A beautiful farm in Forks, WA
In Forks, we stayed with the wonderful Megan and Kevin on their farm for three days. We found this beautiful pair via www.workaway.info, and are so glad we did. Along with a few other visiting human friends, the farm family includes dogs, geese, goats, ducks, and a cat. Each one of them receives enough attention and freedom to be considered the luckiest and happiest of animals. The ducks, geese, and goats sleep in their shelters at night, but roam freely each day. To keep them out of trouble, someone stays with the goats, shepherding them for 10 hours a day. This act, along with many others we witnessed, speaks to the daily dedication and sacrifice people on this little farm make to live a life outside of destructive systems they do not wish to be a part of. Other examples of their low impact living include: washing dishes in the river (with eco-friendly soap), building their home of 90% recycled materials, and living without electricity. |
What we found to be most inspiring of all, however, was not the commitment and creativity under which the farm functioned, but the building and strengthening of human connection that was integrated in every moment. We shared hearty, home-cooked meals three times a day, and each evening was completed with a gratitude circle and an empathy circle. First, we all shared something from the day that we were thankful for, which is always a wonderful experience. Second came something that was new to both of us; the empathy circle served as a way to create space for vulnerability and community support. Anyone who wanted to was encouraged to share something they desired empathy for, like a struggle they had that day. In turn, the people around would respond with undivided attention and questions that showed how truly they were listening and sharing the person’s feelings. It was a very powerful experience and all of it took place on the floor of Megan and Kevin’s little house, by candlelight, warmed by their wood stove. |
Additionally, they strive to make connections with and support their neighbors, and to create strength, resilience, and love in their surroundings. In our short time there, we truly felt the love and dedication that is present in every aspect of their lives. We were so impressed at how well they stayed true to their values, even on a very limited budget. We found that it was easy to be happy in a place where we loved so much of what was around us; the nature, the people, the animals, and the intentions made it enjoyable even without the comforts we are used to. |
Port Townsend Ecovillage
After a trip to stock up on some snacks from the amazing local food co-op, we met with Helen who graciously walked out and met us at the car as we finished our lunch. She explained the history of the place in that their family originally wanted the land to be a part of an existing ecovillage down the street, but eventually decided that their community should just grow independently. The amount of residents seems to fluctuate but there are still two undeveloped lots so the total was about 18 people ranging in age from 1 to 75.
Set-up of the land: - Houses are built with eco-friendly architecture (and included architectural designs that we had never heard of!) - Two lots are still available for sale - Purposefully left some of the open space untouched to remain like woods and developed other areas to become CSA and personal gardens - The homes are purposefully placed in a circular structure around where the common house will be to create community |
The exciting thing about Port Townsend Ecovillage is that it is not a full time job to live there. Like the housing co-ops we’ve participated in, as a member you pay for an equal share of the land, the common space, the gardens, etc and have responsibilities to your community. Ultimately, however, people here live in a way that has a positive impact on the earth and still allows them to participate in society at large.
This community displays resilience in various ways. Despite their independent homes, they work together and depend on each other for functional and emotional support. They also support their community at large with events and their CSA, which provides local, organic vegetables to participating neighbors. Additionally, they are working hard to make their community economically affordable and creating initiatives to diversify their population and encourage families with children to live there. It was an interesting transition to visit this Eco-Village, which is very expensive but doing very good work, directly after visiting the farm out in Forks. It just goes to show that ingenuity and commitment to creating a better world are not limited by income.
Bullock Brothers Permaculture Ranch & Homestead
Our destination on Orcas Island was a suggestion from some of the people we interviewed in Portland. The Bullock Brothers have been interested in permaculture since they were young dudes. What is permaculture you ask?
Definition:
Definition:
- per·ma·cul·ture
- ˈpərməˌkəlCHər/
- noun
- the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.
One intriguing part of the story is that these 3 young dudes learned skills to build, repair, plant, create etc and THAT was their schooling. Doug, one of the originals who was giving us a tour, is homeschooling his kids. His son walked by and when asked about whether he had fixed his toy plane responded with “Almost, I just need to do some welding or soldering”. “Uh… What?” we all thought, “How old is this kid?”. “Twelve” responded Doug. The land itself is about 20 acres of well-thought-out designs. As we toured with a group of University of Washington students, we were able to see the amazing connections made between the land, the plants grown there and the people using the space. It was exciting to see the amount of species experimentation they were doing. They aren’t a farm- they’re a living laboratory. Not only is the space used for living off and teaching, they also direct 5 businesses from it including a nursery, catering, and education. That said, the homestead is not growing with money as motivation. People come from all over the world who are genuinely interested and excited to learn from this place- and learn we did! |
“For over 25 years we have applied our shared experience to create what experts refer to as the finest permaculture site in North America. Together we develop and implement practical solutions for sustainable living while offering hands-on permaculture courses, workshops, skill-building, and more.” ~ from http://www.permacultureportal.com/
A few examples of the smart designs we saw:
- tool sheds placed in areas that you would definitely walk by when going or coming to work
- concentrated energy usage in “Zone 1” where the heaviest foot traffic is (kitchen, dining table, classroom), and placing that zone in the appropriate central location of the property
- purple or yellow paint around the PVC pipes creating a “hoophouse” greenhouse to prevent a detrimental reaction between the PVC and the polyethylene cover
- “grafting” various species for particular varieties, size, climates and also to prevent having to start from seed by grafting onto already established roots
- solar pump powered water system from the wetlands up to the top of the hill where gravity takes it to the rest of the land; the system works hardest when it’s the hottest outside
*having four pump systems with two pumps each in case something goes wrong and they need tons of water quickly
- understanding nutrient cycles in order to place appropriate “guilds” of species that do well next to each other or need each other
- a recycling center and a shop where things actually get made with all those things when someone says “we should save this and reuse it for something”
- sand filtration tanks for filtering their 26,000 gallon water tank should something happen
- tool sheds placed in areas that you would definitely walk by when going or coming to work
- concentrated energy usage in “Zone 1” where the heaviest foot traffic is (kitchen, dining table, classroom), and placing that zone in the appropriate central location of the property
- purple or yellow paint around the PVC pipes creating a “hoophouse” greenhouse to prevent a detrimental reaction between the PVC and the polyethylene cover
- “grafting” various species for particular varieties, size, climates and also to prevent having to start from seed by grafting onto already established roots
- solar pump powered water system from the wetlands up to the top of the hill where gravity takes it to the rest of the land; the system works hardest when it’s the hottest outside
*having four pump systems with two pumps each in case something goes wrong and they need tons of water quickly
- understanding nutrient cycles in order to place appropriate “guilds” of species that do well next to each other or need each other
- a recycling center and a shop where things actually get made with all those things when someone says “we should save this and reuse it for something”
- sand filtration tanks for filtering their 26,000 gallon water tank should something happen
We were not able to get an interview after 3.5 hours of touring and romping around the land, tasting multitudes of different fruits the whole time, but we did get to form our own conclusions as to why the place is resilient.
Food: The short tour showed us that we could eat most of the property and when we got back, interns had harvested pounds and pounds of apples and pears throughout that one afternoon.
Water: They’ve got their off the grid water system in the bag. Enough to keep their plants alive in emergencies and enough to put out a good sized fire if need be.
Shelter: The three brothers and their families all have established homes around the property and seem to be well set up for the long term. That, in essence, is what permaculture is- sustainable and self-sufficient systems.
Food: The short tour showed us that we could eat most of the property and when we got back, interns had harvested pounds and pounds of apples and pears throughout that one afternoon.
Water: They’ve got their off the grid water system in the bag. Enough to keep their plants alive in emergencies and enough to put out a good sized fire if need be.
Shelter: The three brothers and their families all have established homes around the property and seem to be well set up for the long term. That, in essence, is what permaculture is- sustainable and self-sufficient systems.
The "What We're Learning"/Other Section
- The value of simplicity, connection with the earth and with other people through action and communication
- Being aware of our speech and our needs, particularly awareness of empathy and nonviolence
- Couchsurfing is great
- Visiting wild places is always worth the extra time:
- Being aware of our speech and our needs, particularly awareness of empathy and nonviolence
- Couchsurfing is great
- Visiting wild places is always worth the extra time:
- We are so grateful for Googlemaps on our phones - Sending mail without telling the recipient can be a bad idea - We seem to be lucky with the generosity of other people *In particular when one of our bikes breaks on the way to the ferry and the first person we see after we stick our thumbs out stops for us because they have an empty trailer for our bikes and an empty backseat for us! - It's important to take care of ourselves and give ourselves and each other compassion and proper meals |
Faithful readers, we’re getting to the point where we have less family and friend connections/hosts to stay with, meaning if you have some suggestions of places we might be able to shower and sleep in our van in the driveway (distant cousins etc), we’d love to hear them!
Much love coming your way in this beautiful October month!
Much love coming your way in this beautiful October month!