Homestead Texas

Sometime in the Spring of 2015 Kit and I started seriously looking for that piece of land in the country that we would retire on.

We wanted something that would appeal to all of our combined outdoor interests:
- Gardening
- Raising animals
- Flying
- Shooting

Which led to other requirements:
- 10-30 acres of woods and pasture far away from any city yet close enough to visit family in the Austin area, and that we could afford
- Good soil, or good enough to be amended
- Some stretch long enough to operate the RV-6 in comfort
- Water and power available

That search took a while.
Some properties met some requirements, some properties even met all (and were located next to a mining operation), but a property did finally turn up that we thought fit the bill and on 31 August, it became ours.

Homestead Texas (AKA "The Farm") is 20.7 acres of land 4 miles from the booming metropolis of Davilla, TX (population 248) which is, in turn, way to hell and gone out in the sticks North and East of Austin.
The address is:

9947 S FM 1915
Buckholts TX 76518

The unimproved land had been used for hay production for years, but it was as raw as what the settlers must have found when they came "Out West" in their covered wagons.
The first 12" of soil is generally sandy loam, but under that, depending on where you are, we get into Black Land Prairie, red clay or gravel.
Out neighbor says, when describing his installation of fencing, this is the only land he's lived on where the soil was different in every fence post hole he dug.

Here is The Grand Plan (as of 3 March, 2017) - a layout for a combined homestead (a family farm) including residences for Travis, Tammy, Wyatt and William, and Mike and Kit.
Within a few years we expect Homestead Texas to be an income-producing concern (wait - didn't someone say something about retiring??) providing farm fresh eggs, organic in-season fruits and vegetables, local honey, goat milk products, grass-fed goat and sheep meat to local Farmers Markets and restaurants. We may raise a beef or two for our own consumption, but we haven't enough pastureland to raise grass-fed beef for market purposes.

There will be a guest cabin, a large garden surrounded by fruit and nut tree orchard, with beehives, woods for exploring and 8 acres of pasture for critters which we expect to include goats and sheep, and maybe, eventually, a couple head of cattle. They will have a pole barn and a 1/4 acre tank (Texas talk for "big pond") for water.
The Plan includes a 100-yard rifle range, a 400 yard rifle range and a 25-yard pistol range.

The two residences will draw their water from above-ground rain tanks, filled from roof runoff, filtered and pumped into the houses.

City water is on the property and will be used as a back up source.

We're looking at solar energy for all buildings (note they are all oriented North/South) but co-op power will also be available for summer air conditioning. Solar water heating will also be employed.

The East side of the property provides a 1,200 grass landing strip which is a comfortable length for the RV. Perhaps down the road a hangar will be in plan but for now we'll keep the bird hangared at Taylor (T74).

You can use the links below to follow our adventures, antics and progress.

Ground Breaking
Clearing For The Cabin
Labor Day
Labor Day II
The Tractor
The Tractor Barn
The Cabin
The Truck Patch
The Bee Yard
The Hay Field
The Project Trailer (mobile shop)
The Pasture
The Barndo