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Greetings!
Stone
Curves, Tucson's newest cohousing community, is growing as we head into
the first month of 2004. And, the months ahead promise to be a pivotal
time in the creation of our beautiful community. For all the details,
read on!
So,
welcome to the fourth issue of the Stone Curves Cohousing e-newsletter.
And, just in case you're wondering:
What's
this cohousing thing all about?? 
WHAT'S
COHOUSING? To begin, it's a process for "creating an old fashioned neighborhood,
in a brand new way". The result is a closely knit community of people
who know, and are known by, their immediate neighbors. There are over
a hundred such cohousing communities in America now. And, they're multiplying
like rabbits! (Well, not exactly like rabbits, but you know what we mean!)
WHAT'S
STONE CURVES? A cohousing community in development, located on the southwest
corner of Stone Ave. and Limberlost St. in north-central Tucson, AZ. When
completed in 2004, Stone Curves will include 48 single-family condo-style
dwellings, built with great insight on a 5.1-acre piece of land. (The
views, incidentally, are MAGNIFICENT.)
WHAT'S
SPECIAL ABOUT STONE CURVES? Well, mainly, the people. Several dozen so
far, representing 22 or so households. We're all looking forward to sharing
this great neighborhood we're working so hard to create. And, there's
lots more that's special about Stone Curves. Visit our website to learn
about it at www.stonecurves.com.
IS
COHOUSING RIGHT FOR ME? It very well could be, if you're the sort that
likes people, and likes knowing your neighbors, and likes working with
those neighbors to create a safe, caring, supportive environment for people
of all ages and lifestyles. Or, if you're the sort that values the earth
and its resources and wants to live in a way that uses them more efficiently.
Or, if you're the sort of person who's looking for a once-in-a-lifetime
experience in creating and dwelling in community.
Find
out more about Stone Curves.
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We're
growing by leaps and bounds! |
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The community
of people who are looking forward to living at Stone Curves is
growing. We've now sold nearly half of the eventual
48 units that will comprise
the neighborhood.
Our community now includes transplants from Phoenix, Rochester NY,
Washington D.C., Tulsa, Cincinnati, and Ft. Collins,
CO. Plus lots of other
folks from in and around Tucson; a cross-border
community organizer who's helping to reshape the entire Limberlost
Neighborhood; the co-owners of a thriving chain of recycled clothing
stores; a retired school counselor who (among other things) teaches
Infant Massage to parents of beautiful little babies.
It also includes an Air
Force pilot who has logged thousands of miles around the globe;
a variety of artists, artistans, writers and musicians; an aspiring
seaman who's in the process of refurbishing a 25-foot boat; devoted
parents and their beautiful children, who bring a magnificent joy
to our community; and, a University professor who's a pro at anything
related to computers and the internet. 
And, these are just a few
of the great folks who'll be sharing life at Stone Curves.
Meet
all the members of our community! » |
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Unit
Sales Update |
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As
2003 comes to a close, homes at Stone Curves are selling well and
we're approaching the halfway mark - nearly half of the community's
eventual 48 homes have been spoken for. What does this mean? First
and foremost, it means full speed ahead on Villages #1 and #2, with
Village #5 not far behind. Village Plaza designs are being developed
by our landscape architect, Greg Shinn, along with the future residents
of those villages. And, it means there are still 24 beautiful units
are still available, ranging in size from 600+ s.f. to over 1600
s.f., and priced from the low 100's to the low 200's.
Want
to learn about our site and the available units? »
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How
can I learn more, or get involved in Stone Curves? |
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There
are many ways to take the first steps in becoming involved in our
growing community. Many find the best step is to visit our 5.1-acre
site at Stone and Limberlost; the sales office there is open every
Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. To get a closer look,
take a site tour; they're offered each and every Saturday at 2:30
p.m., and last about 45 minutes.
If you have questions about
cohousing or the project, contact our Project Manager, James Hamilton
at (520) 293-5290, or e-mail him at bouldertalk@gci.net. Attend
an upcoming general meeting or team meeting. General meetings are
held the first and third Sunday of each month. Team meeting times
and dates vary.
See
the complete schedule of upcoming meetings and other events.
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Construction
Update |
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It's been a great month at the Stone Curves site, with substantial
new progress in many aspects of construction. Masonry work on the
Common House courtyard is largely completed, and standing there
you can appreciate the magnificent views of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Concrete pads for all buildings in Villages #1 and #2 are now poured.
And, substantial construction work has been completed on Building
#2 (in Village #1), so it's now possible to walk through these buildings
during a site tour and get a real sense of the sizes and layouts
of the E, F and G units located there.
To
take a closer look at the site and the construction, take a site
tour any Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Call James Hamilton for more information
at (520) 293-5290.
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A
Cohouser's Story: Marc Davies on "Letting Go" |
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(Editor's
note: Marc Davies, along with his wife Yoshiko and their two children
Joy and Joey, relocated to Tucson from Washington, D.C. this past
summer. In the course of the move and subsequent "downsizing", Marc
made some real discoveries about himself, his surroundings, his
belongings, and what's really important to him. It's an experience
that's shared by many who decide to move into cohousing. In this
article, Marc eloquently shares some thoughts on his inner journey.)
With
a sigh, I put down my third consecutive feng shui paperback. To
me, this wasn't so much about the dainty rearrangement of objects
but rather the complete obliteration of them. Our home was a cozy
Cape Cod with small rooms and a few broken doors. Over the years
we had accumulated much and always found room to fit in another
bookcase, add a coffee table or extend our collection of futons.
After all, we had an outdoor storage shed (considered something
of a status symbol on our street) which served to suppress the occasional
screams of sanity that surfaced.
Clutter
is stuff that you don't need. It might be an ornament with sentimental
value, a book you haven't read for years, show furniture that you
rarely use, artwork that you keep in a drawer, the retired computer
equipment that you're holding onto for old time's sake, old shoes,
old clothes, old anything. According to the principles of Feng Shui,
you can hang crystals in every room but if the rooms are cluttered
then you are living in a house full of hobgoblins. Obviously the
time was at hand but I needed a sign. Any sign. You don't just change
your whole way of being without a nod from above. A dead cat in
the basement would have done it or an out of the blue phone call
from my psychic. None so being, the realtor was less than subtle
about our chances of selling the house as presently decorated.
The
first yard sale was the worst. It really hurt when a complete stranger
haggled me down to half price on a guitar that was given me by a
friend who eventually died of multiple sclerosis. Thus, the first
and most important lesson is that the process of letting go should
be a joyful one. If it means giving everything away then so be it.
We eventually gave all our unused belongings to the staff we employed
at our grocery store. They were more than happy to relieve us of
our bookcases, dressers, mattresses - even a ping pong table - and
we were equally happy to be of service to them.
Our
house suddenly looked like it had lost an outrageous amount of weight.
Light appeared where there had been none. Rooms were bigger. Hallways
were passable and even the basement looked less threatening. The
Japanese, in particular, see space in a sacred way. They don't understand
the constant need to fill it up with things; rather they honor the
emptiness. Sit quietly for twenty minutes in an oriental rock garden
and you'll know what I mean.
The
second lesson I learned was that space itself is beautiful, perhaps
even more so than the things we fill it with, and the surfaces on
which it shares its existence should be clean. We cleaned with almost
a maniacal intensity until we could almost understand the hidden
intent behind the expression "cleanliness is next to Godliness".
Room by room became sparkling clean, not merely presentably clean.
And it was a joy to behold.
Ironically,
at the very time to sell our house we fell in love with it again.
It was an experience of both liberation and discovery. It also set
in motion a chain of events that eventually moved us to simplify
our life. As the man once said, "in order to attain knowledge, add
things; in order to attain wisdom; remove things". For us, the process
of downsizing our life eventually led us to Stone Curves, this remarkable
cohousing community in Tucson. If you need a word or two to jump-start
the process of letting go, please don't hesitate to call, or email,
me. Marc Davies (520) 742-8911; gonefromgenes@aol.com.
Learn
more about Marc Davies and other members of Stone Curves.
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