Hello, Lloyd.
…I discovered your ‘Builders of the Pacific Coast‘ book a month or so ago and was instantly hooked. A friend gave it to me, and I quickly got a hold of copies of Shelter, Home Work, and Barefoot Architect. I’ve been reading those three simultaneously.
The reason I have such an interest in these books is because I’ve had, for some years now, an unshakable desire to build a sustainable house of my own, with my own two hands, and do most of the work myself. Before I found your books, I thought I was crazy and pretty singular in my desires. I’m from a mid-size town in Georgia where such a thing is pretty uncommon. This bug first bit me about 3 years ago, during a tumultuous time in my life when things just seemed so complicated. I felt there had to be another way. That we’ve lost something in modern times, specifically self-reliance and the abilities to do things our ancestors did routinely. But I didn’t know anyone who actually built their own homes, by themselves. People I discussed this with at best thought the idea amusing…though extremely strange. Most just thought it strange. And impractical.
Through odd twists of fate, I found myself living in Los Angeles…a bit further away from the back-to-nature life I started to seek. I’m here for the reason why most guys do foolish things–a girl. She’s trying to make it in the entertainment industry and so we have to be here for that. However, she’s also a Bay Area gal, born in Marin, and friends with all sorts of free spirited folks, which is how I discovered your books.
The purpose of this email isn’t just to blab on about myself but to thank you for your books and to let you know how life-changing and inspiring they’ve been. To know I’m not alone and to see that others have done what I want to do has been invaluable to me. Thank you for chronicling these builders in your books.
Please keep doing what you do, and if you’re still doing it when I finally get around to building my house, I would love to send you photos.
Thank you again, Lloyd, and have a wonderful weekend.
-P.A. in L.A.
