I have a small, tucked-away desire to own a small, tucked-away piece of land. A friend of my mother’s bought land somewhere on the Virginia shore in a flat marshy area, with high yellow grass, and a big open sky. She goes there on the weekend, gardens, reads, and soaks up the sun. One time, she showed me pictures of the place, and my apparent, but dormant, inner-pioneer awoke. That! I want some of that! I could smell the freshness of the air. It was a strange, unexpected sensation. And now, thanks to the New York Times, it has been fully validated!

The Times story is about people that bought undeveloped vacation property, and build on their own without major financial resources. The story starts with Steve and Lisa Lepito, a Connecticut couple that bought land on Prudence Island in Rhode Island. Here’s what they have to say about it.

“It’s awesome here,” said Lisa Lepito. “As soon as I get on the ferry and leave the mainland, I exhale.”

“You can see seals here in the winter,” her husband added. “Even during July Fourth weekend the beaches are empty.”

Now doesn’t that just make you want to escape on all fours past your co-workers, and sneak out the office side door right now? Currently the only structure on the Lepitos’ land is a shed, with 10 by 12 feet walls. “For now, it is the [Lepitos’] base camp, the place where they store their essentials between visits and where they can take shelter from rain.” The rest of the article is filled with pioneers, seeking out their special pieces of happiness, and planting their flag. The homes, most likely, will come later. Or maybe not. And it barely seems to matter.