My name is Rick and my partner is Iris. I am 50 and she is 46. We have been together seven years and got engaged several months ago. She has been an LPN for over 20 years and went back to school to become an RN. I'm currently on sabbatical from working as an emergency room physician on the north side of the island in Kohala where I worked for the past 18 years. I'm writing a book on health and have been caring for this land for over 18 years. I've changed my focus from taking the pulse of individuals to taking the pulse of the planet. We are lacto-ovo vegetarians and enjoy producing our vegetables, nuts, fruits, eggs and milk on the land.  I've built all of the structures on this property myself. On site we have: organic gardens and a fruit and nut orchard that contain most tropical, edible food producing trees, a 4 chicken coup, a goat barn, an 800 square foot garage, a 20x40 cabin, a yurt shaped ferro cement cottage (20x20)and my house.

     Iris and I spend our time caring for the land and animals, and like to spend our spare time bicycling, weight lifting, snorkeling, dancing, and singing. We both really enjoy music; I play the guitar, recorder, and drums, and Iris loves to sing. We entertain ourselves, as we prefer not to drive for recreational purposes, reserving the use of our cars for work. I drive once every 3 or 4 months for supplies and Iris drives to popai on the weekends and stays in Hilo during the weekdays, so she doesn't have to commute daily to class.

     Our goal is to leave as small a footprint on the earth as possible by living a simple, ecologically sustainable lifestyle. The information contained in this site represents what we have done with our land and our lives to help make this simplicity possible. Thank you for visiting!