Montello Alpaca Company

Straw Bale Vaults and Keywords.

2012-02-04T20:12:00.000-08:00

I remember years ago, a friend of the family asked me "So what are you building your house out of this week?" This was during the planning phase still. I kinda resented the question, but I also understood why she was asking. I went from tires, to formblock, to sips, to rammed earth, to adobe, to earthbag. We currently are living in an earthbag house my wife and I built. But it almost killed us with how labor intensive it is. So, to answer the question, this week I am back to straw bale.

I thought I was so smart. I had what I thought was a revolutionary idea. I was talking to my boss at work about it. He has an interest in straw bale also. I was sharing my idea about straw bale arch's. It is an arch. I kept using the word arch. I told him that however I could not find anything online that indicates anyone else had tried it. It would be experimental and I was not sure it would even work. But I was really excited about the potential for a straw bale arch because I would not have to worry about additional costs, time and labor for a roof. Anyone who knows construction knows that roofs can be expensive and tricky. It is not something you want to do poorly. I mean people use the term 'put a roof over your head' for a reason. The roof keeps the rain and snow out of the house, it also should keep the heat in. It should be strong, and appropriate for your climate.

So the idea was that if I arch the bales then it could potentially be the best alternative building method there is. Straw bale is very attractive for a lot of reasons. I could feasibly add on another 300 square feet to my house in a few weekends!! That is huge!! I knew in principle it could work, but any hands on guy knows that there is a huge difference between an architects ideas, and a construction workers reality. I have been both.

Anyway, I was frustrated for not finding anything on the Internet. So I gave it another try, and I realized how important one keyword can be. I was typing straw bale arch's, straw bale domes, cobbled straw bale, etc. Not a whole lot comes up. But I kept looking and saw an obscure reference and noticed that it uses the term vault. VAULT. Then I typed in straw bale vault, and voila!

My idea was already thought of and executed by more than one person. It can work!! There is an architect who has plans drafted for a straw bale vault. After years of research and building my own alternative house out of earthbags, I can say with some credibility that this could be the optimal balance between the easiest and cheapest building method there is.

So at this point you should be asking yourself "Where are the windows?" Yeah I know. Don't worry though. I know exactly how to make windows in the straw bale vaults. That is nothing. So, let the planning begin. !! This gives me hope.

Your probably asking yourself 'If it is such a great idea, then why isn't everyone doing it?' Hey, that is a pretty stupid question. That is like saying 'If meth is such a bad idea, why are so many people doing it?' I mean really. History shows us that new ideas are slow to catch on, so I still consider it a revolutionary idea, even if it is only revolutionary for my life.

Below are the links where I found these pictures. You can read more about the straw bale vaults from the sources I read them from. Thank you to all my readers who have been supporting me by following the blog. It took me three years to make my first $100 dollars from Google, but now after only a few months I have made $50. My traffic is up, and my followers are growing. My pageviews seem to be growing exponentially. I don't understand why, but it is great. Thank you all, talk to you later. -Geoff

http://www.permaculture.com/book_menu/136/150/156
http://www.bobtheis.net/prototypes/basicstrawbale.html
http://www.bobtheis.net/newbuildings/jakubalvaulthouse.html

Warr in the Desert, and a Piano Prodigy

2012-01-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

What is cool about living in Tecoma Valley, Norvada?

... our Utah friends and neighbors.

We know the Warr family from church, and they have become dear friends of ours over the last few years. We were so impressed with their family before they were ever in the news.

Heather, Kelly, Brittany, Mason, Heston, and Aron Shane comprise a branch of the Warr family that we know best. They are an amazing family, not because of news coverage, that is just the world catching up to what we knew from years ago.

I remember when Mason had the spotlight for doing very well in Rodeo. Mason is an amazing young man all on his own. He is smart, and good hearted. Now Heston has the spotlight for his being a piano prodigy. It is exciting to see Heston and the family get attention in the news, but there is so much more to the story, and to the family that it really could make a great movie. I envision something like 'The Royal Tannenbaums' mixed with 'Little House on the Prairie'. The youngest Warr, Aron Shane, is a princess. She is the cutest little thing. If you know her I am sure you will agree with me that she could easily be a child movie star. I am sure she get's that from her Mom, Heather. Heather is a ball of fire, energetic, people oriented, and a self made entrepreneur who started two successful online clothing businesses out of her own home. If your with Heather, just hang on tight and enjoy the ride. Kelly, the father of the family, is the strong silent type. He is a real cowboy, and rancher. He has a good head on his shoulders, he is grounded and constant, and just about the only time I hear of him getting flustered is when he is with Heather.

Before anyone knew Heston was going to be a piano wiz kid, a California production company contacted Heather about a YouTube video she posted online. The company wanted to make a reality television show about the Warr family. It was so much fun to get the constant updates from Heather about the show. We were all excited at the possibility of getting on television. It was going to be good for the Warr ranch, the family, and the surrounding area. As many project proposals go in Hollywood, the pitch did not make it through the corporate executives. But the intrigue and captivation that the production company noticed from that silly youtube video is still real. Now, there is a possibility of Heston getting on a famous talent show on television. The point is, this family was destined for greatness from the get, and I am proud enough to have seen how great the Warrs were before the world did.

No matter what the future brings for the Warrs, I hope they remember that what my wife and I found most impressive about them, what I love most about going over to their house, is the love that their family has for each other. They are an inspiration to me and I would consider myself fortunate to raise a family half as loving as theirs.

Below is a link to a news story about Heston Warr, the second youngest, playing at the Utah State of the State, with the Governor of Utah. This is only the tip of the iceberg for this amazing family.

http://connect2utah.com/news-story/?nxd_id=205637

Sexy New Thermal Underwear.

2011-12-30T22:52:00.001-08:00

This is a totally senseless and vain post. I know. But I have a whinny male alpaca, who started alarming becuase the female he likes was on the other side of a fence from him. Even though either one could have walked to the other, the male freaks out and alarms. So, like usual on a cold winter morning, I go out in my pajamas with the rifle ready to take on nature. But the only thing I shot were these pictures, becuase I thought Ellen would get a kick out of seeing them, she can use the pictures as an example for other women to show them what a real man looks like, especially when he goes outside in his underwear with a rifle, and look this good. Booha ha ha.

A Real Gold Mine!

2011-12-25T13:14:00.001-08:00

The mine really is coming!!

Yeah, for the high price of gold. Newmont spoke to both Wells and Wendover city councils and told them that 400 to 700 people will descend on the area in about three years. Nevada has always been boom and bust, and already I am thinking ahead to the bust, after the mine goes. Planning ahead.

Even if it is 400 people coming in 3 years, there is not enough housing in the area to support that. There is some in Wendover, but not nearly enough. There is very little in Wells, and there is very little in Montello. You couldn't even house 50 people in Wells right now.

Oasis will fill up. There will be a small man camp there. It will be filled with travel trailers, 5th wheels and the like. Even if Oasis was busting at the seems, they may be able to cram 200 workers(this doesn't even consider families, just working men.) Not exactly ideal living conditions. Also, to be all crowded in to that one little trailer park is going to create some problems.

Wells, I doubt you could find 50 suitable houses in Wells right now.

Wendover has a ton of hotels, motels, and some apartments. But again, there is not a great surplus of housing. However most families will probably gravitate to Wendover due to the ease of commute, the schools, and more services available. It is closer to Salt Lake, and it has more opportunity for growth.

So, I predict a couple things are going to happen. Rents will go up, property value will spike for a short while until everything settles back down and there is suitable housing in the area.

If some developer doesn't come out here and beat us all to it, whoever has the capital and the means could make money off the mine by building a small development, a small mobile home park, RV park, restaurant, etc. If you have some kind of mining business, or some service that assists the mine that may be another way.

If we can get the Oasis kids to come to school in Montello, then the school population will go up, they may require a second teacher at some point.

If we could just get some of those families to move to Tecoma Valley, even 200, 100, 50, 30, 15, that would have such a huge impact on the community for the better.

There are those who would have the lawless land remain the same, people who are anti growth, anti change. To those people I say, there is plenty of open desert to hide out in. I don't feel bad for you if you lose this bandit hide out. You don't know what to do with it anyway.

This place will eventually change. It will eventually grow. Those who are here first, and have the resources in place stand to do well. Now it seems that it will happen sooner than later. The questions now are who is ready for it, who will know how to take advantage of it? How do I get ready? What can I do? The peices are on the chessboard, but how do we move our peices in such a way as to win.

Some just may end up getting better jobs, others may start businesses. Whatever happens, I hope it is positive for the area, not negative.

Mine or no mine, the population is increasing, there are plenty of fresh immigrants flooding into the United States legally and illegally every day. There is opportunity here for those with enough money and brains. Mine or no mine, eventually this valley is going to change anyway.

I think that for the first time in my life, I am in the right place, at the right time, and I know exactly what to do. Now, the thing is, it is not going to be easy. I know that from the last three years. But I have less time, less money, and less energy now than I did before.

Merry Christmas,
From the Goldsborough Ranch

Leaving Iraq

2011-12-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

I left Iraq once. I worked there for a short time.

I deployed to Iraq at the beginning of 2008. I went there as a collections officer, or more commonly known as a case officer. Or more commonly known to the public as a spy.

I worked for a government Department, not an agency. But the job was pretty much the same, and we sometimes worked with the agency, well I should say they would come visit us whenever they wanted to steal a good source we had.

We had them come to our compound in Mosul once. They did not tell my idiot boss what they wanted, but I could tell they just wanted to know where all our safe houses were so they could use them for themselves. I think they also wanted to see if we were producing any good intelligence. I’m sure if we were, they would have taken some sources from us. They did not.

What I saw when I was both working for the government in D.C. and while deployed to Iraq can be summed up with these words, incompetence, waste, and corruption. Again, this is referring to the American side of things, not the Iraqi side. I’m sure the Iraqi side was more corrupt, but most likely slightly less incompetent.

I remember just being in shock about how dysfunctional things were when I got there. It was broken on a managerial level. The only professionalism I saw was the brief time I rode along with an Army colonel’s entourage. The Colonel was smart, courageous, dedicated, and competent. However he was also a little bit naïve.

I questioned him about his translator once. It was a young Iraqi kid. I’m not sure where he learned English but he couldn't’t have been more than 22 years old. I had concerns working with him because he was an Iraqi citizen and he did not hold a clearance. The Colonel dismissed my claims and actually said “Oh you don’t have to worry about him, Mahmood is on Team America.” Right. Team America. Mahmood was making a lot of money, more than he had ever made in his life. That was what team he was on. There was a little bit of hubris on the part of the Colonel.

It was as if the Colonel did not think this young Iraqi kid was smart enough to give information to his family, tribe, and countrymen and not get caught. That part was a bit strange to me. But perhaps they didn’t allow him to go near phones, and had a watch on him all the time. I don’t know.

The Waste and Fraud.

The big contractors like KBR, Halliburton, etc. They shamelessly raped the taxpayers, and wasted resources just to make a profit for themselves. There was so much money just dumped into the sands of Iraq, it was hard for me to watch. What one drop of that money could have done for me and my family, yet we wasted a whole river. Why are we really privatizing? It can not possibly be cheaper than just using the military. All my time in the military I had never seen so much waste.

The Purpose of the War.

It was never about defending America. We were never threatened by Iraq. The war was about monetary gain, and strategic advantage.

I could see that the main strategy of the occupation was to secure the oil fields and set up political infrastructure for foreign investors to get in and dominate the Iraqi economy.

Cell phone companies, logistic companies, security companies, food production, etc. Western companies now have a foothold in Iraq, and the Iraqi market. The main oil fields in the north are safely in the hands of the Kurds, who are our good friends. The Kurds have been fortified by us to withstand any potential civil war. This is part of it.

The other part is now we have a base in the Middle East from which to launch air strikes out of. This is important strategically because we may have to pull out of Japan in the years to come.

We will never leave Iraq, not for 50 years anyway. We will always have a large embassy and presence on the ground there, no matter how discreet we think we can be. At this point Iraq needs a unified populist movement to really oust the United States. That is not going to happen with a state divided into three parts, Sunni Arab, Shia, and Sunni Kurds. (There is a minority Christian population, but they are politically irrelevant.) This my friends, is divide and conquer like the empires of old.

All the other returned Iraqi veterans, and Afghan veterans I talk to all hold the same views and opinions in the matters discussed above. Not all the people I have talked to share all my views, but most people who have been there seem to have made similar observations and had similar experiences as I have.

My suggestion

The best thing we can do for Iraq right now is to improve the quality of life for all Iraqis, improve their security both financial and physical. If they can get a taste of that western consumer culture, a little bit of the good life, they will be pacified, and easy to influence. This will make the ongoing occupation easier. Once we have Iraq under control, we can address the real problem. Like Saudi Arabia.

The Pirate Captain

2011-12-18T21:00:00.001-08:00

So I mentioned I got a job a while back. But I haven't talked much about it yet.

I think I started in June of 2011. I do not want to specifically mention the job by name becuase I do not want that keyword refrence on my blog.

However I will tell you this, I am a pirate captain.

I have my own land ship, otherwise known as a vehicle. I get a crew, otherwise known as 12 criminals, like in the movie "The Dirty Dozen" with Lee Marvin. Also see movie refrence "Cool Hand Luke" with Paul Newman. I am the 'Boss' like in "Cool Hand Luke". "Shakin the bush Boss, Shakin the Bush." I like to think of these men as my gang of cut throat pirates. I have to have some rapor with them, I have to have their respect, but I can't trust them.

I recieve orders from The Admiralty (My Boss), and then I get my crew and carry out those orders. Often times I may only see my Boss once or twice a week. At the most three days a week. I sail my crew out of camp, and I am in charge for the day. I love it.

Instead of pillaging other ships, the crew does manual labor for various private and government entities. They earn a dollar a day on a project, and a like a dollar an hour when fighting wild land fires. They also get days off for working on a crew. Those are their only real incentives, that is their booty, that and it makes the time go by faster. A lot of guys will come out and work hard all day just to pass the time.

It is a whole different set of leadership skills 'pushing a crew'. In some ways it is like being a mother to really bad kids. It is not easy running a pirate ship, but it is a whole lot of fun.

One morning I was pushing the crew early in the morning in the bitter cold. I relayed orders to my Black Hat (head Pirate) and told the crew to line up for formation. I was in the van talking to another pirate. The Black Hat came and told me that the crew refused to muster. Sensing the delicateness of the situation, I told my black hat not to worry about it. Myself and the pirate I was talking to got out of the van. I knew that if I try to force them they may push back. Then I lose control, if I capitulate and fore go the muster, I am weak.

So I down played the rebellion, ordered everyone in the van. In a few minutes I finished my discussion with the one pirate while everyone else got to warm up a little. I called the crew to formation and everyone responded quickly to my instructions, and evacuated the van to line up in the bitter cold to start the days work.

I think I played that one right. I maintained control, yet did not give up ground. Because I didn't draw the line in the sand, I could ease around that situation with just a few minutes of heat. It is a balance of sensitivity and insistence.

There are so many situations wrought with comedy. I was once on a fire and there was a hard looking Hispanic gang banger on the crew. He had all those gang tats on his neck and even forehead, and face. He looked real intimidating at first glance.

He got stung by a bee. He was almost crying, carrying on and making a fuss. He comes to me to get, I guess, basic first aid. So I asked if he was allergic. He said no. Just to be sure I asked if he had been stung before, he had. I asked if the sting swelled up, it had not. I examine the sting. It is imperceptible. I have to take his word for it that there is even a bee sting there.

So I stare blankly at him, and ask, "So what is the problem?" He says, like a child, "It really hurts." He is holding his stung finger in his other hand, and holding it up to his mouth like he is about to kiss it.

I just started chuckling. Then laughing. Then I just told him why I was laughing at him right to his face. I said "Look man, I mean your lookin all gangster and everything, but then your whining about a bee sting. It is just really funny to me." He then proceeded to try to justify himself by explaining with more vigor about the pain. Oh, it really really hurts? I see.

I have to remember they are not my friends, and they will stab me in the back the moment I show weakness, or inconsistency. Though the pay is low, the job skill set is high. It takes a certain kind of personality to handle it. You can not be a pushover, you have to have an excellent judge in character, and you have to have street smarts and be a good read of people.

I know when something is up. It is the same way I know when something is wrong with the Alpacas. They act different. I can not always put my finger on it, but there is body language, and behavior that tells me they are up to something.

Arhhhg mates.

Norvada

2011-12-17T13:25:00.001-08:00

We now have Internet at home again. We have been offline for a while. AT&T did finally come through with a 3G tower about a month ago, not quite 3rd quarter as they promised, but that is an old story. I am just now getting around to signing up with AT&T for Internet. This is the first day I can get online at home in a long time.

I am very pleased with the speed.

I am not however liking how we lost our 2 year contract of unlimited Internet with Alltel, that AT&T was supposed to honor when they bought Alltel. We signed on to AT&T but did not get our contract honored because AT&T did not integrate the only tower in our area. So they dropped us even though there were no other options. We went back to pay per minute cell phones, then eventually Verizon.

Now we are keeping our Verizon phones, but have AT&T for Internet.

On a lighter note.

I received my first google check for this blog!! I think it is the best $100 I have ever earned. It only took me three years to earn it.

I think back on my life since I started this blog and how much things went wrong, and how much I have changed. There is so much going on in my life now it would be ripe for an HBO dramatic mini series.

A different blog?

I have changed. The situation has changed. Our plans our changing.

I didn't start this blog as a personal one. I meant it to be a precursor to a business website. I meant to eventually link our blog with our Alpaca ranch website. I thought it may help customers relate to us on a more personal level to see how we started, and how far we have come. Things do not always go as expected.

I am may have to consent that I do not have control over my future.

It would be a hard defeat. I am just tired of fighting how things really are. I am worn out trying to force the world to look like what I think it should be, and refusing to accept it for what it is.

Maybe outcomes are not determined by commitment alone. There are other factors, for example ability, resources, and time.

Perhaps we can not do anything we want, or be anything we want, despite our parents and teachers telling us that as children. Perhaps some people are born into crime, or illness, or poverty, and that is their lot.

If only you knew all the things that have happened to our lives here. Consider all of the things that may have occurred that I don't post on my blog. Consider that you have only seen what I want you to see, you only know what I want you to know.

There are so many challenges we have faced, so many hard times, and desperate measures. Measures that had to be taken to survive.

Of course I realize that this is all consequence of what I chose. The choice to come to Norvada all as an outcome of our own decisions. (Norvada, a term I coined to play with the concept of contrast, and comparison, and states of being. It means Northern Nevada but said to sound like the word Nirvana. 'Norvada', one could say I was in a state of Norvada.)

It is like considering standing naked in public. Posting that full on nude photo of yourself on facebook. One really has to take precautions in publishing these things.

Lately I have considered just publishing all the crazy, juicy dramatic events that unfold behind the scenes of this blog.

One reason is the desire to be honest, and the other is the hope that I may make more money from the blog.

Making money is easy to understand.

I feel the need to explain what I mean by honesty. Being honest about my problems on my blog is an opportunity to give support to others who are going through the same things and receive support from others who are farther along than I am.

There is a discretion that needs to take place. Isn't there?

For me, what little prudence, and caution I still have prevail. But perhaps one day I will be more open, and this blog could become a more of the novel of my life. Perhaps a tabloid like version of the behind the scenes juice that is actually interesting to read.

Something that is open and personal in a way that others can relate to. All the thoughts, feelings, choices I have made in just the time I started this blog can shock, intrigue, sadden, and even offer hope to others. It used to be that people didn't want to see the warts, the moles, the scars, the wrinkles. But now, it seems like we want to watch others fail, cry, bleed, suffer. Perhaps it brings us reassurance. I knew a woman who said "I like keeping tabs on Lindsey Lohan because her personal life is worse than mine, and that makes me feel better about myself."

Is there something wrong with that? In a foot race or a test, the most important thing is where you stand in comparison with others. We know we won, because everyone else lost. We know we are o.k. because everyone else is doing it. Sometimes when we see others struggles we are relieved to find we are not the only ones with the same problem, that we are not alone.

We have to compare ourselves to others, continuously. We also are constantly assessing our positional relationship with others, while we drive, in office politics/status, feeling connected to others.

Courageously honest, revealing, moving, and inspiring.

I have read blogs that fit this description. I admire those authors. I admire the courage. I relate to them like a friend. I know they went through similar experiences I have, and I can see how they handled them, how they solved the problem or overcame the challenge. I feel close to them, connected to them, all because of their honesty in conveying their life experiences on their blog.

Why not?

Why not live in a fish tank? What is the harm?

Is it fear? Is it fear of judgement? Is it of being exploited by putting too much personal information online? Identity theft? What can be mitigated and what precautions are needed?

Some people do not even publish their real names on their blogs. Some write freely about their struggles and joys in detail without fear of judgement or censure.

What are you comfortable with posting online and why?

What blogs have moved you, inspired you, or you just like and why?

Thanks for reading,
Geoffry

Flora and Fauna

2011-10-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

So I have been slowly researching the native plants in my area. I have identified the salt brush we have here, halogeton, rabbit brush, white sage.

I am currently struggling to classify the exact kind of scorpion we have here but have a preserved specimen now wich to compare with pictures.

Everything but the white sage can be poisonous for livestock, including alpacas. This is mostly becuase of problems cause by high oxalate levels.

White sage is supposed to have a lot of nutrition, but may not be palatale for alpacas. Tests are yet to come.

The featured insect for this post is the pinacate beetle, otherwise known as the stink bug. You have all seen it, a small black beetle always on the go. I had some questions about this beetle. Will it eat my garden? What eats it? Is it good for anything?

It may eat my garden, but it is most likely to eat around or in my garden. It eats seeds and "dead rotting material". So it is a scavenger, and most likely will not do too much damage to ones plants, but prefers plant litter. There are actually several hundred species of black beetle that are called the pinacate beetle, some can spray smelly stuff some can't. Some are nocturnal, and some dirunal. So, no big revelations here, but it is nice to know.

Celebrating 1 year in the house!

2011-10-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

So,

We moved into our little cabin on Oct 1st, 2010. Overall things have been fine with the house, there are a few issues to be reviewed.

We fared the first winter with only a little bit of trouble with a -16 downdraft into our hot water heater, causing pipes to burst, twice. The second repair has lasted a long time, but now has a slow drip leak. The solution I have come up with is a flu damper to stop the downdraft when the hot water heater is not in use, and a new water heater to replace the damaged unit.

Also winter time water pumping is not fun. We have to pull start a gas air compressor and that can be hard to do when it is really cold out. In the future we will install a large cistern, with redundant pumping mechanisms, and an overflow system. Eventually the wind and sun will pump all our water for us, and the air compressor will be backup.

The air compressor needs an oil filter post tank, pre well. A small amount of oil from the compressor is making it's way down the air supply line during pumping.

The well needs new plumbing to replace busted pipes from last winter, and to make drainage and freeze prevention more convenient.

House Temps. First let me tell you about summer. The only air conditioning we have is a small fan. The fan was employed for a few hours a day for roughly a week or so in August. The peak temps that I remember off the top of my head was 98f at around 5pm. The indoor temp was around 83f. The fan was employed and brought the room back down to comfort level. We open the door and window at night to ventilate and by most mornings we could get down to near 60f. During the heat of the summer, some mornings it would only cool down to about 70f. The good news is usually the inside of the house only got uncomfortable for a few hours before the afternoon winds and setting sun dropped the temperature. So the house does function fine without a swamp cooler, but two things need to be considered with future expansion. AIR FLOW and fans. If we could harness better natures breeze and use it for ventilation we could improve the temperature performance of the house and have more control over it. Also, keep in mind that during peak heat additional energy should be allotted for fan cooling.

In the winter, we burn wood for heat. For Fall and Spring we burn an evening and morning fire. When it is real cold we burn continuously throughout the day. During the coldest part of winter, I once was too tired to light an evening fire, Ellen wasn't home and so I just piled on the blankets and went to bed. Outside the temps were around -20, and in the morning when I woke up the in house temperature was 48f. Yeah, that's a little cold, but nothing froze, and the house plants even did fine. Most mornings after a fire it cools down to around 60f. This can be improved with better air circulation, a better wood stove, and a thicker layer of insulated papercrete on the outside wall.

The compost toilet is out, and we are currently using the bucket system, which I love. There is less odor, and less hassle. However, Ellen is now pressing for flushing toilets.

Things that I see working for this area. Earthtubes, Earthship like overhead windows/vents, thick earth walls, masonry stoves.

Also I have an idea for a rotating, directional wind vent. Something that you can turn on a pivot to face the direction of the oncoming wind. This would be ideal for summer ventilation, used in conjunction with ingress and egress air flow with earthtubes. Meaning depending on what temp you want you can turn your upper vents away from the wind, thereby sucking the hot air out, and pushing the cool air in through the earhtubes, or vice versa. It would be like a tank turret but on a roof, and with a wide opening to catch wind.

The time has gone by fast. Take Care,
Geoff Goldsborough

Homestead Hopefuls.

2011-09-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

So the baby is walking now. eeesh.
Lately I have been getting more questions via email regarding the area and land and wells and all that good stuff.I just want to say that if you are thinking you can come out here and escape the hardships of life you are dead wrong. If you are thinking that you can get a homestead established out here on the cheap you are wrong. If you are thinking you are going to drop a mobile home on the cheap and have an instant little house on the prairie you are wrong.

There are folks who live comfortably out here living in a travel trailer or even a mobile home. So if you're 60 and have the money and for some odd reason think you want to come out here to live, then, yeah go ahead.

But if you want to actually build a homestead, and raise a family, and be a part of a community in early development, then you need a little more than a travel trailer and high hopes. Realistically you want to have $100,000 budget, if you're older, you may need more because you will not be able to do as much of your own labor.

If you really know what you are doing, depending on how much tools and materials and resources you start out with, you may be able to get by with less. But if you budget is under $30k then you have to ask yourself some hard and realistic questions.

Do I want a well? Where is my property located in Tecoma Valley? (Because well depths vary greatly by location.) How small a house can I tolerate? What am I going to do for income once I am here? Do I really have the skills and ability to build my own house? What type of construction am I going to employ?

I hope to encourage people to come out here and build homes and raise families, and build industry and a real viable community, I just want to be honest and want those considering moving out here to be honest with themselves. I am doing for you what no one did for us when we came out here, a hard dose of reality, not to discourage your dreams, but to fortify them with more than mere whimsy.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, all the hardships and hard times that would have normally caused me to quit were endured simply because there is nothing I want more. I felt it in my bones, as if it were my one true life calling. You have to want it more than anything. I thought I wanted things in the past, but the truth is seen in the results.

Geoff

Just Another Update.

2011-09-22T13:25:00.001-07:00

So the baby is walking now. eeesh.

Lately I have been getting more questions via email regarding the area and land and wells and all that good stuff.

I just want to say that if you are thinking you can come out here and escape the hardships of life you are dead wrong. I you are thinking that you can get a homestead established out here on the cheap you are wrong. If you are thinking you are going to drop a mobile home on the cheap and have an instant little house on the prairie you are wrong.

There are folks who live comfortably out here living in a travel trailer or even a mobile home. So if your 60 and have the money and for some odd reason think you want to come out here to live, then, yeah go ahead.

But if you want to actually build a homestead, and raise a family, and be a part of a community in early development, then you need a little more than a travel trailer and high hopes. Realistically you want to have $100,000 budget, if your older, you may need more because you will not be able to do as much of your own labor. If you really know what you are doing, depending on how much tools and materials and resources you start out with, you may be able to get by with less. But if you budget is under $30k then you have to ask yourself some hard and realistic questions.

Do I want a well? Where is my property located in Tecoma Valley? (Because well depths vary greatly by location.) How small a house can I tolerate? What am I going to do for income once I am here? Do I really have the skills and ability to build my own house? What type of construction am I going to employ?

I hope to encourage people to come out here and build homes and raise families, and build industry and a real viable community, I just want to be honest and want those considering moving out here to be honest with themselves. I am doing for you what no one did for us when we came out here, a hard dose of reality, not to discourage your dreams, but to fortify them with more than mere whimsy.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, all the hardships and hard times that would have normally caused me to quit were endured simply because there is nothing I want more. I felt it in my bones, as if it were my one true life calling. You have to want it more than anything. I thought I wanted things in the past, but the truth is seen in the results.

Geoff

Busy with life.

2011-09-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

No posts for a while becuase I have been working at a new job, and we still don't have internet at home which makes posting a wee bit inconvenient.

We are doing fine. Baby is almost walking and is talking with a handfull of words.

All our plans and goals are still on track, and we are making steady progress on our high desert homestead.

Please feel free to contact us and ask questions or let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
Geoff Goldsborough

JOB Vacancy

2011-08-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

There are a few jobs with the Nevada Division of Forestry. I have tried to contact some of you regarding the position with no avail. Zach maybe you would be interested.

The job is supervising fire work crews on fires, building fences, labor, etc. The pay is around 30k a year. There is health, and life insurance. The medical is o.k. but not the best. The job would require you to walk 3 miles on flat ground with 45 lbs of weight under 45 minutes.

This post is only for Tecoma Valley residents or for Tecoma Valley wanna be's. This may be an opportunity for some of you to finally make the move.

email me at montelloalpacas@gmail.com

Water Harvesting Swales, Permaculture in action.

2011-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have been working on our earthworks for water harvesting. I am more confident now that ever that we will be able to sustain trees with natural precipitation. We can always micro irrigate when we need to. Currently we are irrigating the swales because the new trees we planted are still getting established. Eventually I think I would only have to water them two or three times a summer. I also have some ideas for grass propagation, inspired from permaculture water harvesting techniques. Basically instead of having all water go into swales I will direct a little of it into patches of pasture that have been water level, so that a little water will cover the whole patch. This patch will serve as a seeding patch to seed the rest of the property, seeds being spread naturally by the wind. I would only have two or three leveled pasture patches and have it set up so I can water them easily when I need to to keep the grass green and growing.

A brave new lawn.

2011-07-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

We planted grass. It is going well. Above is the before and after. It is thick but a bit patchy. I will fix the patches, and we will have a nice thick green lawn. It is not very much trouble. We just have to water it every so often. If we can do it on this little patch we can do it on all our property. Eventually we can have a pasture.

KSL Coverage on Tecoma Valley Tower

2011-06-21T09:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=16052879

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

We want to thank Alex Cabrero for coming all the way out here in an effort to serve our community by making the public aware that AT&T has not been keeping their word. The rural voice is often stifled with the clatter and noise the big city makes. In this we have at least one advocate at KSL who has made our voice be heard over the clamor.

Many comments on KSL have the attitude that we are misguided for expecting cell service while being "Off Grid", I find that logic absurd. We pay the same bill as the people posting such comments, yet we are not getting the same service. Perhaps AT&T can come up with a discounted plan for spotty service for us rural second class customers, and apparently second class citizens. After all, we shouldn't expect a large corporation like AT&T to treat all people with equality, and fairness. Or should we?

Like a Snake in the Grass.

2011-06-15T12:45:00.001-07:00

Now that I have had time to do some research, this most likely is a gopher snake. The Bull Snake is a subspecies of the Gopher snake. I spent a lot of my childhood in the high desert, and so I was raised with these. I learned early on the difference between rattlers and gopher snakes. We would often catch the gopher snakes and play with them then let them go. Rattlers we would kill on site. The gopher is a harmless snake to humans. If your a mouse, you wouldn't say it was harmless. Because gopher snakes are natural competitors with the rattle snake, thay act as a deterent for rattlers.

Don't just go around killing snakes unless you have to. If you have time to think, be sure you know what kind of snake it is before handling. But I guess only an idiot would need to hear that.

Shearing Season

2011-06-14T18:59:00.001-07:00

Tis the season to shear alpacas. First year doing electric shears, last year we did the whole herd with hand shears. When I did hand shears it was a nerve racking event, now that I have done electric shears, hand shears seems like a stroll in the park. We are learning as we go, but it is always a bit of a stressful time for us and the alpacas. One crazy thing that happened was that it started hailing while we were shearing. That got things a bit wet, so we had to call it for the day. After things were dried out, we resumed and overall this was the least stressful shearing year. So things are getting easier. Typical alpaca shearing services include having the alpaca sheared, having toenails trimmed, and having parasite treatments of some sort. The average cost is around $35 a head. I'm not quite ready to shear for others yet, but in a few more years, I may give it a try.

Questions?

Hey! Not every post can be a heart pounding adrenaline rush. Sometimes it's just the mundane.

Bare Hand Badger Catch!

2011-06-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

Which is meaner, tougher, smarter, and faster, me or a badger?In case you didn't figure it out, the badger is trapped in this milk crate below me. After over almost two hours of grueling running, chasing, pinning, grabbing, blocking, running some more, I cornered this badger. I couldn't find my gloves, so went bare handed at it until Ellen could get home with the camera. The badger could growl, and his, but I could outdo it on every point. I can growl and hiss louder and more ferociously than just about anything except for a large grizzly or polar bear.
I often write to do lists. Sometimes when I end up doing a large project during the day that wasn't on my to do list, I will write what I did instead on my to do list and cross it off so I can see and feel good about my progress.
So maybe catching a badger isn't 'progress' in a construction point of view, but... ...it was a lot of fun.

Below is a 5 minute video of the badger catch. Enjoy!

Here is another video I saw after I did some research on badgers. I wish I saw it before, I would have kept the badger as a pet, and would have taught it tricks.

Lucky Hot Spot.

2011-06-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

This is the temporary 'phone booth' we set up on top of our shed. Through chance we discovered a hot spot coming from Wendover. We can't send or receive calls unless we are on the roof. But we can check messages, make calls, and even get online without having to go into town.This is not ideal because of the high winds, the hot sun, and cold nights. The connection is so much slower we can't upload pictures or videos, in the daytime the sun makes it so we can't see the computer screen. The calls frequently drop. One time a wind gust came and nearly blew me off the roof. This cute little tent I put up there lasted all of 5 minutes before the wind took it and nearly me as well. Also the wind makes it so you can't hear people on the other line. We have tried to devise safe ways to shelter the wind while on the phone, but in the case of an emergency this is far from an acceptable method. We can't take the baby up there, so this also makes it a problem for making calls when only one of us is at home. So while this picture Ellen took looks serene, it is really a frustrating and risky endeavor for us.

This would be of course our backup plan, it would be better if the tower gets turned on. But we are pretty sure the signal is a Verizon signal, seeing as how our Alltel phones work with them, and we don't have an AT&T account active. With a booster we may well be able to use it without having to climb on the roof. But I know a guy here in the valley who uses a booster and he said it doesn't work that great. Also we want to keep our contract we had with Alltel. So if AT&T decides to wait even a month, we most likely will take action and sign up with Verizon, leaving AT&T behind forever.
There are not a lot of hot spots in the valley, we are lucky to have one on our property. So many other off grid residents are not as fortunate to have a hot spot near their home.

Restore the Tower Now!

2011-06-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

We are talking with Alex, a reporter from KSL. If the story is approved, he will be coming out here to do interviews with residents of the community in an effort to draw attention to the issue and show AT&T how important this tower is for us.

Below is a snippet of the conversation we had with Alltel, and a summary of the one we had with AT&T. It's long and somewhat boring, but a video disclosing some of what we have been posting, that is AT&T leaving our community without service. We have not received any return calls from Gerry Papach in Elko. We have left messages, and no response. We have given them a chance to respond, but now it is time to take this to the next level.

There seems to be a lot of different stories going around, I thought we had a clear idea of the facts, but each time we talk to AT&T we get different accounts of what is going on. So at the least at this point, it would be nice to have some definitive answers.

Cell Service Down, AT&T abandons community

2011-06-04T14:31:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

For those of you locals who read our blog, we just got off the phone with AT&T and Alltel. We had to drive 20 minutes south at that turnoff on Hwy 233 in order to make the calls.

Here is the skinny, the long awaited final transition of our community cell phone tower has finally gone through as of June 3rd 2011. AT&T was suppose to have integrated the tower as of June 1st 2011. Instead however AT&T has shut off the tower with no intention of turning it back on any time soon, if at all. I know that some of you are thinking it is silly for AT&T to buy a bunch of towers from Alltel and then shut them off, but that is exactly what has happened.

AT&T has integrated other Alltel towers south of us along I-80, you know the one you can see on the north side of I-80 at the Pequops on the way to Wells. However they have determined our tower is not worth the trouble. As you all know there are no other service providers in our area. So unless you want to go back to driving to the cell phone turn off on Hwy 233 to make a call, we have got to pressure AT&T to integrate this tower.

Here is what I think our best hope is: If we all contact the manager of the local AT&T store, and let her know there is a public outcry for service. Her name is Gerry (Jerry) Papach, her mobile phone number is 775-934-8550, the store number is 775-738-1590. We have been in contact with Gerry, and she is most familiar with our community and situation, more so than AT&T corporate. Calling AT&T corporate will be something of a waste of time as all they will tell you is that AT&T does not provide service in our area, nor do they plan to in the near future.

I also think people should call the Elko Daily Free Press and see if they will run a story about it. With a headline like "AT&T leaves community without no cell service of any kind" that may pressure AT&T to see the public relations value our tower has. At this point AT&T seems to be saying they care more about money than people.

What do I have in common with Mark Zuckerberg?

2011-05-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

I wish it was our financial status that we shared. Check out this news feed about Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, only eating meat he kills. The video talks abou the ‘kill your own super’ movement? Movement? Well, let’s just say it is a very very old movement.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/05/27/why-would-a-billionaire-slaughter-his-supper/?hpt=C2

Holy Cow! I’m trendy. Yesterday I was just a crazy guy living in the desert, but today I’m a trend setter! Too cool.

The Modern American Frontier

2011-05-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

In response to my Thoreau post, my brother in law Matt Staron sent me one of his favorite books from his youth. Thanks Matt!

The Frontiersman, by Allan W. Eckert is a historically accurate narrative following one Simon Kenton. The backdrop takes place on the American frontier with characters such as Daniel Boone, George Washington, and Tecumseh.

The story starts some years prior to the American Revolution. The publisher and author go to great lengths to inform the reader that no liberties have been taken with the narrative at the expense of historical accuracy. I got it in the mail yesterday, and I am one quarter the way through this 588 page book. It is entertaining to read.

So far what strikes me is the great amount of suffering the early settlers where willing to go through to establish a homestead for their families. They suffered Indian attacks, unfamiliar climates, disease, hunger, frost bite, heat exhaustion, just plain exhaustion from hard work, and death. Yet they endured. The places where these stories took place are now cities and suburbs.

Refrencing my earlier post about Thoreau, there are characters in this book that meet the criteria I mentioned. Men who ventured out to the frontier with their families, to tame a wild land, and settle it permanently. When I am done with the book perhaps I will follow up on some individuals.

At one point in the book, Simon Kenton staked off an area of land near the Kentucky area, and after a peace deal was made with the Shawnee, the white settlers came flooding in.

Where are the floods of settlers today?

Today expansion is taking place, but not in the frontier. If you consider the rate a housing development will be constructed on the edge of a city, it is faster than the development we saw in Simon Kenton’s time. However it is the developer that stands to make a fortune, not the homesteading family, not the bold frontiersman. The homebuyer does not stand to prosper off of their hard work, but only maintain. Maintain the payments, maintain the income, and maintain the lifestyle.

There are few communities spontaneously established in the modern American frontier. Yet technology can allow whole settlements to be put up in a matter of weeks, still there is no collective effort. Except the investments of a few wealthy developers, I see little North American frontier settlement taking place now. Why?

After Ellen and I discussed it, this is what we came up with:

The most prominent reason may be the lack of knowledge.

We have become a specialized society. Even in home building, there are several specialized groups for each part, the drywall guy, the electrician, the plumber, the framer, the roofer, the landscaper. “I don’t know how to build a house” one might exclaim. When we told our acquaintances in the big city of our plans to homestead, many of them would ask in amazement, “have you ever built a house before?” as if we had to have some kind of special qualification to build our own shelter. Yet instead of taking the time to learn to build a home, the same person will put themselves through years of schooling to specialize in a job that provides income to get a home on loan, and thus be strapped to a 30 year mortgage.

Speaking of the mortgage, it is the second reason we feel contributes to the lack of homesteading in the modern American frontier. The mortgage has made it easy for people to buy a house they otherwise would not be able to afford in 30 years. This has been established as the status quo, the norm, the wise investment. But to me it is an illusion. There is no real wealth increase, nor security.

Another factor may be that we have become a cash dependent society. In the past barter and trade was more common, and this could allow one to trade services or goods for the items they needed. I wonder if you go into your local grocery store and offer to work a few hours for the needed items, if the manager will accept that. Maybe some will. But how many of us are willing to ask? A barter trade economy seems to be more flexible, and secure than strictly cash, and that was the economic backbone of the frontier economy so far as I can see.

All these points are connected by one factor. Cash. We specialize occupationally to improve our chances at secure employment to gain cash to buy the things we need, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

But if we can grow our own food, trade for our clothing, and make our own shelter, then what is the point?

What do you think?

We would love to hear from as many people as would like to share.

Eating meat, and finding the truth about diet.

2011-05-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

So I saw this article on CNN today. It was about eating squirrels,

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/05/20/give-squirrel-a-whirl/#comments?hpt=C2

It reminded me of eating squab for the first time in December of 2010. I had some squab for lunch today. I tried it with some lightly steamed cabbage with a balsamic vinaigrette for seasoning. I found the squab went well with the cabbage. The thing I like about the squab is that it is an easy, local, abundant source of meat. It is a protein and fat rich meat, it has more fat than chicken. The thing I dont like about squab is cleaning it. Pulling all those feathers out takes some time. I think I still prefer Cuy to squab, simply becuase its so darn easty to clean.

I have been wanting to eat healthy for so long. It has been a multi year discovery process. Just when I think I figured out the optimum diet, I learn something. But this time I think I may have figured it out. There was a while I wasn't eating a lot of meat meat. I never contemplated vegetarianism, or veganism, I was eating healthy food, but not a lot of meat. I explored the Gerson Diet for a while, and really took to the raw food diet. Recently I read a book called The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan, and then I read some excerpts from The Vegan Myth by Lierre Kieth. I did some more research, watched the film Fat Head on netflix, and subsequently I am eating a lot more of dairy, butter, milk, cheese, and meat. I still don't eat a lot of meat compared to your average American, but it has been a nice change.

So what my ideal diet is now is what Pollan refers to as the Hunter Gatherer diet. I eat raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts. So most of my food is raw still. I eat real butter, Vitamin D milk, dairy of all sorts. I also eat meat. Most meat I eat now I have killed, cleaned, and cooked myself. Eventually I would like to produce my own dairy products as well, either from cow or goat, unpasteurized dairy. Yum. Of course some exceptions must be made while traveling, dinning out, or while as a guest at someone else's house. However there are some things I would hesitate to eat, and may even politely decline regardless of the setting. Things such as heavily processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, any altered corn product for that matter, white flour, processed sugar/salt are all nasty stuff.

So I hesitated to post a video of me being so silly as I was concerned about my credibility, then my wife reminded me that I didn't have any credibility, so I thought "What the heck." It is applicable to the topic, and maybe you will enjoy it.