Welcome to Bucolia

Maybe it’s been awhile, maybe we recently spoke, or maybe you barely know me, but I’m eager to welcome you to whatever this newsletter and project turn out to be. For over a decade, I’ve been dreaming of developing a rural retreat with food, nature, artistry, and community as the pillars. Over the years, this dream has had different iterations, but last summer the opportunity appeared in the form of 4.5 acres in Olga, Washington, on Orcas Island, in the archipelago of the San Juan Islands.

What happens when your fantasy of finding a beautiful, remote property on which to live a simpler life comes true? Spoiler alert: nothing simple. It’s a complicated story, or more precisely, layers of stories. Stories that brought me here, stories that are still unfolding, and stories that aren’t even mine but belong to this land and the people who came before me. A sedimentary rock of stories.

This won't be a renovation journey to turn this property into a luxury Airbnb. This will (hopefully) be the repository for all of the developments in, if I'm lucky, turning this place into something close to what I first dreamed up while on a Buddhist meditation retreat—a place for refuge, regeneration, and reconnection. Wildly profitable? Probably not. Needed now more than ever? I think so. Do you?

Your Invitation

Starting June 5, I will be living on my property fulltime through the end of August. This is your invitation to visit. Whether you want to come for a short weekend to say hi, or stay for a longer residency, there’s plenty of room…but here are few things you should know. 

• The septic system is being rebuilt.  We’ll be using 2 outhouses in the meantime.  They’re actually quite charming. 
• There is electricity, but no running water yet (if you stick around, you'll learn all about the water dispute with my neighbor here, I promise). 
• You may be asked to do some light cow herding.

Aside from that, you will quickly learn that everything is a WIP, and there’s plenty of work to do. Demo, drywall, painting, gardening, bamboo and blackberry abatement, it’s all up for grabs.  And it’s part of the whole concept because I believe that our hands getting a little dirty and our muscles a little sore can be therapeutic. So come—dig some holes, hack at some blackberry bushes, then sit on the meditation rock and stare at the glassy sea while your ears pick up the sound of birds in the forest, the water lapping by the shore, and the breeze combing the tall grass.  

A Newsletter, A Notebook

I've spent many months thinking of how and what I want to share as this place develops. My goal is to send out a newsletter once a month, maybe twice a month while I'm staying out here full time. I'll populate this website with pictures, writing, updates and observations about island life and the trajectory of development, which is certain to be non-linear.

Please share this with anyone who you think might be interested in following or participating in this experiment. If there is one thing I do know, it's that I won't pull this off alone.

I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you’ll stay awhile.  If you’re able to visit send me a line at bucoliafarm@gmail.com , or follow the link below