Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Bumper Sticker Idea & Asia Coho Interest

[Saramandaia Farm (etaincr]

Don't know about Asia, but we're moving ahead, in gingerly fashion for  us, 
with checking out the possibilities of a co-housing neighborhood on  our 38 
acres here in Costa Rica.  We have the advantage of a  builder friend who's 
wrapping up the first phase of a shared-ownership  project and has dealt with 
the legalities involved in his own  development.
  
  We have 3 houses on the farm already, and want a plan to preserve most  of 
the land as habitat.  We're just starting to look around for  other interested 
people.  The project will probably involve just 5  more homes, and will be 
structured around ownership of the home and  common land in shares.  I'm 
following with interest various  possibilities for allotment of the shares.  
There are government  constraints on building and tree-cutting here, based on 
at least  lip-service to conservation and preservation of the biodiversity that 
 Costa Rica is known for.  
  
  We came to the decision to consider this plan because of our certainty  that 
our kids would see no possibility upon our deaths other than  selling the farm, 
which we bought 35 years ago as overgrazed and  eroding mountainside, and 
benignly neglected into a home for toucans,  oropendolas, anteaters, parrots, 
and a large family of white-faced  monkeys.  We considered (until a month or so 
ago) getting involved  in a US co-housing community, then realized that our 
lives are here,  and we couldn't touch ever afford there what we already have  
here.  Half-million dollar homes are outside our realms of  probability, if not 
possibility.
  
  I'd be happy to correspond with anyone, especially anyone in Latin  America, 
about our plans.  Our interests are tropical ecology  (although not in a 
professional sense), perhaps expansion of my own  business of artisan 
sausage-making, organic gardening on a small scale,  travel, and unschooling.  
We still have a 16 year old at home, and  would like some sort of an age range 
other than  60-75 on the  farm.  We're probably best described as modified 
aging hippies:)  I'm a physician and my husband is retired from college 
teaching (chem,  geochem), and computer systems analysis.  Our daughter 
sculpts,  writes, and is quite an expert on the things that live on our  
land...especially her parents.
  
  I appreciate any interest and advice.
  
  Sharon
  
                
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