We spent 2007 finalizing the plans for our "cabin", and making our lists of necessary equipment and supplies we thought we would need, garnered from our research and just plain common sense. I can tell you right now - research and reality can be quite different! We thought we were so well prepared and knew what to do. Problem is that we didn't personally know anyone who had build and lived off the grid. We did subscribe to a couple off-the-grid magazines which were a big help, Backwoods Home and Backwoods. But its hard to carry on a conversation with and ask questions of a magazine, or even know what questions to ask. We also have several books on such things as wells, septic systems, root cellars and basic rural living skills. These all gave us a basic overview and just enough details to make us feel like we knew what we were doing.
My Dad had grown up in Spokane Valley on a small ranch and often spoke of his life there. In those days there was no grid, except in town. He came from two pioneering families who had very successfully lived and thrived without electricity or even an indoor toilet. We were going to have both of those - how hard could it be?! Well, I know that is on the list of "Famous Last Words."
My husband, JB, was in charge of the electrical and mechanical side of our needs. He researched solar energy, back-up generators, water pumps, etc. Being a guy, he knows basic electrical wiring, plumbing and carpentry. (Not a sexist statement, just a reflection of our generation.) Plus, my brother has a lot of experience in all three of those and he was going to help us.
I was in charge of the house, but together we decided what kind of building we should have, not necessarily what we wanted but rather what we could afford and what was most practical. Initially we wanted the typical log cabin, but it was beyond our budget to have someone build it, and we are beyond the age to do it ourselves. Plus it isn't very practical when living with the possibility of a forest fire. We looked into a yurt, which we really liked, but just didn't feel secure enough for a year-round forever home. On the advice of my brother, we looked into and finally chose a pole building. We could have a contractor build the metal shell, and we could finish the inside. Metal pole building on the outside, cabin on the inside.
We wanted our mountain home to be as small as possible, so our final plans were for a 24 ft X 32 ft home with a 40 ft roof to also cover an 8 ft X 24 ft front porch. That's 1056 sq ft: 768 sq ft on the main floor with a 12 ft X 24 ft, 268 sq ft loft.
We wanted the house to face west, overlooking the canyon and across to the Cascade peaks. The front door would enter into the great room which would include the living room on the left, with the kitchen and dining area on the right. Straight ahead, under the loft, would be the doorway to the bath/laundry room on the right and the bedroom on the left. There would be a door in the loft off the east end of the house to an outside deck over a garage, and a side door on the west end of the living room. We thought a circular stairway to the loft would very cool, until we discovered the not-so-cool price - and the fact that they don't meet the local building codes.
Needless to say, we had to downsize again. We had a couple garage sales, sold some furniture through want-ads, and donated several carloads of items to the local humane society second-hand store.
Now: June 3, 2011
As it turned out, we still brought too much "stuff", but I figured it would be better to get rid of it in Washington, rather than regret having gotten rid of it in Illinois. One of JB's favorite sayings, "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."
We still subscribe to Back Home and Backwoods Home and they are extremely helpful. We also get Home Power and Countryside which are also excellent.
Yesterday, as planned, we dug out around the riser on the cistern so it could dry out & we could reseal it. We put 2 cups of bleach in the cistern & let it set. While we were waiting for all that, the dogs & I hiked down to my brother's place which is a mile by the road. Probably 1/2 mile if one hiked straight down, and it is almost straight down. That's one thing about hiking Up Here, half your walk will be up hill. But it's great exercise, and we were back by noon. After lunch we emptied the cistern & refilled it about 1/2 way. We'll finish filling it and seal it tomorrow. All in a normal day's work.
I should explain how we got the name Rose Camp. We learned the history of this area from our neighbors and it seems that beginning in the early 1900's, local men would run sheep up in this area. They would camp in the small, old-growth grove near our house. There was actually still a hitching post there when we first bought the land. They named this area Rose Camp, not only because they camped here, but because of all the wild roses. They are everywhere on the hillside. They begin blooming in mid-June and go into July. They don't all bloom at once, so there are blooms around for weeks. Then after the blooms come the rose hips which are very nutritious and high in vitamin C. I actually made rose hip jam last summer and it was delicious.
And, speaking of jam, I did not know how to do canning when we moved up here. Something, if I had it to do over again, I would have learned years ago. I took classes given by the Washington State University extension program last year, and the first thing I canned was peaches. The Wenatchee area is the "Apple Capitol of the World", but there are many orchards that grow other fruit as well. So there are lots of different kinds of fresh fruit available all Summer into Fall, and peaches are my very favorite. I also took a class to learn to can meat, but haven't done that yet.
We have neighbors 3 miles down the road with whom we have become very good friends, Larry and Elsie. They are the very best kind of friends to have living off the grid. In fact there is a very tight knit group of people living in the area, not all of them off the grid, but most of them dependable and willing to help each other. It was Elsie who helped me get started canning and even gave me the peaches to can!
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