Texas,West of the Pecos

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The house is about 30 years old, constructed of concrete stabilized adobe.  The exterior walls are about a foot thick.   The interior walls are adobe too. The "windmill" is an old wind powered generator which was used to charge batteries for a low voltage electrical system.  The property is now on the Rio Grande Electric Cooperative system so the old generator is now yard art.

The blue trim paint was a bit weathered and faded.  We repainted the trim  - you guessed it - RED! The house has a porch on the front (east) side and another full-length porch on the back (west) side.  The porches shade the house and provide a good place to "set a spell" in both the mornings and evenings.

The kitchen is finished with rustic ranchwood cabinets, and a Saltillo tile floor.	The bathroom has an old clawfoot tub, and stone flooring.

The living room has adobe walls, a Saltillo tile floor,and a large stone fireplace.  The bedrooms have Saltillo tile floors too.	The stonework, made with Bouqillas stone, is nice inside and out.

	Kathy, the lovely lady who sold us the property planted and cultivated several cactus gardens on the property.  When Paul found cactus for sale at the local grocery store back in Kansas, he decided this has all the makings of a Cactus Ranch.  We're thinking the "P&V Land and Cactus Company" has the right ring to it.

Did we mention the rock and cactus?  12 Acres of it!  No need to have a lawnmower!

There is an old shop building, towards the highway from the house.  The building is long and narrow, with a large carport and an additional unfinished room attached.  It has a long porch on the front (east) side.  We plan to refinish part of this building as guest quarters for the visitors we expect.  Meanwhile, there is always the second bedroom in the house, and the sofa sleeper in the living roon too.

The shop building fronts on the highway and was originally built to be a small general store.  Kathy, from whom we bought the property, used it for a craft shop.  There is plenty of room for us to use it for our motorcycles.  The house is to the south of the store and set back further from the road.

The property includes some other "stuff" too, including a crude 3 sided metal building open on one end but with a concrete floor, an elevated water storage tank, and a 1961 Chevrolet Viking C60 truck with a water tank for hauling water.  There is a well drilled on the property - it doesn't have a pump and its producing capacity is unknown.  The previous owner(s) found hauling water less expensive than a well, if not easier.  The water comes from a well at a Bentonite mine about 3 miles away.  We are installing a rainwater catchment system for domestic water.  Until we get a good "drinking water" filtration system installed, our water for drinking and cooking will come from the mine or from Alpine.  However, bathing and washing hair with the soft rainwater is priceless!!  Eat your heart out, Culligan!

The property is at the edge of a plain in the desert, with hills rising in the distance in all four directions.  The views, and the sunsets and sunrises are truly spectacular.

We do have neighbors.  There are a few other houses located along the highway to the south.  One new house has just been built on the other side of the highway about a mile north.  Houses, cabins, and other getaways are scattered throughout the desert west and east of the highway, south of us.  Our nearest neighbor is just across the road and a little bit south us.  Our 2nd closest neighbor is the Cowhead Ranch - trail riding and boarding for horses.  To visit the Cowhead Ranch pages CLICK HERE.