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Owen my friend

January 7, 2021
I met Owen so long ago. In the early 70’s, Owen built his first house. He began coming to Colorado from Nebraska to spend the summers. He was hanging out in Breckenridge back when it was a sleepy little ski town. He found a spot on Hoosier pass he would hike into each year and work on building a log cabin with just hand tools. It took him a few years to complete it. We hiked there in the late 80’s and Owen was so excited to find it still there. And even more excited to see it was being used by the Forest service.

Just a side note: Owen told me stories of riding a skateboard down Hoosier Pass. Completely nuts! There was a group of them that would grab onto a car bumper to get pulled up the pass and then switchback all the way back down on their skateboards. Man, the stuff we got away with back then!

Owen lived for decades in a small house he rented by the Arkansas river in Vineland. No one knows how old the house was but it had been built by someone very early in the settlement of this area. Just a small two room house that had a kitchen added to it long ago. Built on the hillside, it was strategically placed to overlook the river bottom. This area is where the St. Charles River joins the Arkansas and had lots of evidence of old campsites, either Native or early Settlers.

Sadly, development crept it’s way east and the property was sold for a housing neighborhood. Owen invited his closest friends out for a farewell party. He spoke about the house as an old friend who had so dutifully provided shelter to anyone who passed this way. He cried at the thought of the house being torn down, this safe haven, this labor of love.

This is who Owen was. One who truly understood and loved a home.

He was always there for answers.

November 9, 2018

I emailed Dr Owen many times and he always promptly replied with useful advice. His legacy will live through my future earth bag house. 

Owen and Our Dogs

November 8, 2018

Soon after we got to know Owen, in 2003 when we were all living in Crestone, Colorado, my husband Kelly and I decided to make a trip. Kelly had a presentation to do on earthbag building in Texas and then we wanted to take our little motorhome into Mexico for a few weeks. Who could live in our house and take care of our dogs? Owen! He could also fill orders that came in by mail. 

He was great with the dogs. When our little Basenji, Sunbeam, had advanced cancer before any of us knew it, he communicated with us and took care of having her euthanized at our request. That left LarryDog alone with Owen, and he gave the dog more baths than we ever did and lots of great walks. Larry became devoted to him.



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