Everyone dreams of sitting (choose one of the following):

• on the beach
• on the bank of a river
• on the shore of a lake
• on top of a mountain with great vistas
• surrounded by ephemeral beauty
• all of the above 

when they envision the perfect location for their (hut, cabin, house, mansion, villa, estate).  In most of these visions there is no one nearby and the wildlife is quietly standing by the observer or eating wild berries from their hands.  If it is the ocean than dolphins are surfing the waves while whales breach in unison.  In the mountains the eagles and condors soar within inches of their faces and they feel the vortexes spinning off their wings.  The eternal dream of being one with nature while none of the modern world intrudes on our existence!  Well, prepare to be disillusioned.  While this is obtainable in theory, it is only possible for the .001% of the population of the world with regard to a residence they can own and utilize (*)   For the remainder of us we only experience these moments in the shared land trusts of our countries/states/cities. That isn't a bad thing.  It is just reality.

So, here we are in reality and we want to find a place that mimics these characteristics as much as possible but most likely also needs to fulfill the majority of these requirements:

• It is affordable
• It is within a reasonable travel distance from our primary dwelling if it is occasional use, family if it is a primary dwelling, necessary services, work, etc.
• It can be developed.  You would be surprised how many places actually don't meet this criteria with the primary reasons in my experience being an abundance of government (city, county, state, national) regulation and the relatively litigious nature of our modern society.
• Has a purpose (more on this later since to a great extent it drives our decision on location)
• It touches our heart or soul in some way

I live in of the more desirable metropolitan areas of the United States - the San Francisco Bay Area.  It turns out that I also live in probably what is not the prime location for someone involved in technology startups in that area.  Most startups are located in the south bay between Palo Alto and San Jose with some inroads being made in San Francisco in recent years.  I live in the east bay north of Berkeley on the border of Richmond.  While this addresses the affordability portion of the equation above it  certainly doesn't meet the reasonable traveling distance.  Its' purpose is relatively mundane in that it must function as my primary dwelling but I do have some beautiful views of San Francisco and can quickly access many of the regional parks that populate the landscape here.  It can obviously be developed but you would hard pressed to get me to admit it makes my heart sing.  So, it is a compromise, as most things are, that is fairly satisfying.  

We all want to chase our dreams and the part of life that quickens our heartbeat though.  For me that is adventure and having space between me and the rest of the world.  Space brings freedom in my world so it is important to me.  With this in mind my wife and I began looking for a property which would provide some of the aspects lacking from our primary dwelling.  It might end up becoming our primary dwelling someday but for the near term was likely to be utilized as a weekend getaway or vacation house/property.  Having set some ground work surrounding my thought process I will delve deeper into how we decided on building an off-grid cabin on raw land versus pursuing some of the more common options.  It will be a wandering path so be prepared to weave the next couple of post together to get a complete picture. in my next post.

(*) I actually have a relative who does live in such an idyllic situation which was achieved thru hard work and love.  So, it can happen but the odds are stacked against us all given that the vistas I described are limited in number and desired by many.  The result is a small supply that commands a high price (i.e. lake front property is not unlimited which is why it commands such a high price).

They are hard.  Period.  No matter who or what they involve or are intertwined with.  Some of this stems from overcoming inertia.  The rest from the unknown that accompanies all change.  Beginnings represent the primordial ooze of change and chaos.  These are elements which we typically avoid at all costs in our daily lives which is unfortunate since they are constantly seeking us out no matter how well we hide.  Better to embrace them and learn to navigate the complexity and richness they bring to our lives then try to resist what can be their overwhelming forces.

Having waxed poetically it is now time to start something anew.  In this case, I am going to start blogging about the entire unbelievable world of trying to build an off-grid house.  This really shouldn't be a topic of much complexity but it has turned out to be one that makes the navigation of the Labyrinth of ancient myth seem like a walk in the park. 

I am sure other topics will bubble up during my discourse and musings but for the most part I will try to keep them related to the subject at hand ;-)