Rooted Wanderings

Hopefully you are not getting tired of hearing about intentional communities but we promise this will be the last one! The last one for our trip blog posts at least, though not forever, as we now intend them to be a big part of our post-trip future as well. Old Hall was our fifth and final intentional community in the UK. After how much we enjoyed our two weeks WWOOFing at Redfield, we were excited to experience Old Hall in a similar way. We loved it just as much. We were welcomed into the folds of a large, active, and vibrant community. We got to participate in the activities of daily life, inhabit a character-filled historic house, and learn about another experiment in community living. The oldest part of Old Hall was built in 1710 as a manor house. Since then, the building has become progressively more labyrinthine through a series of expansions and transformations. It passed through phases as a convent, WWII barracks, and most recently a Franciscan friary. Because of its re...

We were lucky enough to have Colby’s parents, Lise and David, and his grandma Katharine join us for a week and a half to explore the highlands and western islands of Scotland. After traveling with just the two of us for so long, it was fun to have the dynamics of a larger group. Together we laughed our way through occasional mayhem, shared life wisdom, roved around on hikes, told stories, explored ancient ruins, discussed the future, and simply enjoyed spending time together. Here are some of the highlights of our time. Part 1: The Highlights of the Highlands “Hello!” We all greeted each other with hugs at the Glasgow airport. The joy at seeing loved ones was further increased by the relief that we had successfully converged at the same place at the same time. With the five of us united, we set off in high spirits toward the car rental to begin our adventures together. Oh yes, that evening dished up plenty of adventures. The first challenge was getting a rental car with ...