Jan 15-22-ish ...  Jocelyn has a bunch of business in the seattle area.   Plus, I have one property consultation in the portland area.  

The last time we were in the seattle area, there was a big potluck in rat-city (south seattle).  That was cool!

In the past, there have been some people that have said "come stay with us!" and that has had mixed results.  I'm a big slob and Jocelyn wants to over compensate for our impact, so it usually ends up being an even bigger stress to her.  But we've also had some stayovers that worked really well.   So, I dunno.  We'll probably just get some airbnb stuff.

I like the idea of some permaculture gatherings provided that somebody else sets it all up.   And I don't mind giving a presentation or two.  Again, provided that somebody else does all the work.  

Seattle, portland, spokane, yakima, oregon coast ....   Maybe something not too far off that path?  

Dates and stuff will be getting nailed down in the next couple of days.  Now is the time to start getting ideas of what all might be available to check out.

Jeff,

Hard dates would require confirmation from jocelyn and she has some work to do for her clients today.    

And Julia, Jocelyn sent me a rough calendar a couple of days ago with your name plastered all over it.  

So, roughly, and could change ....  

jan 15 - go to portland-ish
(see julia and carmen)
jan 18 - go to seattle
(jocelyn's clients and jocelyn's family)
jan 22 - back to montana

So there is one big changes I would like to add or figure out or something:   I would like a full day on the oregon coast.   I know it will be cold, but I am okay with that.    Jocelyn thought that on jan 18 we could get up early, pop over to the coast, look at it, and then beat our cheeks to seattle.   I am looking for excuses to turn the oregon coast thing into a full day.    So maybe the thing to do is to go over a day earlier to get a whole day at the coast.  

The trick to nearly all of this is that jocelyn will be trying to do her client work (accounting) on-the-road.   So as long as she has a comfy place to sit without distraction and good internet, she is set.  

I like the idea of getting a few consulting gigs and speaking gigs along the way.  I also don't mind some less formal gatherings (one time there was a dinner in portland - about a dozen of us gathered; and the potluck in seattle was fun ...).  

Speaking:    Here is my old, freaky cheap rule:   if there are at least 40 people and jocelyn and I get the red carpet - no charge.   Otherwise, $400.  

Jeff, maybe jan 22?   Then the plan gets updated to be jan 22 - go to yakima; jan 23 - go to montana.  As for a topic, there is my "replacing irrigation with permaculture" stuff.  https://permies.com/t/7292/replacing-irrigation-permaculture



I am trying really hard to let Jocelyn be the driver for the schedule on this trip because our trips tend to impact her three times more than me.  And most of the function of this trip is for jocelyn's clients and family in seattle.  

I can host a potluck in Portland - I live in Laurelhurst, super close to the Hollywood exit off I-84.  If you live reasonably near Portland and would be interested, let me know!

I'm feeling much better and the schedule seems to be coming together well. Lots and lots of amazing people reaching out to us. Thank you!!

Sat. 1/14 late afternoon/eve arrive in Portland
Sun. 1/15 Portland area
Mon. 1/16 Kalama, WA - dinner potluck and Animals in the Landscape at Carma's go to Duke Coming to Little ol' Kalama for more info
Tue. 1/17 - we're off on our own beach trip
Wed. 1/18 - afternoon arrival in Seattle area, actually the Eastside near Woodinville-Snohomish for Jocelyn's family and clients
Thu. 1/19 - Woodinville 21 Acres: Replacing Irrigation with Permaculture - 6:30 p.m. potluck, 7:30 p.m. presentation go to paul wheaton in Woodinville for more info
Fri. 1/20 - Seattle area
Sat. 1/21 - Seattle area - family event
Sun. 1/22 - Yakima event: Dryland Permaculture with Paul Wheaton 3:00 p.m. go to The Duke is Coming to Yakima! for more info.
Mon. 1/23 - Coeur d'Alene dinner and Replacing Irrigation, 5-8 p.m. set up by Dan Ohmann - go to paul wheaton in CDA Jan. 23 for more info

For the events, we have Paul's list of already prepared presentations; plus, since then he's prepared a shorter version of the 72 bricks (was it 12 bricks?) for a presentation in Sante Fe which I thought was excellent. Other ideas include a moderated Q&A, or perhaps a showcase of what we're doing at wheaton labs, that kind of thing.

For the Seattle area stuff, I have a lot of commitments, and Paul not as much. So there are possibilities for him to get away and do things without me.

I'll edit this post as more details come through and I still have some very kind folks to respond to.

Hi Clark/Cowlitz county permies AND BEYOND

Paul and Jocelyn plan on joining us in Kalama, WA for Martin Luther King day. YAY!!!

We are taking a poll to see how many people are interested in participating with planting a Food Forest strip along a swale. With Paul calling the shots and saying the "whyfors" .

Alternatively there's an opportunity to have him tell us a thing or two in a lecture type of setting.

Of course lots of delicious food will be involved.

Shoot me a p.m. and I'll start gathering data.

This is such a great opportunity,  I hope you can join us.

I condensed this thread and updated the links in my post above about our itinerary and three talks so far. Please discuss those events in their respective threads.

We could still have a potluck or two in the Kalama, WA and/or Portland, OR areas - more details will be forthcoming!

Bullet points: January 16, Monday ~ Potluck from 4:30-6 ~ Presentation on Animals in the Landscape starting immediately after ~ PM Carma to RSVP ~ Welcome!

Exciting News for Kalama, WA!

Paul will be doing his talk of:'Animals in the Landscape' starting after the potluck.  Jocelyn says that it is a slideshow that starts with detailed info about chickens (the gateway homestead animal!), and moves on to other animals in a Holistic Management and full-farm eco-system theory/style that she thinks is very good and often very eye-opening even for those familiar with permaculture.
 
We'll start the evening with good grub Potluck Style! from 4:30-6:00.

Bring your favorite offerings, seasonal and wild ingredients would be awesome!

This will be on Monday the 16th of January (MLK day observed).

I will be hosting this in my home.  I have always had a vision of our place to be a place for learning so this makes me extraordinarily happy.  Welcome!

We live on a smaller hillside homestead where we are working towards a system in which we use small swales, food forest plantings in the young orchards, and are looking forward to using the alley ways for animal rotation. All labor using humans, not machines at least thus far.  I'll be happy to do a tour during the potluck time and help you see the vision and the challenges we are facing and how we plan to proceed.

We will potentially be planning a workshop on doing food forest plantings of the 7 layers at a future date.  More on that to come.

Please RSVP by PMing me.  

I would love to see everybody, but I'm going to see my mommy in Sandy Eggo from 1-15 to 1-17.  I would like to keep in touch with this thread in case the Portland event gets moved one or more days back.  If it is as scheduled, I will have to visit everyone on the next event.
JohN S
PDX OR

On the way to portland we listened to jacqueline freeman's new book "the song of increase".  Very good.

We saw portland, all covered in ice.  We stayed at julia's where her dog licked my toes.  Julia has a super fancy bathroom with a shower that bit me.

We went to Carma's.   Wow, amazing kitchen.  Every homesteader's dream kitchen.  And .... tres bizarre ...  she managed to create seating for about 80 people in her living room.  

Jocelyn converted my ppt to pdf and that clipped a little out of the presentation.  We went for about 2.5 hours.   I thought it went quite well.   At the end, Carma's husband found an extremely diplomatic way to express his discomfort on one point:  "I would have preferred it without the coarse language"  I remarked that to me, it was the full beauty of the english language - just so we can each have our own sandbox.  I appreciate that he said "I would have preferred" rather than the way most people express it "it would have been better ..."

We went to the oregon coast where there was no ice, but there was a wind so powerful that there were a few times I thought our rig would roll over.  We went to the water's edge despite the wind trying to push us over.  I could not face into the wind with my eyes open.   The water went wayyyyyy out ...  I went out to touch it .... I just needed to touch it.  And then, I slowly plodded back.   Jocelyn tried to yell something to me, but the wind was so strong I couldn't hear her.  That is when the ocean kissed me.  I was soaked up to my knees.  With the wind blowing the sand around, from the knees down I became rather heavy in salt water and sand sculpture.  Back at the car I found that the ocean's kiss deposited a lot of sand into my shoes.

I felt a powerful urge to go to the beach.  And it seems that the beach had a powerful urge to send me off with a souvenir.  

We went to a permaculture resort about five minutes inland.  A beautiful zen-like place.  So much better than staying at some hotel at the beach.  Good call jocelyn!  In the morning they talked about enticing me back out there to get more beach time.  Nice!  On the way out, there was a place that sold pie.  We stopped.  It may have been the best pie I have ever eaten.

En route to seattle, we listened to more of "the song of increase" - I sent jacqueline a full page of notes this morning.  

Tonight I present to a full house in woodinville.  

Paul left a group of informed and inspired people and his wake on Monday night.

Despite treacherous driving conditions people plowed through and made it to our home. They had their eyes on the prize and they were not disappointed.

It was clear in listening to the conversations afterwards that each listener was able to take golden nuggets and apply it to their experiences and their dreams to move forward in a much more enlightened manner.

There was a group of people that have never heard of Permaculture until Monday night. I can only imagine the ripple effect that will influence this immediate area in the years to come. From this seemingly small drop in the water I foresee large waves crashing into the shores affecting great change in the future.

Paul, Jocelyn, a great Thank you for being with us. That was a very generous offering you gave. I hope you are filled, as I am, of the promise it brings.

Unfortunately I was so into the moment that I didn't think of pictures.  So insert here a crowd of people within their eyes shining with the future.