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Greetings! How
I Decided to Join Stone Curves by Laurel Pollard 
I've dreamed of living in a place
like Stone Curves for years. You know what I mean . . . I've always found
it very strange that every home on a suburban block has its own washer
and dryer. And I find that the more connected I am . . . the more I give
and receive help, give and receive companionship and good times . . .
the happier and more energized and creative I feel. So I've been following
the development of Stone Curves, first in news accounts, and then by visiting
the site last fall. When I finally took the tour last week and saw actual
units under construction, I was thinking I'd need one of the large "G'
units and ---- WHOA! This was much more debt than I wanted to take on.
Home I went, with a sigh and an
ache, that Saturday. I woke up before dawn on Sunday morning and decided
to give myself an attitude adjustment. "I'll list the things I love about
Stone Curves, and then notice that I can find it all in other ways." So
I started my list, and it went like this: I love what I call "OPB's" --
other people's babies. My own children are now 25 and 29, and for many
years I've found occasions to spend time with 'OPB's'. It does me good
to be around their energy and honesty and complete attention to the 'now'.
So I wrote some ideas on my list: I could read at a library, tutor children
at a school, volunteer in my church's nursery on Sunday mornings. My next
thought: but it would be so much easier at Stone Curves, where there might
be neighbors with a newborn that needs some extra rocking, or children
who want a little homework help after school, or kids to do art projects
with or take on a nature hike.
I have been burglarized twice and
was once attacked in my own home by an intruder. I live in a relatively
safe neighborhood now and have had no problems for years, but I still
sometimes wake up and have to dispel a bit of anxiety. Should I install
an alarm system? Just keep using my calming techniques? This would not
be an issue at Stone Curves. I'd like to gather a group of people to read
Japanese poetry one evening, sip some sake, and try our hands at writing
short verses in Japanese forms. I could call everyone I think might be
interested, try to schedule something for, perhaps, a week from Thursday,
if we can get our schedules co-coordinated . . . but it would be so much
easier at Stone Curves. I love to cook with people, and I belong to a
once-a- month vegetarian gourmet potluck club. I'd like to branch out
more, expand my cooking repertoire by taking turns with people preparing
our favorite foods and learning from one another . . . and this would
be so much easier at Stone Curves.
I go to a friend's house three
miles away to do yoga with her . . . but it would be so much easier at
Stone Curves. The list went on . . . you see what was happening. I went
back that same Sunday afternoon, looked at a 'C' unit, realized it would
offer me enough space and that it's much more affordable than I had realized
- and made the decision to buy right then. I'm walking on air!
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"End of Suburbia" by
Christine Johnson |
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On a recent Saturday night my husband Carl and I hosted 40 old and
new friends, members of the Texas Green parties, to watch a DVD, "The
End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream."
While the subject of the title is dire, the point of our screening
was to get conversations going about how we are preparing for what
is to come following on peak oil. It was Richard Heinberg's book,
_The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies_
which initially captured our interest in the topic. While increasing
gasoline prices make the subject less remote, it isn't immediately
obvious how cheap oil and natural gas have allowed industrialized
nations a terrific explosion of productivity and population growth
and how it is that the declines of the same will reverse these gains.
The first two comments following
on the Saturday night screening of "The End of Suburbia" were that
"they didn't discuss methane hydrates (methane sequestered under
pressure at the ocean bottom)" and "microwave transmissions of energy
from solar panels sited on the moon." These are nice examples of
denial. We simply do not want to see! At present, in the U.S., only
1% of our energy is derived from renewable energy sources. In large
part renewable energy accounts for only 1% of supply because the
capital investment coupled with infrastructure costs, do not make
renewable systems profitable on a large scale as yet.
No one wants to do without;
no one wants others to do without. Nor do we think it right that
we be pressed to relinquish a lifestyle we've become accustomed
to. Like it or not, with the exception of the small minority with
wealth, the majority of us will be impacted.
The more Carl and I have
learned about the coming impact of peak oil and natural gas depletion
on our economy and culture, the more obvious it is that the best
way to go is to join with others in working towards sustainability.
Cohousing offers multiple avenues for doing just this, such as growing
food, harvesting energy, harvesting water, exchanging goods and
services with one's immediate neighbors and the larger neighborhood.
In all, we must reduce our dependence on an infrastructure that
will be highly stressed and sooner than we are led to believe. In
the process, we can enjoy a sustainable and rich quality of life:
live in a real neighborhood with lots of opportunities to explore
options, make music, conversation, art, enjoy different foods, learn
what others have learned. It is a good way to go. Take a look at
Richard Heinberg's letters at: www.museletter.com
Link
to End of Suburbia.com » |
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My Path to Stone Curves
in 5 Chapters by Jim Gardner |
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 Homes and communities
have shaped my life. Actually "shaping up" homes has driven my life.
My family were "serial remodelers". Buy a house, fix it up, move,
start again. I remember laying the carpet in the living room of one
house as the living room furniture was going out the back door into
the moving truck. We repeated this process many times. Totally gutting
a house in 5 years and doing all the work ourselves did not leave
much time for developing community. Thus, growing up, my memories
are of property and not people....hmmmm. First Chapter. Second Grade.
Brant, NY. A house with our very own historic marker, The Stage Coach
Stop Inn on Versailles Plank Road.....from the days when logs were
laid down as planks to make the road. While the house was old and
intriguing, it was the barn that captivated me. It was huge, three
stories tall. The first floor was dirt, a hayloft at the second floor
and a rope swing over the loft on the third floor. The barn was more
a complex than a building, there was a room for anything. Horse stalls,
tack room, pigeon room, lumber room, tractor room, chicken room, grain
room and more. The Barn was a place for my stuff. I took great pride
in organizing each room. Lining up the implements for the tractor
in a certain order, rearranging the hand tools on a rack and stacking
the lumber in an almost Dewey decimal system.
Second Chapter. End of High
School. Warsaw, NY. It was not long before having only one house
in a stage of chaos was not totally satisfying for my family. So
we became landlords. The chapter of my life relating to being a
landlord I will reserve for a time with cold drinks around the pool
at Stone Curves. Suffice to say that in real estate terms, the apartments
provided "leverage" for the next big step. Warsaw, NY. Dream Lake
Campground. 80 acres, 100 campsites and the focal point for the
next 18 years of my life. Dream Lake is a very big pond or an extremely
small lake, about 5 acres in size. Here, I got to continue my life
long pursuit to build, hammer and dig. However, at the campground,
my workman like pursuits were interrupted every Friday afternoon
at 3pm by "the campers". From 3pm Friday till 5pm Sunday night,
I had instant community. 100 families, 400 people, 143 children
and 22 dogs. At that point in my life, I considered this "community"
as enemies to my well manicured grass, clean bathrooms and well
organized store. I was relieved when Sunday rolled around and I
could go out and pick up all the garbage and put the picnic tables
back in rows. In between those times though, I was immersed in community.
Campfires, ball games, wagon rides, talking on the front porch of
the store.
Third Chapter. Hannah is
Born. Geneseo, NY. Shawn and I got married and ran the campground
for 6 years before Hannah came along. At that time we were operating
the campground as well as another full time company. There was not
much time for a little one in our lives. We decided to sell the
campground. Our house was inside the campground so we bought a house
on Oak Street. Geneseo is one of those historic villages which is
totally quaint. Oak Street was its most quaint street. We have since
said that if you threw dirt down and covered up Oak Street, you
would have a good start on a Cohousing community. Everyone knew
each other. We all had front porches. There were hardly any garages
so we were all "forced" to say hello to our neighbors when we got
home at night. Long Summer nights were filled with kids and parents
running back and forth through each other's yards. We eventually
built some stone steps to formalize the entry between our yard and
our neighbors. It was sweet. But the house was old and I was burnt
out on remodeling. Fourth Chapter. Up The Road. Geneseo, NY. The
"Dream House". I knew it was all I would ever need. Custom fireplace,
custom door, custom lights, custom imitation cedar shingles, 2700
square feet plus the basement, plus the bonus room, plus the garage,
plus the barn. It was pristine. Then we moved in. I obsessed on
keeping the house clean, the yard mowed and trimmed and my daughter
and animals should be hermetically sealed so as not to leave any
marks. I finally had my dream. The trophy house. Only 1 mile from
the village so all our ties with the community would be intact.....
After all our friends had visited once or twice to see all the fancy,
the visits started to slow down. We found ourselves driving into
the village to take walks by our old house. It was not long before
the private world we had acquired felt less than right.
Fifth Chapter. Stone Curves.
Tucson, AZ. "Stuff" has ruled my life....very high maintenance.
I have been in "Community" but never knew it or cuddled with it.
A house is very far from a home unless the home is very close to
other people. Stone Curves has become the focal point around which
I have been able to finally ""see" the path I have taken to community.
My next house will be very big....about 5 acres and there will be
a room for all the other families in my life....about 48 of them.
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Construction Update |
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The most obvious change to the scenery at Stone Curves since we last
talked is the striking colors being painted on the building #2. The
soft, natural tones blend well with the curved wall and vegatation.
The Common House kitchen
has the cabinets installed with the tile counter tops to be installed
next. The Common House is nearing completion and should be one of
the first buildings completed. It won't be long before the chairs,
tables and other furnishings will be delivered on site.
Look for a lot of action
over the next few months as all the buildings are in some phase
of construction. There are over 100 contractors on site currently!
Many of the units interiors
are complete or near complete with cabinets, trim and flooring already
installed. Once the parking lot is constructed adjacent to these
buildings, move in will come quickly. |
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Sales Update |
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Nine units left and counting! Although only a few homes are left,
there is still an excellent selection of homes available with five
floorplans still to choose from. Prices start in the low 100's.
With so many homes now near
completion, now is the time to take a tour of the site with James
Hamiliton, our project manager. Tours are given at 2:30pm on Saturdays.
Maybe you will have time to sit on the curved bench surrounding
one of three kivas. The sales office is open on Saturdays and Sundays
from noon till 4pm.
Take
a Look at Available Units! » |
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