Photos

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2016 Maypole Dance

CoHoots celebrated May with a dance around the Maypole.

2016 Chalking up the Common House

Kids had the chance to mark up the walls of the Common House before it would get powerwashed and a new coat of paint.

2016 Fourth of July Parade

CoHoots missed the Corvallis parade this year, but gathered together to take part in our own!

 

2015 Annual Flotilla on Crystal Lake

CoHoots assembled again to float and paddle on Crystal Lake.

2015 CoHo's First Campout on Grassy Playfield

CoHo's new grassy playfield was the site of our first community campout. A CoHo family was dog sitting a friendly little guy and he absolutely adored the campout.

2015 Birthday Bash

CoHoots celebrated our 8th anniversary of moving on-site with lots of 8s including a piano piece for 8 hands.

2015 This 'N That

This is a collection of miscellaneous photos from 2015.

 

2014 Snow, Snow, Snow

February often brings a week of "summer" weather. Not this year! Instead CoHo got more than a foot of snow (in just 2 days) followed by freezing rain.

2014 Madrigal

Our fifth Madrigal featured even more musicians and performers and costumes than ever!

2014 Bike Tune-Up Day

There were 3 additions to this year's Bike Tune-Up Day: 1) checklist of bike features so folks could learn more about bike maintenance 2) bulk buy of lights 3) discount coupon from local cycle shop

2014 Colorful CoHo Meals

CoHoots enjoy vegetarian meals. Many of the veggies are grown locally.

2014 May Flowers

Spring flowers at CoHo make a walk down The Path a very colorful and fragrant experience.

2014 May Full-Day Work Party

CoHoots worked on a variety of outdoor projects during our spring full-day work party. We even had a Guest Head Chef to help feed our hungry crew.

2014 Bicycle Photo Scavenger Hunt - Pounce of Cats

A Pounce of Cats focused extensively on their feline theme. See blog posting "Second Annual Bicycle Photo Scavenger Hunt" for more details.

2014 Bicycle Photo Scavenger Hunt - Blue Team

The Blue Team had a special sequence of "Drop Box" photos that left the audience applauding their creativity. Check out the post "Second Annual Photo Bicycle Scavenger Hunt" for more info.

2014 Bicycle Photo Scavenger Hunt - Bonus Blue Photos

The Blue Team created a bonus collection of "blue things."

2014 Fall Wellness Retreat

Warm, sunny weather made this early-September retreat especially fun. However, the high fire danger meant no campfires. CoHoots enjoyed water play, good food, games and some new activities (henna painting and rope tying).

2014 Associate Member Welcome Ceremony

CoHo welcomed their second household of Associate Members.

2014 This 'N That

Miscellaneous photos make their way into this gallery.

 

2013 New Years Day Flotilla

January 1, 2013 was a crisp, sunny day and a record number of CoHoots turned out to celebrate our annual flotilla on Crystal Lake. The winter season was unusually dry, so the lake was low.

2013 Madrigal - Fourth Annual Celebration

Another magnificent Madrigal at CoHo. Each year, more special touches are added.

2013 Merry Mead Makers

Mead makers assembled in the common house kitchen to \"rack\" their tasty libation. CoHo mead was enjoyed at this year\'s Madrigal performance (aka Mad Feast).

2013 Progressive Clothespin Sculpture

CoHoots celebrated National Hanging Out Day by creating a progressive clothespin sculpture in the common house atrium.

2013 April Work Party

Our spring work parties focus on landscaping tasks. This month, folks spruced up the area around the common house, tackled thistles in the orchard, marked trees, and did deep cleaning chores in our group kitchen.

2013 Maypole Dance

CoHoots celebrated May Day with a Maypole Dance in the common green.

2013 May Work PARTY

Our full-day Work PARTY featured lots of FUN. CoHo partnered with Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing in Eugene for a joint tour. Visitors could see both communities in Oregon\'s Willamette Valley.

2013 - Rolling Feast Breakfast for Local Bike Club

CoHo hosted the breakfast stop for a local bike club\'s annual Rolling Feast. For once, serving/eating breakfast took as long as making it!

2013 Spring Fire Circle

The Old Oak hosted a wonderful fire circle to mark the transition to spring. She even donated some old limbs.

2013 June Work Party

CoHoots tackled a variety of tasks on a cool June day.

2013 Poetree (aka Poetry Pole) Dedication

CoHoots dedicated a resident\'s Poetree (aka Poetry Pole) with poems, ice cream, more poems, bird and pollinator houses, more poems, and a potluck, followed by a poetry reading.

2013 Fall Wellness Retreat

CoHoots once again assembled at Whispering Winds camp to enjoy a weekend of community fun. With a variety of activities to choose from, there was no shortage of connection opportunities.

2013  Moving the Cistern

Community-building in action!!! CoHoots rallied round to move our new cistern into place. The photos were shared via a slide show with lively music. At a fast pace, it is especially entertaining.

2013 October Work Party

Sunshine greeted work party volunteers as they tackled a variety of projects around our site.

2013  Fall Talent Show

CoHo Talent Shows are always a delightful evening of fun and laughter. More and more CoHoots are sharing their talents and the audience signals their praise with lots of applause and shouts.

2013 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was the first major holiday celebrated when CoHoots moved into the community in the fall of 2007. It continues to be a special community celebration.

2013 This 'N That

This year's miscellaneous collection....

 

2012 January Work Party

Our January Work Party included a variety of outdoor chores.

2012 February Work Party

A public tour was held during our Work Party--visitors got to \"see us in action.\" Kids swept the common house patio and harvested sprouts for lunch.

2012 Snow

2012  Camas Meadow in Spring

A camas meadow graces the southwest corner of the CoHo property. In May, the purple flowers blanket the space.

2012 Madrigal

CoHoots enjoyed our third annual Madrigal performance with much merriment, food/spirits, live music, and song.

2012 Spring Wellness Retreat

Our Spring Wellness Retreat focused on work (land use vision planning) and play (musical chairs and scavenger hunt).

2012 Stair Glide for Madeline

When you are 100, you don\'t have to climb stairs anymore--you ride up and down in style on a stair glide!

2012  Associate Member Welcome Ceremony

Our first Associate Members were officially welcomed to CoHo.

2012 Building a Sandbox

CoHoots teamed up to build and fill a sandbox between buildings 7 and 8. A water spigot and a shady maple tree with swings share this wonderful spot for summer fun.

2012  Cooking is a Family Affair

What better way to entertain your visiting family than to invite them into the Common House kitchen to cook???

2012  Tree Trimming

A large maple tree snuggled between buildings 5 and 6 was trimmed to reduce the potential for an untimely descent.

2012  Wedding Anniversary Celebration

We haven\'t had a wedding at CoHo yet, but we did celebrate a 10th wedding anniversary! Some CoHoots even dressed up in their own wedding finery.

2012  Fall Wellness Retreat

Warm weather, warm smiles, warm cinnamon rolls--it\'s time for our annual 2- (or 3-) day Wellness Retreat. Some folks come up on Friday night and enjoy a full weekend of leisure.

2012 Cider Pressing

Our annual cider pressing is one of the highlights of the fall.

2012 Newcomer Birthday Party

CoHoots have enjoyed watching our kids grow up--some niblings (neighborhood siblings) were even born after our 2007 move-in. When our newest family arrived, mom and dad included photos/videos of their son in his birthday celebration so we could also enjoy him as a baby and toddler. His musical talents were displayed very very early in exciting drumming videos!

2012 Pumpkin Carving

CoHoots carved pumpkins in the common house. Seeds were roasted and enjoyed. Pumpkins later lined The Path, lighting the way for lots of neighborhood visitors on Halloween.

2012 Curried Sprouted Lentils

How many cups of lentils does it take to feed 40 CoHoots at a common meal? According to the Head Chef\'s notes, 4.5 cups of dry lentils yielded 46 cups of lentil sprouts. The complete menu: curried lentil sprouts with cilantro ginger sauce over millet, green peas, carrot salad, fruit compote.

2012  November Work Party

The sun was a welcome guest at our November work party. There was lots of action all over CoHo.

2012  Tamale Making on New Years Eve

A Tamale Making Party is an annual affair at CoHo. In 2012, there were actually two parties--on January 1, 2012 New Years Day and December 31, 2012 New Years Eve.

2012  This 'N That

This is the miscellaneous collection....

 

2011 New Years Day Flotilla on Crystal Lake

An annual tradition at CoHo draws some regulars and some new folks each year.

2011 Tamales on New Years Day

CoHoots assemble to make a big batch of tamales to celebrate the New Year.

2011 Icy Swales

Swales on site are designed to control drainage and help water percolate into the ground. These icy images highlight the beauty of the swales in winter.

2011 AHIC's 4th Birthday Party

Valentines Day featured a Kids Klub party, followed by AHIC's 4th Birthday Party, so there were lots of sweet treats. A Home in Community is a nonprofit formed to purchase a unit at CoHo for rental to a disabled adult. See ahomeincommunity.org for more info.

2011 Fourth of July Parade

CoHoots formed a community marching band to take part in the wonderful Corvallis Fourth of July Parade.

2011 Ladies Tea Party Under Ye Olde Maple Tree

CoHoots donned their best finery and had tea in the shade on a hot summer day.

2011 Spring Wellness Retreat

A Maypole celebration (inside the Common House!) was a favorite part of our spring retreat.

2011 Touring Rainshine Farms

Many CoHoots subscribe to Rainshine Farms CSA program and shop at their farmstand. They grow wonderful food on their farm less than a mile from CoHo. Talk about LOCAL produce!

2011 Rocket Stove Demo

Rocket stoves are innovative sources of heat using very little fuel. A CoHoot demonstrated how the stove works.

2011 August Work Party

August was HOT, HOT, HOT, but hardy CoHoots tackled a variety of outdoor projects. The kitchen crew prepping lunch delivered iced towels to help folks cool off.

2011  A Wild Wet Birthday Party

A dunk tank attracted kids of all ages. When it was drained, the water was used to water trees and plants on the CoHo property.

2011 More Wild and Wet Partying

More wet fun and frolic at CoHo in celebration of a CoHoot\'s birthday....

2011 Brewing at CoHo

CoHo was the site of large hops barns several decades ago. It only seems fitting that we grow some hops and brew some beer to celebrate the heritage of our land.

2011  Celebrating a Baseball Fan's Birthday

The common green outside the Common House was transformed into a baseball diamond. There was even live music to cheer on the players.

2011  Kids Playing Marimba

CoHo kids played marimba at Farmers Market to raise funds for A Home in Community. For more info, go to our blog http://www.cohoecovillage.org/blog/2011/09/fundraisers-in-action/

2011 Outdoor Play (plus 2008, 2009, and 2010)

Can you tell which photos are from which years??? There are growth spurts in both the kids and the vegetation!

2011 Wheelbarrow Races

Check out the blog posting \"Wheeeeeeeeeee!\" for details....

2011 Welcome Ceremonies

New residents are welcomed to CoHo with a song and a visit from their neighbors.

2011 Hanging Out at CoHo

With swings and a climbing-friendly maple tree, folks enjoy hugging and \"hanging out\" at CoHo.

2011 Cider Pressing

Another good apple season led to another good cider pressing!

2011 Fall Wellness Retreat

Warm sunny weather was the perfect setting for a retreat focused on play, play, and more play.

2011  Kindergarten Ceremony

One wonderful part of community is the joy in creating traditions. For the second year, CoHoots gathered to honor kids starting kindergarten. This year the \"older kids\" who had been honored the previous year had fun joining the arch to welcome their younger \"niblings\" (aka neighborhood siblings).

2011 October Work Party

Our Fall Work Party featured lots of outdoor projects. The kids pitched in, too. They made lovely floral arrangements for the lunch tables, decorated the common house for Halloween, AND delivered fresh-baked cookies to the work crews.

2011 Kids Klub

Kids Klub had a special celebration for Valentine\'s Day.

2011  This 'N That

This is a collection of photos taken throughout the year.

 

2010 New Years Day Crystal Lake Flotilla

The flotilla contingent for the annual gathering on Crystal Lake was larger this year. It was a delight watching the synchronized paddling to maneuver into formation for a photo.

2010 Madrigal Performance

CoHoots staged an impressive Madrigal performance, showing off their vocal and instrumental talents. In the end, the fair lovers were reunited--love triumphs again!

2010 Mexican Feast

At the peak of harvest season, this meal featured locally grown roasted chiles from the Farmers Market, plus asian pears grown at CoHo. The Menu: tortilla soup, yeast cornmeal rolls, asian pear-jicama-golden raisin salad, fresh veggies from the garden, watermelon-jicama salad, and blueberry soup.

2010 Making Chapatis for an Indian Meal

It\'s fun to try new recipes when you are Head Chef for a common meal. A crew of eager volunteers showed up to help make chapatis for an Indian meal.

2010 Contra Dancing

Live music, a caller, and a cadre of dancers in the Common House = a great evening of contra dancing.

2010 Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks at CoHo

CoHoots formed a marching band and joined the Corvallis Fourth of July parade. In the evening, CoHoots enjoyed fireworks near the Common House. In July, the sky is still light until 10pm!

2010  Cooking Class with Local Chef

CoHo Head Chefs were treated to a great cooking class by a local chef.

2010 Dry Bean Harvest

CoHoots joined southtown neighbors to grow lots and lots of dry beans on acreage in the neighborhood. These CoHoots are cleaning several types of beans after they\'ve dried.

2010 Halloween

Costumes, music, merriment....

2010 Hannukah Celebration

One of our best-attended community celebrations is Hannukah. We use every cast iron skillet in the kitchen to fry up a huge batch of latkes.

2010 Kids Klub and Kid Fun

CoHo kids get together on Mondays for Kids Klub for a variety of fun activities. But the fun isn\'t limited to Kids Klub. And it isn\'t limited to kids.

2010 This 'N That

A collection of photos taken throughout the year....

 

2009 Spring Wellness Retreat

At our Spring Wellness Retreat, the focus was a celebration of our \"blended family\" via an intergenerational, light-hearted, enjoyable episode. We played a new game called “Whose Tale?”.

2009 Earth Faire

It was sunny (not soggy) for this year\'s Earth Faire. CoHoots love to dress up and what better costume than a serpent (or is it a CoHo salmon, or a sea creature???).

2009  Selecting a Fall Retreat Site

Our Wellness Retreat Team went on a field trip to scope out a possible location for our fall retreat. We wanted a spot that was within biking distance from Corvallis and that was wheelchair accessible. We fell in love with Camp Whispering Winds. Check out other photo galleries of our fall retreats to see Camp Whispering Winds overrun by happy CoHoots.

2009 Kitchen Island

Extra kitchen cupboards and shelving units were transformed into this very versatile kitchen island on wheels. It is used every week to serve CoHo meals.

2009 Retirement Party (themes=Wizard of Oz and Baseball)

CoHoots really got into the spirit of this dual-themed retirement party.

2009 Northside Fence

CoHoots worked together to design and install a fence using harvested timber from our property. The fence borders the parking lot and wraps along the path leading to the Common House. (See 2010 for more photos on construction of the fence.)

2009  Our Next-Door Neighbor in Early Morning

CoHo is bordered on two sides by southtown residences, on one side by Crystal Lake, and on one side by a cemetery. Here are some lovely photos of the transition from fog to sunrise in the cemetery.

2009  Exploring the Old Oak

Our Old Oak is a fun place to climb and play (with a boost from mom). See Photo Gallery: 2007 Planting Party (and Farewell to the Old Oak) for a photo story detailing the sad demise of this CoHo icon.

2009 Building a Shared Community Greenhouse

A shared greenhouse was built on the south side of the Bike Barn. The building is co-owned by one CoHo family and the community. Lots of baby plants got their start nestled inside this cozy space.

2009 This 'N That

A collection of photos taken throughout the year....

 

2008  February Wellness Retreat

Music, food, and fun were the highlights of the one-day winter retreat.

2008 Let it Snow!!!

Snow is a rare treat in Oregon, so folks took advantage of the slippery path and enjoyed sledding and making snowballs.

2008 Community Warming

About six months after most folks moved in, CoHo hosted a \"Community Warming\" (the community version of a house warming). We delighted in showing our new home to southtown neighbors and other visitors.

2008 Graduation Party

A graduation celebration was a great way for our newest neighbors to meet and greet more CoHoots.

2008 Patio Building Party

Neighbors teamed up to build patios in their back yards. This venture went into the night, with a happy celebration when the last brick was tapped into place.

2008 Planting Party

After living on-site for a few months, we were very motivated to add lots of greenery. In March of 2008, we added many plants along The Path.

2008 Tai Chi

Sunday mornings at CoHo feature Tai Chi classes led by a CoHoot. Folks meet inside the common house and sometimes outside in nicer weather.

2008 CoHo is Featured in HouseHunters Episode

Yes, that was CoHo you saw on a 2008 episode of HouseHunters. We were open to unique ways of recruiting residents, so said \"yes\" when asked to film this episode. The basic premise doesn\'t fit the way in which folks select a cohousing community, but it was an interesting experience. The crew took about 8 hours to shoot a 30-second piece of the show on The Path. They also prompted us to shout in unison \"We Love Living Green!\" at a community meal they filmed. Unfortunately, that bit was cut. Sigh....

2008  Bike Barn Construction

CoHoots teamed up to add a fourth wall (plus a large garage door) to our Bike Barn. Another crew did the exterior painting.

2008 Hats Party

Hats, hats, and more hats. Any excuse for a party!

2008  Party on the Path

The Path (CoHo\'s central walkway) is a favorite gathering spot in warmer weather.

2008 Wellness Retreat

During part of the this Wellness Retreat, folks split into interest groups to sample a variety of activities.

2008 Halloween Party -- With Costumes!!!

Our first Halloween at CoHo showed us just how talented our neighbors are!

2008 Southtown Alliance Dinner

In the fall of 2008, folks created Southtown Alliance to form a community-based response to \"hard times.\" One gathering started with a tamale pie community dinner.

2008 This 'N That

A collection of photos taken throughout the year.

 

2007 Construction Update - January

The CoHo construction site was a frequent destination for CoHoots who eagerly sought a glimpse of their future home. In the final shot, Crystal Lake (adjacent to our property), quietly awaits our fall arrival.

2007 January Wellness Retreat

CoHoots welcome more new members, picked up some new skills, heard another CoHoot\'s life story and generally had a great time hanging out together. See Newsletter 30 for more details.

2007 Earth Faire

CoHoots took part in the annual Corvallis Earth Faire. CoHo had a booth to share info about our community. CoHoots also joined the Parade of the Species, dressing up in our CoHo \"salmon.\"

2007 Meal Plan Line-Ups

The Food Folks Team gathered lots of input from CoHoots while designing our meal program. A photographer perched on a ladder recorded folks\' meal preferences so the team could study the data attached to smiling faces! Fingers held up represent the preferences of folks who were calling into the meeting from out of town/state.

2007  Beach Trip

Corvallis is an hour away from the coast, so CoHoots headed west in a caravan. It was chilly, but the sun felt great.

2007 Milling Lumber on Site

Lumber that was milled on site has been used for interior trim in our Common House, dining room tables, outdoor benches, the fence on the north side of our property. See the article Sustainability in Action in our CoHo newsletter for more photos of milling lumber on site (http://cohoecovillage.org/newsletters/CohoNewsletter33.pdf ).

2007 Planting Party (and Farewell to the Old Oak)

CoHoots assembled at the site prior to move-in to work on plants and irrigation. As you review the photos, notice the majestic Old Oak in the background.... Here\'s our Farewell to the Old Oak: September 8, 2007 A few minutes after the first tree was planted during today’s landscape work party, our 300 to 400-year-old Oak tree came crashing down. A loud splintering noise drew the attention of about 40 CoHoots and friends who were on site planting trees and bushes. Folks rushed to the tree, verifying that on one was hurt and no property was damaged. Shock and sadness, mixed with relief that the tree came down now before move-in, were shared as people stood quietly by the downed tree. The special quality of the majestic tree was strongly felt. It was as though an ailing elder had waited for all loved ones to gather before saying farewell and letting go. The Old Oak was the focal point of the community, anchoring one end of the central walkway, with the Common House at the other end. It was probably the most photographed feature of our site. Today, the Old Oak watched over us as we assembled at the Common House, got a safety briefing, rounded up the kids for a trip to the park, dug dirt, and planted the first trees. Then the Old Oak took one last graceful bow and we raced to its side. Farewell old friend….

2007  Tour with Landscape Designers

After the buildings were erected, the landscape designers returned to check out the lay of the land, particularly those areas designed as swales.

2007  This 'N That

Here's a collection of photos throughout the year.

 

2006 Walking the Land in January

We visited our land often, drawn to visions of our future lives together.

2006 Mock Home Selection

In mid January 2006, CoHo members conducted a Mock Home Selection to get practice in the collaborative process of selecting our homes. The process CoHo designed focused on needs/wants, home preferences, and affinity preferences by building. Folks are holding phones because some out-of-town members were calling into the meeting. See Newsletter Issue 1 for details.

2006 February Wellness Retreat

We celebrated our many accomplishments at this winter\'s retreat and then looked ahead to our lives together living in community. And we played and connected with each other and ate and strolled outside and welcomed new members. It was a very relaxing and invigorating day-a preview of life in cohousing in 2007. A special moment was sharing appreciations with Bruce, our community co-founder.

2006 Final Home Selection

In mid February 2006, CoHo members met for two afternoons to make their final home selections. With the experience gained from Mock Home Selection held in January and lots of time to think, members selected homes and we had some unexpected changes! The emphasis was definitely on COhousing, the core commitment to living together in community rather than on coHOUSING (the real estate). Folks decorated small paper doors and then pasted them on the CoHo map to show the unit selected. Details are covered in Newsletter Issue 3.

2006 First Welcome Weekend

CoHo welcomed 40+ local and out-of-town visitors March 3-5, 2006 at a series of activities-an overview of cohousing and project update, a walk on the land, a potluck, a brunch, and a community meeting. See Newsletter Issue 4 for more info.

2006 Earth Fair

The CoHo \"Fish\" is a fun way to take part in the Procession of the Species parade which starts at Farmers Market and winds through the downtown area.

2006 Groundbreaking

Our groundbreaking marked the “End of the Beginning” pre-construction phase of CoHo development. Years of work via countless meetings, brainstorming sessions, annexation campaigns, information booths, emails, parades, phone calls, potlucks and consensus decisions brought CoHo to this special day of celebration. Local dignitaries and officials shared their congratulations for the contributions of many individuals, organizations, and government agencies.

2006 Celebration -- We Got Our Construction Loan!

When our construction loan was approved, we celebrated with food and bubbles at a CoHoot\'s place near downtown.

2006 June Welcome Weekend

At our June Welcome Weekend, we had more visitors than CoHoots. Folks were eager to check us out.

2006 Summer Wellness Retreat

Our Summer Wellness Retreat was held at the Unitarian Church (indoors and outdoors). It marked the welcome of our 27th member, a threshold necessary to get our construction loan from the bank. See Newsletter 21 for more details.

2006 July Willamette River Float

When it\'s hot, hot, hot, one way to cool off is to float down the Willamette. CoHoots started their float trip a few miles south of our CoHo site and finished on the far end of the downtown area.

2006 Picnic in the Park

The visit from an out-of-town CoHo family prompted a picnic in the park. The CoHo site was a short walk away, so we strolled over to check it out.

2006 Holiday Party

Chocolate, button spinners, and games were the highlights of our 2006 holiday party.

2006 This 'N That

Here's a collection of photos taken throughout the year.

2004 Wellness Retreat

Wellness Retreats are held twice a year. We spend a day together learning about each other, clearing out personal issues, relieving any tensions that mignt have arisen and sharing appreciations with each other. Plus we enjoy playing together!