New year, new tack

It has been just over a year since I last posted. But, my new voiceover mentor, Randy Thomas, tells me I am a, "Fascinating, worldly woman," who, "Needs a regularly updated blog." Well the voice of The Academy Awards©, The Emmy Awards©, The SAG Awards©, and The AFI Awards©, to name a few, is probably best heeded. (Sometimes I cannot even believe the company I am allowed to keep these days.)

In the past thirteen months, I have:
~ Found my dream occupant of my orchard (after which this blog is named), Modie Pathfinder. Modie is a beekeeper from Egypt, and is producing honey on the land! My little farm project is now officially the United Nations of Ecuadorean agriculture. Modie hopes to one day buy the land from me. In the mean time, another trip down there in the next year or two is likely in order.
~ Met The Love of My Life, Jake, on bikes on a street corner in West Hollywood. Long, romantic story, but in short - my ($3500 custom-built) bike broke down, he rode by, I called for help, we fell in love. We celebrated our anniversary last month, Dec. 11 - we met on the birthday of my best friend, Mimi Moss.
~ Oh, sweet Mimi. When I started studying Death Midwifery w/ Sacred Crossings Death Midwives and hospice with The Twilight Brigade 4 years ago, I never imagined that my first client would be my best friend. After an intense 3-year struggle with breast cancer, we lost Mimi from this realm in May. I was with her up until minutes before she died, and it was hands-down the most sacred thing I have ever experienced.

~ After losing Mimi, LA just didn't feel the same. She was much of the reason I left Ecuador 2 years ago, and returned to the bustle of Hollywood. Jake never did much care for Los Angeles, and his job at UCLA had just ended, ♪♪so we loaded up the truck and we moved to...♪♪
~ Minneapolis, where we bought an adorable house, where our monthly payments are less than Jake was paying for his one-room studio, in Miracle Mile.

Home Sweet Home
(We're also renting out our upstairs on AirBnB, if you know anyone heading to Minneapolis for a visit! Jake makes our guests a killer, restaurant-quality breakfast.)
~ Shortly after moving home, I enrolled in Adaptive Yoga training, through Mind Body Solutions. I'm now teaching adaptive, restorative and senior yoga at yoga studios around Minneapolis, including Svasti Yoga & Nokomis Healthy Seniors.

As for my VO career, 2018 was a slow year, since I was just getting my VO bearings back after South America, and then was homeless (studioless?) of sorts until we bought our place in August. Now, it is showing signs of a full recovery - especially since Jake helped me trick out a sweet home studio here in our new digs. I've got a lot of irons in many fires, and will report some of my most exciting bookings here over the coming months...

It can get a little lonely here in the home studio, so please feel free to write back with your updates. Better still, comment on the blog, below!

Finally, this is a painting of Mimi I commissioned a few years ago:

Doesn't do her beauty justice, but I'm glad I had it done. Love ya forever, li'l sister.

We have aerial drone footage, y'all. Look how pretty!

Orchard is still on the market. All the info is here:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/TerraNovaDeCorazon/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1039505202800389

Shoot me a message here or at Cat(at)CatherineCampion.com for more information.
I offer a generous finders fee to anyone who brings me a buyer!

An interview on Expat Sandwich

For those of you who have been wondering, “What the heck happened down in Ecuador??,” here is a beautifully-crafted 20-minute interview that summarizes why I got the hell out of South America:  http://expatsandwich.com/episode-002-ecuador-catherine-camp…
(hint: it includes drugs, rapes, murders, broken bones, fire & earthquakes)

(Love that groovy graphic)

7 months later and the farm is still on the market. There have been a few viewings, but no offers.
Here's that listing: https://www.facebook.com/pg/TerraNovaDeCorazon/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1039505202800389
Happy to pay a commission to anyone who finds me a buyer. (Just don't let them listen to the podcast - ha!)

Packing up my cacao nibs and going home

What a loooooooong strange trip it's been.

After nearly 3 years of the adventure of owning my orchard down in Ecuador, I've decided to return to Europe - probably Ireland, but considering Spain (now that I speak Spanish!), England & The Netherlands - to continue my end-of-life care studies. I won't be able to focus on my masters program and manage the farm from thousands of miles away, so I'm selling and investing the funds into a few years of serious study. Considering a thesis on something along the lines of "Ancient Celtic traditions of death and dying," then incorporating them into my practice. Wouldn't you love to hear celtic harp, whistle and fiddle as you lie by your turf fire and transition to the other side? (or, we could offer a wailing banshee, if you prefer)

Feel free to message me if you want more deets on my schedule/plans/whereabouts for the next few months. (Which are, of course, ever evolving)

Thanks for all of your support, my amazing, loving, generous friends - especially those of you who made it down to Terra Nova de Corazón, to help me survive my first year of living here! I'm here through August, if anyone wants to experience it while you can...

Here's the listing, if you know anyone looking for a new adventure:

FINCA/ORCHARD FOR SALE IN MANGLARALTO

Terra Nova de Corazón
1.1 Hectare Orchard/Food Forest covered in dozens of varieties of Mature Fruit Trees in Manglaralto, Ecuador

11,000 m2 lot (just under 3 acres)
3 structures:
- 10x10m blue-roofed structure enclosed with bamboo and mosquito netting has kitchen/dining area with tile floor downstairs, and loft/bedroom/yoga studio with wood floor above;
- 2-story white concrete building has bathroom/shower downstairs, bedroom/office + bamboo loft upstairs;
- newly constructed 3-story/split- level bamboo "treehouse" has 3x3m floors, with high ceilings and gorgeous views.
Entirely new electrical system installed in 2016, including transformer
Private well with pump and pressure tank
2000 liter rainwater collection system
Riverfront Property
Over 20 varieties of mature fruit trees
Prepared garden beds
Chicken coop
4 km (2.5 mi) to Manglaralto beach
6 km to Montañita

$25/m2 $275,000 - FINANCING AVAILABLE

Please email me with questions: cat(at)catherinecampion.com

Update from Ecuador, 3 days post earthquake

Since I have received dozens of concerned messages from friends and family around the globe, I figured I should let everyone know what is happening here on the ground. We had a massive 7.8 earthquake here (and several smaller), Saturday night. We at Terra Nova de Corazón are 5 hours south of the epicenter, but it took down buildings and highways 10 hours away. Ecuador hadn't seen a quake like this for 40 years.

We are safe here in Manglaralto, although all three of our buildings withstood some structural damage, which will need repair - including our new bamboo house* in the trees, scheduled to be completed this week. What Terra Nova is offering to the cause is *housing (hoping to find a family or two who needs a safe place until they can rebuild their lives) & some produce from our orchard. It occurs to me that if everyone in Ecuador who has a spare room or apartment could offer it to a family in need, everyone would be better off. I am slowed down by the broken foot I sustained while rescuing a small goat from the jaws of a street dog two weeks ago, but my support network is strong, and I will be eternally grateful to them.

In case your local news outlets are not showing the extent of the damage, I have included a photo album that depicts it quite well. This is a serious crisis for a country already hard hit by economic decline (due in no small part to declining oil prices and tourism). The annual income here is under $6k/year. Outdated and ill-maintained infrastructure leads to even greater suffering in a time of natural disaster. 

I'm a longtime member of Pachamama Alliance, so if you feel compelled to give financially, please do so here: http://www.pachamama.org/pa/ecuador-earthquake-relief (They've already met their goal, but I know all of the funds will make it to the relief effort.)
If you want to help me & Terra Nova personally, all we really need are hands. If any more (thank you, Amanda!) of my generous, skilled, hardworking friends want to take a working vacation in South America...now would be a great time. You know I'll feed you well.

https://www.facebook.com/gaby.luna.106/media_set…

Bamboo Treehouse workshops, commencing this month!

(Sorry to everyone who received a virtually illegible blog posting yesterday. I needed to make the letters light, to be read on the dark background of the blog, but I obviously went a few shades too far!)

BIG NEWS:
We are getting ready to host our first of many workshops on sustainable living. We soon have two architects (from Scotland and Italy) coming from 2 years of building with bamboo in Asia. This workshop will be bamboo TREEHOUSE building! Planning to start March 28, until we complete the build - probably 6-8 weeks. Join us for a week, or stay for the two months. Don't worry if you can't attend the entire time - our maestros will go over what you miss.

Building this tree house gives us the opportunity to learn about every stage of the design and building process from the ground up. The workshop won't just be a lesson on theory, but a chance to get practical hands on experience with the worlds most interesting species of grass. We will cover every aspect of the building process, from the foundation to the eaves of the roof. Through on-site lessons, we will learn to use the right tools to achieve both traditional and modern bamboo construction methods, while also learning the theory of these methods and why bamboo is such a sustainable building material.

Because we are a new community, building as we go, we don't yet have formal housing. Camping, hammocks, mattresses (with access to kitchen, toilet, shower, wifi, etc.) are available to participants. Vegetarian lunch will be prepared each work day and breakfast foods will be available to those staying on-site. Top-notch accommodations (A/C, wifi, pool, breakfast) can be had across the street at Hostería Arandú.

All of our classes, workshops, events, etc. will be donation/sliding-fee. We are asking just $150/week to cover participants meals and leaders' transportation. No one turned away for lack of funds. Because these architects don't speak much Spanish, this workshop will be conducted in English. Our next workshop, earth home construction (June/July), will be bilingual!

If you or anyone you know would like to join us, or if you have questions:

WhatsApp: +16129900046

Ecuador mobile: 0980096331

Cat@catherinecampion.com

Follow our more frequent updates here: https://www.facebook.com/TerraNovaDeCorazon

The thought of an end to all flight is unbearable.

Two years ago this week, I bought a one-way ticket to Ecuador, with my life savings standing by, and the intention to purchase a little piece of land, where I could grow some food, and learn about living closer to the earth, surrounded by nature. I didn't have a clear vision of what the place would become, but I simply felt compelled to work towards realizing this project.

Tomorrow, I leave for Ecuador, again with a one-way ticket, but no real plans to return to the US. Other than, maybe to get my kitty, Chimney Sweep, if no one is able to bring her to me.

I still have no clear idea of what purpose Terra Nova will serve in my new community near the coast, lined up and down with fishing/surfing towns. Just some imaginings...

I am feeling supremely supported by a bunch of angels on the ground in Ecuador:
my fiends, Chris & Johnny, who recently moved to Quito from LA, with their 95 year-old mother;
Philip Baker (and his beautiful family), a colleague of my sister, who grows/exports chiles;
Rebeca, a friend in Salinas my mother recently adopted into our big, extended family;
Todd, my hero in Olón, who has made several trips to the finca, taking photos & videos to keep me up to date with what is going on on my land;
Noelia, my Argentine real estate agent, without whom I would've never found Terra Nova;
My first four volunteers for setting up Terra Nova - Mark (my buddy in Hollywood), Ted (retired builder moving from Vermont to Ecuador today), Kelley (like me, a former Angelina who grew tired of the Hollywood grind), and Kasijani, whom we found on The Poosh, and who shares a birthday with me (stop by Terra Nova January 6, if you wanna celebrate with us!);
Monica Rivendiera, of Eagle Condor Farm;
and most of all, Diego, in Guayaquil, who has taken 3 weeks off work to be of service to Terra Nova - serving as translator, driver, host, moral support & dear friend.

To those of you following this blog down in Ecuador, please drop me a line. If you're ever on the coast, I'd love to meet you all. To those in the US (I imagine I know most of you personally), COME VISIT! Best ways to reach me (in descending order): WhatsApp, Skype, text my 612#, email, PM on FB, phoning my 612# (a little spendy).

Gotta get back to packing, weighing luggage, cuddling my kitty goodbye, etc. It's cold here in LA this week (lows in the 30s and damp), so I'm looking quite forward to more pleasant climes...

“Yes, it was too late, and Sabina knew she would leave Paris, move on, and on again, because were she to die here they would cover her up with a stone, and in the mind of a woman for whom no place is home the thought of an end to all flight is unbearable.” 
― Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being

This time I made it back here in four months instead of five! Is triannually often enough?

Not much to report down at Terra Nova. No one has been living there since last fall. The family who was planning to stay longterm decided Ecuador was not for them. I'm out several thousand dollars on that endeavor, including an unnecessary (yet enjoyable) trip to Ecuador, and a new refrigerator that already needs to be replaced. But, we are living and learning as we go, aren't we all?

Since then, some international (U.S., U.K. & Canadian) neighbors in the area have been able to make use of the beautiful property for some healing ceremonies - some geared especially towards women. Our neighbor/gardener, Geovanny, has been watering enough to keep (most of) the trees alive. We did lose one big, beautiful coconut palm (our only one) already, due to lack of watering. Not sure how that happened, but it's difficult to monitor these things from thousands of miles away. Still open to finding someone to oversee the land for the rest of 2015, until those of us planning to do so (me, RaRa, Turtle, ??) can move ourselves down there.


When I tell people I'm moving to Ecuador (as I shared repeatedly last night, at our local InterNations gathering), people generally ask, "Why Ecuador?" Buena pregunta. The best answers I have come up with are:
Spiritual (/crazy?): I am responding to an inner vision, a calling, a compulsion to go there.
Pragmatic: Cost of living is low, while standard of living is high.
Psychological: I'm kinda over the whole living the urban life at the peak of empire thing.
Altruistic: I would like to be of service to the people & country of Ecuador, as they have safeguarded our Amazon all these years.
Emphatic: Because I can.
Honest: Um, I don't really know...yet.

What I am surprised by is the almost universal enthusiasm and support I receive, no matter what response I give. "Wow, what an adventure! That sounds like fun." "I'm so impressed." "I think you're onto something/ahead of the curve." Although, I did get a bit riled last night when a man said he assumed I was moving there because I had met an Ecuadorian man and needed to be by his side. Ugh.  Would he have assumed this of a man? He assured me he would have. I'm gonna call BS on that one.

The next question is always, "What do you intend to do down there?" Normally I respond with, "Prepare meals, do some yoga & meditation, ride my bike, read books, play some music...much like my life here in Hollywood." (Not really the answer they are looking for.) Other responses:
I'm going to grow food, raise chickens, go fishing and generally live off the land, to the best of my abilities.
I'll learn Spanish & be an actress, just as I have been my whole life.
I will be a Death Midwife* and assist transitions.
Um, I don't really know...yet.

Wait a minute - a Death What?! That's right, I spent 2014 getting my ministerial ordination and my midwifery certification, through *Sacred Crossings.

I call myself The Irreverent Reverend, Celibate Celebrant & Sacred Crossing Guard.
Good evening. How may I be of service?

It has been nearly 5 months since my last post (Bless me Father, for I have sinned?), so I am long overdue. Thank you for pushing me to update when I run into you around town, my loyal/local followers.

The crowd-funding campaign wrapped up in July. We raised $2300, with which we were able to hire a small crew for a week (gotta love a developing economy!), to do some much needed repairs & painting at Terra Nova. Thanks to all of you who purchased private aerial lessons from her, RaRa also raised funds towards building a small treehouse from which to launch her Circus Arts school on the grounds. Who wants to learn how to swing from the tropical trees?!

From the campaign updates:
To give you an idea of how far your money goes down in Ecuador, with the funds we have raised so far we have been able to: repair our plumbing, install a simple hot water heater in the shower (no more cold showers!), screen in the windows & patch up the yoga loft (let's keep our neighborhood critters outside), and paint the roof white (reducing heat absorption in the loft). It took a crew of three men nearly a week, but they got it all done, for under $1000! Some pictures on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TerraNovaDeCorazon (Please "like" us, if you haven't already.) 
Some of the things we plan to be up to at Terra Nova: yoga, meditation, spiritual growth, personal development, hospice, death midwifery, home funerals, green burial, aerial lessons, circus arts, clowning, organic gardening, raising chickens and goats, building bicycles, custom-made clothing, voice over, natural home & body products, etc.! Your support is so greatly appreciated.

I spent July touring the upper midwest, visiting friends and family in Minneapolis, Duluth, and the north woods of Wisconsin - enjoying the moisture and the green.*

Work-wise, August was great for me. I did 5 spots for CVS, after which, the client made a comment about wanting to use me, "for everything." Oh, do not tease about such things. I did a series of spots for SuperCuts where, in addition to talking, I got to voice a bunch of sound effects. What fun! Also, I believe my United Health, Subaru & Yellow Pages ads are still running, as the residuals are still coming in. (Y'all let me know if you hear my voice. I never watch TV nor listen to commercial radio, so I rarely hear my own work!)

September, I had plans to tour Eastern Europe by bike & train with a girlfriend, but she landed a full-time gig just before our tour was to begin. Instead, I spent the weekends with her, in Warsaw, and spent weekdays using BlaBlaCar to get around the country (Gdansk, Płock, Plonsk, Grudziadz). I'm not much of a picture-taker when I travel, but here is a snap of my ($10/night, barely post-communist) hotel lobby:

I also passed a week on Patrycja's family's farm with her (non-English-speaking) folks, fishing and mushroom hunting. Smacznego!

I had the good fortune to miss three of the four heat waves we experienced in SoCal this year: in May (I was in Ecuador); July (MN/WI); Sept (Poland); Oct (I suffered a few 100-degree days in my A/C-free Hollywood cottage). *Did you know we are in a bit of a drought here?

Before you get too smug in your moist little easy chair there...do you know where the majority of food is produced in the US? You got it. We have used up over 80% of our groundwater, and aquifers take thousands of years to replenish. In other words, Cali isn't going to be friendly to large mammals much longer. I wonder where I should move...

Speaking of Ecuador, the Rastafari family has left Terra Nova and returned to The States. I guess things didn't work out the way they imagined. Life in a new (less developed) land, with a different language, and three children to mind has got to be quite a challenge. If anyone is interested in living on the land and being some of the first members of our intentional community, please drop me a line. I would especially love to find community-minded folks with gardening/building/repairing/maintaining skills, as well as some Spanish fluency.

I was planning to spend this winter down there, overseeing construction on a simple cottage I would like to build for myself on the land. However, since this is likely my final year in LA, I realized it is much more prudent of me to stay here and drum up as much work as possible. Once I am living in the Southern Hemisphere, my income will drop substantially. I intend to live a much simpler life (I know - I'm already such a bad American Consumer!), requiring much less funding. But, the more I can invest in Terra Nova before then, the better life will be for all of our guests, and the more charity/donation-based work I'll be able to do.

I'll try to be better about updating at least monthly, to keep you abreast of our goings-on at Terra Nova. Thank you all, for your continued support.

Our crowd funding campaign has launched!

https://dana.io/terra-nova

Dana.io is a brand-new crowd-funding platform, and Terra Nova was chosen to be one of the first twenty campaigns to launch it! In honor of my annual 40-day Spiritual Festival, in preparation for Guru Purnima (it's like yoga New Years!), I am doing a 40-day campaign (along with 40 days of dedicated hatha & meditation). That gives us over a month to get the word out about Terra Nova, and hopefully generate enough funds to build what I am calling the The Dorms - although they may end up being individual cottages (and tree houses!) - as well as install solar panels, fencing, a graywater system & solar oven, rescue some farm animals, launch the organic community garden (need so many tools!), etc.

In summary, for those of you new to this blog:

Over the past few years, I have been feeling a calling to work towards an alternative to the (highly developed) lifestyle to which I have always been accustomed - namely, to minimize my dependence on fossil fuels and The System to provide for my daily needs. After some research, I discovered that - because of legislation, corporate control, and the greatly depleted state of U.S. soils - the land & lifestyle I am looking for are no longer available here in North America. So, a few months ago, I purchased a small orchard in Ecuador - full of mature fruit trees, on a river, with wells and generators, just a few miles from the ocean. Now, I am working towards moving my life down there over the next two years, learning Spanish (muy importante), developing living skills, and building community.

Terra Nova de Corazón is a sacred space where people will come to teach, learn, and heal; a sanctuary for those among us tired of participating in industrial civilization and all its culpability. We will be an outdoor schoolhouse where one can learn traditional living skills, such as growing organic food, tending to animals for milk and eggs, and building solar ovens; a spiritual retreat for yoga, meditation, music, writing and deep personal development. We are working towards being able to accommodate 12 people long-term and many more short-term.

Ever since crowd-funding began, I have said, "Yes," dozens of times to supporting projects of friends and strangers alike. Yesterday, we launched our own crowd-funding campaign. I hope some of you will consider sharing our vision.

The websites to contribute/be involved/follow us are:

Crowd-funding: Terra Nova de Corazón | dana.io (If you are unable to contribute at the moment, please forward to someone who may be interested to be involved. If there is a gift you would like to see offered, please message me and I will do my best to fulfill your wish.)
Blog: Terra Nova de Corazón (Enter your email up top to receive updates)  
FB: Terra Nova de Corazón (Please "like" us!)

Thank you for your continued love, interest and support,

Catherine Campion

			Terra Nova de Corazón Terra Nova is a sustainable community, founded by Catherine Campion, in Ecuador. A family of...
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Second trip to Terra Nova: setting up house

Back in Hollywood and it's been nearly two months since I posted. I have been swamped with preparing for and taking my trip back to Terra Nova. And thank goddess, I am even more in love with Ecuador now!

I invited several friends to come down to check out our new space +Rachel Carlson +Sean Hurdle  +Mary Campion +Joseph Bedford +Sophia McFoy  +Guy McPherson & his friend, +Pauline Schneider - not to mention the Harrell family of five, who are the first to be occupying the land.
So we had quite a group.

I offered to help Guy put together his Climate crisis/Economic collapse presentation while he was down there - so he could reach more international folks with his message & perhaps raise some donations to cover his expenses; and also a mini trial run of the grief technique he recently learned with Pauline. I spent several weeks creating flyers and promoting the weekend anywhere I could reach English speakers in Ecuador. Still, the turnout was small (mostly just friends and family), but the passion was high.

My primary purpose for going (and how I was able to justify the $2k expense) was to help get the (non spanish-speaking) family settled in, but also to shoot some footage of the land, for the crowd-funding campaign Pauline offered to help me with, on Dana.io. (Still working on this, but you will be the first to hear!)

We: purchased a refrigerator, a stove, several hammocks; repaired a plumbing leak.
Upcoming projects are:
Install a solar water pump, to supplement the electric & gas powered pumps we have;
Paint the water tank black, to raise the water temperature for showering & washing clothes & dishes;
Give the bathroom a fresh coat of paint;
Install a lip in the shower, to prevent water from running out into the rest of the bathroom;
Put screens in the bathroom window to keep the bats (and their guano) out;
Hang a mosquito curtain around the open-air kitchen, to keep out buggies at night;
Fill the old well, which is currently a hazard for people walking by it;
Get a bed for the guard tower, in case we get any AirBnB guests;
Prepare a massive organic garden, that can feed up to twelve souls (yeah, Ty!);
Install lights in the front gate & a sign reading "Terra Nova de Corazón;"
Move the kitties - India & China - from La Libertad to Manglaralto;
Cover the blue-roofed yoga loft with a thatched palm roof, to reduce internal air temperature, like so:

Getting there at the end of the rainy season, we were disappointed to learn that it had barely rained this year, so stuff was not as lush and green as I had foretold. The riverbed was completely dry! Thank goodness we have deep wells.
I'm not much of a picture taker, and am annoyed by the process of moving my photos from my phone to my blog or FB, so... https://www.facebook.com/TerraNovaDeCorazon/photos_stream (Please "like" us, if you haven't already)

Months ago, I mentioned that I am in the process of becoming a certified death midwife. Part 2 of the 3-part course, through Sacred Crossings is coming up in June:
DEATH MIDWIFERY TRAINING
PART I: Conscious Dying - Preparing for a Peaceful Transision
PART II: After-death care & preservation of the body
PART III: The Funeral Celebration

Anybody dying soon? Would you like to make use of my services? First death is on the house - after that, buy one, get one free. Jajajajaja! But seriously, if the idea of an alternative to toxic cremation or burial in offensively expensive, non-biodegradable caskets is appealing to you; if you want to spend about a grand on the process, rather than the cost of a new car; if you long for a time when death was faced and shared and celebrated in the home, with friends and family rather than being outsourced to the "funeral industry," then let's talk. I'm hoping to begin assisting Olivia as soon as I've completed my training, in the Fall.

I love you all.
How may I be of service to you?

My first workshops!

I've been expressing to people that one of the primary goals of Terra Nova is to create a sacred space for people to host/attend workshops (for growth, healing, living skills, etc.), or simply take a retreat from the daily grind of Industrial Civilization. Our first events, May 16-18, are shown here - Guy McPherson giving his presentation on the Global Climate Crisis, followed by a 2-day workshop on processing and moving through grief. Pauline will be there as a co-facilitator and to document! 
We plan to host a potluck on Friday evening, 5-7pm, before his presentation. If you're in the Manglaralto area, please stop by and introduce yourself. The potluck aims to be zero-waste. Please bring your own plates, cups and utensils to use, and extras, if you can, for those who did not bring. We are moving in a few days before then, so we may not have lots of dishes yet!
If you're coming from out of town, we have a great deal at Hosteria Arandú ($20-25/night per person, including breakfast), or you can camp/hammock on our land.
For more information or to RSVP, please contact me directly. 

Also, I recently joined InterNations. I spent a few hours yesterday searching for and messaging expats in the region, letting them know I will be visiting & hosting the workshops in May, and moving down there next year. The response was tremendous! Almost every soul I reached out to responded, offering connection, community and whatever advice/assistance I might need to make my transition more comfortable. I have a really good feeling we will get a great turnout for the weekend at Terra Nova!

I haven't posted since I returned to Hollywood in January, but a lot has happened since then:
I closed on Terra Nova, got her registered in my name with the regional government (shhh, don't tell the feds), transferred the utilities (actually, only one utility, since we have our own water, and there's no gas, phone, internet, etc.) to my name;
Celebrated (a very gringo) Christmas, followed by (a very Ecuadorean) New Years;
Spent a week in the gorgeous capital city of Quito, with my new friends, Phillip & Imelda Baker (from Venezuela & Colombia, respectively), and their beautiful extended family;
Made friends with a wonderful couple in Quito who run an ad agency and work as voice talent(!);
Celebrated my 42nd at home, with some of my favorite humans;
Joined a book/study club, about Sacred Economics and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible - both by the amazing Mr. Charles Eisenstein;
Finally launched my Love Nurses show, which is an idea I've had for years - therapeutic entertainment, or Theratainment. Doing another performance of it this Wednesday night, in NoHo;
Booked some fun VO gigs, including a national spot for Harley Davidson (vroom-vroom) that's gonna pay for a solar oven, some goats, chickens and a pig at Terra nova;
Befriended a wonderful man from India - Shree, my new vedic/ayurvedic partner in crime (let me know if you are in need of sanskrit lessons, hatha, panchakarma, etc.);
Met the Rastafarian family from Northern California who will be the first full-time occupants of the orchard: Ty & Christine, and their tres niños perfectos (love them all!);
Camped at Deep Creek Hot Springs with Mark, but wasn't able to hike down to the springs because the chemo treatments from the week before left me feeble. Still had a glorious time;
Started a weekly beginner Spanish meet-up, en mi casa, cada martes. Hit me up if you wanna join in the fun!

My biggest news about Ecuador is that I am planning to return in May already! Originally, this year was to be about focusing on making the Hollywood money while I can, to invest in the property, and I wasn't planning on going back until next winter. Instead, I'm heading down the second week in May, to prep the place a bit more for the family's arrival, as well as hosting my first workshop. I can't help it - I'm homesick for the place!

My friend, Guy McPherson, was instrumental in my fully waking up to the Empire, its inherent oppression, and what it means to continue to benefit from/participate in it. And so, we walk away, as best we know how - embracing the adventure that lies ahead for us. Recently, Guy attended a "life-changing" grief counseling seminar, and became a certified grief counselor. I invited him down to Terra Nova to give his Climate crisis/Economic collapse presentation, followed by a weekend of grief counseling, to soothe the jangled nerves of all of us coming to terms with our hospice situation. He is in Belize the last week of May, so he'll drop down a few degrees latitude the week before that. Workshop is planned for 5/16-18. Any takers?

Documentary filmmaker, Pauline Schneider, is currently shooting a doc about Guy, and she will be joining us down there. I'm hoping to get some great footage to launch an indigogo campaign, to raise some funds to invest in more structures on the land. Anyone with crowdfunding experience have any tips for me? I'd love to consult with someone.

Finally, here is a little photo-tour of Terra Nova de Corazón, taken by Christine's brother, Carlos, who is currently living just a few miles from my orchard:

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Mi Nuevo hogar!

Before I forget, if you want to receive notifications of updates to this blog, please enter your email address in the field above. This will be my last time zapping all 81 of you via Google+, which no one seems to use anyway.

Encontré mi nuevo hogar! (I found my new home!)

My agent and I negotiated a very fair price last week, the money is on its way and - assuming all goes according to plan - we will be signing the paperwork today or tomorrow. I just got myself my greatest Christmas present ever! The gift that keeps on giving.

About my new finca/farm/orchard, in Manglaralto, Ecuador:
1.1 hectare/11,000 square meters (almost 3 acres, which is nearly three American football fields)
Covered in dozens of mature, productive fruit trees: papaya (the size of footballs), banana, plantain, pear, mango, guava, Chinese plum, apple, avocado, pineapple, cheremoya, cherry, grapefruit/pomelo, orange, mandarin, fig, tree raspberry, lemon, sweet lime, coconut, grenadine, grape, (and the more exotic) guanabana, giant matapalo, mamey, toronja, caimito, pitajaya, vinus, chaya, aracha, achote, etc. & even aloe vera, chile, herbs, sugar cane, yucca, cacao & bamboo! Also, trees for wood: Balsa, rubber, tagua, cedar, guayacan, caoba. I will never have to buy fruit again!
4km from the main road, and...the Pacific Ocean - only much cleaner, bluer and warmer (60s) than we have in SoCal. Manglaralto Beach:

There are two structures already on the land: the blue-roofed one you see in the photo (10x10m open kitchen/dining area with loft/bedroom/yoga studio above); and a 2-story concrete building off to the right (bathroom/shower downstairs, bedroom/recording studio up). My near-term plan is to build another floor or two up on the concrete structure, for additional sleeping space.
The grass you see in the forground is soft, spongy turf, installed years ago by the former owner - for volleyball. (Croquet, anyone?)
Large garden, currently occupied by flowers, but will soon be overflowing with mostly vegetables.
There are already horses on the land (belonging to my caretaker/gardener), which he says we can ride, and a chicken coop with several chickens and room for more. Eggies! Eventually, I hope to add a couple of goats & a piggie - you know, for companionship.
Weather is 60s/70s year-round, moderatley humid (= greeeen!), with a rainier season, December - April.

Here is more about the region, and our neighboring town, Montañita:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montañita,_Ecuador

The Universe, ever conspiring to have everything go my way all of the time, has introduced me to the very first (human) occupants of Terra Nova de Corazón! I met a lovely California family - Ty, Christine, and their three children - who were hoping to rent a home and some land to work, near Montañita - just a few minutes away by car (or bike!) Ty has many years experience in farming, as well as music production; Christine is a midwife. They plan to occupy the land come April. I'm sure they will breathe much life, light and love into our new home.

Another great advantage to this place is there is a beautiful new, inexpensive ($35/night for a room that sleeps 5, including breakfast) beautiful B&B opening across the road from me - with a swimming pool! The owner is most kind and friendly, and (like everyone I have met here) has offered to be at my disposal for anything I should need. He also assures me he will keep an eye on my place whenever I am not there.

Any other takes? I know +Jameson Wiltermoodj  is considering coming down for a spell. And
+Champoy Hate. +Sophia Bonita y +Joseph Bedford (already on their way to Ecuador via motorcycles). +Omo Abode ; +Jeremiah Campion & +Amy Campion ; +Vlad The Retailer (ready to put your money where your mouth is?) +Rachel Carlson (duh) ; +Neil Botticelli (you ever walkin' (ridin'?) the walk?) ; +Bobby Gadda & his new bride may already be on their way via tall bike ; +Sean Hurdle (c'mon, Turtle) ; +Noah Bremer (fresh new start with me?!) ; +Stephanie Molstad (I had a dream last night, with you here in Ecuador with me!) ; +Karen R ; +Sarah Petersen ; +Heidi Tungseth ; +donnie Pepper ; the inimitable +Guy McPherson ; the list goes on and on...
Several of my ladyfriends with kids ( +Laura Koniver +Erin Lehn Floresca +Anita Campion +Susan Campion +Susanna Barkataki +Maureen Campion +Mary Campion ) plan to come down once I have it a little less, um, rustic.

These will be a few of the first new animal additions to the land. Noelia has five kitties, but really needs to downsize. We will get them clipped (all boys) soon, and move them to the finca when the family arrives.

I plan to be back in Hollywood by my birthday (January 6, but we'll celebrate the following weekend), as I have clients waiting on me to record some more commercials. Someone has to earn the green to feed to chickens!

Questions? Comments? Want to book a workshop here? Opinions? Think I'm insane?
Please comment...