Week Two: The Little House On the Hilltop Project

HIGHLIGHTS: More encouragement from our fan. Wasco County Regulations. Arse-dragging.

COUNTDOWN: 41 WEEKS

With Week Two of The Little House On the Hilltop (TLHOTH) project now behind us, let me share what’s happened.

Our Fan Shares Encouragement, More Heat for Me. That’s what makes it so hard, to tell you all I did NOT get done this week what I had hoped to do, and even harder for me because now I can’t even remember what I was hoping to do. Call it January’s rainy Portland days, call it Samuel getting his shots and then keeping me up a good one to two hours for a few nights, call it what you will. I just didn’t get there. But what did get here is a wonderful note (see comments, Week One) from our fan, Andrew, who was going to pass on our interest in Frank Gehry to a friend of a friend of a friend (maybe I’ve put in too many friends) who once worked with the architect. You never know! And I will put on my To DO list some kind of package that might get a man like Frank Gehry to at least write back and say he’s not interested directly, but here are the plans for the O’Neill hay barn. Girl’s gotta dream, right?

County Regulations: Exclusive Farm Use Zone. That’s the classification of our property, an A-1 zone in Wasco County, if you really must know, according to the Wasco County Land Use and Development Ordinance. Glad I spent a little bit reading through. Did you know that as a property owner out there that without County Review, you could have a road diverted through your land as a detour? Temporarily, of course, and it says it will be restored to its original condition (right, right). Geez! Who knew? Or this one, an outdoor gathering of fewer than 3,000 (3,000! That’s a LOT of people in an Exclusive Farm Use zone. Are they expecting a return of the Rajneesh? From what I could find, though, one of his gatherings was closer to 6,000, so maybe this 3000 is just for the return of his younger brother. Or cousin.) is just fine, as long as it doesn’t go on for more than 120 hours in a 3-month duration. That means Andrew, me, Scott, Samuel and 2995 of you, no buses, please, and 119 hours of part-ay, or book club. But I digress. Bottom line is that an agricultural structure needs to go through a Type I Review. And a Type II Review is required for something like a winery. TLHOTH is neither the former nor latter. Maybe more along the Farm Ranch Recreation? Which still requires a Type II or Type III Review process. I guess that’s where I have to go next: calling Wasco County to get an idea of the WHAT exactly TLHOTH falls under, and timelines. Okee dokey.

A Whole Lotta Arse Dragging. Just one of those weeks. I’m easily distracted. Like perusing and commenting on other people’s blogs—Steve Heimoff, down Cali way, and always interested in what Eric Asimov has to say, and even more in Matt Kramer— when I’m procrastinating on my own work. Or Scott keeps me busy reading and worrying through his comments when he’s out there stirring it up on the Wine Spectator’s blog beat (search for him under Scott Elder, The Grande Dalles). And that’s all I can tell you. I DO, however, appreciate all of you reading, and will work to keep it lively and informative, most of the time. Until then, thank you, thank you for your time, and tally ho.