Help us save the Tripe R Homestead, our home in the desert!

Camping out on the homestead.

We bought this property in north Joshua Tree 12 years ago. In 2016, after the loss of Chris' mother to cancer, we made a drastic lifestyle change, downsized from a 2 bedroom home to a 30' travel trailer to pursue our dreams of living a more sustainable life and build a future for ourselves and our children.

Our plan is to build an earthbag home, raise farm animals and a garden to feed ourselves and to share/sell the extra to our local community. We're aiming to be as self-sufficient as possible here on the Triple R Homestead.

Last family portrait with Chris' mom


We are both self-employed and have few bills since we live off-grid.  Any monies we have after paying our monthly financial obligations has been going into building on our property.  One of those bills is our annual property taxes.


Husband and son building together.  This is our bathhouse (combo outhouse, shower and laundry room) Follow our homestead adventures here! 


This month after paying our annual taxes, I received a phone call stating that our property is going to tax sale on May 13, 2017 for back property taxes.  Yes, we do have a period of 4 annual bills from several years ago when we did not have the funds to pay. Over the years we have been trying to get caught up but with everything that has happened in the past few years, it has not always been possible to pay off these outstanding bills. I've contacted the county and they are not willing to work with us on any payment plans.

As of today, the amount owed is $5085.31.  Come the 1st of May, that amount will go up due to interest and penalty fees.  We have some money in our emergency fund but not enough to cover this expense.  And as much as we hate to ask for help, when faced with the probability of being homeless/landless come next month, we are asking for help.


As I mentioned above, we are both self-employed. Chris does residential solar installations when they become available and I am a professional photographer. Can't necessarily reward someone with a solar panel system, but I can offer your various photography rewards to thank you for your generous support of our campaign.

Here's a Link to my Portfolio


Some of my artwork for sale during the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours.




Thank you for taking the time to read our story and consider our situation. We are pursuing several different options to raising the money we need to save our home and this crowdfunding option is just one of them as time is of the essence.  Our deadline is May 10, 2017.