Land Hunting Entries Land Hunting, Part Fourteen: We Did It! G Saturday, September 17th, 2011 I'm fast asleep in the passenger's seat. We're somewhere in Ohio, and Tara is nudging me. Without a word, she hands me the phone with a smile, and continues driving. I'm groggy and confused, blink... Land Hunting, Part Thirteen: Our Final Offer G Friday, September 16th, 2011 We've decided to go for it! We just made another offer on the Maple Hill Road property, and this one is five thousand dollars less than the last. We're hoping the difference will be enough to cover... Land Hunting, Part Twelve: A Solar Survey G Friday, September 16th, 2011 For the last few weeks, Tyler has been in contact with Solar Pro, a solar hot water heating company in town. Last night, he called to see if they had time for a last minute appointment, and our cont... Land Hunting, Part Eleven: A Rainy Day in Vermont G Thursday, September 15th, 2011 Tyler: The sun is hiding behind a sheath of steel blue skies this morning. A damp chill hangs in the air, leaving the world without any measure of doubt: fall is here. As we lay in our tent, listen... Land Hunting, Part Ten: Re-Engaging G Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 As the sun sinks toward the horizon, we pull off the road, wheels crunching over the rutted dirt drive of a lakeside "Fish and Wildlife Area," hoping to find a secluded place to sleep. There's a tru... Land Hunting, Part Nine: Empty-Landed G Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 I'm having second thoughts about our spur-of-the-moment road trip this morning; it's clear that dropping everything to drive out here again was not a sensible decision. The thirty acre property whic... Land Hunting, Part Eight: Back to Vermont G Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 Before the proverbial ink has dried on our contract cancellation, we've scoured the internet once more, and found a promising 30 acre property—it's just a few miles from the one on Maple Hill r... Land Hunting, Part Seven: Backing Out G Saturday, September 10th, 2011 In 1998, twelve test pits were dug on the Maple Hill Road property. Results indicated that the soil was definitely unsuitable for a relatively inexpensive leach field system. If we were able to get... Septic Systems: Part Two G Friday, September 9th, 2011 So far, the quotes we're getting from engineers to take an undeveloped piece of land through the process of soil investigation, percolation testing, land surveying, septic system design and finally, ... Septic Systems: Part One G Friday, September 9th, 2011 For the past few weeks, we've been waiting to hear if the land we're hoping to buy will support a legally permitted septic system. Mostly, this has entailed waiting around for an engineer in Vermont... Land Hunting, Part Six: Making an Offer G Wednesday, 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 $6... Ingrid & Yves in Amish Country G Sunday, July 31st, 2011 We've driven all night and all morning. Gone are the cool days of green New England, exchanged for the heat and rolling hills of rural Ohio. Windows open, driving westwards, it feels like like we'r... Land Hunting, Part Five: The One? G Saturday, July 30th, 2011 Today is our last round of land-hunting; it is another hours-long marathon of calling realtors for information, punching distant addresses into our GPS, driving up and down winding dirt roads, and ul... Sheila, Kai, & Their Tiny House G Friday, July 29th, 2011 After land-hunting our way through most of western Vermont, we ended in the state's largest city, Burlington, at the home of Sheila and Kai, the thoughtful, socially-aware, and environmentally-consci... Land Hunting, Part Four: Scouring Vermont G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Waving goodbye to Mike and Eliza, we take to the road with gleeful anticipation. As we drive over the Green Mountains, bound for the western valley of Vermont, I'm busy plotting a circuitous route t... Land Hunting, Part Three: Another Map, and a Plan G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 When we weren't working, leaping into rivers, sailing, or berry-picking while cat-sitting at Mike and Eliza's house, we were poring over another map, this one of a single state: Vermont. With some l... Land Hunting, Part Two: Much to Learn G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 It was in Ray's office that our romanticized, starry-eyed plan began it's transformation to concrete, complicated reality. In spite of all our reading and research, the list of things we didn't know... Land Hunting, Part One: Finding Vermont G Thursday, July 28th, 2011 Earlier this month, we packed the car and hit the highway heading east on a road trip across the country. Bound for a two week stint of cat-sitting in Maine, we left nearly a week before we were sch... Getting Out the Map Again G Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 If a self-sufficient lifestyle was the only goal for our next project, we could probably make do on a quarter acre of land just about anywhere. What we're really yearning for, however, is a quiet sp... Dreaming of Our New Life G Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to lead a self-sufficient life. As a child, I was inspired by children's book author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. I wanted to follow in her footsteps, liv...