Neighbours-in-waiting

Spring is glorious: my rhubarb is growing, the blueberries are covered in buds, and our membership is growing. Ten households already live on site (the picture to the left is the view from inside the dining room of #4), and we have always been looking forward to when other involved members are able to make the move out to Yarrow (another three or four households).

At our Getting it Built workshop with Chuck, it felt as though our circle made a pretty major expansion: certain "newcomers" made such helpful contributions and spoke in such committed ways that we realized they aren't newcomers at all anymore. Each household paid $300 to attend Getting it Built, and this money counts towards their $1,000 co-op share as members of YES. I now think of these fantastic people as "neighbours in waiting," and they represent another seven households!

Work Party Extravaganza This Saturday

Come early, come late.

12:55pm ---check the weather ... if not down-pouring, then...
1pm ---  Buy your Picnic lunch from the Deli ... eat with us and build up your strength for:
2pm --- Work party : Bring work-gloves--- to shovel bark mulch, dig in garden, stack wood, de-claw thistles and blackberries

( village tours... showing off our site plan, dreaming about living here)

3pm --- making hula hoops, mud puddling,  flying kites, shooting the breeze
4pm --- only a little more work in here, enough so that you've earned ....
5pm ...Bonfire ... and potluck picnic supper

after that ..   music, cider, beer, wine, hot chocolate, gum boots on fire, star gazing

RSVP

Ann
604-823-0232

Public Presentation - Location and Time

You may have heard that we are having a public presentation by Chuck Durrett on Friday, March 19, at the Langley Community Music School:

4899 207th Street, Langley at 7 p.m.

Chuck will talk about co-housing in general with some information and photos of the Yarrow Ecovillage.

Today's Good News

We're delighted to welcome Beverly, Matthew, Leo and Isaac as full new members. Congratulations and ...HOORAY!

More press

The Chilliwack Progress ran a nice article tonight about our open house and site plan.

All this could be yours... house included!

Today was day one for homes 7, 8, 9, and 10. The excavator dug very impressive holes (many small boys watched carefully), and Alan framed the forms for the foundation.

If you've been wondering where the domes will be, you can now come out and see exactly!

These holes will soon look as lovely as our completed homes.

Snowballing

I won't name names without getting permission first, but one household announced its intentions to buy a home yesterday, and two more households have asked to become members today. I know of two more households who are visiting banks and having realtors appraise the properties they need to sell this week: that's five homes spoken for this week by serious and committed people.

Getting It Built Workshop March 20-21

This is your next step in coming to live at the Yarrow Ecovillage.

(Click on the poster for a clearer view.)

If you have already put your $10,000 down for a home, this is included. If you haven't put your money down yet, but you have serious intentions, your family is welcome to join us for $300.

Some open house pictures

No captions yet...but here's some images from our beautiful day:

What is the next step?

Ann has been sharing the lovely emails rolling in to her inbox today. We appreciate your positive words about the open house and your curiosity about what to do next so that you will eventually live here (by next year!).

Roughly, here are the steps from start to finish (be sure to contact us about the Getting it Built workshop March 20-21 and the Common House design workshop if you think you are probably going to live here):

Open house was a great success!

I have no idea how many people were here on this glorious sun-soaked day. There were just so many nice people roaming all over the place...Some seemed to be friends and neighbours, lots seemed to be people who had attended Chuck's talks in Abbotsford and Kerrisdale, and others are newcomers whom we're getting to know now that they've been out three or four times.


I'm having trouble sleeping after a close friend and my family announced their intentions to move out here!

We seem to be attracting parents and naturopaths and grandparents and farmers and teachers. It felt like such a nice diversity today: I looked around at the dozens of people talking at the campfire, looking at site plans, touring our houses, and visiting, and I found myself thinking that all of these people would make lovely neighbours.

The picture here is Mira's shot of the saplings in the heritage apple orchard started at the back of the property. Annie took some very creative shots for the scavenger hunt too, so I will upload those tomorrow. (Annie: we need to get your prize to you!)

I'll write something more coherent tomorrow. If you attended today and you're wondering what the next step is, take a look at the upcoming events listed on the left of this blog. If you feel yourself drawn towards living here, you should be contacting us about attending the Getting It Built workshop on March 20 - 21.

Sunshine Predicted for Open House

Look at this weather forecast...the open house is going to be great!

Invitation for this Saturday

Please come to our Open House(s) on Saturday, March 6th, 1pm - 4pm.


We'll display and explain our new Chuck Durrett village drawings. You’ll be welcome to peek into some of our new houses and meet long-time residents.... we’re planning fun too, with a bonfire, scavenger hunt (bring your digital camera & USB cord), refreshments, garden tours and more.

Musical instruments are also welcome for the bonfire and/or woodstove fire (depending on weather). (I am particularly excited by this: one musician is bringing her guitar, loads of percussion instruments, and song sheets, and a few others are bringing their own instruments. I don't play anything, so I'll be the person singing along with a huge and appreciative grin on her face.)

This event is suitable for curious neighbours and future residents alike: you are all welcome!

February Work Party

We decided to spruce things up a bit in honour of the open house coming up on March 6. It was productive and fun: nice to meet new friends and have old members out as well. Lots of mud, kids got wet, tea tasted better by a campfire...