Monthly Archives: August 2011

Hats and Boots (boots edition 1 of 2)

Posted on August 31, 2011 by admin

Months ago I chatted with a middle-aged woman here in New Mexico who had built her own little straw bale cabin by herself. I told her about the workshops I’d been to and the grand plans for Cielito Lindo Ranch. … Continue reading →

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Worn Glove

Posted on August 30, 2011 by admin

This is what my glove looks like today. This pair is made of thick cow hide – the toughest gloves I could find — and they’re only about two months old. The holes you see are the result of the … Continue reading →

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Raising the Mast

Posted on August 18, 2011 by admin

We’ve added wind power to our solar panels — or we’re about to. The hardest part of this was actually creating the mast and getting it into place. That’s now done with metal brackets to strap the wind turbine pole … Continue reading →

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Breaking Ground, Breaking with Tradition

Posted on August 11, 2011 by admin

After decades of dreaming, years of research, several hands-on workshops, meetings with architects,  contractors, structural engineers, and weeks of drafting, it finally happened – we broke ground today. Lee from Catron Concrete arrived this morning with his tractor and laser-level … Continue reading →

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Sustainable Building Foundations

Posted on August 5, 2011 by admin

Building with the environment in mind goes beyond just materials. You actually need to start with the local environment–meaning weather and land. For a building site for the main lodge we wanted flat land, a great south facing view (for … Continue reading →

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