I want to start by saying this was 35 years ago. I chose a part of the country where land was relatively cheap (Oregon), and bought 5 acres for about $3000.

I built a small cabin at first -- 12x24 feet -- and this is where I wrote Apple Writer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Writer), while relying on a very long extension cord for power.

Later on I bought more land and built a larger house, but still with the idea of living cheaply firmly guiding my actions. Then my income went over a million dollars a year and I decided to do something completely different -- so I bought a sailboat and sailed solo around the world (http://arachnoid.com/sailbook).

> if you want water, electricity and sewage utilities ...

I chose Oregon because it rains a bit, and I had previously built a cabin in Colorado where it is very dry -- I decided that was a mistake. In Oregon, for water I walked up the hill behind my cabin and dropped a hose in a creek. If you choose the right altitude difference, you can duplicate normal household water pressure. For sewage, I built an outhouse.

It really was quite primitive. But it freed me from having to pay rent or needing much money, which meant I could think about anything I wanted. Then I acquired an Apple II, which ironically enough I probably wouldn't have done while working for NASA a few years before. I had this fantasy that I would write some cool programs and people would buy them, and I could just live in the country and people would mail me money.

The weird thing is that this is exactly what happened.