Thankfully, the tipi came with setup instructions, because while both of us have a good deal of outdoor experience, we have very little with tipis. This is truly an experiment for us, but something we're committed to making work. To be honest, we only have our romantic ideas about how this is all going to go. I do know that we're going to have to be pretty dynamic and that a good deal of trial and error will be necessary before we're totally comfortable, but that's what makes it feel adventurous. We won't be making an attempt to really live in it until June, so that will give us the next two months to learn the ins and outs of the structure. Already, we have been hit with some pretty awful weather since the tipi went up over the weekend. After two days of soaking, steady rain, it is a bit wet inside and it's clear that dampness could become an issue. The canvas itself proved to be water tight, and I've dug a small drainage ditch around the outside of the tipi. However, because of a slight slope to the ground, the water running off of the canvas is slowly working its way across the ground inside, making a muddy mess by the door. I think we can take care of this by putting a layer of cedar chips down as a floor (which will also help to keep the insects out), followed by a few tarps and then some old rugs that we have. This should keep out any water from underneath...we'll have to see. It seems to be a well tested strategy, based on what I've been able to find. We've been getting a lot of great information from a book that Erin's father gave us, The Indian Tipi by Reginald and Gladys Laubin--great resource. Interesting coincidence that I've only recently been made aware of--I work with a woman named Sally Laubin, and the authors of this book are her aunt and uncle!

Up goes the tipi!

March 27th, 2010 ~ With help from Chad & photos by Jess, Adam and I started out with some poles and a canvas and ended up with a home. Pretty neat. Check it out:

How did this all start? Well, I suppose it started a long time ago if I really look deeply at it--with growing up on small farm in rural Massachusetts. But it all really started to take shape a few years ago when I read a book by Elizabeth Gilbert entitled The Last American Man. This book chronicled the life and ideals of a man named Eustace Conway. The story of Eustace's life made me get serious about seeking some alternatives--to start getting serious about getting more connected.

"I live," Eustace said, "in nature, where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is its passage around the sun. The course of water over the earth is circular, coming down from the sky and circulating through the world to spread life and then evaporating up again. I live in a circular teepee and I build my fire in a circle, and when my loved ones visit me, we sit in a circle and talk. The life cycles of plants and animals are circular. I live outside where I can see this. The ancient people understood that our world is a circle, but we modern people have lost sight of that. I don't live inside buildings, because they are dead places where nothing grows, where water doesn't flow, and where life stops. I don't want to live in a dead place. People say that I don't live the real world, but it's modern Americans who live in a fake world, because they've stepped outside the natural circle of life.[...]

Do people live in circles today? No, they live in boxes. The wake up every morning in the box of their bedroom because a box next to them started making beeping noises to tell them it was time to get up. They eat their breakfast out of a box and then the throw that box away into another box. Then they leave the box where they live and get into a box with wheels and drive to work. , which is just another big box broken up into lots of little cubicle boxes where a bunch of people spend their days sitting and staring at the computer boxes in front of them. When the day is over, everyone gets into the box with wheels again and goes home to their hous boxes and spend the evening stating at the television boxes for entertainment. They get their music from a box, they get their food from a box, they keep their clothing in a box, they live their lives in a box! Does that sound like anybody you know?"

YES!!!

"Break out of the box!" Eustace said. "You don't have to live like this because people tell you it's the only way. You're not handcuffed to your culture! This is not the way humanity lived for thousands of years, and it is not the only way you can live today."

This quote had a powerful effect on me, and this book inspired me to start learning new ways to live. Funny thing, the "old" ways are the ones that have felt the best so far. I'm not saying that this is the right way...though Eustace seemed pretty sure...this is all just part of an ongoing search for a different way, because I'm not satisfied with the model that we have. I can say that this tipi thing feels good to me though--it's got me excited.

Thank goodness for wonderfully supportive and like-minded spouses!