Am I crazy? This is what I'm asking myself right now. I just bid on 10 acres of land on eBay without seeing the property, without a plat map, without photos, without any knowledge whatsoever of the specific property other than it is 10 acres in the middle of the chihuahuan desert in Texas near Big Bend. On a good windy day with wind at my back and a hot load in my 30-06 or World War II Russian rifle, I might be able to actually hit Big Bend if I aimed up high in the sky. It is literally in the middle of nowhere in a depressed economy in a depressed economic region with no jobs, no markets, no gas stations, no cable TV, no power poles, no phone cables, I'm certain it has rocky sandy soil. Soil? You call that soil? Haaa! The loam and clay elements have long since been carried away in the wind and spread all over the prairies I'm sure. This is so different from California's Central Coast where in the summer time the golden grass meets the deep green chapparal or Live Oak woods. Over here we have water at least. Right where I live, the water table is measured in feet. Out in Big Bend Texas, you might be better off measuring the water table in hundreds of yards. I don't know. I'm kind of hoping I lose this auction. It's a rare auction. Started at 99 cents and is a "total purchase price" auction. I bet someone would spend about $20,000 putting in a well on this property seeing they might have to drill halfway to China.
Well, a couple of positives. Taxes are low. I think it's $75 a year. There is no building and safety commission to interfere with someone who would want to build say.. a papercrete home. A few dump trucks of topsoil and a well and you could think about raising a small garden to keep food on your plate. Hunting for meat? Well, heck, that's all around, and cheep too. Texas loves hunters. A few cows, a few goats, some chickens.. small garden.. solar electricity, compost toilets, water for garden and showers and cooking and cleaning, not much is required really. Actually this property is starting to sound a wee bit nice. Eh?
Come to think of it, that sandy earth in the ground there, that just might be the aggregate necessary for a perfect papercrete mixture. Oh, and come to think of it, the dry climate.. why.. someone could order a dump truck of cement and just leave it out under a tarp (to keep the wind from carrying it off) and use it as required, rather than only risking keeping small amounts handy.... y'know, now this is really starting to sound like doable.
I dunno... I might still be crazy though..
