Posts by Tate Yoder

Idea 1 – Less Reliance

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my parents, it’s to appreciate the little things and to rely on yourself sometimes, even if that means making life a little bit harder – let me explain. I grew up in a house in the middle the woods. Our neighbors are each at least a half mile away, and the silence at times can be deafening. We have terrible cell service. Internet and cable companies don’t provide service to us because of our rural location, and it’s a 15 minute ride to the grocery store.

This location isn’t ideal for many people. But among the few that feel that this is the perfect location, my parents are two of them. They built their home, which I fortunately got to grow up in, on their own (with the help of some friends) 28 years ago and have since been doing small but effective things to lessen their reliance on others. They each do their own part to grow food in the garden, cut wood from our property to heat our house (our primary and only source for heat up until 2016 has been wood), raise chickens for eggs, pickle and can food the winter, and collect and boil sap to make maple syrup. Obviously, we aren’t homesteaders or totally self sufficient, for we as a family still are very much relying on others, technology, modern-society institutions and systems etc. However, what has inspired me – more so in recent years – is the fact that even though it might be easier to buy all our food at the grocery store, install heaters that run on natural gas or oil, and be closer to the center of town, my parents have deliberately chosen not to do so. They believe that even if it makes life a bit harder, it makes it richer and certainly more lively. I plan to capture these kinds of activities and show that it indeed does make life richer.

The audience for this narrative are people who are interested in self-reliance, homesteading, or long for a more “back to the land” life, as well as my family and friends.

Idea 2 – The Hikades

*Note: Because Tim Hikade and his wife are having another baby and the due date was during spring break, I was unable to meet with him or the family to take photos, however I visited the brewery, pub, and restaurant to give at least some sense of place*

Of the number of people that inspire me, the entire Hikade family of Blue Hill are certainly on that list. John and Beth Hikade started Arborvine Restaurant about 20 years ago, and since then have established a state-famous fine dining experience on Main Street in Blue Hill. Their two sons, Andrew and Tim have since taken over most of the business and a number of other parts to the business have been added on. The Hikade Family as a whole have founded and own Arborvine, a fine-dining restaurant, Deepwater Brewing Company, a three barrel micro-brewery run on solar energy, Deepwater Brew Pub, a pub that features the beers they brew and classic pub fare, and Moveable Feasts, a catering business that mainly serves smaller to medium sized gatherings, such as wedding or cocktail parties, but have also done larger gatherings such as a lobster bake for 750 people. The entire family works day in and day out to keep the business running smoothly, and the food they make is absolutely incredible.

If I were to choose this idea, my plan would be to capture their hard work, the various aspects of the family businesses, and then ultimately the pay off – watching customers smile and enjoy what they have to offer. The audience for this would be the Hikade family, their customers, the local population in and around the Blue Hill Peninsula, and people interested in starting a micro brewery, restaurant, pub, etc.