Heartwood is about 20 miles east of Durango, on the edge of a town called Bayfield, and has 360+ acres of pasture and forested land for a community of 28 homes. Christine introduced to her husband, Rob, and their delightful son, Hutch, who all proceeded to give us a tour of their community. My major regret was that I didn't have a camera to capture the charm of their rural cohousing community. There was the weather insulated yurt (that looks like a community gathering place or yoga studio) near the sledding hill (Hutch was quick to point out the sledding trail). Next came the woodshop (Paul was having workspace and tool envy), followed by the chicken house (Christine is co-leader for the chicken house). Then to the greenhouse in a geodesic dome with beeswax controlled louvers and a solar heated koi pond ... Rob is the leader for the greenhouse which had a wide array of vegetables and herbs, including the lettuce that we had for dinner. Hutch was eager to point out the garden snakes that live in the greenhouse. We toured the community house with communal kitchen, laundry and game facilities and the "store" in which milk, eggs, meat where available for purchase. Hutch showed us the play structure ... and his swinging and jumping skills. We didn't have time to tour the livestock, much to Hutch's disappointment, (although we did see some of their horses, cattle, llamas and pigs as we drove in) because we were treated to a delicious dinner ... and wonderful conversation.
We had previously been introduced to cohousing by our friends, Dick and Karin, in The Commons on the Alameda in Santa Fe, which is more of an urban cohousing community. Heartwood is represents a rural or pastoral cohousing community with the capability of having more life outdoors, more connection to the natural environment. The cohousing movement permits a deeper connection to a community of people and focuses the attention on "intentional" living. By having the opportunity to spend time with Christine, Rob and Hutch, and to meet a few of their neighbors, it was rare glimpse into a unique community which exemplifies the term "community" through their commitment to living a mindful life connected to each other in the context of a beautiful environment.
Sorry about the lack of pictures ... I am afraid that the "bloggist" has developed a severe hay fever response to the cottonwood trees in our campground and I am in a bit of an anti-histamine fog ... so, if none of this makes sense, just write it off to hay fever (and the miserable drugs).
Our sincere gratitude to Christine, Rob and Hutch for sharing their life with us ... it was a treat!
2 comments:
It was so wonderful to have you visit our little corner of the world. And, I must say, for writing this in an antihistamine fog your memory for details about Heartwood is amazing! Please come again soon (and we will surely be taking you up on your offer of a visit in Tucson).
Heartwood is an amazing community with some amazing folks ... easy to remember those details. And, yes, we'll definitely be back ... and we hope to see you in Tucson sometime.
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