The house that Monica built

It's been a while

Not sure I remember how to do this. Blog, that is. But here goes, anyway. First of all, it's not really my story. But I am the story teller; so I get to color in between the lines (or not) as I see fit.

We arrive:

Above is our first view of "The Farm." We have just arrived, and Monica is showing her childhood and high school friends the "headquarters" of the 40-acre "commune" (in 60s-speak) where she is a co-owner on Lopez Island. The setting is idyllic. The farmhouse (which has power, plumbing and all the amenities (including a laundry room Monica helped build) is nobody's home. That is, no one lives there. It's used for a kindergarten and for meetings - and for bathing and laundry by those who don't have facilties in their own places.

Cabin


Monica relaxes in front of her cabin as it appeared the first time Jan and Jane and Margo and Judy set eyes on the place. Who would have thought? Our friend did this amazing thing. It is May, 2008, and 5 women who have been friends for 40-50-60 years travel to Lopez Island to enjoy each other's company and to spend time at the home our friend created out of the wreckage of a broken marriage. With salvaged materials, lots of hard work and . . . no power tools. We are blessed with clear skies and sunshine. The cabin has no plumbing and no electricity. But we are blessed - again - with a fine wood stove, flannel sheets and candle lit dinners.



Unmentionable?

. . . not to mention the open air composting
toilet which I am happy to test drive and
demonstrate for the camera.

Potty procedure: used paper goes into
a special container, not into the potty.
Another special container contains peat
moss, which you sprinkle liberally over your donation. (Well,
you were curious, weren't you?) 'Nuff said.

More photos

If you haven't seen enough, you can see the rest of my photos at this link. And the ones Margo took at her photo site.

A retreat

Our three-day visit was a wonderful reunion of friends, but also a retreat in the truest sense of the word. If the cabin could be said to lack anything (telephone, television, internet, yadda yadda yadda) it was full to overflowing with peace, birdsong and the soft snoring of sleeping women. Monica composed and orchestrated the weekend, a masterpiece of beach touring, alternating with real-food meals (more about that later), introductions to friends, trips to the Village and the Saturday market with plenty of down time for story telling - catching up on the separate lives we've led.


Colorful Names

In true summer camp fashion we invented Indian names for ourselves and each other. Small purple butterflies that accompanied us on the path from the car to the cabin inspired "Walks With Butterflies." Our arrangement in the back seat as we toured Monica's many haunts led to calling one of us "Short One In the Middle." And our patient driver earned the appellation "Carries Her Friends." I am not sure whether we even decided between "Balancing Rock Star" or "Killer Meringue" for the artistic pie-maker. But "Da Queen" was a given.


Lunch with Joe

One of many feasts, this one, starring a Killer Lemon Meringue pie, was at the home of Joe. Joe who helped Monica roof the cabin - in exchange for a lifetime of haircuts - a job that may be taking less effort as years go by, styles change from the hippie days and Joe's hairline becomes, ahem, mature.


We don't have Jane's pie recipe. Yet. Nor do we have the recipe for Monica's excellent and healthful granola. Yet. We will post them when the cooks share them. In the meantime here is the promised recipe for the Saturday entree:

Rigatoni with Sausage, Artichokes and Asparagus

3/4 cup drained, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (2 Tbsp. oil reserved), sliced

1 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casing

2 (9-ounce) packages frozen artichoke hearts

1 small bunch asparagus (8 ounces) cut into 1-inch pieces

2 large cloves garlic, chopped [we used more]

1 3/4 cups chicken broth (about one can)

1/2 cup dry white wine

12 ounces rigatoni or other tubular pasta

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

8 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) fresh mozarella, cubed (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat reserved oil in large heavy frying pan over medium high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, breaking meat into bite-sized pieces, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl. Add artichokes, asparagus and garlic to skillet, and saute over medium heat until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add broth, wine and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat until sauce reduces slightly, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Add pasta and sausage to artichoke mixture. Toss until sauce is almost absorbed by pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, and mozarella, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 (generous) servings.