Category: Posts

June 5, 2018 – Sausalito, California

“So…what is this ‘Jubilee’?” …I ask Jeff as we sip our drinks at the local Starbucks. Unable to bring myself to adopt his methods (borrowing a newspaper and using their hot water to make tea), I purchased a …

June 2, 2018 – Sausalito, California

A Day in the Life of Nicholas “North Bay” Miller: I wake up from my bench-bed on the starboard side of Jeff’s twenty-six foot sloop (sailing boat with single mast and only one head-sail). He greets me and …

May 28, 2018 – Sausalito, California

What a nightmare. It’s Memorial Day in Sausalito, California. Countless tourists flood the streets. They come to see the sights, visit the shops, enjoy the weather. With this view of San Francisco, who can blame us? I’m walking …

May 19, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

Sweet relief. I feel a welcome sense of accomplishment as I watch the guests tour Meibao’s farm. We’ve worked many hours getting this place into shape. Weeding, mowing, brush and manure removal. Spreading compost and wood chips, building …

May 18, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

God, I hope to be half as good of a father. …if I ever am a father. It’s a Friday night, and Meibao brought Cassidy (a new “WWOOFer”) and I to a local musical performance. The band is …

May 13, 2018 – Yosemite National Park, California

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom… I think to myself as I jam my left foot into the crack. At least I talked to her the other day. With no cell service at the farm, and certainly none in this …

April 25, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

“Play Joao Gilberto,” April requests from the backseat. I type the artist’s name into the 17” onboard touchscreen, which contains the media, communication, cabin, and vehicle controls. Brazilian Bossa Nova music starts playing. I continue exploring the controls, …

April 22, 2018 – Sierra Foothills, California

And like that, I’m starting year four. [After an epic road trip from Iowa to California.] This place is beautiful. My host (Meibao) lives in paradise – surrounded by a pond, various mountains and forests, numerous pastures, and …

March 10, 2018 – Lutsen, Minnesota

I’m 32 years old today. It certainly doesn’t feel like it, but maybe that’s just the combination of coffee and adrenaline currently sweeping over my body. Pour an IPA and ESB. Make a bloody Mary. It’s lunch time …

February 13, 2018 – Lutsen, Minnesota

So, it’s not exactly a new place. But this time around, there are plenty of new faces (along with many old ones). The amount of redundancy is further curbed by holding a new position in addition to the …