ArizonaRanch

  LittleHouse – Breaking Ground by admin on Oct.12, 2004, under Foundation Breaking Ground 10/05/2004 Well, it’s getting pretty close to our six-month progress inspection. So we decided to take a break from building the wash house and make a start on the Little House. Here, I am digging the pier holes with a one-man auger we rented from United Rental in Prescott. We picked up the auger on Thursday on the way up from Mesa, and returned it on Friday morning. That really cut into the time we had to work.   Digging Piers Digging Pier Holes 10/05/2004 We figure that if we have the piers in by the inspection date in December, that we will have shown “significant progress” that the county is looking for. We need to dig a total of 24 piers. We need 12 for the 14′ x 24′ cabin structure. In addition we decided to use 12 for the 8′ x 24′ attached porch. We could have gotten by with only 6 for the porch, and supported it by the ledger, but we felt it would b...

  Washhouse Shower Installation by admin on Sep.05, 2004, under WashHouse Shower Base September 2nd, 2004. This trip, our goal was to install the shower base, and plumb it to the sewer line. We built the wall on the right to support that end of the shower. Next, we mixed a mortar and layed it on the subfloor under the shower area to provide a solid level base for it. To complete this bathroom we will be doing a sink and toilet installation right away to get all the plumbing set up.   Shower Base September 2nd, 2004. Here is a view of the motor mix applied to the subfloor under the shower base.   Morter Subbase September 2nd, 2004 Here, you can see the 3″ main drain line extending from one end of the wash house to the other. As the toilet and sink are installed, they will be connected to it, too. The “P” trap is for the shower drain. It traps water to prevent sewer gasses from entering the shower stall.   Shower Trap September 2nd, 2004. Here...

  Labor Day Celebration 2004 by admin on Sep.05, 2004, under Seasons The Goal… September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Wayne (HW) and Tara talk about the right way to do things… This is Bruce & Lydia’s home about a mile from us. Totally off-grid solar, with all the trimmings.   Bruce & Lydia's place Labor Day BBQ September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Bruce and Wayne K. grill some outstanding Alaskan King Salmon while Tara observes. The other Wayne caught the fish on his fishing trip to Alaska. It was the best salmon I had ever eaten.   Grilling Labor Day BBQ, too. September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Here is the Wayne that caught the fish.   Murphy at the Cookout Solar Setup September 3rd, 2004. Afternoon. Here is Bruce & Lydia’s Solar System. An array of 16 55 watt panels is supplemented by a couple of 120 watt panels to supply all of their electrical needs. They use washer/dryer, microwave, etc.   Solar Setup Water Storage September 3r...

  September 2004 at the Ranch by admin on Sep.05, 2004, under Seasons September Fall is arriving in the hill country. It’s a little cold in the morning, but warms up to a very nice working temperature in the afternoon. The grass and trees are still pretty green from the summer rains. Neighbor’s View September 3rd, 2004. Late Afternoon Here is the view from Bruce and Lydia’s front yard. They are about a mile down the road from us. Fall is arriving to the high country. It was 46 degrees when we woke up this morning.   Neighbor's View   Spiders September 4th, 2004. Morning. This guy had been staying on our tent trailer all weekend. We saw him hiding under a tail light when we arrived, and here he was hiding behind the door when we were packing to leave.   Big Brown Spider on Tent Trailer Big-un… September 4th, 2004. Morning. He looks to be about two or three inches across…   Closeup of Spider

  More Washhouse Building Aug 2004 by admin on Aug.30, 2004, under WashHouse Shade Damage On our next trip, in mid-August, we had a monster dust-devil come through camp about 10 minutes after setting up our shade canopy. It ripped out all the tent stakes and pins that were holding the structure down. Guess we need some bigger ones! The tarp was ripped a bit at a spot which doesn’t really matter, and some of the joints got bent. We straightened things up, and it looks like the shade structure will still work ok.   Ramada Blew Over Door Fixed On our last trip, we installed the door, but were not happy with it, as we had forgotten the level necessary to do a good job. So on this trip (Mid August), I took the door and frame completely off and started over. The door now opens and closes as it should, with no binding or gaps. In addition, I used spray latex foam to seal around the door frame, and added a door sill and doorknob with lock. Finally, I added a...

  Shade Structures by admin on Aug.30, 2004, under Shade Structures Shade Structures There are a few basic things you need to be comfortable while building at the ranch. One of the first things you need is some type of shade to seek refuge in. Here is our solution to that problem.   Camp Site Shade Canopy 06/10/2004 We would like to build a permanent shade ramada for picnics and cookouts in the future. With the little house permit in place, we decided that it would be best for now to use a temporary shade structure. Our first attempt did provide shade, but was way too flimsy to stand up to the winds we get up here.   Temporary Shade Canopy Shade Canopy2 This one is a little more sturdy. It is 10′ x 20′ and is 6′-8″ at the sides. The tarp is held in place by elastic cords with little balls on the end to make fastening/unfastening easy. It also came with sides, but we think we will seldom use them. Cost – $180 at Sams Club in Mesa.   Better ...

  August at the Ranch by admin on Aug.25, 2004, under Seasons August Monsoons Continue The complete month of August usually consists of clear skys in the mornings, clouding in the afternoons, with good chances for rain in the area. It doesn’t always rain exactly where you are, but you can usually see some from where you are. North Wash August 21st, 2004. Afternoon. The north was shows signs of recent water flow, and a growth of nice green vegetation.   North Wash in August Recovering Meadow August 21st, 2004. Afternoon. The meadow is starting to recover from the abuse it took while installing the septic system last spring. It still has a ways to go, but hopefully fall/winter rains will help.   Meadow Recovery Local Visitors August 21st, 2004. Afternoon. On our last two trips up here, we have had the rabbits walking right through camp, and grazing nearby. Once we move, they will let us get about 40 feet away from them before they move a few...