We are pleased that you are visiting our web site! This is the latest incarnation of a web site we began back in 1997. Back then; we were actively working toward saving the then rarest dog breed in the world, the American Hairless Terrier from extinction. Robert was owner of an exclusive dog grooming salon and Debbie was a retail sales manager.
Things have changed! We retired from the dog world, though we still have a number of our aging friends here with us until they die. We have "escaped" to a twenty-acre, remote & pristine piece of the Chihuahuan Desert in far western Texas.
Robert has taken up truck driving, part-time, while Debbie is retired and manages the homestead. Most of our dogs have died, or are elderly.
We began constructing our homestead in February of 2010 in Terlingua, Texas, an area that seems to attract the world's "oddballs". We fit right in! We are gently established an "off-grid" Earthship style home for ourselves and the dogs that remain. We are living life as "New Homesteaders"…. aging "baby boomers" that have returned to a simpler life that uses far fewer resources from a weary planet.
The story of how two "older" Americans are accomplishing this and our journey to "green" self-sufficiency on a planet in peril will be told from these pages, the blog and from the "New Homesteaders" & "Backyard Poultry" discussion groups.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the web site will be the running commentary of the construction of the entire "mini-ranch" here. From the "Earthship" itself, constructed of used tires, bottles, native rocks and pressed cardboard; to the stone masonry reconstruction of the first building, the dog's/utility building; to the poultry coop & sheep pens to the water collection & storage and finally to the off-grid electrical system. ALL the construction methods, materials and "issues" will be discussed in detail here and in the blog, always keeping in mind our mantra of: Keep It Simple Stupid, or K.I.S.S.
By keeping this mantra foremost in our minds, will we be able to accomplish this task within the financial restrictions we have. Given the interest we already see, it seems there are many others looking to build similar low cost projects!
Also within the pages of this web site, will be the stories and photographs from a lifetime of travel, adventures & misadventures! Robert has also done extensive research in many areas over the years. Most of this is far outside of the mainstream, but not so far as to qualify as a guest on "Coast To Coast AM", just outside of the establishment "norm". This research will be included here and ANY comments on ANY subject will be welcomed and discussed! Use our e-mail, the blog or the discussion groups and don't forget to sign the guest book!
Enjoy!
Robert & Debbie Earl
400
North Smiling Dog Trail
Alpine,TX 79830
Phone: 432-371-3200
Fax: 432-371-3203
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