We at Cantine's Island volunteer in the community, with members on the Library Board, several town committees and other community organizations. Some of our members volunteer with the Esopus Conservancy, and the community has agreed to maintain one of the trails. Doug Engel led a group through the trail we're maintaining so people would know which one it is. We're supposed to pick up debris and inform the Conservancy of fallen trees or other major work that needs doing. Along with seven adults, two kids, three dogs and a teenager hiked the snow-covered trail. It's steep, and was slippery in spots, but we had a beautiful day for it, and it was a lot of fun as well as a commitment to work.

A brief description of Cantines Island Cohousing

This is the first post to this blog, which will display events at Cantine's Island, a cohousing community in Saugerties, NY. Cohousing is a stop on the line between isolated suburbia and commune living.

We own our own homes, but share most of the 10-acre site (homesites run about a quarter of an acre). We have 12 houses, plus a common house on the original oval, with four more homes up the hill across the parking lot from the oval. Residents park on the lot, not next to their homes, creating a safe environment for kids to play.

We have meals in the community "common house" three times a week, or more often if a family wants to celebrate an event (birthday, holiday etc.) with the community at large.

The shared space includes a long strip along the Esopus River, just below the artificial waterfall that was once a power dam. We have a boat house, a swimming dock and picknic tables. In a conventional development, no more than two houses would have waterfront access.

There's a lot more to say about how cohousing works and why it beats the normal suburban development, but that's enough for a start.