our cabin sits at the end of a long dirt road in the lower methow near the town of twisp, washington. some interesting aspects include:

• it sits on about 17 acres up against okanogan national forest. okanogan national forest is 1.5 million acres. you could walk from the cabin porch to canada and cross only one paved road. it would likely take a week, but you could do it.

• there are three visible neighbors. rather, there are visible houses. they are so far off in the distance, however, that you can't see whether anyone is home. the neighboring property does have a cabin but it isn't visible from our place.

• loud noises include the occasional breeze, birds, crickets and chipmunks.

• the original log structure is made from trees cut from the property, dried and hand peeled. it was completed in the 1980s.

• there are two bedrooms, a kitchen and living room.

• the bathroom includes a bath and sink. there is an outhouse for other business.

• a wood stove and gas stove provide heat.

• the cabin is off the electrical grid. it is powered by batteries charged via solar panels. an inverter assures that power to outlets is standard 110 volt ac. in other words, everything works the same as houses on the grid.

• there is a phone line and some cell phones get reception.

• an old upright piano that is almost tuned sits patiently in the living room.

• a large open deck looks southwest, down the valley and to the sawtooth mountains. (these sawtooths are different from the idaho sawtooths.) a large covered porch looks northeast into the forest. a small porch on the second floor is the perfect place to spend the night.