With the plan in place and our trusty Mascot, Piper, now we needed a crew…
We had a few people at the beginning of the project who weren’t necessarily equipped to handle the wildness. Then we found Terry! He was a Mississippi boy who could handle ANYTHING! Need to clear some trees? No problem. Need to move some gigantic boulders? No Problem. He saw the plan and was all in to help make it happen. Stephen and Terry worked for months to strategically clear the property to get ready for the units. They realized after a bit that they couldn’t do it all themselves, so it was time for another Craigslist ad to get a full crew in place.
After one call, we had our crew! The universe was looking out for us. Matt called us and said he was ready to work and had a crew as well, so we were all set. Right?
Not only did Matt have a crew, he had his own place to stay and asked if a School Bus could fit through the front gate. Well, we tested it with a 40’ shipping container, so he would be just fine! Two days later, Matt and his family of seven rolled up on the “White Eagle” School bus and our lives would never be the same! They were the most incredible crew you could ever hope for and got started on the project upon arrival.
Let’s introduce you to the crew… Matt and Jamaica were the Jefes. With them, they brought two strapping young men, Jordan and Eric, who were incredibly crafty and strong, as well as four little helpers, Lennon, Tristan, River and Zachy! (Ages 5, 4, 3 & 2). We hired one more hand to make it a crew of five and were off to the races! With the crew and plan in place, the days ran together a bit. But it wasn’t long until we had all of the locations scoped out, the roads cleared to navigate the property, and started ordering materials to build the shelters. Luckily Terry’s wife had a design background and gave us some pointers on our more traditional structures.
We had to remind ourselves that we just needed to tackle ONE task at a time and it would be doable. With Ruben cheerleading us and confirming this was IN FACT doable… we trudged on!
With the clock ticking on the rental equipment, we knew we had limited time to get everything done, so we worked around the clock. After a quick lesson even Piper and I were digging the utility lines and clearing trees! At first, I was a little scared to jump on the big equipment, but after some instruction and the realization of what I could do with the power of a bulldozer, I couldn’t stop! Picking up a 500 pound stone or clearing a tree for the perfect view, makes you feel invincible! After that, I kept asking the guys if I could get on the machines when they were done for the day :)
Knowing that Piper couldn’t be with Stephen and I both all the time, maybe it was time for another mascot?
Flying over ranch when I found the listing Moving boulders with the dozer Creating 30 foot bonfires regularly
The first part of the project took one year, 16 hour days of working to the bone, with a tight knit crew of six amazing, creative and hard-working people you'll find.
Bringing Oli home to the Airstream had its challenges, so luckily our in-laws were kind enough to let us share their house until… the first dome was complete! We lived with Oli in our Morii dome for about 6 weeks and created some of my favorite memories during that time.
