House of Dreams

Hmm...the rotating solar house idea
 is a definite no-go for Turtle Falls.
We'd get too dizzy!

I've been dreaming a lot lately...of what the rest of the year will bring, of what our solar house might look like, of planting a veggie garden, of being a stone mason, that cell phone makers have invented floating phones, that summer lasts all year in Ontario. There's no shortage of dreams here and there's never a dull moment inside my head, or at least so I think...others may disagree. Add Ras's dreams to the mix and volumes could be filled.

While in our little casita...Casa de Ensueño...in the Nayarit Riviera area of Mexico for our recent winter escape, the casita lived up to its name this year more than usual. I'm not sure, but the english translation for the casita's name could mean Dream Home or House of Dreams. Either way, it has been our experience to have very vivid, and usually quite odd dreams during our slumber here over the years. This year the Casa de Ensueño dreams, both sleeping and waking, have repeatedly taken me back to Turtle Falls.

Is it a bad thing to be in such a beautiful place and continually dream about being in another equally beautiful place? It is unusual for me to want to be any place other than a warm climate at this time of year. But I want to be at Turtle Falls now! I want it to be summer there now! This is where dreams can come in handy, you see.

Not to wish time away...but we've got big dreams and big plans. And I'm happiest when I'm building something. Ras is happy when I'm happy! That goes without saying but I felt compelled to say it, for Ras's sake.

Outhouse plans courtesy of Cottage Life Magazine

Ras has been madly designing and revising, revising, and revising some more, the floor plan for the passive solar house and searching for just the right architect.


The things I'm designing are much smaller scale. Outhouse. Replace Priscilla's hydro-hogging fridge. Hillside stairs for a shortcut to the lake. Any rock building project where I can prove that I learned my lessons about how not to blacken, and eventually lose, one or more of my fingernails. Which reminds me...the new fingernail is growing in nicely. For a while, I was worried  it might never come back and look normal. But it has.

I do have to say that there is insane inspiration, in Mexico, for stonework. Mexicans are masters with stone and concrete. I think one of my best dreams has been that I am a master stonemason, building wicked structures with ultra lightweight stone (it's a dream, ok) found on the land at TF. And not one smashed finger.

The whole compound, where we stay in
Mexico, is built with stone and concrete.

We have been studying up on passive solar design and feel we have a solid, albeit basic, knowledge that will help us carry on a conversation with the architect, when said architect is found.

The solar panel learning curve will start in late March and into April, and then again in July, with a series of courses, offered at the Kortright Centre for Conservation. These courses will cover the design and installation of a solar system. We are not planning to design or install our own system, but everything we can learn will only benefit us when discussing what we want with the system designer.

The Spring Cottage Life Show...composting toilet heaven...is our first destination to get the ball rolling on the 2012 season at Turtle Falls. Can't wait. Only 50 more sleeps!

Beware, friends and family brave enough to visit this summer.
You may very well be put to work.


Tomorrow...only 49 sleeps!
Mimi