One of the often asked questions I get about our off-grid place in Big Bend is, “How far is it to your cabin?” My tongue-in-cheek reply is, “The cabin is only a 9 hour and 60 minute drive away.”

The drive is no longer an issue. Cheryl and I enjoy the windshield time and have our scheduled stops along the way which, of course, include Buc-ee’s and Dairy Queen — two road trip must-stops in Texas.

Because the cabin is on the other side of the Lone Star State from Katy, we have to make the most of every visit. That means careful planning and coordinating of projects to get things done. And because I find the different kind of work I do at the cabin relaxing, I get to kill two birds with one stone — getting things done while relaxing.

Cheryl and I spent the past week at the cabin. Because I only have two weeks between trips to Uganda and Rwanda, we wanted to at least spend a few days together at the cabin. So, another quick but relaxing drive across Texas.

The goal of our recent trips have been to get the guest cabin completed. Although we have had friends use the cabin in its incomplete state, we are excited about making it even more comfortable.

In the weeks before this trip, I made a rustic frame for an area map to hang at the cabin. This little map will at least serve as a point of reference for guests to get oriented to what is available to do in nearby Study Butte and Terlingua Ghost Town.

I also hung an old photo of Judge Roy Bean’s place in Langtry. My grandfather was the first to tell me stories about Judge Roy Bean. I first saw the historic photo when I was a kid. Judge Leo Gonzalez, who rented office space from my grandfather, had a larger version of this photo hanging in his office. So, I had to hang a copy in the cabin.

I finished the walls in the bathroom of the guest cabin. Over the past months, I have cut and sanded cedar fence boards to make my own econo-version of rustic shiplap siding for the walls and ceiling of the bathroom. I am happy with the results.

The next step was to hang the mirror. I recently framed a mirror I purchased at Lowe’s with reclaimed lumber and added stars to the corners. My goal was to make a rustic-look Texas themed mirror. In retrospect I wish I had used a smaller mirror for the space but am still happy with the results.

On our earlier visit, our neighbor Chris Smith, whose place is a couple of miles from our cabin, gave us a new shower pan that he decided he was not going to use at his new cabin. Turns out that it fit the space perfectly in our guest bathroom.

I installed the shower pan and ran the PVC plumbing under the cabin to a French drain on the side of the cabin. I then added corrugated metal panels for walls and then trimmed out the face of the shower stall. I will install the shower curtain and rod on our next visit. I love the rustic look of the shower stall.

My neighbor Joe is my go-to electrician and solar guru in the area. He found time in his schedule do more work on our electrical and to install the solar power inverter. The inverter will take the DC power collected by our soon-to-be-installed solar panels and convert it to AC power stored in the new Lithium batteries that will power the cabin.

Another quick item on my task list was to extend the area where we keep our fire wood. We always enjoy campfire time with the neighbors, which includes making s’mores. So, firewood is essential. We always transport firewood every time we visit the cabin, thus the need for more storage space.

Finally, I still had time to set some cedar posts along the fence line of our southwest tract. I did have to clear an area along the southern part of the tract to set more posts. I now only have about 660-feet of remaining fence line requiring cedar posts.

And, as always when we visit the cabin, we enjoyed hosting a “block party” for our closest neighbors — those within a few miles radius. We always enjoy our time with these friends and are grateful that when we are away they watch over our place.

And now, we are back in the suburbs. It’s time to start packing for my upcoming trip to Rwanda. Life is back in fast-mode again. But, we are refreshed because of our time in the vast expanses of Big Bend and the opportunity to take a few more small steps in the Chihuahuan Desert