Although almost unimaginable, some of you might find interest in a little background on us, the people living at Coyote Cottage. If not, at least look at the pictures.

We are a family of three. The elders hail from the early sixties, the young one from the closing years of the last century.

The boy is just that. A boy. He's fascinating by things that are bigger while they go faster and higher. Also Lego's provide an endless source of inspiration. So no surprises there. And that is probably to the best.

The man is of scandinavian descent, in fact he spent the better part of his life there, before changing territory. He possess many skills, some nicely developed, others just to get around a problem, but none of them well enough to be proud of. This fact pared with the lack of any real education, has reduced him to the role of day laborer, when not out ADVENTURING. Remember that word. More later.

Holding it all together is the Mother. Literally. No more need to be said. But we will anyway: Feeding the small family with uniquely wholesome meals, prepared from scratch with simple, organic sources, she keeps them healthy and vibrant. She also pays bills. Maintains vehicles. The list goes on.
She has a lofty degree from UCSB, had a career with the Park Service spanning two decades and knows more than just about anybody would care to know about birds and wild plants. Now she spends her days involved with the local school system. And ADVENTURING.

Now these are all interesting things to learn about us, but they may not comprise the core passions. Well, okay they touch on important stuff, but what is the real essence of our lives?

Living like you see it here on this site is something we feel very strongly about. Not spending like there's no tomorrow, conserving water by fully deviating from the mainstream American path of dishwashers and 7 showers a day. Flipping the middle finger at the ugly, polluting concept called a septic tank and housing ourselves with outmost comfort in under 600 square feet. All things that characterizes us as full-on freaks. Hippies.

Some folks we know think we will surely grow up someday and buy into the grid, with rows of gleaming appliances and a separate room for every activity. What they forget is that we are fairly well aged already, and we've been there, tasted it and almost choked.

So, that is something we feel passionate about. But it is not an end upon itself. No it's mainly a way to be on our own without debt, so we don't HAVE to work 50 weeks a year to survive.
Because life needs to be lived, and life feels most real when there's a certain level of self imposed risk present. Being free from the iron grip of mortgages and car loans allow us to head into the mountains with just a few essentials for weeks on time, or climb peaks and rock walls by highly technical routes, or take our 20' minimalist sailboat on long excursions along the coast of Washington and British Columbia. These are the moments we live for and this whole Coyote Cottage thing is merely a way to a get there. See more about some of these adventures on my other site, fivenineclimber.com