Richmond Woods: Forty Acres and a What?!

Purchase and Location

I bought this property in 2005 and named it Richmond Woods for my father who taught me about nature and respect for the wild. It's located in Alabama near the Alabama/Georgia state line. The small nearby village of Mentone, AL has been a mountain retreat for 150 years for people escaping the summer heat of Birmingham and Atlanta. My companion, Carolyn, has helped me every step of the way.

A Cottage in the Woods
When you were little, did someone read fairy tales to you? Invariably, there was mention of a cottage in the woods. Our plan is to build such a place: handmade, no architect plans, buying local materials or using salvaged materials. The purpose of this blog is to document our progress.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Forty Acres and a What?!

No. I did not get a mule with my forty acres. Not even an old gray mare. But this past weekend, I did pick up an old gray market tractor. That is what they call an import that was not officially sanctioned. In other words, my Kubota L1500 was never officially allowed to be imported into the country because it did not meet government safety standards. But somehow, it got in and now it is mine.

It was purchased from an individual down below Birmingham and hauled up here on a borrowed equipment trailer with my Trailblazer. Thank you, Randy, for your trust and your generosity.

Getting the tractor and implements on the trailer was pretty easy. Getting them off proved to be sort of exciting. Sorry I do not even have a still of this event much less some video. Then again, it might be best unremembered.