Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Septic / Road / Dam

The septic is finished and A.G. had to have a place to dump all the rubble from the dig since it was almost totally huge rocks. Normally he digs a big hole dumps the debris in it and covers it with dirt. That didn't work for this place because its all rock. I've been entertaining the idea of a damn in the wash out back of this property so I asked him if he would just dump it in the wash to make a damn. He was kind enough to do it so now I have a dam back there. Will be interesting to see if it works. If it works the pond won't be real deep and I think the rocks are too big to wash out so maybe it will hold up. Of course it may have the same fate as JW's damn though? I guess time will tell. The road you see in the above picture was graded out by A.G. to allow the dump truck to get back there. (Another bonus from the septic system.)

The road goes from the front of the property to the back and the firing range will be moved to the south to put it out of the pond area.

And a couple of other pictures for the heck of it. Sage bush blooming and looking out at the rain/wind storm the other night. You can barely make out a very low rainbow in the last picture.


30 comments:

  1. what a place to pick to live,,,
    i do see the rainbow tho.

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  2. Septic Done, a Bladed Road, Hauled Off Material; A lot goin on and gettin done. Thanks for the contact info for AG.

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  3. Getting it all in order. Looking good. Now, I want to see pictures of the dam especially after a rain.

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  4. TnT, If I had it all to do over again knowing what I know now I'd have probably picked a cooler place to live. I'm stuck with it now so have to make the best of it.

    JP, Now all I need is some more rain to soak down all of the loose dirt (Both in the road and where the septic is) so I won't be eating dirt every time the wind blows.

    DD, when we get another good rain (If we ever do) I'll post pictures. I hope it works and holds up!

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  5. Looking forward to seeing the pics of the dam.

    Do you have any contact info for the guys you're using for grading and stuff? We'll be picking up our land hopefully within the next month or two and the first thing I want to do is get a road cut, spot leveled for the building, berm built up for shooting, etc.

    Just keep telling yourself that the heat is bearable. Get setup so you get a good, cool nights sleep and the days will be OK.

    Chris Miller
    Our180.com - One Family's Journey To Finding True Happiness

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  6. BTW.... just wanted to say that I appreciate that you actually reply to the comments on your blog. It gets tiring posting on other blogs where the authors just seem to be talking to themselves and not their readers.

    Chris Miller
    Our180.com - One Family's Journey To Finding True Happiness

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  7. You should have a BYOT party, bring yer own toilet paper.


    btw I do grading and roads in case your interested, also am connected with a survey crew .

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  8. Chris, the guy that put the septic in is the one that cut the road, but the only reason he did that was to allow the dump truck to get down to the wash without getting a flat tire / tires. He probably doesn't do that kind of work normally. There are several people down here that do that, but I haven't used them so don't know cost or quality of work. One of the blog followers is supposed to bring a backhoe down when he moves here. Maybe you'll could get together?

    I feel the same about blogs and that's why I try to answer all posts. I figure if someone asks a question or says something they deserve an answer.

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  9. Nick, guest get to use the It'll Du and I get to use the real deal. ;)

    BTW you owe me $50 bucks for advertising on my blog.

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  10. "Nick, guest get to use the It'll Du and I get to use the real deal."

    jajajajaja...guess you won't be getting any women guests :)

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  11. Glad everything is falling in place Tffn. Hope your dam works out as well.

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  12. Tffn, I have been reading of your adventure for two years now and I can say that it appears that you have turned the corner down there. progress is steady, but moving in the right direction.

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  13. Meant men guest MsB. Especially ones that wear cowboy hats and go by Nick.

    Hope the dam works to MsB.

    Larry, the afternoon heat is sure slowing down the progress. The high wind isn't helping much either.

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  14. I will second C Miller, it's refreshing to see that you 'talk' with your guests on the blog. There are other blogs that I follow and will post a comment or question only to be ignored.

    Looks like everything is falling into place with your place! Keep up the good work.

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  15. QKid, I know I have the same complaint about some blogs I follow. One in particular. ;)

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    1. Ok, I'll start replying to your comments on my blog... :)

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    2. Shadowmoss, I've made a few and think you replied to them?

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  16. So much progress! I'm impressed, though I will use the inside toilet ; )

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  17. Denese, you will do ok if you don't change your name to Nick and start wearing a cowboy hat. ;)

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  18. Hey Complaints? How about some contact info please? I went to your profile and nothing there?

    If it is $50 bucks per poat / ad you making decent money off of Chris.
    FYI, I used Chris's contact us page and did not get a reply?

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  19. Yey! A working gov't approved septic system!That's progress!

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  20. SUERTE, probably a matter of time before everyone in the boonies has to have one. Now water to flush it is another story.

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    1. Using potable water to flush toilets has got to be the most irresponsible action ever down here. I don't care if the system is free - I'll stick with composting toilets.

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  21. Potable Water? There's very little of that down here. I wouldn't drink the stuff from Cowboy Mine or the Ranch either even though some do. Maybe filter the hell out of it and add bleach before that. The water ends back up in the underground supply and doesn't wind up being evaporating out of the composted poop or being used by the down south country because of run off. Do as you like....

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  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. It's kind of amusing to hear people talk about being "irresponsible" for flushing toilets with a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water. There really is no shortage of water in Texas when it comes to handling the human population, documented or otherwise. Certainly rainwater collection alone could ensure enough h20 for sanitation and survival needs.

    The shortage is in political vision unless we are talking about toll roads 1/2 mile wide connecting Houston Dallas and San Antonio built with tax dollars and run by the French! Luckily that guy tried to run for President and had to back down.

    East Texas and other parts of country have massive amounts of water that a low tech pipeline could deliver anywhere. How did Southern California prosper when it's actually a desert? Pumping water from Nevada in exposed concrete rivers much like the Romans did for thousands of years. Granted it was politically charged decision in California even 100 years ago but they did it and the results are remarkable. Yes they have backed off the sprinkler systems beautifying the freeways and they continue to seek efficient ways to use the highly renewable water resource. It's not like the water is consumed forever. Every drop ever used in World history is still here and reused every day.

    Industrial use of water to frac oil and gas is hugely available in Texas. Coal powerplants have all they need. A little planning and a few capital projects and Texas could have what California has enjoyed since 1913. To say nothing of harnessing free wind power to help move and pay for it, all primarily held up by a few interests who don't want a powerline spoiling their ranch's view...

    Since the world has not ended and is not likely for hundreds of thousands of years (sorry all those who think otherwise), we need to move on constructively.

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  24. Has rj been to Turdlingua? When I left about a year ago it had not rained in more than eight months.

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  25. The key to an effective rainwater collection system is proper storage capacity. In Central Texas, based on the 1950's drought, that capacity may equal 40,000 gallons. Often new homes in this area that are built exclusively for rainwater usually specify a tank or series of tanks with a capacity of 20,000 to 40,000 gallons. That's considered adequate for homeowner needs over a drought of several years, but does include not major irrigation requirements. Some use separate gray water capture for irrigation purposes. In addition, aerobic septic systems are specified with sprinkler system discharge, which can help plant life with direct first stage recycling, although this source is not recommended for food production. Tanks are often single unit 40,000 gallon metal sided although some will build a tank farm of perhaps eight 5,000 gallon poly units.

    In some cases, extra rainwater collection surfaces are added to ensure significant collection during major rain events.

    With all that said, my primary thesis was not rainwater, but new water pipelines to serve under-resourced areas.

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  26. tffnguy, I am trying to get conctact info for 'Complaints'. I think you called him Nick? You got any?

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  27. OGR&D, I think he probably subscribes to this blog via email so maybe he can contact you. That's about the best I can do.

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