Principals

The ideas for the Endurance Projects began before the construction of a house in Hyak at the summit of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington.

The seeds were sown in the 1950s in the wilds of Kodiak Island, Alaska in a log cabin where two boys lived and played with Lincoln Logs. One boy followed in the footsteps of their father working in heavy earth moving equipment. The other, now the Chief Ecosystems Officer of Moonshadow Ventures, went into construction.

That first house in Hyak was a spec home with the perfect family in mind. The home was built to withstand snowy winters and provide a cozy place after skiing. A cool place in the summer. And a place to entertain guests year-round. The family felt it was built just for them. And it was.

Meet Michael O'Reilly

Developer, Researcher, Builder, Remodeler, Construction Worker, Nature Lover, Vietnam Vet, Pickup Basketball Player, Nia Student

From the wilds of Alaska to the jungles of Vietnam, O ’ Reilly ’ s reverence for nature is instilled in his being. Joining the US Marine Corp at 17 he got to know lots of rice paddies. His second tour was as a US Naval Corpsman attached to a Marine Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) . A five - man team with a corpsman would be inserted into a dense mountain jungle for a week. Although harrowing at times, he felt like a biologist studying the different plants, lightning bugs and even a tiger while doing service for his country.

After service and many traveling experiences, he landed in construction starting from picking up the yard to hammering nails. In 1989 with a degree in Construction Management from Edmonds Community College under his belt, he worked on tilt-ups, new construction and commercial remodeling. All the while studying and researching how best to build with nature in mind

Which led to more studying and classes on Project Management using Microsoft’s Project. Then research for land to build on using the concepts of Building Green and Wild Sitecrafting. Moondance envisions these dreams of deep green and deep duty. And Michael is already planning on more Endurance Projects to come

My experiences have shown me that forested and jungled environments are spiritually tuned habitats.
- Michael O'Reilly

Meet Alex Zyablov

Architect, Designer, Web & Game Developer, Entrepreneur

Michael scoured the internet looking for an architect who would understand his dreams and render them for others to see. That turned out to be the creative and skilled Alex Zyablov. Alex developed the structure and design of Moondance under Michael's direction, driven by his desires.

Alex is the founder of Naiuma.com, an architectural studio, where he serves as the principal architect. He obtained a bachelor's degree in architecture in 2007 and has since worked as an architect worldwide. For more information about Alex, visit alexzyablov.com.

The Stand

They surround the house − a tribe dressed in winter's garb,
at attention, ready to sway with a passing friend,
the breezy waltz uniting them, caressing my face.

Betrayed by the wind, they slash - a tight whip in a primal hand;
stirring forgotten feelings, drooping to the ground with laden
gilt of dew - unrepentant in their heaviness.

Each branch a child climbing, running, curling back to maternal care.
A growing teenager becomes a springboard for a squirrel;
the more mature, a nest for a screeching raptor.

These arms that reach upward towards the blue
hide freeloaders in pockets and burrows made by woodpeckers,
Raccoons know which branch will hold, which will let go.

Naked, reaching towards me with skeletal fingers
like long buried dead covered with brown and gray age spots,
cankerous black hiding precious tender green to come in spring light;
the arrival of newborns waiting in shadows of twisted gnarls.

Reverent boughs beg forgiveness of the ancient earth;
she holds them in her womb and whispers, my children:
Grow tall, bend and dosey doe in the dance that is yours.

Each of you dearly loved, creak your names as one.

- Sarah Love