So much has been accomplished in the month of May toward completing Phase 1 of our 6-phase plan to build a spiritual retreat center. Phase 1 includes getting all infrastructure in place for roads, power, water, internet, and tool storage while establishing Lesa and my son and his family in residence. This required a greenhouse to be built on the upper ridge to house our solar power equipment and store the water supply that is being pumped uphill 1,000 feet from the creek in the valley below. It also included planting a garden and connecting with the land spiritually through ceremony and gratitude.

I have a 10’x16′ portable shed where I can spend the night in off-grid comfort after practicing my carpentry skills (or lack thereof!) in converting the wooden shed into a tiny house. My grandsons and I have enjoyed “camping out” in the shed several times. They enjoy helping me with tasks that are appropriately dangerous in line with their age and ability. Great bonding time, and we are learning a lot together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have accomplished 80% of phase 1 in our first six months. I’m very pleased with our progress. By the end of summer, we hope to be ready for guests who want to rough camp in nature and enjoy a spiritual retreat.

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we are making a garden. Anyone who has tried to grow food in a former hayfield knows just how tough the grass roots are. We hired someone with a tractor to break the top layer. Then we turned the soil with a rotor tiller that Lesa’s dad gave us. Tilling revealed a lot of rocks and root clumps that we had to remove by hand. There is something satisfying about crawling on the ground and throwing rocks toward a target (a tarp spread out) while taking care not to hit someone. It’s about time to plant the seeds we’ve been collecting!

The blueberry plants are growing near the 10′ x 16′ shed that I’m converting into a tiny cabin for my overnight stays. My eldest grandson is helping me install some extra windows and get a nice cross breeze going.

We now have a rather rickety outhouse on site for taking care of bodily urgencies in private.

Some beautiful natural plants are showing up. Since we have a limited knowledge of “weeds,” we have someone coming next week to do a walkabout on the land and help us identify plants. I’ve got a pack of wooden tongue depressors to write the name on and place as markers next to the plants we can use for food or medicine. Such fun to learn as we go.

It is so good to have my son and his family living on the land with us. He has built storage for tools and those living on the land now have a way to wash and dry clothes. My son is building a below-grade greenhouse where we can start seeds and house our solar utilities and water storage to supply the acreage on the upper ridge. We are still deciding how best to pump water from the creek and springhouse at the bottom of the hill up a 700-foot incline using solar power.

Lots going on at the moment and we are having fun.

As many of you know, my friend and business partner Lesa Gavron and I bought some undeveloped property in Tennessee last December. Our goal is to get a retreat center up and running. If you’ve ever worked with raw land in the winter time, you have some idea of what we’ve dealt with in getting the infrastructure in place. Here’s an update on our progress.

The “twos” theme continues! Thanks to my grandsons helping me, we now have two apple trees, two peach trees, two pear trees, and three blueberry bushes planted on the property. It may be a while before we get any fruit from them, but at least we are on our way toward growing our own food. We are planning our vegetable garden this week.

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As with any new project, there are certain “uncertainties” that appear as life unfolds its mysteries. My business partner Lesa Gavron and I have encountered setbacks and victories the first six weeks into our joint venture. Here is a quick update on our progress in developing Enchanted Retreat Center.

Mud, rain, snow, ice, wind, and a handful of sunny days–working with Mother Nature–was the norm for January. We began construction on the driveway that will allow us to move equipment, supplies, and dwellings to the meadow at top of the hill. For now, we seem to be confined to the valley below. It’s been like Noah and the Ark down there with all the “twos” on the land! Two buses converted into off-grid dwellings, two trucks, two utility trailers, two RVs, two fire pit areas (that we sit around when the weather permits), and two cars are parked on approximately two acres of soft muddy ground that flooded when it rained. The driveway project that was started January 10th was slower reacting completion due to the weather and seeming unavailability of gravel, chert, rip-rap, and dump truck drivers. We did a happy dance every time we got a delivery. I’d never been so excited about dirt and rocks! [Read more…]