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| Arriving, December 2017 |
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| A Heron next to the farm building |
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| One of the many Cottonwood along the irrigation ditch |
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| The pond on the property |
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| The Beach |
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| The displays of clouds and light in the valley are stupendous |
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| Cover crops were planted in 2018 (Oats, vetch and cow peas) |
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| Planting tree seedlings for hedgerows and windbreaks |
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| Tree seedlings planted on the predominant windward side of farm building |
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| The lower, dryland part of the property (12 acres) |
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| Cliffs across the river |
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| Pecos River after a storm |
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| Starting to remodel the 320 square foot dwelling on the property |
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| Floors, wiring and plumbing were redone. |
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| The remodeled studio turned out beautiful, functional and cozy |
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| With the feel of a ship's wheelhouse and captain's quarters all at once. |
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| Very cozy right indeed! |
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| Enjoying baking cookies for my friends on Sundays |
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| The Kitchen |
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| and the sink! |
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| and a high tech water activation system! |
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| Honoring the Spirit of Horse |
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| Northern Flicker (Female) on the window sill |
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Coyotes abound around here
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| Unclogging the entrance of a siphon on the irrigation ditch |
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Repairing a breech in the ditch during La Limpia
(Spring cleaning of the Acequia by the community) |
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| The youngest farmer is 43 year-old and my neighbor Kiko (on the left) is 77 |
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| A Desagüe or "relief gate" to flush sand out of the ditch and relieve pressure during storm surges |
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| The entrance of the siphon, where the ditch goes underground along a cliff |
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| River during the 2018 summer drought |
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Installing irrigation lines for the 450 tree seedlings
that were planted for windbreaks and hedgerows. |
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| Flood-irrigating pasture Feb. 2018 |
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| Just a reminder about which way the water is supposed to go! |
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| Ditching for irrigation lines |
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| Enjoying the company of the River |
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Dominique and Amy juggling with Osage Orange seed pods
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| A neighbor who lives at the foot of a giant Osage Orange tree named "Three Feathers" |
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| Another indigenous predator species in the area |
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| Framing the front of the Bunkhouse (lodging for visitors and Interns) |
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| Sweet! |
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| and cozy fun! Will soon be insulated and finished on the inside. |
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| Honoring local Juniper |
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| and local animal Spirits |
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| Rebuilding one of our 5 irrigation gates |
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| Gate works good. |
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| Framing a 70 square foot bathroom and laundry room inside one of the shipping containers |
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| Plumbing with Pex to better withstand freezing |
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| Well, with a little bit of copper where it can't freeze... |
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| Caveman bracing, working alone... |
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| Madame! Senor! |
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This bathroom is for special guests and interns.
Public bathroom soon-to-be-built when we find more money (wink!) |
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| Mid summer evening skies |
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| Loving the inspired effort |
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| Visiting the riverbed as the river dries up in Summer 2018 |
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| Such a peaceful and magnificent place to come listen to what the River has to say |
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| Walking the ditch. Inspecting for debris, leaks or risks of breech from a clog-up. |
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Learning from these neighbors who were born and raised on this land,
and whose ancestors have subsisted on this land for over 200 years. |
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Attending Mass in Anton Chico on Sundays.
Talking with my neighbors and parciantes (one who shares in the communal water) about politics, agriculture, grazing and now hemp! |
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Sorry, I couldn't help!
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| Snow melt water, much clearer than after a storm... |
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| Seed pods from a large Osage Orange tree |
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| Fall already arrived but lingered plenty, and we had water to soak our pasture. |
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Chance, one of my neighbor's dogs, adopted me.
The Dude is a Bomb! On land, water and air. |
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| I told you! |
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Dog pack attempting to capture frogs. Good luck!
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8,400lbs of concrete mix for the foundation footings of the dining hall and camp kitchen addition.
The bridge over the irrigation ditch had to be strengthened to handle heavy loads. |
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| The crew for the bridge rebuild: Thomas and Melanie (neighbors) and Anthony (visiting guest) |
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I love my 1.5" Hitachi hammer drill . It goes into concrete like butter.
Plus, vibrated by the machinery, my whole inner rigidity turns into dust! |
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| Contraption to turn Bobcat's forklift into a crane to hold the 300lbs I-beams into place |
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| Anthony, founder of DreamSpace, trying to treat the dogs with some Italian vegan sausage. |
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| Top planks replaced while a storm is brewing. |
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| 30,000 lbs !!!. No problem. |
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| The crew from FusionLab at work. Professional welders and pipefitters extraordinaire. |
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| No complaining (or teasing!) about my Mexicana-Cubana-Franceses cuisine. |
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| Using recycled steel beams donated by our friends Suzanne and Will Atkinson |
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Again, the 10 foot contraption for the Bobcat's forklift is coming handy to lift and
hold 20 feet long 5 inch angle iron in place while the crew welds. |
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| Taking a short break in the sun after lunch. Fast lunch, fast siesta, back to work. |
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| Working a safe jobsite |
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| Metal frame for the mudroom, camp kitchen and dining hall. |
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| With the pack |
For a more detailed report on our first season on the land,
read our blog post entitled Happy Holidays from all of me at Mil Abrazos
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Mil Abrazos Community Land Trust is a 501(c)3 Donations of cash, stocks, vehicles or material goods are tax-deductible
