The Good Life Center
After reading Maine Farm: A Year of Country Life I really wanted to visit the Nearing Farm. I have yet to read Scott Nearing’s book The Good Life: Helen and Scott Nearing’s Sixty Years of Self-Sufficient Living, it’s been on my “to read” list for quite a while. I have read a lot about them and have been longing to see their walled garden and their little greenhouse. Since we were headed up to Maine we decided to visit The Good Life Center, which was the Nearing Home.
I checked their website and they were going to be closing at the end of September, but I figured we could stop by and look around anyways. There wasn’t anyone there to show us around and the gardens were harvested and pretty empty, but it was still wonderful to see. I’d always read about their stone house, the stone walls around their garden and the solar greenhouse that they built. It was so wonderful to see these things in person, the gardens especially. I won’t bore you with too many words, the home and garden speak for themselves.
One of the wonderful things about the Nearing home is that they built all the buildings themselves from stone. The house is stone, part of the greenhouse is stone, the workshop is stone, the wall around the garden is stone, and even the outhouse is made of stone, it truly is remarkable.
I loved seeing the little things like the compost piles, wooden shoes and the little cat statues throughout the garden – which were a nod to Stanley & Lynn who purchased Forrest Farm from the Nearings and loved cats.
The Nearings really are an inspiration for many of us simple life lovers. I really appreciate people like them, I may not agree with all their ideals or beliefs, and I will most likely never live off the grid without electric, but I really appreciate people than can and do live this kind of lifestyle!
Have you ever read about the Nearings? Who is an inspiration to you?
I’ll be adding more photos of the Nearing Place and the rest of our trip to my Flickr account, so check there often to see them.
Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (18)
I loved your pictures of the Nearing place. I have ALWAYS wanted to see it. Thank you!
to Sue's comment
What a beautiful little place. I’m going to have to head up there soon.
to The Mom's comment
It is interesting to see photos of the place I have read so much about.
-Brenda
to Sense of Home's comment
Be. Still. My. Heart.
This is my dream home. and life. and pictures to hang on the walls of my dream home :).
to Shannon's comment
Love the photos.. I think the book I read only had black and white pictures and now it has come to life. How beautiful! BTW.. I am in love with that green house. They are the ones who inspired me to start a cold frame. 37 degrees here this am and 50 degrees in the cold frame! Lettuce, spinach and kale starting to come up!
to Beegirl's comment
Me too, when I read about their greenhouse I wanted one. I must get out and cover my plants with plastic and move the cold frame, it was cold here this morning as well. Right now I think thought the plants might appreciate the extra light since they’re all pretty cold hardy.
to Susy's comment
Yes, I read The Good Life books this summer after reading The New Organic Gardener and how the Nearings inspired Eliot Coleman. I finished the books on the airplane to Finland, where we found ourselves in rustic surroundings. The Nearings instructions on how to properly maintain an outhouse came in handy!
Thanks for the photos of the stone structures. I was interested in seeing details.
to Mary W's comment
We read the books in the 1970s and they have been a strong influence on what we do. The first greenhouse, at the Vermont place, was much bigger and they truly farmed all winter in it. An example of what can be done with a place if it’s not priced beyond living and working there instead of having to commute to keep up unrealistic mortgages.
to risa b's comment
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to Tweets that mention The Good Life Center | Chiot’s Run — Topsy.com's comment
Wonderful photos! I would love to visit their place. I have read ‘Loving and Leaving the Good Life” and think they are very inspiring. The journey they took to creating the center is really interesting as well! Thanks for sharing!
to meg's comment
thank you for posting this and including the photos. I was given the book “Our Home Made of Stone” many years ago by a friend that had meet the Nearing’s and was inspired by their work. If you can find a copy you might find it inspiring … I think it took them 14 years to complete the wall around the garden as they started their last stone house when they were in their 70’s and 90’s. Very inspiring to me along with Harlan and Anna Hubbard.
to lydia's comment
How inspirational! It reminds me of my grandparents’ house. They had a manual water pump in the middle of the courtyard. It was used for all the animals too. I’ll have to head up to Maine, maybe next year.
to Mustard's comment
Such gorgeous photos!
You have just added some books to my reading list – thanks!
to Marlyn's comment
That’s on my reading list too! I love the tour, thanks.
to amy manning's comment
I enjoyed seeing these photos, I had read their column in Mother Earth News, years (30+) years ago. They were a powerhouse couple, having each other to work with and provide inspiration. I knew I would not ever take my life to the point that they lived, for one thing I had young children at the time! But I found their ways intriguing and informational.
My favorite person of influence was Ruth Stout, a very down to earth lady.
to Melynda@Moms Sunday Cafe's comment
What a treat to see the photos of the Nearings homestead. I always found them fascinating and any tidbits about their lifestyle have been enjoyed. A few years ago I read their book on maplesugaring and it inspired me to make syrup; which turned out to be a smoky and slow job over an open fire but what else to do in March? Still have one quart left which I can’t bear to open (lest I have none left and have to do it again!)
Thanks for sharing and inspiring. I love your blog.
to Rita Maines's comment
We make our own maple syrup as well and I know what you mean, we are sometimes reluctant to open our last jar as well!
to Susy's comment
Lovely pictures of a lovely place.. I too am familiar with the Nearings from Mother Earth News magazine back in the 70s & 80s..and read their books a long time ago. (Ruth Stout too)
How awesome that you went there and were able to look around!
to KimH's comment