Our 6-7 hectare rural and mixed forested property and home on Saturna Island overlooks the boundary waters between Canada and the US. We have very few neighbours and a fantastic view! There is the main house and out buildings. We are self sufficient and try to live a minimal life style. We live off the grid and our power is solar and wind with a back up generator. Our water comes from a 600 foot deep well as well as rain water. This is a great opportunity for you to experience and to learn about off grid living….the plus and negative of it all. We are creative people. I am an artist/ photographer and my husband is an architect/planner builder type. We are semi - retired but I still work at photography and art and my husband in architecture. Richard is an avid sailor and history buff and a great story teller. I love my garden and play the cello. We also have a piano. We have a dog and a cat and feral goats that roam the island. The goats daily pass by on the south facing bluffs of saturna which is our front yard. Kid goats are typically born in January. One orphaned goat we raised and named Milli; she went on to be a very famous goat. You will learn all about her. Guest accommodation is a rustic yet comfy, fun converted school bus with a patina that matches its environment. It no longer runs! It too has a great view. It is has a small double bed, sitting area and table, cold running water and kitchen with propane stove/oven. It is ideal for one. The bus is located behind the house and garden; it is private and quiet. Mice are part of island life and if you are queasy about these infrequent visitors or snap of a trap, saturna may not be your first choice! There is a composting outhouse in the garden ( or the woods) and the use of a demand hot water shower in the garden. The bus is most often set up to be self sufficient for guests to make their own breakfast and sometimes lunch. I will try to stock it with things you like. I make my own organic granola to start... Summer/fall is the best time to come. Longer term options are open. Mostly lunch and dinner are provided for. I am a good cook ( a foodie at heart and like other foodies) and meals are flexible. We seldom eat red meat ( Richard and the dog do when I am away!) but enjoy vegetarian most times and some chicken and fish. I love salads and soups. I prefer organic and the organic garden is producing moderately well in the summer. I like being creative with cooking and forage wild plants when in season. If you like to cook I love it. Nettle soup is fantastic in the spring and have you ever tried sea asparagus. You may be asked to help with simple chores like: cooking, dishes, compost emptying, sweeping, bringing in fire wood. Our main activities are outdoors: in the forest, organic gardening and property maintenance. Activities include forest management which includes clearing the forest of trees and branches, wood splitting and stacking, cutting, a variety of garden chores and property maintenance. At the moment we are building a new garage pump house so carpentry skills would be super! We are looking for handy woofers that like being outdoors, don't mind working alone and hard sometimes, don’t mind getting dirty and like the quiet of the wilderness! Carpentry skills, strength and enthusiasm are all good! Saturna Island is a bit isolated even though it is close to Vancouver, Victoria and the other gulf islands. ( Nice day trips !) We live up a mile dirt road! We have a mountain bike for your use. We prefer slightly longer stays, but we will consider weekend guests if that is all you can spare. It takes some time to get here so two night stays are not very practical. Good working shoes/boots and warm outdoor wear are essential depending on the season. Gloves and tools are provided. Work hours are flexible and typically might go from 10-12 then lunch and another 2 hours after. Or we might work all afternoon or morning. Usually one of us will be working with you. Work hours are flexible depending on weather and what needs to be done. Most work is outside. We ask around 25 hours per week. If you have a sleeping bag bring it but we do have a cozy down duvet and towels and basically everything you need in the bus. There is a washing machine for your laundry and a clothesline. ( Dryers and solar power do not work together!) Our island is a wonderful place to visit/live and there are ample opportunities to explore. Some of the best hiking is just outside your door step. I try to swim often in the summer so bring your swim gear. We invite you into our family and network of friends; the island is a social place. The island community is small, wonderful and very active. We have a very good store, pub and winery. Beware this is not the city. One has ample time to cook, read, write, create, explore and we do have net flicks and a great internet connection! WIFI at the bus is weak but ok. You are always welcome in the house and anywhere on the property. Many of our woofers become friends I still keep in contact with. If you have a flashlight bring it! (We have many.) At night you can see the stars, lights of Victoria and even the glow of Seattle. During the day you see only the passing boats, whales and it feels like the 1700’s. We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully hosting you. All the best. Nancy, Richard, Java (the dog) and Digit (the cat).
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Renewable energy production
Mechanics / tools / technology
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
6.1
Hectares
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15.1
Acres
