Fatih Abi, Hilmi Abi and myself are drinking tea at the construction site for one of my projects. On my land alone there are over a hundred olive trees and if you set off in any direction over the rolling hills you would eventually come across hundreds of thousands. Turkey’s Aegean Sea area is filled … Continue reading A Dog’s Tale

Disembarking Motorcycles off the Coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Sea Cristo Rey, Colombian Caribbean Coast, December, 1994 In the distance, apparently, is a tiny village hidden behind a thin layer of tropical foliage. Underneath a sulking and brooding sky the sandy shoreline fronting the jungle is being battered by waves rolling unimpeded across the … Continue reading Disembarking Motorcycles off the Coast of Colombia, in the Caribbean Sea

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day… they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom The known universe has no … Continue reading Day Dreams and Passions, From There to Here

International Rainbow Gathering on the Eynif Plateau, Turkey, 2022 A few weeks before the full moon of October, 2022, I found out that a friend of mine, Tamahin, and her children were going to attend the International Rainbow Festival on the Eynif Plateau an hour and a half outside of Antalya. I’d had a long … Continue reading International Rainbow Gathering, Eynif Plateau, Turkey, 2022

March/April 2002 The wind buffeted our temporary kitchen shelter all night long. It shook so violently, back and forth, I couldn't imagine it lasting through the night. Not only was our tent making a lot of noise, but with the shelter, the wind rushing through the trees, the crashing waves below: Who could sleep? Where … Continue reading The Story of the Swan: Kabak Valley

Imagine yourself setting off on a journey that would take you away from all you've ever known for at least a year. Not a journey to a specific and singular destination where you could develop a sense of security from a new home and new relationships with others, perhaps colleagues from a new job. Rather, … Continue reading Origins

So you want to buy a land somewhere and do something with it. Well, all of us are more similar to each other than we are different. That much is for sure. Therefore we all dream about many of the same things. One of those is to get some land outside of the city somewhere … Continue reading How to Build Your Own Project in the Countryside: Part 1 Kendi arsanızda kendi evinizi yapmanın yolları: Bölüm 1

In short insulation in your walls or roof slow down the transfer of energy from one side of your home to the other.  High density, thick walls or floors made from stone, earth, concrete etc. have the ability to store heat and depending on the time of year either release it into the house where … Continue reading Thermal Mass vs. Insulation Considerations for Natural Builders

Every building needs to be insulated. It doesn't matter if it is a home in the Kaçkar mountains or a summer house in Kaş. Unfortunately so few homes are insulated in Turkey. If it is insulated it is done so at amounts amazingly below the standards that have been set in European countries and America. … Continue reading Misconceptions about insulation in Turkey

You cannot overstate the beauty of an open rafter ceiling in a home (one where you can see the wooden beams that support the roof). The problem with them in Turkey is that they are rare and if done, most builders sacrafice important insulation considerations in order to use them. In this case, as is … Continue reading Open Rafter Ceilings