Working hard - and there is a lot to do! If we can dream it, we can do it - and right now these magical tokens are making it seem like we can do it right now!
Well I've been dreaming of a better world for nearly my whole life.
So I gassed up the car last week and took the lawyer, the project manager and a new friend down to the land with some fresh machetes, a bit like a corporate minga.
We had a look at the land, natural restoration already in full swing, and started opening up the paths to see where the buildings might go.
There are a lot of great flat spots, and the soil is so rocky that I think our building foundations will have no trouble. We worked hard for two days, and cleared out some nice areas.
Natural restoration works in phases, each new generation of trees grows taller than the last, and a forest emerges out of many natural processes. When we clear an area, we are careful to leave the biggest and tallest trees as vertical markers for the next generation.
I am also discovering that the native trees down here are mostly different from all the ones I learned of up on our farm. No matter, just more to learn! Like this guy, with its multi-colored fruits.
Moving forward, we will need to make a topographical map of the region, so that the architect can place and orient his designs onto the property. We have finalized the contract with the architect, just need to make a payment this week and we will be sharing the preliminary designs with all of you!
The closest stop nearby is a family owned and operated chuzo which sells masato and avena, as well as very nice empanadas. The beverages are both good, but I like the slightly fermented masato more.
On the second day, in the afternoon, with the whole team tired and sweaty, we decided to take a quick jump to a nearby watering hole, that is, the Cascadas of Padilla.
With this simple trip, just ten minutes up the road, we washed away all of our hard work and prepared for the weekend.
Photo courtesy of Dustin Sanchez
There is still a lot of work to be done, but we can have fun doing it, and at least for now, we are clean, and the trails too.
