Think Big, Live Tiny - Part 10
I contemplate buying some raw land, but apart from the enormous added expense, I would run into more pesky rules and regulations regarding the house that was technically not a house. Many land sites come with CC&R’s (Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions), regarding the size of the dwelling and it’s physical connection to the earth. So, I begin to run through in my head who I know with some acreage that might be willing to let me park it on their land. Almost immediately I think of two friends who own a ranch. When I ask if they would consider letting me live on their property, I explain that I plan to be off-the-grid and completely self-sufficient.
“We would be thrilled to have you up here,” Sandi immediately responds. “We have 16-acres, most of it unused, come on up and pick a spot.”
Johanna and Barrie also offer to let me park on some acreage they have bought in anticipation of starting a small Tiny Home community. But it is an almost two-hour drive away from my business, The Ranch is seven minutes away. No-brainer!
***
“There are three places on the property that I think would make a good homesite. But first let me show you the other homes up here.” Richard leads with purposeful strides.
We have been walking on narrow pig trails to give me a tour of the whole property. While I have been up here many times over the years for meditations and to give them massages, I have never walked the entirety of Ohi’a Ranch. The old growth Ohi’a forest surrounding this magical land, creates a mystical cocoon.
Sandi and Joseph’s commitment to keeping the land organic contributes to a verdant, natural setting, and my excitement to live here. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the constant, year-round growth of everything in the perfect growing environment that is Hawai’i. The cultivated wildness is exactly what I have dreamed of. Although my unrealistic expectations of how I will keep up with this around my own place is yet to reveal itself to me. On a good day you can pull up a chair and watch everything growing in real time.
“Michael and Cyndi live here.” Joseph points to an eight by eight foot dwelling sitting on a platform. It is completely screened in, with no solid walls and a four-sided pyramid shaped roof, aptly named the Pyramid House.
We continue on the narrow path another 50 feet and Joseph points to a smaller structure built three feet off the ground. “And this is their bath house.” I look over my shoulder at the sleeping quarters, we just looked at, hidden behind bushes and trees. “Mmmm,” I say as I imagine walking this path at night when nature calls. Under the moonlight, I suppose it could be considered romantic, but navigating the wild pigs who are nocturnal and freely roam the property – not so much. I will soon learn that when you live so close to nature, you become quite cavalier about peeing behind a bush. And only true emergencies require a trip to the outhouse late at night.
I peek inside and see a shower stall, standing next to a very rudimentary composting toilet. A short bench with a hole in it, covered by a $10 toilet seat from Lowes. The toilet seat is a brilliant addition, giving it a surprisingly homey touch. That warm, fuzzy thought is quickly dispelled when I notice the large bucket beneath the hole to catch the non-liquid waste. Each deposit is carefully covered with compost, so there is no smell and nothing to see here folks.
Their kitchen/living area, another 30 feet along the trail from the bathroom, is in yet another structure with an interesting hodge-podge of items. We climb two steps to get to the raised platform and are first greeted with a sofa that has been - let’s say, well-loved. To the side of that is a refrigerator, and next to that a countertop with a sink, a 2-burner gas unit and a toaster oven. Several shelves hold large, covered plastic bins of the sort you buy in Walmart, and are filled with food items. Joseph explains that because it is all outdoors they have to protect against rats and other varmints.The whole shebang is covered with tarps forming the roof and three sides. The front is screened in. It is all very compact and cozy if you put on your rose-colored glasses and don’t look too closely. The house I am building is suddenly feeling like Buckingham Palace.
We backtrack towards the Pyramid then make a sharp left turn and follow a narrow pig trail down through the property to arrive at Deenya’s space. She has a 16-foot round yurt that sits on a raised platform with a tiny porch. Her outhouse, similar to the one we have just seen, is situated 15 feet from her house. She has a small screened-in kitchen sitting on another platform, only six feet from her front door. Deenya’s layout is more attractive to me. There is something magically elfin or fairy-like about her home.
“Now let us go see where you might like to live.” Joseph says with a mischievous grin and turns his compact body to lead the way. I notice not for the first time that Joseph’s good looks and charm lend him an air of confidence that endears both men and women to him almost immediately. Combine this with his mystique as an artist and he is in short, quite irresistible and often gets away with outlandish comments. He met his match several decades ago. His wife, my good friend Sandi, is a powerful and very beautiful woman in her own right. Together they hold space for a sweet little community on their land.
Beautiful Ohi’a forest surrounding the Ranch
Jumping ahead a few weeks.
