately comfortable position in the back seat of our...
The Year in ReviewGWednesday, January 1st, 2014 Normally it feels worthwhile to sit down and reflect upon the events of the past three hundred and sixty five days. And yet, as I've been perusing our photos and journal entries from the past year in preparation for this post, I've been overwhelmed...
November 2013, in Photos, er, MusicGSaturday, November 30th, 2013 Today marks the first time in four years that we don't have an overabundance of pictures to pick from for a monthly photo post. So, this entry is going to be about music instead. Two months ago, we both got instruments and started taking lessons....
Bike. Camp. Cook. Events!GSaturday, November 30th, 2013 Tyler and I are currently in Illinois, staying with my family for a few weeks before the holidays. While we're in my hometown, I'll be putting on three different talks about my new bicycle touring cookbook, Bike. Camp. Cook. If you live in the midw...
Strawbales FoundGMonday, November 25th, 2013 This week, I found a listing for straw bales that looked really promising. When I called Gary, the farmer selling the bales, he knew just what I wanted. Almost before I could describe our plans, he was saying, "Oh yeah, this is what you're lookin...
Finding Strawbales for ConstructionGSunday, November 17th, 2013 Gearing up for construction season this coming Spring, I've been focusing my attention on acquiring the straw bales that will form the walls of our house and workshop. After poring over our green building books and various online sources, I compil...
Good CompanyGWednesday, November 13th, 2013 We're feeling a bit better this week, and a big part of it has to do with the fact that we've had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with two different couples who are also hopeful homesteaders. Chatting about shared dreams with like-minded...
Fear is the Mind-KillerGMonday, November 4th, 2013 Over the past few weeks, we've been lucky to last more than two or three days without one of us having some kind of emotional breakdown/explosion. With night falling sooner and sooner each afternoon, it feels like darkness is descending upon us. M...
First SnowfallGFriday, November 1st, 2013 This morning, I pulled up our bedroom shade and gasped with delight when I saw my first glimpse of the world outside our camper: the ground was dusted with white, and fat, wet flakes were falling gently in our woods. Our first snowfall of the seaso...
Stacking WoodGMonday, October 28th, 2013 For the last few days, Tara and I have spent an hour or two each morning stacking wood. It'll be a year or more before we start burning these logs to heat our little cottage, but the work fills me with an immediate sense of joy. It just feels rig...
Fall Family VisitsGWednesday, October 23rd, 2013 October has been a month of family visits. First, Tyler's mom, Jodi, arrived. Charlie and Becky were kind enough to let her stay at their place while they were gone, so the three of us spent our days in a real house with a lovely kitchen and a wall...
Late October Horsecart RideGSunday, October 20th, 2013 This morning, while Tyler worked with Charlie splitting wood, I headed over to West Arlington for another horsecart ride with the Washington County Draft Animal Association. It was colder than last time, and most of the leaves had fallen from the t...
Splitting WoodGSunday, October 20th, 2013 Over the last year we have harvested a huge amount of wood while clearing downed trees on our land. We've been dumping the collection near the top of our driveway—after eight months of off-and-on work, the pile has become something of a mountain....
An Autumn Ride by HorsecartGSunday, September 29th, 2013 On many occasions, I've written about how much I love our new home, about how it's a magical, beautiful place where wonderful people do interesting things that make my soul come alive. Today, as we join our friends Jenna, Patty, Mark, and the whole...
Workshop Roof Decking CompleteGFriday, September 27th, 2013 The decking for our workshop roof is complete! Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. I was hoping the last course of boards would overlap the ridge by a few inches on either side, allowing for a small miter cut to form a nice seam a...
Tyler-Be-NimbleGThursday, September 26th, 2013 Tyler and I may have worked our butts off together on the workshop rafters, but this roofing job is 99.99% his effort. While I stay on terra firma, focusing on book stuff, or raking dirt around the site to spread clover seed, he perches on our roof...
Roofin'GWednesday, September 25th, 2013 Each evening this week, Jeremy has sent me a text, letting me know if he'll be able to help with the workshop. He doesn't ask if I need another pair of hands, he simply arrives as if it were a foregone conclusion that we'll be roofing together onc...
Faces on ThingsGTuesday, September 24th, 2013 Tara and I are constantly spotting faces on inanimate objects. Apparently, our shared subconscious is so busy anthropomorphizing things that we don't even have to point them out. We just say, "Do you see it?", and invariably we'll both identify t...
Laying Roof DeckingGMonday, September 23rd, 2013 This morning, I climbed onto the roof of our workshop and I didn't come down until dusk. I was busy loping around on our rafters with a mallet, drill, and saw in hand, laying courses of tongue and groove roof decking. It feels so good to have rea...
Roof Decking BeginsGFriday, September 20th, 2013 This morning, our neighbor Charlie arrived bright and early with a bucket of tools, ready to help us lay the first course of tongue and groove decking on both sides of our workshop. It was a fairly easy task—we just measured from the peak of the r...
Good NeighborsGFriday, September 20th, 2013 I love our neighbors. Hardly a day goes by that I don't find myself marveling at how lucky we are to live where we do. Just down the road from us there's Tracy, who runs a kennel and the local animal control. After stopping by to see our worksho...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: The Last RafterGThursday, September 19th, 2013 We did it! The rafters are complete! ...
Tongue & Groove Roof Decking DeliveryGWednesday, September 18th, 2013 After parting ways with Jahnavi and Addison in Saratoga Springs, we raced back home, arriving just in time to receive a shipment of roof decking for our grindbygg workshop. We now have nearly two hundred kiln-dried 2"x6"x16' tongue and groove spru...
The Love SprocketsGWednesday, September 18th, 2013 This morning, we wake our guests with bacon and cheesy scrambled eggs, rich apple-cheddar scones and mugs of recently pressed apple cider. "Is this real? Jahnavi asks, her bleary eyes coming into focus, finding a feast of epic proportions set befor...
Paying it ForwardGTuesday, September 17th, 2013 This evening, just as the skies were darkening into a milky pink dusk, we turned on to route 7A, headed to our friend Jenna's house for an evening of board games and camaraderie. Rounding the corner, we passed a pair of touring cyclists, their hel...
Cider PressingGSunday, September 15th, 2013 The morning is glorious, all aqua skies and green mountains tinged with a hint of faded gold. Driving into the Shaftsbury countryside, we wend our way over back roads we've never seen, marveling at the beauty before us. Around every turn on the tre...
Traditional Scottish Trio: CantripGSaturday, September 14th, 2013 Yesterday, while munching on apple cider donuts and chatting with Greer at Clear Brook, a yellow flier on the bulletin board caught my eye. On it was advertised a house concert in neighboring East Arlington that would be happening the very next day...
Picking Apples for Cider PressingGSaturday, September 14th, 2013 As we drive to our dear friend Jenna's farm, curving lazily along the Battenkill river, I am incapable of wiping the grin from my face. My kickstarter project launched just three days ago and it's already 30% funded! As well, we have an exciting w...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: Rafters, Part TwoGFriday, September 13th, 2013 Ever since we got over the hump of raising the first rafter, our grindbygg roof building project has been going fairly smoothly. It's actually pretty simple thanks to the jigs Peter left us with. The hardest part of the process is getting the raf...
THE BOOK! THE BOOK! THE BOOK!GThursday, September 12th, 2013 For the last two years, I've been writing a cookbook designed especially for bike tourists. It's called Bike. Camp. Cook., and today, it is officially complete! (YIPPEE!!!) In order to fund the first press run, I'm taking pre-orders through a kic...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: The First RafterGSunday, September 1st, 2013 When Peter and the students left last week, I was crestfallen. Though I was excited about the huge progress we'd made, my enthusiasm was deeply underscored with a bitter cocktail of exhaustion and gnawing concern about the work that remained. Ins...
AftermathGMonday, August 19th, 2013 It's 4:00AM when our alarm sounds, and we miraculously manage to rouse ourselves to stumble out of bed. Trent is up, packing, making coffee for the last time in the kitchen tent. Soon after, Peter and Amy join him for their morning brew. Together ...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: Day Seven NightGSunday, August 18th, 2013 By the time one wall plate is seated properly and the other is placed where it can be maneuvered without the excavator, it's finally time for a very late supper around 9PM. We're strung out, completely and utterly spent, and way past the point of b...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: Day Seven AfternoonGSunday, August 18th, 2013 Watching Peter work is a sight to behold. He's driven and focused on his art, and so single-minded that he reminds me of Tyler when he's programming. Like Tyler, he powers through the day with seemingly superhuman stamina, hardly remembering to eat...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: Day Seven MorningGSunday, August 18th, 2013 It's Sunday, the very last day of our extended Grindbygg raising. We have two bents to raise today, plus the two wall plates that will sit atop all the tie beams. Our small group (Kit, Bruce, Trent and Roger remain) is hopeful and dedicated, and we...
Grindbygg Timber Framing: Day SixGSaturday, August 17th, 2013 Another day longer, another grind stronger... ...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day Five EveningGFriday, August 16th, 2013 It's the last day, and everyone is working like mad to ensure we'll be ready to raise the first bent (or grind, if you're Norwegian)… Once that task is successfully completed, we drill peg-holes and hammer in the first of our h...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day Five MorningGFriday, August 16th, 2013 It's the final day of our workshop, and I feel calmer and more at peace than I've felt in weeks. My worst nightmare is definitely coming true (or parts of it at least): there's no way we're going to be able to finish today. Thankfully, the prospect...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day FourGThursday, August 15th, 2013 It's day four of the workshop and we're starting to feel slightly competent! Here are some pictures from another day at the worksite: Tomorrow afternoon, our final class day, Rick will be here to raise one of the bents...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: ThoughtsGWednesday, August 14th, 2013 Though each day of this course is filled with the highs and lows of learning new skills, and each evening is spent with laughter and camaraderie by the fire, Tyler and I are both filled with mounting dread. Here we are at the end of day three, and ...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day ThreeGWednesday, August 14th, 2013 Our alarm sounds at 7AM. Laying in bed, we are both groggy and exhausted. "Are you ready?" Tyler asks. "Not yet," I reply. In a few minutes, it'll be time for another action-packed day of hosting our timber framing course, but for now, I want to ba...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day TwoGTuesday, August 13th, 2013 The morning dawns dark and wet, with torrential rains that soak our land. Thankfully, the canopy that Tyler, Peter and Amy built last night is holding up well. Without that very important piece of gear, there's no way we would be able to accomplis...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day OneGMonday, August 12th, 2013 I awake to the sound of water being pumped from our well, and the smell of coffee brewing. I smile. Outside, workshop participants are congregating in the camp kitchen we've set up, making themselves at home. Breakfast is eaten standing, or around ...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Day ZeroGSunday, August 11th, 2013 This morning, our friend Jenna arrives bright and early with the intention of helping us peel bark for our timber frame. Thanks to everyone's help yesterday, however, we're done! Instead, we focus our attention on the outdoor shower that Tyler and...
Peeling Bark with FriendsGSaturday, August 10th, 2013 When I was little, one of my favorite books was A New Coat for Anna, in which a young girl and her mother spent an entire year getting all of the components ready for her new winter coat. First they visited the shepherd and his flock, bartering for...
Grindbygg Timber Framing Course: Site StagingGThursday, August 8th, 2013 Yesterday evening, our timber framing instructor Peter, his wife Amy, and their two girls, Robin and Linnea arrived! This morning, we went through the workshop site, making sure everything was in order. Peter showed us where he wanted all of our f...
The Porta Potties Arrived!GWednesday, August 7th, 2013 Woohoo! Now our class attendees will have bathrooms, and we have one less thing to do! ...
Tired is DangerousGWednesday, August 7th, 2013 This morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed at 5AM with the shared hope of finishing a massive to-do list for our timber framing class next week. We started the morning sitting side by side, staring into the middle distance, robotically eating b...
Peeling BarkGTuesday, August 6th, 2013 Today, we woke early with the intention of spending the day debarking the posts of our timber frame workshop. We brought our big water jug down to the workshop site, and Tyler ordered a pizza from East Arlington Takout so we wouldn't crash and burn...
Hi Greer!GMonday, August 5th, 2013 Hello Greer! We know you're reading this, so we wanted to say HI! And we wanted to thank you for being such a warm, caring, radiant presence in our lives right now. Thank you for coming to visit our land the other day, and thank you for lending us ...
GloriousGSaturday, August 3rd, 2013 Glorious is the only word I can think of to describe the past few days. Weather-wise, it's obvious that we're over the summertime hump, past the blinding sun and harsh overwhelming heat of July, into the dappled days of nearly-fall. No longer do I ...
Star Trails Over Our LandGFriday, August 2nd, 2013 This is what the night sky over our land looks like! Exposure Length: 1 hour Focal Length: 20mm Aperture: ƒ/8 ISO: 100 ...and here is a still test-shot from getting the photo framed: I love where we live. ...
Pig Delivery at Cold Antler FarmGThursday, August 1st, 2013 Today, after working on our land, we headed over to Jenna's place in anticipation of our friend Tom's arrival. He was bringing four pigs for Jenna's new woodland pig pagoda, and we wanted to be there for the experience. Soon, he rolled up in his bi...
Workshop Retaining WallGWednesday, July 31st, 2013 Today, Chris and Pete showed up to assemble the final piece of our workshop foundation: a retaining wall form for the west side of the building. The setup only took a few hours. When they were ready, we called in the concrete. This ...
Roundwood Spruce RaftersGTuesday, July 30th, 2013 With the workshop slab ready for our timber framing course, it's finally time to shift our focus to something other than building foundations. Today, I am picking up rafters logs from Capital Sawmill in Nassau, New York. I have to thank John, ove...
Generator UpdateGMonday, July 29th, 2013 I just realized that I didn't write anything about the fate of our generator after it stopped running a few weeks back. To my chagrin, Bob, over at Day's Small Engine Repair was able to get in running in about two minutes. He just took the spark ...
Holiday on WheelsGSunday, July 28th, 2013 Today, I stopped at our local library's book sale, and was happily surprised to discover a book called Holiday on Wheels by Catherine Woolley. This 1950s children's novel is about a boy named David who quits his paper route because he doesn't like ...
Bare Feet on ConcreteGSaturday, July 27th, 2013 We've just pulled into the driveway after a day of helping Jenna build her pigpen. As the wheels of our truck crunch up the stone driveway, we can hear our woods buzzing with summer crickets and evening birds. It's good to be home. Halfway up th...
A Pigpen for JennaGSaturday, July 27th, 2013 This morning, we loaded up some of our tools, grabbed a few random bits of wood from our workshop site, and headed over to see our friend, Jenna at Cold Antler Farm. There, we met Kathy and Mary of Wind Women Farm, and after a morning cup of mate t...
Workshop Slab Concrete Pour: Part TwoGFriday, July 26th, 2013 Immediately, I am brainstorming places we can use the extra concrete. Maybe we could pour another slab somewhere? Tara doesn't think we should make rash decisions that we'll be stuck with, but I'm able to convince her when I remember a spot along...
Ready to PourGThursday, July 25th, 2013 With concrete trucks due to arrive at 7AM tomorrow, we spent the day putting finishing touches on our workshop form. Somehow, the final details always seem to stretch on forever! The first job of the day was to snip all the ends off the zip ties ...
Mary and Jack VisitGTuesday, July 23rd, 2013 This weekend, our dear friends Mary and Jack dropped in for a visit after a marathon 24-hour trek from Minnesota. Before they continued on to their final destination of Maine, we were lucky enough to spend two wonderful days with them. Over burge...
The DumpGMonday, July 22nd, 2013 We recently visited the local dump to get rid of some construction debris from our workshop. When we pulled in, they weighed our truck, told us to hurl our crap into a nearby pole barn, and informed us that they'd measure us again on the way out—w...
Wild RaspberriesGSunday, July 21st, 2013 This winter, as we hacked our way through brown, thorny canes that snagged our pants as we walked through the woods, we figured they would eventually prove to be berry bushes. Sure enough, those canes have grown into a brambly green jungle, produci...
Cereal DaysGSaturday, July 20th, 2013 We've been a little obsessed with cereal lately, eating bowls of the stuff not only for breakfast but at all times of the day. I think our food choices have to do with the facts that a) it's flipping hot out, and I can't bear to turn on the oven or...
Workshop Rebar InstallationGThursday, July 18th, 2013 On this hot July day, we spent the entire morning and afternoon at our workshop site, laying reinforcing rod inside our concrete form. The plans called for a grid two feet on center over the entire slab, as well as additional reinforcements along ...
Two is One, One is NoneGWednesday, July 17th, 2013 This morning, our generator wouldn't start. Instead of laying rebar in the workshop's concrete form, I blew the balance of an entire day going through everything I could think of that would be causing the issue. I confirmed there was gas in the t...
My Construction NightmareGTuesday, July 16th, 2013 It's time to pour the concrete floor for our worskhop, and we have like twenty people here to help. For some reason, the form is really long and skinny, like a lap pool. Tara and I have been running around with the attendees all morning, doing la...
In-Floor OutletsGMonday, July 15th, 2013 Every morning, around 7AM, my brain starts yelling at me to get something "productive" done. I swear this nagging voice has carved a literal groove (or fifty) in my cerebrum over the years. Generally speaking, I acquiesce. I know that if I haven...
Last Day in MaineGSunday, July 14th, 2013 With Mike and Eliza in the midst of restoring an 1800s farmhouse, and Tyler and I busy hacking a homestead out of ten acres of land, we're trying to cram as much summer fun into one weekend as we can. It's our last day in Maine, and we've decide th...
Beach TimeGSaturday, July 13th, 2013 When Tyler and I were looking to relocate from the land-locked Midwest, we were certain of one thing: if we left, we wanted to be within a few hours of the ocean. This morning, as we drive to Reid State Park for an afternoon on the beach with Mike,...
Mini Maine VacationGFriday, July 12th, 2013 This morning, we packed a small suitcase and took a much-needed break from the woods, embarking on a trip to Maine to see our friends, Mike and Eliza. I have been psyched about this mini Maine vacation for weeks! Now that we live in Vermont, we're ...
Raking RocksGThursday, July 11th, 2013 After finishing my indexing quota for the day, I headed "downstairs" to help Tyler rake the stone that was dumped in our workshop's concrete form yesterday. Using Peter's slab plans as a guide, we shaped the material into a flat mound with carefull...
French Drains and FillGWednesday, July 10th, 2013 Today, we received thirty tons of 3/4" stone: Rick scooped most of it into the concrete form for our workshop: After that, we made a french drain around the back wall: First, we put down a layer of stone: Then, a layer of st...
The Persistence of PizzaGTuesday, July 9th, 2013 This evening, we decided it would be a good idea make a frozen pizza. This is our "too tired to make anything else and can't bear to create any more dirty dishes" meal. The pizza, which I had previously folded in half so I could successfully shov...
Road BuildingGMonday, July 8th, 2013 Our alarm sounds at 7AM, ringing in another day of construction here on our homestead. Eyes barely open, I fumble around for the phone, ready to get started. Half asleep, I ring our truck driver, Richard, confirming that he is still available to ...
IndexingGMonday, July 8th, 2013 While Tyler and Rick worked on our road today, progressing ever closer to the finish line, I spent a productive day in our camper poring over my bicycle touring cookbook. With so much going on since we moved to Vermont, I've had trouble focusing mu...
Do-OverGSunday, July 7th, 2013 Tara Tyler wants to do a daily journal. Just a paragraph, he says, about anything he says. We won't even edit it! My eyelids droop. So much to say and so little energy to say it. I'll write more tomorrow, about the blazing sun and the torrential ...
The Dirty LifeGTuesday, July 2nd, 2013 For the past four days, we’ve been dog-sitting for Jeremy & Hercilia, living a life of ease and comfort at their house. What a convenience it has been to have hot, running water for bathing and dishwashing, space to peel off dirty shoes and fi...
Green Mountain National Forest: Grout PondGSaturday, June 29th, 2013 We're dog-sitting at Jeremy and Hercilia's place this week. It's barely 7AM and their twelve year old german shorthaired pointer, Roscoe, is whimpering from the living room, begging for us to wake up and pay attention to him. Little does he know,...
Our Cottage Foundation, Wing Insulation & Backfilling: Part SevenGThursday, June 27th, 2013 Yesterday, we removed the form bracing and laid the wing insulation for our cottage's frost-protected foundation. Today, Rick brought his excavator up to the site and helped us back-fill over it. It was an easy job—the whole process took all of t...
Our Cottage Foundation, Finishing the Slab: Part SixGTuesday, June 25th, 2013 After about an hour of chatting, Pete encourages us to put our hurricane straps in before the concrete is too dry. I'm surprised—I assumed it would take ages to reach that stage! Together, Tyler and I climb up the ridge to the house site, and sur...
Our Cottage Foundation, Part Five: Pouring ConcreteGTuesday, June 25th, 2013 At long last, the day has arrived—we're pouring the foundation for our cottage! Things kick off bright and early with Rick pulling in at 7AM. He's here to check on us before the cement truck, pump truck, and masons arrive. Right off, he spots th...
Our Cottage Foundation, Part Four: Radiant Heating InstallationGMonday, June 24th, 2013 The final major detail in preparing our cottage foundation for concrete is to lay PEX tubing for a radiant heating system. We don't have immediate plans to use it, but at a cost of about $100, it seems foolish to leave such an efficient heating op...
Katherine & Michael VisitGSunday, June 23rd, 2013 In 2010, while we were in Tunisia riding our moped Habib across salt flats and Star Wars sets, we recieved an email from an Australian couple who were following our journal. In the message, Katherine and Michael introduced themselves, and told us ...
Ian & Lizza's WeddingGSunday, June 16th, 2013 Runnin' from the cold up in New England, I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band... "Wagon Wheel," by Old Crow Medicine Show Four days ago, as Tyler and I drove out of our muddy, squelching driveway to embark on a 14-hour trek ...
Our Cottage Foundation, Part Three: Adding ReinforcementsGSaturday, June 15th, 2013 In order to support point loads from our timber frame posts, the outside edge of our cottage's concrete foundation will be roughly 12" deep, while the central portion will slope up to 6". To create this shape, we filled most of the form with 3/4" ...
Our Cottage Foundation, Part Two: Moisture BarriersGFriday, June 14th, 2013 With our concrete form built, and its interior foam over 6mil plastic installed, we applied two additional moisture barriers. First up, we filled any gaps between our 4'x8' sheets of EPS insulation with minimally expanding foam. The kkkhschhhhh o...
Our Cottage Foundation, Part One: Concrete Forms & InsulationGThursday, June 13th, 2013 Last month, after we cleared the building site for our cottage, we started work on our foundations. With some instruction from Rick, we built our first-ever concrete form: a wooden frame to contain the frost-protected slab for our house. After me...
GloomGWednesday, June 12th, 2013 This morning, like every other morning in recent memory, I awake to the sound of rain splattering on our camper and the chhhhhhhhh of wet leaves on branches that sway in the wind. Outside our 16-by-8 foot travel trailer, the world is wet and lush, ...
Unloading SlateGSunday, June 2nd, 2013 Now that the Bonettis have headed home, it's time to unload the slate from the back of our heavily-laden truck. It's a laborious process—Tyler sits in the bed of the truck, taking each tile and tapping it lightly with a hammer. We've read that a r...
Our Land, Past & Present: Meeting the BonettisGSunday, June 2nd, 2013 We just wanted to say hello. We are the ones that you bought the property from. We have been following your web site to see what you are doing with it. We noticed that you are working on the land now. We hope that you are enjoying the propert...
Weekend Road Trip, Part Three: Visiting Sue & MarkGSaturday, June 1st, 2013 We're about an hour and a half into our road-trip home, headed south on Route 22A in the gorgeous green hills of the Champlain Valley. We're just a few miles from where we disembarked the Fort Ticonderoga ferry two years ago, entering Vermont for ...
Weekend Road Trip, Part Two: Sightseeing with BethGSaturday, June 1st, 2013 Before Tyler and I hit the road with our slate, Jim tells us that we really must see the nearby Island Line Trail, saying it would be a shame to be this far north and miss the railbed-turned-bikepath that crosses the lake. He also advises us not t...
Weekend Road Trip, Part One: Buying SlateGSaturday, June 1st, 2013 Last night, we stayed up into the wee hours, re-living some of our travels and travails in Vietnam. It's not often that we read our own journal entries—we're usually focused on the present, busily writing new stories. But, I'm having my second an...
Switching to SlateGSaturday, June 1st, 2013 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 must...
Dinner with Dan & TambraGFriday, May 31st, 2013 This past February, Tyler and I received a message from a woman named Tambra who had found us via our friend Jenna's blog. She and her husband Dan live in the DC area, but visit their property in Sandgate, Vermont every chance they get. We've kept ...
Little Hopper, the Bunny from Home DepotGTuesday, May 28th, 2013 While Tara and I were at Home Depot this evening, a little bunny popped out of some corrugated pipe we were buying. Both we and the little fluff-ball sat totally frozen, staring at one another for a good twenty seconds before it tore off down the ...
Buying Herbs at Shaftbury's Clear Brook FarmGMonday, May 27th, 2013 I've been aching to pursue the gardening aspect of our new homesteading life, but alas, it's far too early in the game for that sort of nesting. With large machinery passing through our future garden space at least once a week, and several vehicles...
Struck by LightningGSunday, May 26th, 2013 During one of the storms last week, a particularly close lightning strike took out our cheap, walmart-purchased inverter. With a resounding POP, it pushed its final electrons into a low-voltage alarm squeal that warbled for a moment, then dropped ...
Rain Rain Go AwayGSaturday, May 25th, 2013 It's been raining non-stop for a week. As a result, we haven't made any progress on our our foundations. Boo! Our driveway and clearing are becoming a mud-pit, too: The only upside to all of this is that we've been able to sleep in a ...
This is David & AndréeGFriday, May 24th, 2013 We are David and Andrée, a French-Canadian couple from Québec City, and longtime readers of Going Slowly. Passionate readers should we say! In fact, we both read Tara and Tyler's story "from cover to cover", and still follow it with assiduity, lik...
A Mountain of FoamGFriday, May 24th, 2013 We received a small mountain of EPS foam for our shallow frost-protected slabs today, and getting it home was a bit of a fiasco. Our shipment was supposed to arrive on a box truck, but instead, it came on a seventy-foot-long semi. Tyler did his b...
Insulating Our Shallow Frost Protected FoundationsGThursday, May 23rd, 2013 Assuming everything goes to plan, we will be pouring two shallow frost-protected concrete slabs next month. One for our grindbygg workshop, and the other for a small timber frame cottage. We've chosen this style of foundation because our land is ...
Getting Our Poop In a Group, Part Three: Finishing the Compost BinsGTuesday, May 14th, 2013 With Spring officially here, we were able to spend a day finishing the compost bins we started last winter. We decided to put them against the east side of our clearing, next to where the gardens will be. This is the first real structure we've bui...
Cleaning the DriveGSunday, May 12th, 2013 Today, we spent nearly ten hours clearing logs along the edge of our driveway. We've worked at this project on many occasions, but today we were armed with Rick's dump-trailer, and it made a world of difference. Once we had the wood chainsawed in...
Building SitesGSaturday, May 11th, 2013 So, I've been meaning to write an exhaustive journal outlining all the pros and cons of various foundation styles, why we've chosen to build frost-protected slabs for both our workshop and cottage, what they are, how they work, why we chose EPS foa...
Permitting Our ProjectsGThursday, May 9th, 2013 This season, we're starting four structures: an 18'x24' timber frame workshop, a 12'x16' timber frame cottage, a small shed to house batteries and electronics for a future solar array, and another small shed to enclose our wellhead and water storag...
Getting Our Poop In a Group, Part One: Our Composting ToiletGWednesday, May 8th, 2013 Last year, Tyler and I read The Humanure Handbook, a fantastically eye-opening book about how to safely compost your own waste and return it to the soil as fertilizer. The simple system this book describes uses sawdust toilets (a receptacle with a ...
Off Grid Cable Internet Access w/ Power Over EthernetGWednesday, May 8th, 2013 I am thrilled to say that I am posting this journal entry from a high speed cable internet connection, on our land, nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont! Today was a triumphant day, and at the moment, I couldn't be happier. It feels as thoug...
The Poultry SwapGSunday, May 5th, 2013 When our phone alarm sounds at 5:00AM this morning, the sun is already up, and a chorus of birds is cheerily chirping in our newly leafed-out woods. Excited about what lay in store for the day, we throw off the covers: it's time for the Poultry Swa...
Ticked OffGSaturday, May 4th, 2013 Today was rough. All morning and afternoon, I found myself teetering along an emotional knife-edge, often slipping into full-on freak-out mode. Instead of being thrilled to be on our land, or completely enamored by the fact that we're living our D...
Back to Vermont for Keeps: Part TwoGThursday, May 2nd, 2013 The last two weeks in Illinois were wonderful. Our days were filled with cooking projects, restaurant-going, game nights with friends, ambitious cleaning efforts in my parents' basement, long chats at the dinner table, and many quiet afternoons on ...
Back to Vermont for Keeps: Part OneGFriday, April 19th, 2013 Last week, I finished the massive task of sanding and staining all of the wood for our timber frame cottage. Meanwhile, Tyler completed a major work project that will hopefully pay for the cost of the gravel driveway we'll be putting on our land. ...
Truck UpgradesGThursday, April 18th, 2013 With just a week before Tara and I move to Vermont officially, my brother-in-law Paul helped me install several important upgrades for our work truck. Among them were a snow plow mount with quick releases for the hydraulics, some handy auxiliary fl...
Timber Framing Course: Norwegian Grindbygg "Trestle Frame" GWednesday, April 3rd, 2013 This August, join us with master timber framer Peter Henrikson to hand-craft and raise a one-of-a-kind Norwegian Grindbygg workshop in Arlington, Vermont. This unique style of roundwood construction is the oldest known building technique in Norway...
Timber Framing at Going Slowly HQGTuesday, April 2nd, 2013 Last summer, Tara and I fell in love with timber framing, thanks to a fantastic course offered by North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. There, in an idyllic workshop on the shore of Lake Superior, under the instruction of Peter Henri...
This is KarinaGThursday, March 21st, 2013 Tara is one of my best and oldest friends, so it should come as no surprise that, for years now, I've been following her and Tyler’s worldly adventures with a ravenous appetite. The story I'm about to share is an improbable, synchronicity-filled ta...
What We're Up ToGSunday, March 17th, 2013 We're in Minnesota again! Our last days in Vermont this winter were busy, a whirlwind of cleaning and packing and readying our camper for two months without human inhabitants. The day before we left, we were treated with a snowstorm which deposit...
Don't Believe What You See on TVGFriday, March 15th, 2013 I think I'm in shock after watching 20/20 this evening. The whole show was an absolute joke. I was literally repulsed from start to finish by its over-produced, over-dramatized, highly sensationalized "news" stories. All I gleaned from the exper...
20/20 UpdateGFriday, March 15th, 2013 Booo! ABC's 20/20 cut us at the last minute from the show they're airing tonight! Here is the email we recieved this morning from the producer: Hi Tyler…just writing to let you know the segment is airing tonight, however I’m so sorry to tell...
A Visit from Kyle the ForesterGThursday, March 7th, 2013 Yesterday, as snow fell softly, we met with our local county forester, Kyle. After he pulled on his hiking boots and donned a warm hat, he joined us on a hike around our land, happy to escape the drudgery of office-work in favor of being in the wo...
Maple Hill MapleGWednesday, March 6th, 2013 A few days ago, we received an email through our website from Greer and Rick, a local couple who happen to be our neighbors—they live just a few minutes down the road from our land. They kindly invited to watch their maple sugaring operation, "Map...
The Kids of Common Sense FarmGMonday, March 4th, 2013 One of my favorite parts of our Common Sense Farm tour was getting to see all the BABY GOATS! We had warm bottles of their mama's milk to give them, which whipped them into a frenzy of excitement. It was the most adorable pandemonium I've ever se...
Farmwomen's ApprenticeGMonday, March 4th, 2013 Today, Tyler and I went back to Cold Antler Farm once more. I wanted to be there in case Bonita and Francis decided to have their babies, and I was eager to help welcome two twelve-week-old pigs that Jenna had purchased. So, while Tyler programme...
A Morning with Patty & MarkGSunday, March 3rd, 2013 This morning, as I stood, hands warming by the woodstove, peeking out the window of Jenna's farmhouse, I was utterly content. The world outside was white, covered in delicate snow falling softly and amply from the sky. It was idyllic, a scene str...
Waiting for KidsGSaturday, March 2nd, 2013 Around 8:30PM, just as we were finishing our supper, we received news we'd been hoping to hear for the past few days: Jenna's pregnant goat, Francis, was showing her first signs of labor! We threw on our warmest work clothes, grabbed the camera, a...
20/20 InterviewGThursday, February 28th, 2013 This morning we were interviewed for ABC's 20/20! The whole experience, from the big black suburban rolling up, to the final "walking up the driveway" shot, was over in a flash—the Q&A itself lasted all of ten minutes. We have no idea which p...
Breaking NewsGWednesday, February 27th, 2013 Three years ago, we drove across Russia in a 1991 Toyota Corolla. Last week, we got an email from a producer at ABC News, asking if we'd be interested in interviewing about the experience for their primetime show, 20/20! They are doing a piece ab...
Winter VisitorsGTuesday, February 26th, 2013 A little over a week ago, my parents flew into Hartford, Connecticut, for a seven day workshop in macrobiotic cooking at the Kushi Institute. We met them at the airport hotel, and spent a wonderful day and a half together before strapping their su...
Feeling SettledGSaturday, February 23rd, 2013 With over a month of camper-living under our belts, all of our concerns about buying a travel trailer have vanished. We've worked out the kinks, adapted to its challenges, and are now certain that we made an excellent decision. In retrospect, our...
Winter WonderlandGWednesday, February 20th, 2013 Last night, our hill was pelted with a storm of icy sleet and snow. This morning, we awoke to find ourselves in this magical, wintery wonderland! ...
Waking EarlyGTuesday, February 19th, 2013 We've been waking early these days, aiming to find balance between laboring on our land and typing in our camper, eyes glued to our computers. If we get outside at first light and do some work with our hands, we seem to be happier and more product...
Informed DecisionsGFriday, February 15th, 2013 Over the past few days, I've become increasingly uneasy about our woods cleaning project. I'm not wild about having a big, hulking excavator here, and I feel like we're "wasting" perfectly good wood in our burn piles. So far, I've rationalized aw...
SunriseGThursday, February 14th, 2013 This morning, as Tyler and I tend to our woodland by a smoky fire, I look up towards the eastern sky in reverence and expectation of the rising sun. I wait in silence, watching the skies grow pale, and then lo! It arrives! Just a warm glow at fir...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part FiveGWednesday, February 13th, 2013 Tyler: Rick and his dog Oliver arrive late this morning, ready for another round of clearing downed trees. At first, I'm not thinking there will be much news to report. I'm expecting another long day with more of the same: pulling downed trees ...
Weathering the StormGFriday, February 8th, 2013 All morning long, we've received text messages, phone calls, and emails of concern about the blizzard headed our way. While I'm sure there is dramatic, worrisome news all over the TV and radio announcing the impending "snowpocalypse," here in our ...
Fixing Our Stihl MS-271 ChainsawGFriday, February 8th, 2013 Today, Allan over at Arlington's Stihl dealership called to let me know that the parts arrived to fix our chainsaw. It turns out that the handle I broke on our MS-271 is part of the same housing as the fuel tank, which makes the repair pretty exte...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part FourGThursday, February 7th, 2013 Today, while Tyler was busy programming, I was outside in my work jacket and chaps, tackling the massive cleanup operation in our woods. I spent most of the morning dragging smallish logs and dead treetops out of the woods with our truck. I ...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part ThreeGWednesday, February 6th, 2013 This morning, as I chat with Rick about what we want to accomplish with his excavator, I'm feeling overwhelmed by the scale of what Tara and I have set out to do with this homesteading project. When I look closely at our land, the work to be done ...
Hiking Glacier National Park's "Skyline Experience"GWednesday, February 6th, 2013 Last summer, my good friend Alex asked if I'd like to join him on his annual adventure in Montana's Glacier National Park. I immediately agreed, and happily consented to hike any trail in the park. He picked something called The Skyline Experienc...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part TwoGTuesday, February 5th, 2013 Today, Rick showed up with his excavator. It's flipping huge. Tomorrow, we'll get to work. I can't wait! ...
Cleaning Our Woods: Part OneGSunday, February 3rd, 2013 We're not sure how long it has been since our land was inhabited, but we do know that the woods haven't been managed in many years. For every ten trees standing, there are probably one or two laying dead. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we ...
An Evening at Cold Antler FarmGFriday, February 1st, 2013 For the past few years, I have been following Jenna over at Cold Antler Farm, occasionally checking in on her animal-filled adventures. Her posts always kept me inspired when we were hunting for land and dreaming of starting our homestead. Now t...
In The WindGThursday, January 31st, 2013 The wind came down from mountains cold, And like a tide it roared and rolled. The branches groaned, the forest moaned, And leaves were laid upon the mould. J.R.R. Tolkein The wind up here is intense. All day long it’s been roaring, ...
Installing a "Simple Pump" Well Pump: Part TwoGSunday, January 27th, 2013 After our friends have gone home, I head out into the darkness to put our tools away. Outside, the cleanup operation is quickly cut short when I survey the back of our truck. We're just four little screws away from fresh mountain water—with so li...
Dinner in the CamperGSunday, January 27th, 2013 While Tyler, Jeremy and Hercilia wrap up the last of our Simple Pump installation, I'm inside our camper, cooking supper for everyone. With two frozen pizzas, and some frozen chocolate chip cookie dough I made earlier, there will be plenty for eve...
Installing a "Simple Pump" Well Pump: Part OneGSunday, January 27th, 2013 Today, with the help of our new friends Jeremy & Hercilia, we're going to install a hand-powered Simple Pump in our well. This will be the first time any of us has ever worked on a well, and it will also be the first time I've ever read and fo...
About Our WellGSunday, January 27th, 2013 Our property was one of the only potential sites we visited during our land hunt which already had a drilled well. Its standard 6" casing was a whopping 400ft deep, it had a static level of 80ft, and a measured recovery rate of 2 gallons per minut...
Birthday Sled Dog Surprise!GSaturday, January 26th, 2013 I've always been fascinated by the art of mushing. A few years ago, Tyler took me on a surprise Christmas outing to see his friend's sled dog team. After meeting all the pups and getting to ride across the snow, pulled by a team of happy, furry r...
29th BirthdayGFriday, January 25th, 2013 Today is my 29th birthday. I wish I had something deep and important to say about life and the passing of years, but I don't. Today was simply a good day, filled with yummy food and great company. We even managed to check a few things off our to...
HeatGThursday, January 24th, 2013 It's 4 AM and the camper is freezing. Tara and I are cuddled together under our down comforter, a minuscule bundle of tenuous warmth atop a freezing hill, flanked on either side by the frigid Green and Taconic Mountains. Our camper furnace is run...
Meeting the NeighborsGWednesday, January 23rd, 2013 This afternoon, Tyler and I hiked down our driveway and walked the four hundred and eighty feet separating us from our closest neighbor. Holding another loaf of homemade, ribbon-bedecked banana bread as a friendship offering, we rang the doorbell,...
We Have a Mailbox!GWednesday, January 23rd, 2013 While we were in Vermont with my family this past October, we managed to complete one of our first goals in the creation of our homestead: obtaining an address. This turned out to be a simple matter of measuring the distance from the center of our...
Character BuildingGTuesday, January 22nd, 2013 It's January in Vermont, and we're smack dab in the middle of a major learning curve. Once again, we're settling into a more rustic lifestyle, and once again, the transition is more intense than we anticipated. Emotions run high, silly little thi...
Adventure ModeGTuesday, January 22nd, 2013 On our bicycle tour, Tyler and I were living in what we've now dubbed "Adventure Mode." That is to say, every day was an epic journey unto itself, containing within it the highest highs I've ever felt, along with the lowest lows (and enough cramme...
Clearing the ClearingGSaturday, January 19th, 2013 We had planned to spend the afternoon working at a coffeeshop in Bennington today, but we never made it off our land. Early in the morning, Tyler went outside to see if he could get a burn pile going to clear up some of the brush that's been litte...
Our Side of the MountainGThursday, January 17th, 2013 Tyler: Last night, as we pulled into our drive after a day of running errands, the snowpack was too slippery for us to make it in. Half-way up the steepest portion of our driveway, we lost traction and began drifting slowly backwards. Unable to...
A Snow DayGWednesday, January 16th, 2013 As if to welcome us to our new home, Nature decorated our woods with a snowy white blanket last night. Fat, wet flakes continue to fall throughout this morning, filling us with childlike joy and excitement. We bundle up and head outside for a wal...
Up the Drive We Go!GTuesday, January 15th, 2013 Now that Tim is gone, Tyler and I have a little chat to decide what we want to do next. Though we're touched by Rick's offer to let us park on his land, we're both eager to be settled, once and for all, in our very own woods. It was muddy here ye...
Home at LastGTuesday, January 15th, 2013 After last night's drama, we drove non-stop, straight into this morning. We're exhausted, but we have an appointment to make: Tim Schmalz of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture is coming to inspect our land, to make sure it won't be susceptible to ...
Reed Collecting for Thatching with Deanne BednarGMonday, January 14th, 2013 It's time for our reed-collecting workshop at last! With tools in hand, we enter a waving sea of phragmites reeds via a thin tunnel that Deanne has already cleared. As we make our way to the secluded collection area, I'm struck by how tall and be...
Checking InGSunday, January 13th, 2013 After a fantastic night's sleep in our cozy little camper, we're our way to Michigan for a yet-again-postponed reed-collecting workshop. With a grey sky ahead of us, and a sour mood beginning to foul the journey, I declare that "everything is grum...
Black IceGSaturday, January 12th, 2013 We planned on driving through the night in order to reach Deanne's place in time for our postponed reed-collecting workshop tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, there is no way that is going to happen. Just a few hours into our road trip east, our me...
UnpassableGSaturday, January 12th, 2013 Last October, during a vacation in Vermont with Tara's family, we all stayed at a beautiful house in rural Bennington. When it came time to leave, we serendipitously crossed paths with its caretaker and builder, Rick Carroll. We hit it off immed...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part TenGFriday, January 11th, 2013 Mike was short and to the point: half of our camper's roof was suffering from wet rot. The only lasting solution was to replace it, at a cost no less than $5,000. The other option was to ignore the underlying problem, plug the hole, and fix a few...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part NineGFriday, January 11th, 2013 This morning, still awake from the day prior, just as we were depositing the very last box of our belongings into the camper, Tara turned to me, her face crumpled like a deflated balloon. I was confused until I saw what she was pointing at: a pie-...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part EightGThursday, January 10th, 2013 Tyler: While it would be nice to end the evening on such a celebratory note, our job is far from complete. We've committed to attending a reed-collecting workshop for our thatched roof in Michigan in two days time. All of our worldly possession...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part SevenGThursday, January 10th, 2013 The alarm goes off at the crack of dawn. As soon as the covers are flung off, it's game on, and there will be no stopping until tonight. "Are you ready for this?" I ask Tyler. He smiles and shakes his head, no. "Are you sure you don't just want ...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part SixGWednesday, January 9th, 2013 The living room was a whirlwind of activity today; it looked as though a tornado had blasted through JoAnne fabrics, leaving spools of thread, tangled measuring tapes, and fraying scraps of cotton canvas in its wake. In the midst of the mess, Tyle...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part FiveGTuesday, January 8th, 2013 I'm having loads of fun with our HGTV-style camper makeover, but I'm also completely exhausted. For some reason, it always takes me by surprise when Tyler and I mobilize a spontaneous plan. It feels as though I've inadvertently stepped onto a hi...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part FourGMonday, January 7th, 2013 It's pitch black when the alarm sounds at 2:30 AM, a mere three and a half hours since we fell into bed last night. I throw on a hoodie and the new down booties I got for Christmas (thanks, Jodi!) and make sure Tyler is groggily getting up as well...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part ThreeGSunday, January 6th, 2013 The ride home is going well, albeit very slowly. A few hours in, we decide to take a break. Just off the highway, we stop at a mattress store to see if we can find a replacement for our small, oddly-shaped camper bed. Before heading in, I walk b...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part TwoGSunday, January 6th, 2013 It's 8AM and the camper is freezing. As we get up, shivering, I am filled with doubt. The reality that I don't know anything about travel trailers is rapidly sinking in. There is no way we're going to be able to live here if this thing can't make ...
The Trailer & Truck Saga: Part OneGSaturday, January 5th, 2013 With winter upon us, we're feeling pressed for time—if we want to thatch the roof on our timber frame cottage this summer, we'll have to collect reeds for it soon. The harvest needs to happen sometime between December and Feburary, and we've made...
The Year in ReviewGTuesday, January 1st, 2013 With the new year upon us, I've been revisiting our journal, trying to remind myself of what we've been up to for the past three hundred and sixty five days. When I began writing this, I felt like most of our year had been filled with mundane rout...
Reed Collecting Tools: Sickles and ScythesGSunday, December 16th, 2012 As our departure date to collect reeds for a thatched roof draws near, I've been researching the tools we'll need to complete the job. Namely, sickles and scythes. For centuries, marshmen (such as the one featured in the video below) have used thes...
Thinking about ThatchGSaturday, December 15th, 2012 This past October, on the way to our family vacation in Vermont, Tyler and I stopped at Deanne Bednar's Strawbale Studio. While we were there, we discovered an important detail about thatched roofing: reeds need to be harvested in the wintertime. ...
Mission AccomplishedGFriday, November 2nd, 2012 It is 12:41 AM on November the 3rd. The year is 2012. Tara is snuggled up next to me, fast asleep. I am awake and programming, busy overhauling the internals of our website in preparation for the upcoming release of Tara's first book: Bike. Cam...
"The Hay House" in Old Saybrook, ConnecticutGSaturday, 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 LandGSunday, 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 VacationGSunday, 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 VermontGFriday, 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 DriveGFriday, 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 EngineGThursday, 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 StudioGThursday, 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 HouseGMonday, 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...
September, 2012 in PhotosGSunday, September 30th, 2012 10 Acres in Vermont Land Payoff Status: 91% ...
Earthen Oven Pizza PartyGMonday, September 17th, 2012 Though we still haven't finished our oven (it needs an insulative outer layer and a protective coat of lime plaster), that hasn't stopped us from using it. Tonight, we invited some friends over for a pizza party! I made the dough and assembled so...
Building an Earthen Oven: Part TwoGSaturday, September 1st, 2012 With the foundation complete, we set about building the base of our oven. We started by using glass bottles to create a "bowl" to hold the hearth floor. This insulative layer is meant to create an air gap under the oven, hopefully preventing the ...
Building an Earthen Oven: Part OneGSaturday, September 1st, 2012 This summer, using Kiko Denzer and Hannah Field's book, Build Your Own Earth Oven, Tara and I constructed our first cob structure: a pizza oven. We began the project by digging for clay in the woods behind my mother's house. This task was surpris...
Switching to Strawbale, Part TwoGWednesday, August 22nd, 2012 When we arrived at Hap and Lin's cob cottage in Fairfield, Iowa, we were greeted by a barefoot woman happily pottering around her outdoor kitchen. After shaking our hands in warm greeting, Lin told us she was putting the finishing touches on suppe...
Switching to Strawbale: Part OneGWednesday, August 22nd, 2012 A few years ago, when we learned about cob houses (see the comments section), we were enamored by the idea of building one. Reading The Hand-Sculpted House was truly a revelation—it's no wonder the book is practically scripture in the natural bui...
Designing Our House: Things I KnowGMonday, August 13th, 2012 I have been designing my ideal home for literally as long as I can remember. As a young girl, I daydreamed about living in a rustic log cabin, deep in the woods, or in an old farmhouse, complete with wrap-around porches and rocking chairs. As a t...
Hedstrom Lumber Mill TourGMonday, July 23rd, 2012 Before leaving Grand Marais this morning, we went on a tour of Hedstrom Lumber Mill. The wood for our timber frame was cut there (white pine harvested from northern Minnesota). I really had no idea what to expect, and consequently, I was complete...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day NineGSunday, July 22nd, 2012 Today was our last day in the shop, and we spent most of it adding flourishes to our wall plates and rafters. Since they were too long for Tara (our designated bandsaw baller) to cut on her own, I played a supporting role in the effort. First, we...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day EightGSaturday, July 21st, 2012 Today, I took a break from doing layout to make the knee-braces for our house. The tenons were quick and easy, just a few 45° cuts on the chop saw. Shaping the curves that Tyler and Peter had drawn on them was serious business, though. One false...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day SevenGFriday, July 20th, 2012 It's a typical morning at the Folk School. About an hour before class is slated to begin, we leave camp and head for the wood shop, idly chatting about the work we're planning to complete when we get there. As usual, we're the first to arrive. O...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day SixGThursday, July 19th, 2012 We had an optional half day at the shop today, and it came at just the right time. I started getting grumpy this morning about some difficult cutting on our primary posts, and Tara was cranky about having to redo her timber markings three times to...
A Kayaking Surprise on Lake SuperiorGWednesday, July 18th, 2012 This afternoon, Tyler announced that he had a surprise for me, and that it would "happen" this evening! Eeee! I am a total sucker for surprises large and small, getting wide-eyed and giddy with excitement and anticipation. After his announcement,...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day FiveGWednesday, July 18th, 2012 It is so rewarding to be making something tangible for our homesteading project. For the past eight months, the only thing we've done to pursue our goal of moving to Vermont is continually drain our bank account in an effort to pay off our land. ...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day FourGTuesday, July 17th, 2012 It feels so good to be building a home for ourselves, and to know that our future life as homesteaders is just around the corner. Today's woodworking session was another round of lakeside, house-building paradise. We spent most of the day working...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day ThreeGMonday, July 16th, 2012 During the past two sessions, I felt like I was barely treading water in a sea of new information. Without so much as a single high school shop class under my woodworking belt, I just couldn't visualize what I was doing or why. Even though I was ...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day TwoGSunday, July 15th, 2012 Today, I will be facing two fears I have been harboring about building our house ever since the idea started approaching reality. One, my inability to make a straight cut in anything, free-hand or otherwise, and two, the fact that I consistently m...
North House Timber Framing Workshop: Day OneGSaturday, July 14th, 2012 Before class this morning, we talked with our instructor, Peter, and negotiated some changes to our little house to make it more livable—a slightly taller loft area, longer gables and eaves to protect our intended straw bale walls, and two feet of ...
To North House Folk SchoolGFriday, July 13th, 2012 I was poking around on the internet about a week ago when I randomly discovered the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota. As I was paging through their tempting list of classes (stuff like birch bark weaving, black ash basketry and k...
Mud Girls Natural Building Cob WorkshopGSaturday, May 12th, 2012 For the last five days we've been camping in the woods on a piece of land near the coast of Salt Spring Island, attending a workshop put on by the Mud Girls Natural Building Collective. The week ran a mere $185 dollars per person, and included thr...
Arriving on Salt Spring IslandGMonday, May 7th, 2012 After a series of unexpectedly expensive ferries, we've made it to Salt Spring Island. Our tent is now pitched in a sun-dappled, fern-filled woods, and we're getting to know our fellow workshop participants. The worksite is a thousand times more ...
Sea to Sky HighwayGSunday, May 6th, 2012 Despite all of the spectacular scenery on the Highway 99 today, we've been driving so much that we are both beginning to grow weary of it. Mainly, we wish we were going slower. Shocking, eh? Our ideal road trip stretches on for months, includes ...
Snow & WineGSaturday, May 5th, 2012 The sloped topography of our tent placement last night had us constantly seeping downwards, like a puddle of molasses. Frequently, after we found ourselves crumpled in the fetal position at the foot of our sleeping bag, we'd press our feet against...
Jasper National ParkGFriday, May 4th, 2012 When we near the snow-capped peaks of Jasper National Park, the sun burns off the drizzle, welcoming us with great expanses of clear blue skies and white, cotton-candy clouds. A quick stop to pay the entrance fee, and we're ushered into what is re...
Working on the MoveGThursday, May 3rd, 2012 Today was a long day of driving. Most of it was spent with Tara behind the wheel, piloting us across Manitoba. Meanwhile, I was stationed behind my computer screen, busily programming. Apart from the fact that I was sitting in a car instead of a...
Hittin' the RoadGWednesday, May 2nd, 2012 We have enough snacks to feed an army packed in the cooler, our suitcase is stuffed with worn-out marino wool "work clothes", and our iPod is jam-packed with new music. As we put the final pieces of our car-packing-puzzle in place, we hug Tyler's ...
Presentation in WisconsinGSaturday, April 28th, 2012 It's Friday afternoon and school's out! We've just given our presentation to 150 or so high schoolers, and it went really well. We were both a little nervous at first, but when kids began filing in in the auditorium, our jitters were replaced wit...
Remnants of Another LifeGFriday, April 27th, 2012 Nearly two years ago, when we were on our trip, we received an email from a high school teacher and fellow cycle tourist in Wisconsin, asking us if we'd be willing to speak to his students. We said we'd be happy to set a date once we were settled ...
Springtime WanderlustGTuesday, April 10th, 2012 Not long after we slept in our igloo, Minnesota gave up its half-hearted attempt at winter, moving right into springtime. Practically overnight, birds began chirping, and our icy abode was nothing more than a patch of muddy grass. In Illinois, sp...
Winter WonderlandGTuesday, March 6th, 2012 We crawled out of our (chilly) igloo around 7am this morning, reluctant like crinkly-faced moles emerging from their dark, underground tunnels. Rubbing the sleep out of our eyes, we were utterly delighted to find that, while we were hibernating in...
Sleeping in an IglooGSunday, March 4th, 2012 We're feeling giddy as we get ready for bed, like a pair of kids about to spend the night inside a brand new couch-cushion fort. We're headed outside, so Tyler and I bundle up in our coziest clothes, layering on our merino wool, hoodies and scarve...
Building an IglooGSaturday, March 3rd, 2012 All winter long, we'd been pining away for a snowstorm, waiting expectantly in semi-patient disbelief as the season flew by. With February behind us and March beginning, it was finally starting to sink in that a traditional midwest winter-wonderla...
February 2012, in PhotosGWednesday, February 29th, 2012 10 Acres in Vermont Land Payoff Status: 35% ...
Starting a Homestead: Our ListGWednesday, February 22nd, 2012 With a twinge of nervousness akin to the moment we purchased our tickets to Scotland, we've declared a moving date. On April 1st, 2013 (exactly four years after we began our round-the-world bicycle tour), we'll bid our friends and families in the ...
Passing AwayGMonday, February 20th, 2012 We recently received a phone call that my grandfather (my mother's father) passed away. His death did not come as a surprise, for he's been ready to go for quite some time now. The news came with a mixture of sadness and a bit of relief—we're all...
Hanging OnGFriday, February 17th, 2012 About a month ago, when the adventure of moving my mother's parents into assisted living and clearing out their house was finally nearing its end, we received a call from my dad's brother, informing us that my other grandmother was in the hospital—...
Working & The War of ArtGSaturday, February 4th, 2012 These days, we spend nearly every waking moment working towards paying off our land. Tyler programs diligently away as he re-writes his database management software in Ruby and Javascript. He'd really rather be in the woods clearing brush and lig...
Where is the Snow?GFriday, January 13th, 2012 Tara and I were both looking forward to our first real winter after two years avoiding it abroad. So far, it has only snowed twice, and neither storm deposited enough to do anything fun in, except take a few photos. By this time last year, our fr...
Things Things ThingsGTuesday, January 10th, 2012 Before we left on our cycling adventure, we pared down our possessions significantly. It was difficult at first, to let go of so many things, but we eventually came to relish the freedom that treading lightly on this earth provided. When we retur...
New Project for a New YearGThursday, January 5th, 2012 After most of my college pals dispersed from our New Years gathering, we headed with Jess and Nick to Natasha's family cabin. There, we whiled away a quiet afternoon driking our friend Tremain's wine and learning how to play a board game called Se...
New Years in Pigeon ForgeGWednesday, January 4th, 2012 As December came to a close, we drove to Tennessee for a spring-like New Year's weekend, joining some of my college friends for what has become an annual reunion. I was worried that it might be weird since I haven't seen most of them since well be...
Stuff Stuff StuffGSaturday, December 10th, 2011 With my grandparents settled in their new home, we've moved on to the task of cleaning out their old one, and it's been an eye-opening process. As we sift through the accumulation of sixty years in living, we are reminded of when we went through a...
With GrandparentsGThursday, December 8th, 2011 During the month of November, Tyler and I spent most of our time in southern Illinois with my mom and dad, taking care of my grandparents. My 92 year old grandfather had been in the hospital for major abdominal surgery. It was touch and go at tim...
Homebuilding InspirationGSunday, November 20th, 2011 I'm getting used to it. Chronically being on the receiving end of dubious looks, that is. Almost everyone we talk with these days seems to find our aspirations rather odd (building a house of mud, clay and straw, living in a canvas tent while we ...
Sleeping Under the StarsGTuesday, November 8th, 2011 We've been sleeping outside every night for over a week now, and we have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Usually, around 10PM, we bundle up, grab our books and headlamps, and say goodnight to Tyler's mom, Jodi. Invariably she'll exclaim so...
Modeling Our HomeGMonday, November 7th, 2011 With our land purchase in Vermont complete, we've been busy researching as much as we can about building cob and strawbale houses. We're starting to realize that a big part of this process is going to involve wrangling our murky, idealistic dreams...
Sleeping OutsideGSunday, October 30th, 2011 It started about a week ago—an unsettling restlessness around bedtime, a silent tossing and turning, a nagging sensation that something wasn't right. It was taking forever to fall asleep in our big, warm, comfortable bed. At first, neither of us ...
Hiking With Friends, A Photo SeriesGSunday, October 9th, 2011 This weekend, we drove down to Tennessee for what we've decided will be our first annual-autumn-weekend-hangout with our friends Pete, Natasha, Jess and Nick. Shortly after our arrival, we hit the road from Knoxville for a two-hour drive to Big So...
Withering Autumn BeautyGWednesday, 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 SeasonsGFriday, 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!GSaturday, 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 VermontGFriday, 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 OfferGFriday, 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 SurveyGFriday, 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 VermontGThursday, 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-EngagingGWednesday, 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-LandedGWednesday, 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 VermontGTuesday, 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 OutGSaturday, 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 TwoGFriday, 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 OneGFriday, 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, ...
Land Hunting, Part Six: Making an OfferGWednesday, August 17th, 2011 After much deliberation, we decided to jump in head-first and make an offer on the land we found Vermont. The sellers were asking $69,000, so we offered $50,000. A day later, they countered with $63,000, and we countered their counter-offer with ...
New Morning RoutinesGTuesday, August 16th, 2011 Tyler: I started researching road bikes long before we came home, inspired by the idea of taking daily rides on bicycles that weighed about a fifth what our loaded touring rigs do. I ordered the first parts for our build almost three months ago...
Building Road BikesGWednesday, August 10th, 2011 When Tyler started talking about getting road bikes, I was dubious. We already have nice bicycles, I pointed out, unsure why exactly we needed two more. Undeterred by my doubt, he promised that we most certainly did need them, and after just one ...
Morning Mist on the Hills of OhioGMonday, August 1st, 2011 When my eyes flutter open, it's 5am, and a foggy, billowing mist has enveloped our tent. We haven't begun the day like this since Romania! With some pestering, Tyler eventually joins me in wakefulness, and with a bit more prodding, I convince him...
Ingrid & Yves in Amish CountryGSunday, 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're in a convection oven (our car does not have air...
Land Hunting, Part Five: The One?GSaturday, 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 ultimately, finding disappointment. We've been to ...
Sheila, Kai, & Their Tiny HouseGFriday, 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-conscious couple behind the website, 2cycle2gether. We'...
Land Hunting, Part Four: Scouring VermontGThursday, 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 to connect the many properties we're planning to v...
Land Hunting, Part Three: Another Map, and a PlanGThursday, 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 land-hunting experience under our belts, and our p...
Land Hunting, Part Two: Much to LearnGThursday, 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 about how to purchase a piece of land was still ...
Land Hunting, Part One: Finding VermontGThursday, 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 scheduled to arrive. Our intent was to travel slowl...
Getting Out the Map AgainGWednesday, 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 spot in the woods—a place where we can be intimatel...
Dreaming of Our New LifeGWednesday, 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, living off the land, growing lush gardens and caring...
Summer Day with Eliza & Mike: Part TwoGTuesday, 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 final excursion, a seaside lobster shack. We'd alr...
Summer Day with Eliza & Mike: Part OneGTuesday, 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 garlicy kale quiche for all of us. She'd missed bei...
The Good LifeGMonday, 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 any of that, we rescued a very slow little turtle ...
Sailing in MaineGSaturday, 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 off pursuing our own "crazy" dreams, she abandoned...
Farm HoppingGFriday, 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 homesteads selling fresh groceries within a few miles ...
House-Sitting in MaineGMonday, 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 chance, offering to take a two week stint at the en...
Thoughts on Returning: Part TwoGFriday, 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 the car door and squeeze behind the wheel as Tyle...
Our First Garden: Part TwoGSunday, 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 recommended planting date probably wasn't the greatest id...
Our First Garden: Part OneGSunday, 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 since, we've been tagging along, following her lead,...
In MinnesotaGSaturday, 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 my homecoming experience. For the past few month...
Speaking at the Champaign Public LibraryGSunday, June 19th, 2011 A few days ago, we cycled over to the Champaign Public Library to give a talk about our bicycle tour. Most of our preparation for the event was sorting through the photos we took during our trip. We managed to weed through something like 9,0...
Smoke & FireGFriday, June 17th, 2011 This summer, the smell of cut grass and fresh peas plucked straight from the vine has been infused with the scent of smoke. There have been quick dinners of vegetable kebabs, hot off the grill, made of the freshest possible ingredients prepared as...
Prairie Fruits FarmGTuesday, June 14th, 2011 It is unseasonably cool today, breaking a string of typically-sweltering Midwest summer afternoons. We've decided to take advantage of the inviting weather with a short bike ride. Cycling out of town, we are overcome by a familiar, contented peac...
Foraging for MulberriesGFriday, June 10th, 2011 My dad, thoughtful guy that he is, came home from a bike ride yesterday with a sketch of our neighborhood, outlining a route to the exact locations of four nearby mulberry trees, which he knew to be heavily laden with berries. Proudly presenting u...
Coming Home: TaraGTuesday, May 17th, 2011 A misty Missouri sunrise begins the last day of our journey home. We cross the Mississippi river, into my home state of Illinois, and I smile in the knowledge that we're so close. We're almost there! Everything is familiar now, as normal as it a...
There's a Whole Lotta KansasGMonday, May 16th, 2011 The only thing remotely exciting in eastern Colorado comes in the form of scraggly, twiggy tumbleweeds that roll in the wind, blowing across the plains. Once the initial thrill of them fades, we're left with wide skies, dusty little towns, and our...
Meeting Sarah and JamieGSunday, May 15th, 2011 Back when we were in a long distance relationship, when our expedition was just taking shape, and when we didn't know bicycle touring was a thing that real people did for fun, we would read touring journals aloud to each other over the phone. At t...
Morning Adventure in ColoradoGSaturday, May 14th, 2011 We've been driving in darkness for a few hours now, on the freeway towards Fort Collins. We both have the sense that we're missing out on some truly extraordinary landscapes, but if we continue at our former pace, we'll never make it home. Alongs...
Into the Wild West: Part TwoGFriday, May 13th, 2011 Back on the road, further into Utah, the Loneliest Highway is showing signs of population. Already, I'm missing the wide open spaces of Nevada. Still, the drive is scenic in its own right; the green fields have morphed into wind-sculpted cliffs a...
Into the Wild West: Part OneGFriday, May 13th, 2011 The skies are purple this morning; the world is softly lit in a dull, silvery light. I was too exhausted last night to notice, but I parked right in front of an old red barn. It is home to a lone, stubbly donkey, who is munching away in his pastu...
Nevada's Loneliest RoadGThursday, May 12th, 2011 The Nevada portion of [US-50], dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" by travel writers and tourist boards, is one of the most compelling long-distance drives in the country—provided you find miles and miles of little more than mountains, sagebru...
Homecoming Roadtrip BeginsGThursday, May 12th, 2011 Tyler: I'm cruising down the freeway in our new car, a 2000 Honda Civic Hatchback; the windows are down, and Tara is sitting in the passenger's seat by my side, practically vibrating with excitement. She has yet to see the places through which w...
Thoughts on Returning: Part OneGWednesday, May 11th, 2011 Today marks one week since our return to America. Unsurprisingly, we're still wading through a gamut of conflicting emotions about our re-entry. At the moment, we're regularly vacillating between a feeling of being perfectly at home, and a sense ...
Tara at Chez PanisseGWednesday, May 11th, 2011 When I was little, I had a colorful children's cookbook called Fanny at Chez Panisse. It tells the story of Fanny, a seven year old girl growing up in the restaurant of her mother (renown chef and slow food activist, Alice Waters), playing in the ...
Doin' the WiggleGTuesday, May 10th, 2011 Apparently there's a way to get from Manjula's apartment in the Mission, all the way up to Golden Gate Park without having to climb a single one of San Francisco's iconically steep hills. And that way, as Manjula showed us, is a signed bicycle rou...
You Say Take AwayGMonday, May 9th, 2011 Tara's brother, Lian, is a union organizer. Today, Tara and I joined him during one of his outings: a quick visit to a neighboring union's strike. On a corner across the street from their hospital, a group of nursing professionals calmly held sig...
Highway OneGMonday, May 9th, 2011 My brother has taken the day off so we can spend the afternoon driving up the California coast on scenic Highway One. We definitely aren't used to traveling at more than a snail's pace yet— Tyler and I are both reeling, feeling heavy, head-achy an...
Sunday Streets in San Francisco: Part TwoGSunday, May 8th, 2011 Now sporting quite the entourage, we meandered around a corner and stumbled upon a collection of tricked-out low-riders, decked out with all kinds of hydraulics and air bags! On a nearby stoop, a stereo connected to a long extension cord was belti...
Sunday Streets in San Francisco: Part OneGSunday, May 8th, 2011 On a bright Sunday morning, we headed across the Bay to San Francisco's Mission District for brunch with Lian's friends, Max and Manjula. Though we'd never officially met them, we'd been in contact for quite awhile (and felt like long-lost pals af...
A Day in The BayGThursday, May 5th, 2011 The blindingly bright sun shines as we zoom down the freeway, out of the airport and into the world. It feels like we're traveling at light speed, but a quick glance at the speedometer indicates that my brother is actually traveling about 50mph as...
California I'm Comin' HomeGThursday, May 5th, 2011 Tara: Tyler is asleep next to me, and next to him, a man snoozes, his head against a plane window sparkling with lacy ice crystals. In the aisle to my right, perfectly coiffed flight attendants in their smart uniforms are beginning to rustle aro...
The EndGThursday, May 5th, 2011 As we snuggle in darkness, on a plane, somewhere high above the ocean, the enormity of what lies ahead is just beginning to sink in. When we awaken tomorrow morning and descend into San Francisco, our two-person "Going Slowly" bubble will burst. ...
This is JesseGWednesday, May 4th, 2011 Jesse: It was a funny moment when I realized that Tara and Tyler would start their journey back to the States on the same flight as me. Their two-plus years traveling together has taken them through experiences and landscapes I have only glimps...
Music for AirportsGTuesday, May 3rd, 2011 As I sit here in the florescent, mechanized, automized hub of all things coming and going, Tyler sleeps on a cold metal bench, the tips of his toes brushing against my legs. Waiting for the check-in desk to open, I plug in my headphones, put my mp...
Packed Up, Ready to GoGTuesday, May 3rd, 2011 Yesterday, Tyler disassembled the bikes in the lobby of our guest-house (with a cute little audience) and then joined me to clean the parts in the alleyway between Shanti Lodge and the next building over. It took several hours and most of the gaso...
Passport FoundGSunday, May 1st, 2011 Tyler is Skyping with his mom when we receive a knock on the door. Strange, who in the world could that be? I open it up, and our guest turns out to be one of the meek and smiley women who works here. She beckons me downstairs with a bow and a "...
Passport LostGSunday, May 1st, 2011 11:30 AM / Tyler We're checking in at the reception desk of a dermatologist's office (an appointment to have some questionable moles evaluated—healthcare is cheap in Bangkok), and I am happy in the knowledge that this is the last major errand of ...
The Neither Authoritative Nor Concise Guide to Riding Bikes in Southeast AsiaGSaturday, April 30th, 2011 A few weeks ago, Tara and I had the pleasure of meeting Melanie Swanson, a cycle tourist from Washington on a one-year, 'round-the-world bicycle tour. When we met in the lobby of our guesthouse, she had just completed a loop of Southeast Asia, d...
Being Social in BangkokGFriday, April 29th, 2011 When we decided to spend two months in Bangkok finishing our journals, we imagined we'd be holed up like a pair of recluses for the duration. That has been the case for the majority of our stay, but we haven't been nearly as isolated as we thought...
Cooped UpGTuesday, April 19th, 2011 We're entering our sixth week of 80+ hour-a-week writing. These days our bed (where we do most of our work) feels more like a life-raft trapped in the middle of the ocean than a place to sleep. Our daily routine is slowly driving us crazy—it feel...
Eccentric WritersGTuesday, April 5th, 2011 We're starting to learn where the stereotype for the eccentric writer comes from. After typing non-stop every day for nearly a month, we have begun to develop a very idiosyncratic schedule in order to keep the words flowing. Everything must be "j...
Jim Thompson's House with Katy LoveGWednesday, March 23rd, 2011 After Guy and Freddie hit the road, a dear friend, one of my brother's best pals from high school, found herself in Bangkok on an intensive training session for her job as a natural disaster first responder. With indoor courses from morning till n...
Writing in BangkokGMonday, March 21st, 2011 As light filters through our windows, and roosters crow over the sound of scooters buzzing past our little dead-end road—another day of our new life has begun. We are no longer concerned about when check-out is, or how long we'll have to pack our ...
May Kaidee's Cooking SchoolGThursday, March 17th, 2011 When Freddie mentioned she was hoping to register for a vegetarian/vegan Thai cooking class at the well-known (in the tourist world) May Kaidee Cooking School, it took approximately two milliseconds for me to decide I wanted to come with. So, Fred...
Surprise: It's Freddie and Guy!GTuesday, March 15th, 2011 The morning we arrived in Bangkok, we spent most of the day "tending to the chaos", busily writing and editing photos in Shanti Lodge's restaurant while we waited to check into our hotel room (it was occupied until check-out time). In the midst o...
Bussing to BangkokGWednesday, March 9th, 2011 Before heading out of town this morning, we stop at Natalie's Kitchen to have one last meal with Unit and Lemon. After breakfast and snuggling session with a warm, sleepy, sweet-smelling, brown-eyed baby boy, it's time to go. Bidding the pair goo...
Updates from CaliforniaGTuesday, March 8th, 2011 We landed in San Francisco a few days ago, and have been hanging out with Tara's brother Lian ever since. Everything is a little overwhelming at the moment, and we're definitely experiencing culture shock, but we're also having loads of fun with f...
Lemon and UnitGMonday, March 7th, 2011 For the last few months, we've been eschewing some of our culinary exploration in favor of the comfort and normalcy of a routine. When we take more than one or two rest days in a row, we tend to find a restaurant we like, and then eat there for mo...
Photos from SavannakhetGSunday, March 6th, 2011 Savannakhet is a sleepy city, with a historic center of crumbling old French Colonial buildings. There isn't much to it really; the place feels a bit vacant, but we're enjoying walking around, admiring the picturesque oldness of it all, meeting th...
The Last RideGSaturday, March 5th, 2011 We leave our bungalow this morning, at peace with the fact that we're embarking on the last real riding day of this adventure. Though I've already learned my lesson, I still find myself thinking that today should be special somehow, infused with s...
Happily Nearing the EndGFriday, March 4th, 2011 I'm feeling quiet and introspective as we prepare to leave, on this, our second-to-last day of cycling. It is a morning like any other, filled with tasks we've performed hundreds of times. As I mentally run through our morning checklist without e...
Lao Fruit SmoothiesGThursday, March 3rd, 2011 Tara is obsessed with juice. Here in Laos, her addiction has taken the form of blended ice-and-fruit(flavored)-smoothies. In every village we pass through, no matter what the size, she usually manages to spy the telltale signs of her next fix. A...
ThakekGWednesday, March 2nd, 2011 We're taking a rest day in Thakek. While the pictures don't really convey it, this town has a weird, almost haunted air about it. We thought it was all in our heads, until we read our guidebook's entry about the village—the author mentions the sa...
Race Against the SunGTuesday, March 1st, 2011 The world is cloaked in quiet darkness as we roll out of bed at 4AM. I haven't been up this early since my bakery days! While the rest of humanity sleeps, we wheel our bikes into the entryway of our motel; florescent bulbs flicker, illuminating t...
It Burns Us!GMonday, February 28th, 2011 Tyler: In order to avoid the overpowering, all-consuming Southeast Asian heat, we've taken to rising much earlier. It's 7AM when we pedal out of our hotel this morning—the sun is beginning to rise in a red, smoky way that evokes memories of our ...
Fishy Snacks & Bumper CarsGSunday, February 27th, 2011 Tara: The sun is back this morning as we take to the road, following the Mekong along the sleepy roads of Laos. Though the fiery orb overhead is out in full force today, our ride is breezy, flat, and considerably more scenic than yesterday. Bri...
Flat & QuietGSaturday, February 26th, 2011 Cool grey skies greet us this early morning in Vientiane. It is five thirty AM and all is quiet save for the occasional person on the street sweeping, or preparing their food stall for business. For the last few weeks, the weather has been positi...
Taking it for GrantedGFriday, February 25th, 2011 A couple of days ago, our friends left Laos, heading back to Thailand to prepare for their journey home. Today, an email arrived in our inboxes from Natasha, telling us how much they miss it here. They're finding the busy, touristed streets of Ba...
Homeward Bound: Part FourGThursday, February 24th, 2011 I used to imagine the end of this trip would have some kind of finish line, some banner that read "The End!" When we crossed under it, I would feel elated, ecstatic and prouder than I've ever felt. Our families would be there cheering, we'd get s...
Homeward Bound: Part ThreeGWednesday, February 23rd, 2011 As we reflect on recent weeks, we've come to realize that (except during our time with Pete and Natasha), our overwhelming sensation has been one of fatigue. We've found it telling to recall that, quite often, we've been more invigorated by the di...
Homeward Bound: Part TwoGTuesday, February 22nd, 2011 For the last several years, both as we prepared and traveled, when we felt down or wanted to quit, we've been encouraged by one of Tyler's favorite mottos: Life is not about what you want now, it is about what you said you would do. Really, if we ...
Happy Twenty Seventh Birthday, Tyler!GMonday, February 21st, 2011 I know you don't give a rat's arse about your own birthday, so I'll make this short and sweet. I love you! ...
Homeward Bound: Part OneGSunday, February 20th, 2011 It seems that the nearer we draw to the close of this trip, the harder we're finding it to stay positive about the normal ebb and flow of traveling. We are aware of our shortening patience, so we've been making a concerted effort (even more than u...
Life in VientianeGSaturday, February 19th, 2011 Vientiane feels more like a slightly large and modern village than a nation's capital. In spite of it's sizable (relatively speaking, here) population of two hundred some thousand inhabitants, the city retains that pleasant, poky vibe we've come t...
To VientianeGFriday, February 18th, 2011 It's a flat day of riding, a quick and easy 70 kilometer jaunt to the capital of Laos. Gone are the mountains that once stood in our way, but unfortunately so too are the little villages that beguiled us so. Here, in the mighty Mekong river valle...
It Takes a VillageGWednesday, February 16th, 2011 Below are excerpts of our friend Natasha's heartwarming journal entry about meeting Lao children. I feel as though I am missing that maternalistic gene that most women my age seem to possess. I do adore my niece and nephew. I have a few c...
Working in Vang ViengGTuesday, February 15th, 2011 Today, we watched a guy fall out of a tuk-tuk because he was so high and/or wasted he couldn't control his body. Then, some of his friends (in a similar stupor) staggeringly dragged him and themselves across the street to their hotel. Elsewhere i...
Downhill All the WayGMonday, February 14th, 2011 Tyler: As we exuberantly freewheel down the mountain we've spent the last two days climbing, we spot a cyclist on the other side of the road, huffing and puffing his way up in the opposite direction. As always, we stop to chat, sharing informat...
Misty Morning GMonday, February 14th, 2011 A chill wind whips through the streets this morning, carrying with it a white mist that swirls and eddies about our feet like the slinking of a cat. Overnight, the dusty market town of Phou Koun has been cloaked in a thick fog that is so dense in ...
Up, Up and OutGSunday, February 13th, 2011 After a fried rice and fried noodle breakfast this morning, during which a very pregnant mama kitty yowls non-stop at us for food (we obliged), we hop on our bikes to ride out of town. Just like it was the day before yesterday, this road, dubbed b...
Samson Zoom H4n: Review & RepairGSaturday, February 12th, 2011 In January of 2010, I bought my first sound recorder: a Samson Zoom H4n. At the time, I knew essentially nothing about field recording—I selected the device based on the recommendation of several musician friends. I didn't think of it at the time...
The Big Climb: Part ThreeGFriday, February 11th, 2011 7:30 PM / Tara » 73km ridden » 1955m climbed » 1325m elevation The velvet black sky above us is strewn liberally with stars, all twinkling and dancing like diamonds around a brilliant crescent moon. The cool darkness of night is the ultimate com...
The Big Climb: Part TwoGFriday, February 11th, 2011 3:00 PM / Tara » 60km ridden » 1230m climbed » 600m elevation Every second of this climb is full and rich with experience. My emotions swing wildly from pure joy at the slightest breeze, to complete hopelessness and despair at the screams coming...
The Big Climb: Part OneGFriday, February 11th, 2011 4:30 AM / Tyler » 0km ridden » 0m climbed » 300m elevation The alarm sounds, it's shrill, infernal beeps rending my cocoon of sleep asunder. As the pitch black of early morning seeps into my consciousness, I am disoriented and confused. I only ...
Climbing PrepGThursday, February 10th, 2011 A few days ago, we rode motorcycles north from Phou Khoun to Luang Prabang. The mountainous north/south highway we took is also on our cycling route. Tomorrow, we'll be retracing some of our steps, as we head south on the same road towards Vienti...
Morning KittyGWednesday, February 9th, 2011 Yesterday, we said goodbye to Pete and Natasha; but not forever. As it should happen, they'll arrive in Vientiane around the same time we do. We have one more rendezvous left! In their absence, they've asked us to feed the cat who has visited th...
Satellite Internet: BGAN Explorer 110 ReviewGTuesday, February 8th, 2011 Background Before we left on this adventure, I made a commitment to my clients that their level of support wouldn't change while I was abroad. I bought our BGAN Explorer 110 from Globalcom in October of 2009, just before we went to Tunisia, thin...
Luang Prabang, A Few PhotosGMonday, February 7th, 2011 Back in Luang Prabang after a whirlwind week of motorcycling, we're spending some time resting, journaling, and hanging out with Pete & Natasha before we part ways. Here are some from photos from our time in "second largest city of Laos", one ...
The End of the RoadGSunday, February 6th, 2011 Today, as we pack our motorcycle one last time, ready to embark on a final day of adventuring with Pete and Natasha, I'm feeling quiet and introspective. As we ride, I'm appreciating the beautiful mountain scenery, grateful for the adventure we're...
Dinner on the Wild SideGSaturday, February 5th, 2011 It is much later in the evening when we venture into town for dinner. It seems we've waited a bit too long, as everything is closed—except one dimly lit wooden shack. While inspecting the buffet dishes outside, I notice the plate of deep fried ra...
Riding With Flags & Walking With MachetesGSaturday, February 5th, 2011 When I was a kid, we would go on camping trips every summer with my Dad. We'd leave for a week or two at a time, and we'd pull our kit on an over-loaded snowmobile trailer behind a maroon Nissan Maxima. My Dad was really proud of his increasingly...
Big Old JarsGSaturday, February 5th, 2011 After my riding lesson yesterday, Tyler took the helm, and we kicked it down all the way to the large-ish town of Phonsavan, which is famous for its Plain of Jars. If the description in our guidebook's list of "things not to miss" is right, the at...
Learning to Ride a Motorcycle in LaosGFriday, February 4th, 2011 With a twist of the wrist, I jolt suddenly backwards, certain that the motorcycle beneath me is about to go screaming forward, throwing me off like a bucking bronco. Terrified, I release the throttle and come to a jarring halt, lurching forward, h...
A Thousand VillagesGThursday, February 3rd, 2011 The longer we spend in the cool, verdant mountains of northern Laos, the more deeply in love with them I fall. I relish the twists of the curvy mountain roads, and I savor the feel of my body hugged against Tyler's back as we lean in sync, in harm...
Riding on the Rooftops of IndochinaGThursday, February 3rd, 2011 If I only had one week to spend in Southeast Asia, it would be here, in the mountains of northern Laos on a motorcycle. If someone asked me a month ago what I thought about riding here, I wouldn't have had much to say beyond "sounds fun!" Now, I ...
Down the RiverGWednesday, February 2nd, 2011 A cacophony of cock-a-doodle-doos rouse me from my slumber at 7AM this morning. While everyone else is sleeping through the racket, I throw on some clothes to go for a walk, heading towards the pier to ask what time the boat leaves. As I stroll a...
Cave Hunting Again: Success!GTuesday, February 1st, 2011 While Natasha and Tara are hanging out in town, Pete and I have walked to the end of the village's only dirt road, and turned off into the the fields in search of a nearby cave. After numerous failed attemps at cave-hunting, my hopes aren't very h...
Afternoon in Muang NgoiGTuesday, February 1st, 2011 After lazing in our hammocks and editing photos for a few hours, we're all hungry, ready to set off down Muang Ngoi's lone dirt road in search of food. There are plenty of options, as it turns out the village is sort of touristy—we decide on an In...
Boat To Muang NgoiGTuesday, February 1st, 2011 Bisected by a clear blue river and a smattering of colorful boats, flanked on either size by resplendent emerald mountains, Nong Khiaw boasts some of the most striking landscapes we've seen anywhere. It is hard to believe, but we're told the scene...
Cold StartGMonday, January 31st, 2011 Tyler gently shakes me awake when the skies are light enough to ride by. He and Pete have been up tending to our fire—without which sleeping would have been impossible. It's bright and early, six thirty to be exact, and it's time to hit the road....
Freezing in a Bamboo ShackGSunday, January 30th, 2011 Tara: "Tyler," I whisper, trying not to wake our friends. "I can't feel my toes. Let me in!" I'm trying to squirm my way under his legs for warmth, but he's enviably asleep and his leaden body refuses to budge. I let out a huge sigh and stare...
Wild Camping With FriendsGSunday, January 30th, 2011 A golden sun is sinking fast behind the mountains, urging us onwards in our futile attempt to reach the highway before dark. At the crossroads we're looking for, where dirt meets pavement, there is sure to be a guest-house. But the road ahead is ...
Dirt Tracks to NowhereGSunday, January 30th, 2011 Tara: Brilliant blue skies stretch out above us, more heavenly than any magnificent cathedral's dome. The scent of woodsmoke (one of my favorite smells) drifts through the air, and I am filled with happiness, hugging Tyler as he pilots our moto...
Motorized, AgainGSunday, January 30th, 2011 I had trouble falling asleep last night. I must have lain in bed for three hours staring at the ceiling, thinking about riding motorcycles, feeling for all the world like a kid on Christmas Eve. I don't remember when I finally drifted off, but it...
Resting in Luang Prabang, Sort OfGSaturday, January 29th, 2011 The last three days have been intense. They kicked off with a truly awful ride through Hanoi, which lead directly into a nauseating and exhausting twenty-eight hour bus trek through the mountains of Vietnam and Laos. Immediately after, ready to...
Welcome to Laos, Part Three: Music & PetangGFriday, January 28th, 2011 Tyler: After the goat feast, the festivities continue with music and games. Behind our table is a long strip of dirt where men gather for a petang match, one of Lao's favorite past-times. It's a holdover from French colonization, known there as...
Welcome to Laos, Part Two: The Goat FeastGFriday, January 28th, 2011 When the soccer game is over, it's time for the feast! This party is special because our hosts are serving numerous traditional but rarely eaten dishes, all made from a single, freshly-slaughtered goat. We're honored to be included in the festivi...
Welcome to Laos, Part One: A Soccer GameGFriday, January 28th, 2011 Tyler: Bleary eyed and delirious with fatigue, after a full day (and then some) of bus riding, with barely a night's sleep between us, we carve ourselves out of bed this morning to join our friends. As we stumble around, fumbling to find shoes a...
A Very Long Bus Ride: Part FourGThursday, January 27th, 2011 4:45 PM / Tara I feel like Frankenstein's monster, stumbling around groaning as I leave the bus during one of our many rest stops. My brain hurts and my stomach feels like death, but I find hope in the fact that we're almost there. While stopp...
A Very Long Bus Ride: Part ThreeGThursday, January 27th, 2011 10:00 AM Our trek through Laos begins with a stop at a roadside restaurant for a noodle soup breakfast. Back in the open kitchen where we place our order, a woman and a girl dish bowls of the de-facto meal, while a mama cat and her scraggly kit...
A Very Long Bus Ride: Part TwoGThursday, January 27th, 2011 7:00 AM A dull light hits my eyelids, rousing me from my restless sleep. One night down, one day to go. Outside, the world is all steely grey skies and foggy mountain villages. For a brief moment, I regret taking the bus just a little. This ...
A Very Long Bus Ride: Part OneGWednesday, January 26th, 2011 We've hardly been on the road an hour when our bus executes a wide left turn into a roadside restaurant parking lot. Lit up like a beacon in the night, the place has drawn a herd of giant coaches just like ours. They've all stopped here to fuel t...
Surprise!GTuesday, January 25th, 2011 I have a present for you! I think you're going to like it. Do you how I know? Because it's awesome and dorky, just like you! Can you guess what it is? No? That's okay. Are you ready to open it? Here it is: psst: y...
Done WafflingGTuesday, January 25th, 2011 With one week left on our visa, the question of what to do with the last of our time in Vietnam is looming. Normally, we stay in a country as long as we can, soaking up as much as possible. The thought of leaving early and "wasting" an entire wee...
Bus-Lagged and WearyGMonday, January 24th, 2011 I feel like a zombie this morning, bus-lagged and altogether weary. I've been drained by Vietnam's non-stop barrage of stimuli, and now find myself overwhelmed by the prospect of exploring her sprawling capital. We've just ridden eight hours to r...
On the Bus AgainGSunday, January 23rd, 2011 Tyler: After some long discussions and lots of hypothetical mapping, we've decided to catch another bus. This time, we're headed all the way to Hanoi. While we could likely ride there before our visas run out, it wouldn't leave us much time to ...
A Walk in HuếGSaturday, January 22nd, 2011 It's another somber day in Huế, a perpetual dusk of sinister silver skies and drenching rain that comes in fits and starts. During a brief lull in the foggy drizzle, we leave our cozy hotel room and start a sightseeing tour, walking towards the hi...
Where to?GFriday, January 21st, 2011 It's another grey day; rain pelts at the windows, and outside on our little balcony, all of the gritty, dirty clothes we hung out to dry are no doubt soaked through. Neither of us can be bothered to look, much less deal with them. We're staying i...
Mizzle-y DayGThursday, January 20th, 2011 Mizzle is a term used in Devon and Cornwall for a combination of fine drenching drizzle… …it is known for being capable of soaking you in a matter of minutes, and the feeling is best described as if one would stand under a Fire Brigade fine n...
Hai Van PassGWednesday, January 19th, 2011 Tara: On this trip, we've observed more times than we can count that hungry cyclists are two year olds, who cannot be trusted to make good choices. In a prime example of this truth, Tyler rejects the idea of turning around to find food after our...
A Puppy On A Bed of SilkGTuesday, January 18th, 2011 I met a puppy today, curled up in the arms of a little Vietnamese girl. They were stationed at the entrance of a grand Chinese meeting house, ready to welcome guests inside. The hall itself was okay, but by the time I got there, I was over t...
Art TeaGTuesday, January 18th, 2011 With Tyler hard at work in our hotel room, I've bundled up for an afternoon of solo sightseeing. It's my favorite kind of weather for photographing old, aging places: grey and cloudy, not quite raining, but with a slight dreariness that throws int...
Hội An Lantern Festival: Part TwoGMonday, January 17th, 2011 In a small cobbled park, situated between a pair of buildings in Hoi An's old town, a crowd has gathered. People shout and laugh raucously, while a man announces something in Vietnamese through a car-battery-powered PA. As we work our way through...
Hội An Lantern Festival: Part OneGMonday, January 17th, 2011 Every fourteenth day of the lunar calendar, Hoi An puts the complications of modern life to rest in favor of a romantic, nostalgic celebration of a quieter era. Once a month, instead of playing host to noisy scooters, the old quarter is reserved f...
TailoredGSunday, January 16th, 2011 There is only one thing more ubiquitous than the colorful lanterns hanging everywhere in Hội An: tailors. Every second building in the old town is a shop overflowing with fabric, just waiting to be hand-crafted into a one-of-a-kind garment. In fr...
Nightfall in Lantern CityGSaturday, January 15th, 2011 From its famous Japanese covered bridge: …to the smattering of lanterns everywhere: …and candle-lit food stalls overlooking the river: This town is almost too quaint and colorful to be real. Hội An is like some kind of Disney v...
Street Food in the RainGSaturday, January 15th, 2011 Under heavy gray skies, a steady drizzle bounces off the conical rice hat of a roadside chef—she is sitting in front of a cauldronful of embers and ash, tending to an array of pork skewers. As we take a seat next to her, she turns them one by one,...
Sightseeing in Historic Hội AnGSaturday, January 15th, 2011 It is grey, drizzly and downright cold outside this morning, but the weather suits me just fine; the somber mood it brings about lends even more character to the ambiance of this already atmospheric town. In order to explore the history-steep...
All Alone in Hội AnGFriday, January 14th, 2011 For the last two years, every time we've made friends with anyone, we've had to part ways almost immediately afterwards. In fact, before Pete and Natasha, we'd only twice had the good fortune of being able to spend more time with the cool people we...
My Kind of TownGThursday, January 13th, 2011 As we stroll around town, talking, laughing with our friends, and getting caught up on the last few days since we hung out in Da Lat, it is quickly becoming apparent to me that I am going to feel right at home in Hội An. It's my kind of town, seem...
Arriving in Hội AnGThursday, January 13th, 2011 Gritty and dim, under an overcast early morning sky, we've arrived at just the right time to witness this historical town coming to life. On narrow streets filled with dark wooden homes, we cycle into the heart of Hội An; a living, breathing relic...
A Night on the Space BusGWednesday, January 12th, 2011 A few days ago, we came to the realization that cycling the entire length of Vietnam was not only unappealing to us, thanks to the non-stop traffic, but also infeasible due to the duration of our visas. So, having made it to the coast as planned, ...
I Want to Go ItalyGTuesday, January 11th, 2011 When we were in Tunisia, barreling down the road towards Douz in a louage, we shared our van with a cute pair of Italian guys who had flown over for a week's vacation on a whim. Lorenzo and Giovanni, fresh off the plane from Milano, knew little to...
Down the Misty MountainGMonday, January 10th, 2011 Tyler: As we round the bend of our last (uphill) switchback this morning, we're greeted by an ethereal vision in the distance: a swirl of fast-moving white fog drifting across the road. As we approach the hanging mist, the chill clouds rush arou...
Morning in a Mountain VillageGMonday, January 10th, 2011 I'm not sure how early it is, but I'm ready to go. As I clumsily dislodge myself from the hammock, all knees and elbows, I leave Tara curled up like a burrito in the netting, dead to the world. After I've padded around camp gathering twigs for a ...
A Long Cold NightGSunday, January 9th, 2011 As the sun sinks into the horizon, coloring the sky a rusty shady of red, the temperature plummets with alarming speed. Crap. Why oh why did we send home our tent, and why oh why did I just send home our long underwear as well? Just a few days a...
Free Camping AgainGSunday, January 9th, 2011 Pedaling away from the tiny mountain shop, we round yet another bend, revealing a foreboding indication of more climbing: there is another wide, sweeping curve of a switchback before us. Well, I guess that little village wasn't at the top after al...
It's All Downhill From HereGSunday, January 9th, 2011 We're mentally prepared for an easy day of coasting, excited to reap the rewards of our labor. But as we cycle out of town, a freakishly steep hill looms before us, and I am caught off guard. I thought we were leaving the mountains—why are we sti...
Motorbike to the FallsGSaturday, January 8th, 2011 At the behest of Pete and Natasha, we've rented a motorbike this afternoon. They did a loop in the mountains around Da Lat a few days ago, and hearing their story convinced us we should head out for an adventure of our own. This will be the secon...
Trying BetelGFriday, January 7th, 2011 In Vietnamese there is a saying that "the betel begins the conversation", referring to the practice of people chewing betel in formal occasions or "to break the ice" in awkward situations. Wikipedia, Betel Before we arrived in Bangkok to...
Hằng Nga Hotel: Da Lat's Crazy HouseGFriday, January 7th, 2011 Hằng Nga guest-house, more affectionately known as Da Lat's "Crazy House" is a totally bizarro hotel designed by the Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga. She built it after receiving her PhD from the University of Moscow, and being heavily influenc...
Da Lat Market FunGThursday, January 6th, 2011 This morning, in a slumberous daze, my flickering eyelids open, and I find myself face to face with a stunning view. A raging sky of fiery orange and bruised purple obliterates the last remnants of my sleepiness, luring me out of bed and onto our ...
Our Process: Automation: Journal PhotosGWednesday, January 5th, 2011 This entry is part of an ongoing series about how we've documented our adventure. As of this writing, our journal contains approximately eight thousand photos, distributed over eight hundred and five published entries. We store this ever g...
Working in Da LatGTuesday, January 4th, 2011 Yesterday, after a windy ride up our eight hundred meter climb into Da Lat, we were spared a long, drawn out hunt for accommodation. Just a few minutes after arriving in the city, we hit the lodging jackpot: Le Phoung Hotel, a new construction rig...
Climbing to Da LatGMonday, January 3rd, 2011 Stepping out of our guest-house, the chill bite of an early morning wind blows in our faces, sending up an army of goosebumps. Our exhaled breath is white like cigarette smoke, and this means one thing: we've finally left early enough so to have s...
Coffee CountryGSunday, January 2nd, 2011 The ride out of Bao Loc this morning is a lovely one. Instead of starting the day with switchbacky mountain climbs, the early part of our route is full of easy rolling hills. As we pedal through the winding picturesque scenery of coffee plantatio...
Happy New YearGSaturday, January 1st, 2011 I love ringing in the New Year. Not so much for the booze and parties, but more as a set time to reflect on my life, and make sure I'm heading in a direction that is meaningful to me. Tyler, on the other hand, is pretty irreverent about holidays ...
Climbing to New Year's EveGFriday, December 31st, 2010 Figuring out what the problem is, and making a plan to do something about it helps a lot, but at the moment, there's not much we can do to execute our solution. For the time being, we'll just muscle on, grinning and bearing it, even as we're passe...
What's WrongGFriday, December 31st, 2010 If we were toddlers, we would be dragging our feet, whining "I don't WANNA!" this morning. Since we're all grown up, we seethe quietly instead, and force ourselves out for another ride. As the day progresses, our inner toddlers win out just a lit...
On Noise & NatureGThursday, December 30th, 2010 Being on the road today felt more like a chore than a grand adventure. Keeping my sour mood in check was a grim mental battle, and it was a fight which I found myself losing for the majority of our ride. I feel like a broken record complaining ab...
Armpits & BrothelsGWednesday, December 29th, 2010 Visa extensions in hand, we're finally ready to leave Ho Chi Minh City. After nine days of waiting, we're feeling fresh and ready to explore once more. Unfortunately, very little about this day turns out to be enjoyable, as Vietnam boasts the mos...
Day One Without CoffeeGTuesday, December 28th, 2010 Before this trip, neither of us liked coffee all that much. Actually, we had a mild disdain for the stuff, mostly centered around the fear of becoming dependent on a substance for something as basic as waking up in the morning. In spite of oursel...
Vietnamese FuneralGSunday, December 26th, 2010 It sounds like a brass band is playing inside our room. The horn section is so eye-poppingly loud that the musicians could very well be hiding in our mini fridge, or playing from the shower stall. A flick of the curtains reveals a band on the all...
Ho Chi Minh City's Taste of the World FestivalGSunday, December 26th, 2010 Exhausted from our Củ Chi tunnel adventure (mostly tired out from the ride there and back), we're enjoying some peace and quiet in our hotel room. By the time night falls, the noise of a party outside is clearly audible in our room. We're not ...
Riding a Motorbike in Ho Chi Minh CityGSunday, December 26th, 2010 Our destination for today is the Củ Chi tunnels, an elaborate network of underground Vietcong hideouts, used heavily in the War of American Aggression. There are two sites open to visitors: the first is about 50km north of the city, easily accessi...
A Skype ChristmasGSaturday, December 25th, 2010 Pleasantly full from dinner, and feeling joyful about our unexpected visitors, we come home to our hotel room with a renewed sense of peace. At last, it's late enough for our families to be awake (we're twelve hours apart). Now we can call them o...
A Christmas Dinner SurpriseGSaturday, December 25th, 2010 Back in our quiet, sterile hotel room, we're feeling positively alone and bleak about the state of the world. As we're busy entertaining comforting fantasies of flying home to be with family, imagining ourselves knocking at our parents' doors, sho...
On Family: The Cost of AdventureGSaturday, December 25th, 2010 There is a price to be paid for following our dreams. This morning, while our loved ones halfway around the world are tucked into their beds, sleeping on the night before Christmas, a quiet melancholy has swept over our little hotel room. Righ...
Our Process: Google Maps & GPS TracksGFriday, December 24th, 2010 This entry is part of an ongoing series about how we've documented our adventure. Throughout our trip, I have saved our GPS tracks nightly. My plan to maintain one unbroken line, showing every road we've ridden for the entirety of our adve...
Our Process: Automation & the GSDBGThursday, December 23rd, 2010 This entry is part of an ongoing series about how we've documented our adventure. When we left on this trip, neither of us had an inkling that we'd be documenting our adventure in such exhaustive detail. The original idea was simple: a fli...
Hein and LuangGWednesday, December 22nd, 2010 We've been loving the variety of Western food available in the city. Our favorite for the last few days has been a red-and-white decorated pizza and salad bar buffet, called Pepperonis. There is bad pop music pumping into the bright and cheery es...
Slowing DownGTuesday, December 21st, 2010 Early in our adventure, a break for more than a day or two gave us cabin fever. We traveled slowly but consistently, with a momentum to "get there" to keep us going. But these days, we're feeling like we "got there", we've arrived, and if we like...
Saigon's AlleysGMonday, December 20th, 2010 There is a second city hidden inside District 1 of Saigon; it is an extensive network of back alleys, twisting narrowly behind and between the borough's buildings. This sprawling microcosm is home to hundreds of people, businesses, and restaurants...
Into Ho Chi Minh CityGSunday, December 19th, 2010 Today, we'll be cycling into the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, and this morning, we'll have to face the grating music: it's highway time. The traffic-free rice paddy paths we've enjoyed for the last two days can't get us there. Procrastinating the i...
Riding in Rice PaddiesGSaturday, December 18th, 2010 Tyler: Along the highways in the Mekong Delta, often less than a hundred meters from the road, there are peaceful dirt and gravel paths carving through the quiet villages of Southern Vietnam. Winding through tranquil palm forests, striking rice ...
Language Lessons & Boiled ChickenGFriday, December 17th, 2010 Finding food at the late hour of 9PM is proving to be difficult in this small, Mekong Delta town (of which we don't even know the name). After a thrilling day of engaging cycling, we are overtired and very hungry, trudging around town, searching f...
Mekong Delta Bike PathsGFriday, December 17th, 2010 Bolstered by a colorful market experience, and a steady succession of friendly smiles from local cyclists, we're having a spectacular morning. But, after less than twenty kilometers on the road, the excruciating off-key symphony of Vietnam's horn-...
Vietnamese Market MorningGFriday, December 17th, 2010 Tyler: This morning, determined to keep a positive attitude, we take to the teeming roads of Vietnam once more. Now mentally prepared to let the chaos wash over us, the constant dance of dodging people and oncoming traffic is actually pretty fun...
Working in Sa DecGWednesday, December 15th, 2010 We wake up this morning with zero desire to travel. A peek outside reveals a grey sky with 100% chance of heavy showers. On a more positive note, we really like our hotel room, and the great restraunt across the street. Since we're having such a...
Culture ShockGTuesday, December 14th, 2010 Tyler: It is 8AM. We are in the middle of packing our panniers and ferrying them to the lobby, when two women march through the door of our room. One of them, carrying a cleaning bucket and looking annoyed, waves a hand in Tara's face, fanning ...
Far From Home: Part OneGMonday, December 13th, 2010 Tyler: The day begins with an early morning departure from our beachside bungalow, and a speedy ride across the island to the port. The ferry back is mercifully smoother and faster than the one in, and we are grateful to avoid another bout of se...
The Food Game: Fruits of Southeast AsiaGSunday, December 12th, 2010 Yesterday evening, after our squid fishing excursion, we walked home by way of the night market. On display were the heaps and heaps of colorful fresh fruit that we've come to know and expect in Southeast Asia. I realized, as I bought a red ...
Squid FishingGSaturday, December 11th, 2010 Fishing boats are a ubiquitous sight on the beaches of Phú Quốc. During the day, they're either anchored just off shore, or packed in the harbor. The rag-tag fleet of colorful, hand-built vessels take to the water almost every night. In the proc...
Dinner at Le DeauvilleGFriday, December 10th, 2010 Hours after our island ride comes to an end, after several journals are written, we're beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. So, in a totally cliché romantic move, we go for a long walk on the beach which ends at Le Deauville restaurant. We'...
Peaceful Ride on Phú QuốcGFriday, December 10th, 2010 Tyler: The sound of waves lapping against the shore rings in another sleepy morning at our beach side bungalow. As the sun rises, we slowly rouse ourselves from a deep slumber, gently awakened by the warm light filtering in through the bamboo sl...
Phú Quốc Fish SauceGThursday, December 9th, 2010 We've heard that Phú Quốc island produces the highest quality fish sauce in the world, so we've decided to pay a visit to the nearby Hung Thinh fermentation plant. Our maps of the surrounding area are very poor, and we're not sure exactly where it...
Postcards from ParadiseGThursday, December 9th, 2010 This is the first entry in a series of e-postcards for our friends and family. Hovering on the cards makes them flip over, showing the picture on the other side. It'll work, but it won't look cool in Internet Explorer (the worst browser ever), so...
Morning LightGWednesday, December 8th, 2010 As if the quiet, empty beaches, and crystal blue water of Phú Quốc aren't captivating enough, we awaken to find that our simple bungalow and the mosquito net around our bed have been transformed into this: Good morning, magical fairy land! ...
Ferry to Phú QuốcGTuesday, December 7th, 2010 "Your passports, your passports!" the man shouts, speeding over to us on his scooter. We're loading our bikes on the ferry to Phú Quốc, heaving them over a railing at the front of the boat, but I turn around to see him approach, lifting his helmet...
Vietnamese FoodGSunday, December 5th, 2010 I had inkings that Vietnam might deliver some stellar eating, especially after we spent a few days with my friend Tony's Vietnamese grandmother in Berlin. Last night, Tara's barbecued pork was easily the most flavorful dish either of us could reca...
Hello VietnamGSaturday, December 4th, 2010 According to my GPS, we've arrived at the road leading to Vietnam: it is a dusty red track with no signage whatsoever. Feeling dubious about this intersection leading to an international border, we ask a nearby food seller for directions. I'm exp...
Farewell CambodiaGSaturday, December 4th, 2010 This morning, as we leave to embark on our final ride in Cambodia, a fierce wind is gusting in from the east. Exchanging grimaces, we fight to build momentum on the colonial-house-lined coastal road leading to the border. Thanks to the strongest ...
Pepper & CrabGFriday, December 3rd, 2010 Kep, a quiet fishing town on the southern coast of Cambodia, sprawls out lazily along the shore over a few kilometers, nestled in the low places between steep green hills. The town's seawater is a little murky, and the beach isn't terribly invitin...
Pete & Natasha's First RideGThursday, December 2nd, 2010 Natasha: Every time we take a long bus ride to get to a new tourist destination, we gaze longingly out of our tinted windows as we pass the things we really want to see – stuff like small villages bustling with activity, and roadsides full of Cam...
Kampot CruisingGWednesday, December 1st, 2010 Yesterday, we cycled over one hundred kilometers on less than four hours of sleep. As a result, we were so exhausted by the time we made it to Kampot that we fell fast asleep at the early hour of 7PM, practically nodding off in our dinner of fried...
The Long Ride to KampotGTuesday, November 30th, 2010 Tara: Having been on the road for so long, it's easy to lose perspective about why we travel the way we do. Or maybe it's just a string of really long cycling days that has me a little less than enthusiastic about pedaling lately. In any case, ...
MollyGMonday, November 29th, 2010 The salespeople in Cambodia are generally cute and sweet, and they use it to their advantage. They are often so friendly and warm that it's a pleasure to buy from them, even when you're not looking for anything. Somehow, I find myself saying yes ...
Day at the BeachGSunday, November 28th, 2010 Though we've spent several relaxing days in Sihanoukville, we haven't really done it's famous sandy shores justice. We usually get bored at the beach, losing interest soon after our swim in the ocean is over. Today, Pete, Natasha, Maggie and Trav...
Meeting FriendsGSaturday, November 27th, 2010 Tara: Back in college, I had the best roommate in the whole world: Jess. It was nearing the end of my freshman year when we decided on a whim to room together during the upcoming fall term. At the time, we didn't really know one another that we...
ThreadedGThursday, November 25th, 2010 Tyler is busy working at the hotel, when I don my bathing suit cycling gear and head out for a short, two-minute walk to the beach. I've barely set foot on the sand when I feel a skinny arm wrapping around my shoulder, guiding me over to a reclini...
Hilly Day to SihanoukvilleGWednesday, November 24th, 2010 6:00 AM Mist is hanging, draped over our bungalow-studded hill like a spider web. The early-morning cool beckons us out of bed, and gets us moving. We have yet another near-100 kilometer day ahead of us, and we want to most of the riding before...
Picnic ResortGTuesday, November 23rd, 2010 After ninety five kilometers, we stop at what looks to be the only place halfway between Kampong Spoe and Sihanoukville: a tattered array of rustic bungalows on a hillside, entitled Picnic Resort. We're exhausted, in the middle of nowhere, and it'...
Riding in the Cambodian CountrysideGTuesday, November 23rd, 2010 The skies are overcast this morning; the refreshingly brisk weather is a welcome respite from the likes of yesterday's steamy ride. As we cycle into the countryside, further from the dust clouds of Phnomn Penh's dirty sprawl, the roadsides are tee...
Heat & TragedyGMonday, November 22nd, 2010 A fur-lined hoodie. Seriously? A freaking fur-lined HOODIE?! As I shout to Tyler, my voice barely audible over the noise of the traffic, I can barely reconcile what I'm seeing with reality. Here I am, cycling out of Phnom Penh, sweating my sw...
Street Food in Phnom PenhGSunday, November 21st, 2010 The evening after our visit at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, we hit the streets, on the hunt for some good food. We settle on this place: I love how sanitary and hygienic the whole operation is! I wonder what a food safety inspection from...
Cambodia's Tuol Sleng Genocide MuseumGSunday, November 21st, 2010 This afternoon, we are going to learn about Cambodian history – specifically the horrific genocide led by Pol Pot in the late seventies. As we roll up to the entrance of Tuol Sleng (Strychnine Hill or Hill of the Poisonous Tree), the Khmer Rouge's...
Cambodia's Bon Om Thook... (Or Not)GSaturday, November 20th, 2010 We're feeling quiet, ready for an evening inside, when we see fireworks light up the night sky from our hotel window. It's the opening night of Phnom Penh's Bon Om Thook, Cambodia's annual Water Festival, celebrating the end of the rainy season. ...
Making CalendarsGFriday, November 19th, 2010 I've been busy making our 2011 Photo Calendars this afternoon. In the process of looking at the thousands of photographs we've taken, I find myself pleasantly side-tracked, suddenly steeped in our stories, awash in the rich memories evoked by each...
Buying Food in CambodiaGWednesday, November 17th, 2010 I have one mission for the afternoon: find food. Preferably, a meal which isn't comprised of rice, noodles, or mystery meat. While Tyler is hard at work in our hotel, I ride off in search of a market. On the way, I stop at each intersection to p...
Cambodia's Bamboo Railway: Part ThreeGTuesday, November 16th, 2010 We slow to a stop in a small village; everyone but us has departed already. As the conductor helps us safely lower our bikes from the platform, we're a bit confused. We're certainly not in Kompong Chnang, and our GPS shows that we have a long, lo...
Cambodia's Bamboo Railway: Part TwoGTuesday, November 16th, 2010 Tyler is standing behind me, next to the conductor, holding our bikes upright – I'm scrunched on the platform in front of them, trying to maneuver myself off the broken slats and onto some of the strong-looking wooden beams beside me. With so litt...
Cambodia's Bamboo Railway: Part OneGTuesday, November 16th, 2010 Our captain is a bronzed, lithe, shirtless Khmer man in a loosely fitting baseball cap. We are crammed together on his dilapidated locomotive, with dozens of other passengers, our huge bikes, and a heavy crate of frozen fish. Sporting a proud, ra...
Electricity in Rural CambodiaGMonday, November 15th, 2010 Less than 20% of rural households have access to grid-quality electricity services. Almost all people in rural areas use firewood for cooking, kerosene for lighting, and lead-acid rechargable batteries for household appliances. Energy use is in...
The Water Buffalo SongGSunday, November 14th, 2010 Dear children of Cambodia, You are all so frigging cute! Thank you for your smiles and ceaseless hellos, they make our long riding days so much better. As we bike by you, and your families' water buffalo… We can't help but think o...
Riding in Cambodia: A Day in PicturesGSaturday, November 13th, 2010 While we are really enjoying our time in Cambodia, there is one thing we would change: the long distances between accomodation. With no tent, we're regularly cycling much further than we'd like (100-120km) in a single day. This morning, we have a...
Slow Boat to Battambang: Part ThreeGThursday, November 11th, 2010 Tyler: I am digging through our backpack for some food, when our friend Genevieve stops by. She's excited to inform me that there is an enormous praying mantis on the railing at the back of the boat. As if I didn't think Genevieve was cool enou...
Slow Boat to Battambang: Part TwoGThursday, November 11th, 2010 Tara: After a nail-biting ride through the streets of Siem Reap, we make it twelve kilometers to the ferry port, bikes fully intact. As soon as I emerge from the truck, it's show time – women carrying baskets full of food and water descend upon ...
Slow Boat to Battambang: Part OneGThursday, November 11th, 2010 Tyler: It's another 5AM morning, but we're not cycling to the temples for a change. Instead, we're sitting on the front step of our hotel, waiting. We could have easily ridden to our destination, the boat dock for our sailing to Battambang, but...
Aki Ra's Cambodia Landmine MuseumGWednesday, November 10th, 2010 On our ride home from Banteay Srei a few days ago, we took a break from our idyllic pastoral surroundings, and paid a visit to the Cambodian Landmine Museum, founded by a former Khmer Rouge child solider, Aki Ra. An estimated four to six milli...
Temples of Angkor: Stall Number SevenGTuesday, November 9th, 2010 Off we go, past Bayon, and then Chao Say Devoda and then Ta Keo, until we reach our favorite temple, Ta Prohm. It's fairly busy at the moment, but we're happy to cycle by all the people, and breeze past all of the hawkers wanting to sell us things...
Temples of Angkor: Angkor WatGTuesday, November 9th, 2010 Today is the last of our three-day entry ticket to the Temples of Angkor. We're biking in later than normal, hoping to see Angkor Wat without the crowds. Since most tourists come here for sunrise or sunset, we're told it should be quiet under the...
Temples of Angkor: Sleepy AfternoonGMonday, November 8th, 2010 Back on the trails, we find this tiny little out of the way temple that isn't even on our map! There, we succumb to the inevitable and take a nap. It becomes apparent a bit later that we weren't the only ones dozing off! The rest ...
Temples of Angkor: Ta ProhmGMonday, November 8th, 2010 Khmer architecture is, in a word, epic! This morning we drag ourselves out of bed at 5AM and race to Ta Prohm, passing up food stalls and another sunrise at Angkor Wat. Hoping to get there before the crowds, we pedal hard. By the time we arri...
Apsara & Shadow PuppetsGSunday, November 7th, 2010 For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by puppetry. I even worked for a short time making massive props and puppets in London at Emergency Exit Arts when I was in college. So, when we were first planning our adventure, I was naturall...
Temples of Angkor: The Road to Banteay SreiGSaturday, November 6th, 2010 Tyler: After exploring Bayon temple, we cycle northwards in the Angkor Thom city complex, passing the enigmatic Prasat Suor Prat towers. There are twelve of them, mostly identical, and nobody knows what they are used for. As well, they don't sh...
Temples of Angkor: Sunrise at BayonGSaturday, November 6th, 2010 It's 4:45 AM as we cycle away from our hotel into the darkness and the invigoratingly cool pre-dawn air. Though we're still groggy, fighting to keep our eyes open and our legs spinning, the rest of the world is remarkably active. Many Cambodia...
Crossing PathsGFriday, November 5th, 2010 For as much time as we choose to spend out in the world interacting with people, and as public as we make our lives, we've both found ourselves steadily growing more and more introverted as the weeks and months of this adventure fly by. As a resul...
Artisans d'Angkor Silk FarmGFriday, November 5th, 2010 Saving the temples of Angkor for tomorrow, we backtrack sixteen kilometers out of town in order to see the free Artisans d'Angkor silk farm and workshop. I love most anything that involves crafts and textiles, especially when it's a behind-the-sce...
Hello, SirGThursday, November 4th, 2010 We're taking a day off, letting our aching muscles recover from a long day yesterday. Tomorrow, we start our three day tour at the temples of Angkor. In the meantime, we're checking out the city on our unloaded bikes. I can already tell ...
Collecting CambodiaGWednesday, November 3rd, 2010 The first few days in a new country, we grab every English speaking native we meet and beg them to teach us some basic phrases in their language. Though we have a phrasebook, there is no substitute for hearing a word first-hand. Then, we experien...
Crossing to Cambodia: Part ThreeGTuesday, November 2nd, 2010 When we're not completely blown away, our hearts bursting from our overwhelming welcome into Cambodia, we're doing more mundane things, like getting our internet situation sorted. When we pass a mobile store, I run inside for a game of charades wh...
Crossing to Cambodia: Part TwoGTuesday, November 2nd, 2010 A sculpted stone archway overhead bids us welcome to the Kingdom of Cambodia. As we pass under its imposing grey carvings, we are keenly aware that we've entered a very different place. Poipet feels old and scruffy, worn down and rough around the...
Crossing to Cambodia: Part OneGTuesday, November 2nd, 2010 We enjoy border crossings – the crowds of people, the incomprehensible mix of languages we barely understand, the resulting confusion, and even, the waiting in line. All tied up in the excited chaos is the knowledge that after the crossing, someho...
Our Process: Why We WriteGMonday, November 1st, 2010 This entry is part of an ongoing series about how we've documented our adventure. Why do we write? We write to capture our lives, to record our adventures, to share with our family and friends, and maybe, to leave a legacy for our children...
Making for CambodiaGSunday, October 31st, 2010 We're heading east, making our way towards Cambodia this afternoon. Before we take to the highway, we stop at the local market so I can satisfy my budding smoothie obsession. Today, it is a neon-green, melon-flavored concoction, with orange and y...
Four Part HarmonyGSaturday, October 30th, 2010 Any time we go out to eat in Thailand, whether at a street vendor or somewhere