{mosimage}Members are not required to work a fixed number of hours a day, can volunteer for jobs that suit them, and can vary their work life doing different jobs. We agree to take turns washing dishes, and there may be some weeks that all members are required to spend a few hours working in our businesses. With these exceptions, East Wind hasn't assigned labor since 1983.

{mosimage}The community sets a weekly quota of hours that members are expected to work as their fair share of labor. Trusting one another to do a fair share is very important to us, and failure to do a fair share endangers membership. In recent years the weekly quota has typically been 40 hours. Keep in mind, this includes domestic labor which is normally not compensated for in the mainstream; therefore, we generally work less than those maintaining individual households. In addition, members get three weeks of labor credit on the anniversaries of their joining.

{mosimage}Most of us find that we can take time off from our work to enjoy the beautiful landscape and one another. We are located in an area known for outdoor recreation. There are plenty of opportunities to canoe, backpack and explore caves.

We have a number of indoor recreational resources, including a pool table, stereo systems, and a large collection of records and tapes. We have an excellent library, musical instruments, board games, televisions, VCRs, and a satellite dish. There is a well equipped exercise room, a pottery wheel and kiln, and facilities for woodworking, metal crafts, and glass work.

Our computer network is comprised of 12 PC's. In the daytime, it's used by office workers, but at night they are free for personal use. We have our own domain (eastwind.org), and we also have a satellite broadband connection.

{mosimage}Live music is a common pastime for many East Winders. We spend a lot of spare time socializing, and there are frequent parties throughout the year.

Often we pool our artistic energies and create talent shows featuring musical recitals, readings, skits, and other forms of theatre. These "coffeehouses" usually occur in conjunction with our community holidays, which are built around lavish meals and parties that may feature bonfires, sweat lodge gatherings, and drumming circles.