John Wehrheim
Taylor Camp’s hand-built tree houses gets some coverage in Tiny Homes, but it is the stories of the residents that are truly fascinating. Started by a group of people tired of the Vietnam War and exhausted from the anti-war movement, the original founders of Taylor Camp are the truest type of hippies – dropping out to tune in to nature. Taylor Camp, named for Elizabeth Taylor’s brother Howard who owned the land, became the home to a group of ever-shifting collection of people and families for seven years. While some came only briefly to camp and surf, other couples and families built multi-story treehouses out of found objects and scrap wood. The first half of the book is a collection of lovely black and white photos taken during the heyday of the camp. The second half is a collection of personal stories and interviews with the residents, neighbors and some local politicians. While most admit to problems – drugs, primarily – most if not all look back at the camp as a wonderful influence on their life. Most found it to be a peaceful Utopia…with people in it. An intriguing, beautiful, sad and lovely collection.