Stephen Wurzel’s adventures continue in Part III.
A final note on his Arkansas farm. I asked him about a farm that existed but closed down in 2021 due to Covid. It was an amazing place called Hazel Valley Farms. They had a beautiful place to visit with horses, gardens, and bike trails in Hazel Valley. He said he didn’t know them, and they weren’t a part of his group. However, he commented that that were better gardeners than them! They have a Facebook page if you want to visit and see the spectacular pictures. I don’t know if they’re still posting:
https://www.facebook.com/hazelvalleyfarms/photos/?_rdr
Another amazing place that I think would be fun to visit and talk to the folks who run it is the Co-op in Eureka Springs, AR. They have an amazing farm and even more amazing food! What a remarkable thing to be able to grow beautiful food like they have on the website:
https://onf.coop/community/hazel-valley

Stephen told me that they did have another group living down the road from them and the farm was called DomeLand. They all lived in self-built geodesic domes. He said that it was a very cool place, and they were friends with all of them. I couldn’t find anything online that a dome farm still exists, but there are interesting domes that you can book a stay at when you visit! How cool is that?

*****

Stephen finally made it back to New York from the Arkansas experience and met and married his wife, a beautiful woman named Janice. They lived in a little place on the waterfront, at Jones Beach in Long Island and they worked at a restaurant called Santosha (which means Contentment in Sanskrit). He was the chef and Janice was a waitress. The winter locked them in for three months, so the restaurant was closed during that time. They needed a better source of income!

Stephen’s next venture took him into the landscape design business. When he was in Japan, he loved all of the cultivated gardens they had and wanted to help create this same beauty in New York. He got to know a lot of famous people including the producer for All My Children, so his business took off. He created an exceptionally reliable workforce, and his reputation grew. The hours were fantastic, and they were able to work nine months out of the year. His clientele had a lot of money so asked for the best. The business grew and thrived, but he wanted to give Janice an adventure of her own. In 1978, he sold the business and made a nice profit. That summer, they took a cross-country trip across the states. He was so excited to show her the beauty of America. After the trip, they moved back to New York one more time for the next phase of their lives. I definitely identified with the cross-country adventure. I didn’t have a lot of money but packed my little car and drove out to Colorado in early 1980. I think that is a wonderful experience for everyone to consider when they are young.

Stay tuned for Part IV.