Thursday, March 5, 2009

Old Hippies and a Wild Hair

I would like to have a hot tub, it is on my list. The I wish, I had one, but will wait til I win the lottery list. After all a hot tub really needs its own gazebo with a skylight. Maybe I should buy a ticket.

We have friends that have a hot tub. They are old hippies. Theirs is a strange looking hot tub..it is made from a stock tank. On one end is a wood stove, it heats the water. It works great, if you want a hot soak..you have to gather the wood and get the fire started. They have it down to a fine science, how much wood to add for the proper bathing temperature. They also have an outdoor shower, water in a tank, heated by the sun will shower you off on a fine Minnesota evening. The shower enclosure is covered in vines..now if you are at all uncomfortable with your body..this may or may not work for you. You may feel too exposed..too flawed..too big city to use an outdoor shower.

They have many cool ideas over at their place. They have a garden roof..yes they have a dirt covered roof and that is where they grow all their vine crops..squash and cukes. They have other huge gardens, all fenced in..they do live in the woods, so deer on the hunt for a vegetable smorgasbord are deterred. They grow most of their own food.

They recycle, most of their buildings are reconstructed from other peoples cast offs. I absolutely love their summer room. It sits all by itself, totally screened in, with comfy furniture and a bed..they know that I covet that building. What a great place to sleep in the summer, outside, but not quite, and gloriously bug free! I think of all the hours I could spend reading without ending up with bugs in my books, or spending half my time swatting at my legs. Or holding a fly swatter in one hand and a book in the other...

Guess I will put the summer room on the hot tub list.. then I really got a "wild hair"..I have this unused building..it isn't very big..6 by 12 feet. My Uncle built it years ago, we used it for greenhouse supply storage. It is just sitting out back, alone and forlorn looking. It could be moved to the edge of the woods, with some new old windows, a screen door and a new floor.. a built in platform bed and a rocking chair..I would be good to go..no phone..no bugs.. no huge investment..no sweat..I wonder what Far Guy will say if I put it on his "to do" list? :)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that would be a great getaway!

Anonymous said...

You could turn that old building into a summer hide-away and put a hot tub outside.. Quite an incredible feeling to lie in hot water in the middle of winter! Then you can run around naked and roll in the snow like the Finns and Swedes do after they have had a sauna...

Lattice said...

What DOES Far Guy say about that? Sounds like just his kind of project. I wonder if my husband will ever be freed up from work enough to tackle such dreams?

Girl Tornado said...

Your friends sound quite interesting, I like their ideas... I've been toying with the idea of an outdoor stock tank so I can take my long-missed baths (we only have an indoor shower here). Of course, I could only do so in the summer... and since we live in such an isolated area, no one would really SEE me! :) I also like your idea about moving your unused building and converting it into an outdoor getaway. Lovely.

DayPhoto said...

You know those were really good ideas. And since winter is really a very long, ordeal, and you have such a really beautiful yard I think you should make a summer sleeping, resting place out of the little shed. You could drape the bed with netting, to keep out the bugs and really enjoy yourself.

Take photos if you decide to build it. We all will want to watch.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

flydragon said...

What interesting friends you have!!
Of course, they also have interesting friends.
I checked FarGuys blog and he evidently doesn't know about the addition to his todo list. Can't wait to see what he says about it:)))

Mary said...

My problem would be that the bathroom not be too far away. I wouldn't last the night without at least one trip!

Anonymous said...

A hot tub is on my wish list too! I remember my father in law saw his first one at a camp ground they stayed at years ago. He came home scratching his head saying "I saw the darndest thing, all these old people sitting together in a big horse trough visitin' with each other. Musta been hippies."

Lanny said...

Pictures?

linda m said...

I say go for it. What have you got to lose by not putting it on his list except that it never gets done or at least gets put on the bottom of his list. What a wonderful idea!

Coffee with Cathy said...

What a great idea! Please keep us updated about this project. And your friends' hot tub reminds me of my brother's. At age 49, I don't know if he and my sister-in-law qualify as "old hippies" or not, but they built their own wood-fired hot tub outside their Tennessee home and it's wonderful! They also have a garden, but the bamboo fence they built with bamboo from their own property does nothing to keep out the deer!

Pamela said...

I don't have room for all those fun things -- but I sure can dream along side you.

Jeanne Estridge said...

Sounds like a great idea! We have a hot tub -- in our downstairs bathroom (which also houses the washer and dryer). It is the world's oldest hot tub -- a huge, pale greeny-yellowy fiberglass affair. You have to run the water for an hour just to fill it up past the jets, and forget having water up to your shoulders. The grandkids love to "swim" in it. As antique as it is, we love it. It's one of the many reasons Old Dog won't even consider moving.