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    Tuesday, August 5, 2008

    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.

    3 comments:

    Holly said...

    Tell me more! Call when you get a chance--we're back home and looking forward to seeing you in a couple of days; that is if you can tear yourself away from the commune! xoxomomo

    Nater said...

    Bellingham is amazing! Glad to see I can keep tabs on you, homeboy.

    Alexander said...

    That sounds amazing! I'm wanting to relocate to Bellingham soon and would love to find a place like that! (:
    Any suggestions on how to get myself in that kind of situation?

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