Earthship Home near Taos, New Mexico

The summer of 1973 Bob and I started the remodel of an old farmhouse on a small acreage in Larimer County, Colorado, our dream come true. Influenced and enthused by our reading material that included Handmade Houses, by Art Boericke/ Barry Shapiro, Mother Earth News Magazine, Shelter by Shelter Publications out of California, and Peter Rabbit's Drop City Dome book, we decided to build a large addition to the farmhouse in the form of a 5/8, three frequency geodesic dome attached to the story-and-half, sixty-year-old house. 

 

 

Before we got too far into the project we opted to take a driving vacation with our 5-year-old son, Patrick, to southern Colorado and into New Mexico, to visit alternative housing that interested Bob. We visited Drop City, already a ghost town near Trinidad, Colorado, populated with abandoned domes made from triangles of steel chopped out of car tops, then welded together. We took photos of those structures then continued our trip toward the west, our destination about sixty-five miles from Drop City, up into the mountains near Gardner, Colorado, where the former residents of Drop City were establishing a commune they named Libre. We only spent an afternoon there, mingling with the folks, asking a few questions, before heading back to the interstate and south into New Mexico. 

In Taos we rented a motel room and visited the Taos Pueblo the next morning. We three loved that experience immensely and took many photos of the adobe structures built about a thousand years ago. I've written about that and will again. 

 

 

 

 

 

But this story is about another unique housing development on the outskirts of Taos called Earthship. Bob probably read about it in the Denver Post for it garnered a lot of attention in 1970 and 1971 when the first house was started, the Beer Can House. 

 

 

 

The day we drove up to the jobsite two men were working there and were friendly but busy, so we took a few photographs and left them to their project. 

 

 

 

 

 

It inspired us to consider used construction materials and methods in our own house building project, which we did. 

 

 

 

 

 

It kept our costs down and added character and fun memories to every aspect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this story about Earthship and its founder, architect Mike Reynolds, and am happy to know it didn't turn to dust like Drop City. In fact, they have a few rentals now so tourists can experience living in an Earthship in Taos, New Mexico!

 https://share.google/UknMl8mS9sDerT7X7

 

 

 

 

Bob thought this form of construction was similar to adobe but with a different inner core. I've read that others tried it with aluminum cans. I wonder how well this beer can house held up to wind and weather. In today's world there is a housing shortage, especially for young people like we were then, needing an affordable place to live. We've seen Tiny Houses designed to fill that need but there are more and more homeless people on our streets and along streams and railroad tracks. I would like to see more developments like Earthship in Taos.

An Easter to Remember

 

April 1974, Bob and I made a road trip with our friends Jim and Sue Foster, from Waverly, Colorado, south down I-25 all the way to Taos, New Mexico. Driving a 4-door Ford sedan, provided by my employer Union Mfg and Supply Co., the trip was comfortable with plenty of leg room for us long-legged travelers. Jim and Sue were great traveling companions, easy going, never an argument, and quick to laugh. It was a leasurely drive with plenty of stops along the way, to stretch, fill up the gas tank, and visit the restrooms.

In Taos we rented a two-bedroom motel with a kitchenette where we ate some of our meals, mostly breakfast. We learned quirky things about one another such as how Jim liked hot water on his dry cereal rather than the traditional cold milk. 

 

 

 

 

And they were astounded at how many diet Pepsi’s Bob consumed in a day. Jim was trying out new health-enhancing techniques including hanging upside down every chance he got.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visiting Taos Pueblo was a cultural experience for us all. This pueblo has been occupied continuously for over 1,000 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a sovereign nation representing the Tiwa-speaking Taos people. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ate freshly baked bread from the onsite horno oven and marveled at the structures and ancient cemetery. 

 

 

 

 

 

 At a small grocery store Bob loved the group of dogs gathered at the door, led by a cat. Jim was fascinated at the way the dogs took to Bob right away.

 

  

 

 

We found a picturesque jewelry store outside the pueblo where silver and turquoise handmade pieces were offered for sale, but we didn’t buy any jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

We met a group of Jim's friends from his college days, artists who invited us to their studio. An eclectic group whose non-traditional art was exciting and inspiring. This photo of Ruth (on the left) and her friend whose name I have forgotten is one of my favorites from the trip. We went out to dinner with them, too, and I remember it well, because I became upset when one of Jim's friends raised his voice in complaint at dinner. I don't remember what his complaint was but he was certainly vocal about it!

On Easter Sunday we attended an outdoor “Blessing of the Animals”, honoring St. Francis of Assissi. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was chilly and windy that day as we watched the ceremony move along the street, the priest blessing each pet and farm animal brought forward. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrounded by children and animals we felt blessed, too, to celebrate Easter this unique way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our return trip we detoured to Bent’s Old Fort in southeastern Colorado near LaJunta. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I recently read that the adobe structure is in disrepair and needing serious structural reworking, but in 1973 it was beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob and I had visited Bent’s Old Fort with our son Patrick in 1972 and fell in love with the place. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We knew Jim and Sue would appreciated it, too, and they certainly did.

 

 

 

 

Back on I-25 headed north for home we stopped at a rest stop with trees and running water close by. Jim took a photograph of me while Sue walked along the creek gathering stones and bark and other odds and ends which she used to make a charming impromptu  arrangement of nature’s bounty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there were several hours of driving, talking, and listening to music on the radio. We were all grateful to the grandparents for keeping our children while we experienced an extraordinary Easter in New Mexico.