Hawthorn Farm is 10 minutes away from the town of Woodinville with several grocery stores, library with internet access, bookstore, restaurants etc. This three-acre farm is 20 miles northeast of Seattle. There is plenty of space to pitch tents, and the living room has lots of floor space if people prefer to be inside. The garden will contribute to our meals, including home-grown chicken and lamb. Animals on the farm include bees, horses and pony, chickens and sheep.
There are many wonderful activities at Hawthorne Farm: learn to drive a pony trained to pull, useful for hauling logs out of the woodlot or speeding around in a pony cart. Learn to tan sheep hides and butcher chickens. Sheep provide much of the richness on Hawthorn Farm, especially wool for felting and spinning. See a spinning wheel and loom in action, and give it a try.
It goes without saying that good food is part of the whole experience at Hawthorne Farm. The Redmond Farmer’s Market will augment the garden’s supply for our Natural Living Courses..
The toilets are all humanure-style composting toilets, a marvelous nutrient-recycling system that nourishes the pastures.
Transportation: There are buses from the airport to the Woodinville Park and Ride, close to Hawthorn Farm. We will be glad to help arrange transportation from the airport.
Alexia Allen is a key part of Hawthorn farm and will be your host for the course. She is an accomplished naturalist and wilderness skills teacher with many years of experience. Alexia serves as a core instructor at the Anake Outdoor School. She is a 2002 Residential graduate, and a graduate of the Kamana Naturalist Training Program. Alexia also serves as a staff specialist for Wilderness Awareness School’s adult programs, and as a Kamana instructor. She has worked as a bird biologist in the North Cascades and Olympic National Parks, and has a degree in Environmental Science with a concentration on bird behavior and communication. In her spare time, Alexia stays busy riding her Bashkir Curly horse, listening to birds, playing the tin whistle, and spinning yarns (literally and figuratively).