John and another Commune

So I met John. He was one of these wild and wooly, hippie guys I was telling you about. He moved right in on me, and I went for it. He was cute and had personality, so what the heck!

John, invites me to his place. He draws me a map. One thing I need to mention about the Okanogan in those days, is everyone drew you a map to theeir place. Everyone lived way back, down some bumpy, dirt road. None of the roads had names. It was more like this. You go down the main road, until you get to a very steep hill on the left. You go up that, take it really slow. Then you wind around, past the s curve. You go to the third cattle guard, and then right past that you make a left. You go a ways, and then there is a fork in the road. You go right, and stay on that up the hill. Then you will run right into it.

So John draws me a map, and I go. He is living 60 miles from Chesaw and the Circle, in an area called the Aeneas Valley. It still is the Okanogan Highlands, the closest town is Tonasket. Once again it was "Where the heck is this guy sending me??". Well, I make it, I get there. He lives on another hippie commune, but this one is was smaller. Not big at all. Everyone there lived the same way as the other one.

I thought I was visiting John for the day. He had other ideas. After all he was living there all alone, and winter was a coming! He moves me in. I get there, and right off he shows me his woodcook stove, his 25 pounds of tomatoes, with onions, garlic, and hot peppers to go with it. It sets me to work canning salsa.

Now, remember I am naive?? And I didn't really get the culture there?? And John was cute. And besides all that I was intrigued by it all. I never cooked on a woodcook stove. I never made salsa, or ever canned. I was entraced by this whole new life style I had come across in the last week. I set to work.

John showed me how to use the stove. He gave me a 5 gallon pot to cut everything up in, and make the salsa. Later he showed me how to can it. I actually learned alot of skills, I used for years from him. I was his instant woman. While he had me merrily working in his outdoor kitchen, he took off to do his other guy chores.

Literally, that was it. I lived there. He moved me in, and I stayed. The place was pretty, he was cute, we got along ok. He lived in a little house he made himself, had a kitchen full of good healthy food. There was a community garden, and other hippies to meet. Life was good. I had been in the Okanogan a week, and I already was living with a new boyfriend!

I stayed there with John a couple of months. It was fall, and everyone gets ready for winter there all fall. There is food to harvest and put up, and wood to cut.It is a busy time.

copyright 2010 © Stacey Bander. Please contact for any reuse.