MARIA PEACE, M.B.A., G.R.I.

Yesterday, I finally got to take pictures of some lots I will be listing on Awbrey Butte. I have been waiting for nice weather for two weeks for a photo shoot. The mountains looked so beautiful against the blue sky and everything was so clean from all the rain we have had. If you are interested in a nice Cascade view lot on Awbrey Butte. liet me know. Attached are some pics. This lot has full panoramic views.

I just noticed that Higher Ground Cohousing in Bend has it's own website with pics and descriptions of the community. It looks like they might have a rental unit available as well. This would be a good way to see if such a living situation works for you. Below is the link:

http://home.bendbroadband.com/higherground/

Glad to see that people are interested in co-housing.

This is the type of community I am interested in eventually moving to. It is a great thing: as we retire, we need help, but more importantly, we also can be of great value. A typical thing that happens in such a place is that those who are retired might go to the community center and help supervise children after school until parents come home, feed the kids or help start a community dinner. Likewise, when we need a ride to the doctor or help with something around the home, the favor is returned. It is a win-win situation for everyone and really a true community atmosphere. There are books written about this subject and there are websites that deal with the subject. Another search term to use is "intentional communities" Some of these are weird, but most of them are normal people who tend to focus on green and natural living and being self sustaining. That is actually what I want to do. This whole economic disaster and the possibility of having little or no social security upon retirement has made me think that my goal should not be so much to accumulate wealth for the future, but to find a way to be independent and not worry about what is going on. An interesting thing to read is the Mother Earth News (also have a website with lots of good articles) which has lots of inspiring articles about people achieving this dream and reminds us of the basic survival skills most of us have to be self sufficient, but which we just are not using. I like the idea of the cohousing communities where there is a cross section of age groups. I want to be somewhere that continues after I am gone. I have definitely decided this is what I want to do and now I am just looking for the where: I want to be in the mountains or near the mountains, but not where it is too cold to grow fruits and vegetables. I'm looking at the Arizona mountains right now.

Higher Ground is a unique neighborhood in northeast Bend bordered by Daggett and Jackson Streets. It is unique because it is a co-housing community. For those of you unfamiliar iwth co-housing, I suggest you google the term. I have been fascinated by this housing concept and it is something I personally am interested in pursuing for my next housing move. There are many such communities all around the country and it is nice because you have a true sense of community. You have a mixture of all age groups that benefit from the unique gifts that each possesses. Typically, cohousing communities have an area where homes are clustered together like a little village with lots of common area space for gardens, parks, and recreation. There is typically a community gathering hall where people get together for meals or community meetings, etc.