Bellingham, WA - Jason's Hippy Commune

For the past four days I have been living in what I can best describe as a cozy hippy commune on a Bellingham mountainside. Physically, it is a 4-bedroom house with a large front and backyard. The place belongs to Jason, a 20-something guy with recently-dyed-red-hair who, in May, decided to rent out his room and instead live in a tent out in his backyard. Once I saw his backyard, I understood why. A cozy backyard dominated by a large central apple tree whose branches touched the edges of a large lush green garden. It was an Eden.

Jason's place felt very self-sustained and resourceful. They used grass clippings and compost to fertilize the garden, dried out weeds for use as fire kindling, and used recycled containers for a plethera of miscellaneous purposes. One of the housemates even used a steel wire to turn a pair of earphones into headphones.

In the backyard, under a large arching tarp, and feet from Jason's tent and hammock was where I slept. I arranged a situation with Jason to work for my stay -- to help him with the garden, the house, whatever needed doing.

The first day, Jason and I mowed a large lawn -- he weedwacked the edges as I mowed the rows. That afternoon, we painted a room -- he painted the edges as I worked the roller. And the next day, we cleaned carpets. I made $80 --- not much in the way of big money -- but that wasn't the point. The point was joining in, enjoying myself in the simplicity of living this awesome community.

For four days, I joined in on that community and added work to keep the wheel turning. But tomorrow, I head for Seattle.