The
First Year (1971): A Homestead in the Mountains
In the morning we traveled the first-gear road into the backcountry and
mostly uphill. The road followed a creek on our left side and the sandy
terrain was deeply cut by gulches and covered with grass and pine trees.
The farther we traveled, the sweeter was the smell of the pines. After
about seven miles we encountered the first dwelling -- a waddle and dab
shanty. Here lived Dagoberto (the cattle wrangler of the land owner) and
his wife Mercha and their three small children. They offered us coffee,
tortillas and homemade cheese. Little did we know then, how much we would
grow to appreciate their warm hospitality and a place to rest, after we'd
made a supply trip to the valley, and still had three more miles to walk
before reaching home.
For now Dagoberto told us how to get to the northern edge of Don Mauro's
land. We needed to drive two more miles, go right at the fork by the river
(the left road went up to Amparo, Don Mauro's Coffee farm) and go about
one more mile until the drivable road ended at a steep downward incline.
Following his directions we drove to the river and to the right, went
up the steepest incline we had experienced so far, with a 200 foot drop
down to the stream bed. We wondered what the rains would do to this little
sandy road hugging the side of the cliff. Two more miles and we reached
the end of the drivable road where we got out and started looking around.
Here, the road was on a crest, which dropped off sharply to the east and gently to the west. Facing west, off to the right, the terrain led straight away and then slopped upward toward a pine covered mountain. Off to the left, the land slopped downward toward a gulch. Pine trees and a few oaks were scattered here and there but the area between the road and the mountain and the gulch was mostly open and covered with grass and brush. We liked what we saw and drove the truck off the road, about 200 feet toward the mountain, and pitched our tent.
We slept our first night on the slope of the mountain we would later
learn was known as Sangarro.
For the next two days we explored the land and at some point we were joined
by Dagoberto to help us measure off what we wanted. I don't remember any
conversations about should we or shouldn't we. We had found our place
and now we just needed to build our dream. We ended up defining eighty
acres (50 manzanas), a rectangular piece (500 by 1,000 yards or varas)
which paralleled the road and went 500 yards up the mountain. We had purchased
pasture, pine forest, and to the north, a piece of mountain land which
changed from pine to highland jungle. It wasn't until June 30th that we
went to town, paid for the land and received title.
Not far from where we had first pitched our tent we discovered a swampy
area. The swampy area formed the head end of a small creek. To the west
and south of this area was about five acres of relatively flat land for
building and gardens. On the upper edge of the swamp we dug a hole about
three fee wide and three feet deep. The bottom of the hole filled with
about six inches of water. We had struck gold!
We moved the tent closer to our water hole and started to dig and bail
- dig and bail. I think it took us about three days to create a six foot
wide, eight foot deep hole lined with stones which we hauled from the
creek. We ran our plastic tubing from inside the well down the slope to
a flat area overlooking the gulch and created suction in the tube. We
now had running water from our wishing well.
We designated the end of the tubing as our future house site, but now
turned our attention to making the tent more livable. As luck would have
it there was a bush saw mill about five miles back down the road and off
to the east. The mill was run by a Mississippi lumberman by the name of
Troy Ivy. Maybe we gave him a couple dollars for the lumber we hauled
in; more likely he said "Just take what you need."
During the next few months we built a 2 x 8 platform (which included
a porch/kitchen), 1 x 8 walls and a roof of sheet metal (bought in Ocotal).
We literally built a little minors shack around the tent. Although this
may sound a bit strange, it was our refuge from insects, wind, rain and
dirt for more than a year. We worked and worked and worked - digging,
planting, building - but at the end of a day (and sometimes for an afternoon
break) we'd leave our clothes on the porch, sponge off, and enter, through
the zippered door, to our clean, soft, fabric home.
During March, April and the first part of May it was hot and dry, though
cool at night. We wondered what the rainy season would be like - it was
supposed to begin on May 15th. As I recall we wanted to get rid of the
truck so that we wouldn't have to worry about the road washing out, and
indeed, we did sell it before the rains began - and the rains began on
May 15th!
For the next four months we cleared land and planted gardens. About every
two weeks we'd make the 20 mile round trip to town (San Fernando) for
basic supplies and mail. Maybe once a month we'd take the bus on into
Ocotal for banking or building supplies. Our basics consisted of sugar,
salt, flour, rice, beans and coffee. The walk out was basically downhill
and always easy. The trip back, however, was sometimes difficult and,
as I've mentioned, the stop at Dagoberto and Mercha's was always a welcome
rest. Once or twice I remember sleeping on the trail, in the dark, to
gather strength for the last mile home.
Our meals improved when our vegetable gardens started to produce. I remember
with the first lettuce and radish crop I announced to Elizabeth that from
then on, "if it didn't come from our farm, I wouldn't eat it."
That afternoon she baked one of her cinnamon bread specialties, which
cured me quickly.
At some point we received news of my brother Gary's October wedding in
New York and we were ready for a break. I think we flew into Houston and,
after eating one dozen Dunkin Donuts, we made our way to Austin. There
we visited my Austin family and worked on a construction job for a week,
then on to Omaha. From there we drove with my Mother to New York. After
a fun time at the wedding we went to Colorado to visit my sister Mollie
and her husband Glenn. With Glenn's help we purchased a jeep, a rifle
and a small 6-shot revolver and headed south again. Elizabeth was five
months pregnant.
The trip back to the farm in the jeep took ten days. The strongest memory
of the trip back was at the Guatemala/El Salvador Border. First a soldier
searched through and under the jeep. As he crawled under the jeep my heart
started to pound because the rifle was duck taped onto one of the main
frame pieces. He crawled back out! (later I looked under to look and saw
that the road dust had done a near perfect job of camouflage. Next they
took me into a shed and strip-searched me. After the ordeal, and the usual
payments, we drove on (never to import guns again). The revolver was in
the pregnant lady's underwear! - smart lady!!
Back at the farm we went to work. We continued work in the gardens and started construction of our hexagonal home. We read mid-wife manuals and made preparations for the baby. We were one hundred percent sure we could have our baby on the farm. As always, Elizabeth worked at least as long and hard as I. The due date came. Days continued to pass. I remember a kind of surreal time of waiting and wondering -- maybe even three weeks past the anticipated date. And then, one evening, Elizabeth came back into the tent saying "the baby is coming!"