January 10th – 26th
Eco-Ranch
Terlingua, Texas
Six hours West of Austin. 60 Miles North of the Mexican border.
We had another WWOOF stay. This time in Western Texas at the Eco-Ranch a.k.a the Terlingua Bottle House. We stayed with a lovely couple, Robert and Debbie, who are living completely off-grid in the desert. They are building their home from the ground up using as much recycled material they can get their hands on. They had a local bar donate two years worth of glass bottles so that has become the main construction material. They collect rainwater and power the house with a combination of solar panels and wind turbines. Our main project during our stay was to build a storage/pump room and finish a wall with bottle masonry construction.
On Our Way to Terlingua
PBJ Time! Texas is Crazy big. It takes hours to get anywhere. Best to pack a lunch.
Arrived at our new farm. First night brought a wind storm and blocked out the sunset.
Welcome, Home! This place is pretty sweet!
Work Work Work
The first thing to know about making mortar is getting sand to add to the mixture. Robert has a great source of sand in his backyard, but that means getting in the pit and shoveling it out.
And sifting out the bigger rocks. We feel like dinosaur archeologists searching for bones.
Taking a break to learn some basic plumbing. Robert has set up all the plumbing in their home and that requires fixing leaks and breaks from the recent freeze.
Robert showing off his water organization.
Going for a walk after work. This is the sign that welcomes all.
Introducing Cascade the Wonder Dog. He’s the sweetest guard dog who loves going on walks. He’s just one of the many dogs here.
It’s an interesting landscape out here. Dry creeks called Tenaha’s surround the farm.
It’s very dry here this time of the year.
Here comes the sunset. One of the nearby buttes turns a lovely pink.
The ducks and chickens are free range, so they roost on top of the house. Makes for an interesting scene at dusk.
Introducing Taffy the Toll Duck. She sits by the front door and demands to be hand fed before one can pass by. A duck eating out of your hand is the weirdest feeling.
Cascade monitoring our work.
Here is a view of the rocket stove. Using wood and fire it will efficiently heat stored water for the kitchen and shower.
Another view. This is the outside of the kitchen.
Muscovy Duck!
The cement mixer!
Laura learning how to mix cement.
It’s a messy job!
Making curves.
Building up corners around the window
Time for bed again.
Chickens trying to find high ground.
This is the inside of the trailer we got to stay in.
More Dirt! Laura made Mt. Fiji!
Making progress.
Camrin caught a rooster. Well, the rooster was being a jerk and had to go.
Sorry Rooster, you became dinner. This is part of living off the land. These chickens are food.
We’ve decided if we’re going to eat meat we’d like to know where it came from. Thankfully this rooster had a happy life.
Bert the cat discovering Tina the truck.
Another Wwoofer joined us on the ranch. Brianna from New Hampshire. We went on some after work hikes. We’re exploring another dry creek bed that was nearby.
What paw made this?! Racoon?
Bird print.
What is this?!
Cascade was having so much fun 🙂
Fossils everywhere!!! How cool?!
Finders Keepers
Some of the landscape.
It’s actually pretty mountainous here.
Laura trying a little light painting. Waiting for the stars to come out.
There they are.
Snuggles from Bert in the morning.
Agave
Barrel Cactus
Yucca
Introducing Ginger. Yes, she always looks like that, but she is a snuggle bug.
What a happy dog 🙂
Robert made a ton of bread for us.
It’s so pretty!
Time for bed… wherever it can be.
Terlingua Ghost Town.
On one of our days off, we visited the nearby town of Terlingua. It’s part ghost town, part tourist trap, part social club.
This is the porch. Where all locals come to sip on beer and hang out.
And hula hoop!!
Get it Laura 🙂
Part of the ghost town. An old jail.
The old school.
A cool old cemetery that is still in use.
😉
Back on the farm
Got the lintel on the door frame.
Hey Cascade.
This is all of the water stuff that is going to be hidden now.
I mean, how pretty is this house?!
Robert working hard.
One of the walls on the inside. Here you can see the displays for the power usage. Part of using solar and wind is keeping an eye on how much you use.
Hanging laundry looks like art here.
The back side of the house. Eventually, the trailer will come out and more walls will go up.
Brianna working hard!
A rooster and some napping hens.
The funniest looking duck either of us has seen.
Introducing Nemo the horse.
A blue-eyed horse.
And hairless one-eyed Sherman. He was pretty much the boss dog of the farm.
This is Wally. He got stepped on by Nemo when he was young and doesn’t walk so well anymore, so they let him live. He’s 8 years old now.
This is a Dessert Cardinal. Robert and Debbie have turned their home into an oasis for wild birds.
Making dinner in the kitchen. Love how that afternoon sun comes in through the bottles.
Making amazing Empanadas.
More shoveling. Certainly getting us into shape.
Ginger in the sunlight.
A memorial to Tuscan. One of their old dogs.
Chickens watching us work. They really are free-range.
This is the inside of the bathroom. This room is going to be amazing when it’s finished.
The smokehouse!
Putting a lintel above the window. Learning basic construction methods.
Aww…
We went through 10 bags of Portland Cement during our two-week stay. There was only one bag left when said goodbye.
My heart is melting.
What up duck?
Laura found a Black Widow spider and made sure everyone saw. Yikes!
Look at how high we got the wall!
Brianna volunteered to sit on the water tank to finish a section.
Leaving our mark on this place.
This was as far as we made it during our stay. We know this whole section was finished a few weeks after our stay. It certainly takes time to make walls out of cement and bottles.
Finishing off the work day with a nice cold beer. Texas beer!
Their bottle caps have puzzles!
A nice detail shot of the Texas-shaped tequila bottle that is on the front wall. If you walk around the house you will find all sorts of hidden gems like this.
Laura took a little time to take some nice portraits of Robert and Debbie.
Robert the master builder.
Group shot… minus a few dogs.
We really enjoyed our stay at this farm. Robert was so generous with taking time to teach us all things sustainable. Robert and Debbie are technically retired, but they decided to move here and dream big. Robert hopes this place will be a beacon in the off-grid world and perhaps an education center. Robert is already actively making educational youtube videos. And lastly, they are always in need of materials. If you are ever looking for a good cause to donate to, think of the Eco-Ranch 😉
One of Robert’s videos. Check it out!
Thanks for reading our blog. Up next… Western Texas!
