Introduction

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the deep green liveliness of forests.

When I was young, my parents made several memorable treks to Sequoia National Park. My mother had been transplanted to the Southern California LA basin from the northeast, and she would soak up the cool glades of trees that she achingly missed in her new life of sunshine. Perhaps it is her love of trees that first created this love of forests in me.

More recently, after she was gone, my Dad sought a place to live where “trees just grow; you don't have to plant them.” He bought a house in a forest, and our Rising Oaks is about 7 miles from where he chose to live.

On the other hand, a straw bale home is something wonderful that happened as we sought energy independence. When we finally found an architect whose desires meshed with ours (Dan Smith), he suggested we tour the Presentation Center, in the Santa Cruz Mountains (near Los Gatos). It is a straw bale building designed by DSA. Both Ron and I were immediately enchanted, and we marched determinedly onward despite any obstacles.

In that first straw bale building I was reminded of the deep walls and cool interiors of the adobe buildings I had visited as a child. Those deep plastered walls and deep inset windows feel magical, peaceful, and solid to me, and create a special sense of home.



This blog is a tale about this journey that had many beginnings, but we'll start with the most relevant in '98 when we purchased 12 acres of steep hillsides and marvelous trees in the Sierra Foothills of California. The trees are an interesting mix of oaks, pines, madrones, douglas firs, and cedars. The acres are on the side of a south facing ridge overlooking the canyon where Sutter Creek flows year round. This blog will include our experiences and mistakes, and details about the process – from land to architect to builder, and the endless decisions. As well I'll intersperse daily events that have happened or are happening as we live here, so it won't all be history but will move forward as we do.



Importantly, the we who live here include 5 others – 2 dogs (Ripley and Connor) and 3 cats (Homer-Kitty, BCOS, and WYSIWYG). They are an important part of our story.

We call our place Rising Oaks in recognition of the glorious trees and particularly the prominent sentinels at the top of the driveway that shade the east side of our house. As I return home up the drive, they rise up into view.



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