Welcome to Moore Acres

(please send me your "history" to include on this page)

I do not recall when the thought of building a retreat facility first crossed my mind. Perhaps it was the first time I signed a check for thousands of dollars for a place to take our staff, or maybe the day I signed a check for tens of thousands to host our Extreme Youth Leadership summer camp. I do remember once in college creating a business plan for a retreat center. (Do you know how much water 100 people would use in one day? That is water in and water out...)

The plan showed me how many days I would have to sell to offset the expense of building and maintaining the facility. How much does one hundred mattresses cost? And then you need one hundred sheets, blankets, pillows, covers, bed frames... What kind of commercial grade kitchen would we want? How much is a food warmer or commercial ice box? I was overwhelmed at an almost $1,000,000 project. Time to scale back. Instead of focusing on what we could not do we asked, "What can we do:?

We stayed at a "Quilting" retreat center and I was amazed that clubs like quilters and scrap bookers were looking for a place to get away for a weekend.  The facility was small and run by a couple. This is doable I thought.

Then when our son's were married at very beautiful locations, (and I saw the price paid for their event centers) I decided that this would be an excellent way to create income while helping small groups afford a place to get away. (as well as family gatherings)

Now, how does one go about building a retreat center? Pray first, "Is this a mission or just busy work"? If it is a mission then is it MY mission?

Next- get fired from a 19 year career. (This provided the time necessary to do the following) The firing part was God's plan, He brought me there and then removed me, providing everything I/ we needed all along the way.

Then- Build a small home to live in after you have sold your big home for more than I could believe it was worth. (This would later provide the cash to buy the property and pour the foundation) Thanks to $100+ bbl oil prices.

Search for property and wait on God, and wait on God, and wait on God, and wait on God, and wait on God, and wait on God, and wait on God. We looked at several lots but nothing said "buy me". Then one day Brenda sent the link, the property was back on the market. Call, negotiate, contract, quick...

Brenda had actually found this property online earlier but it was under contract. The contract fell thru and we were able to step in and make the purchase.

Moore Acres was purchased by Mitchell & Brenda Moore on February 27, 2015.

After a two year search, God presented us with this wonderful opportunity.

The 16.226 acres had been owned by Ferris Joseph since the 1960's. He had manicured a wonderful picnic area, pond, dock, and bridge. Complete with picnic tables and electricity, Mr. Joseph and his family used this as a recreational area for many years.

Amazed at the purchase, we went and walked and smiled and said thanks to God. We could not and sometimes still do not believe that this is our property...

We received a bid from on April 5, 2015 and County Approval on June 4, 2015 to install a 600 gallon aerobic septic system. After much rain and equipment getting stuck in the slick mud, the septic was finally installed.

We went down during March 2015 (Spring Break) prepared to build a cabin but got rained out. We learned about chiggars (red bugs) and got the suburban stuck on the first night.

Fortunately we were able to utilize a very nice 5th wheel from Bendee & Venitia Smith. This was much better than sleeping in a tent. (We were prepared to do this but not in anyway excited about it)

During the next few months we built a small cabin on an 2" pipe frame (the frame had been part of a shed we tore down in 1994 and had been laying around every since). We used a large 4'x4' window given to us by James Moore and bought 4 other windows at the Habitat for Humanity in Las Cruces NM.

Most of the property is so over grown that you could not walk through it. We tried to clear the thick vines and trees but it was a futile effort.

In June we purchased a used travel trailer and went down for the week to complete the cabin and enjoy the property.

After much contemplation about what to build and where to build we decided to use an area close to the existing electric pole, mainly because it was already cleared. We dreamed and drew plans. Placing a 4'x8' white board on the wall at our home in Greenwood, we drew plans, walked by them, re-thought them, re-designed them, erased it all and started over from scratch. Over 100 plan changes later we finally decided upon building a wood frame building with a metal roof. After sending these ideas out to family and friends and making more changes, Clifford Moore drew up our (final ?- I don't think so) blueprints. After a few great family/ friend meals we locked it up for the winter.

During December we made more changes to the plan and I purchased a 55 h.p. tractor with a sweet "rock bucket" to clear the land.

I was traveling/ working 6 out of the 8 weeks in January and February of 2016 and trying to get the slab poured. Our surveyor recommended a local commercial contractor and after 2 hrs of discussion we began negotiating terms for the contract.  He would dig 30" trenches every 10'-12' and need 110 cubic feet of concrete to complete the job. I was accustomed to 12" trenches and estimated about 40 cubic yards of concrete. I was beside myself at the expense, this foundation would wipe out most of what I had planned to use for the entire building. He didn't know when we would pour so I decided to buy the material and start building trusses in Greenwood. After getting bids I was about to order the lumber when the call came. Mr. Moore we will be onsite in the morning to get the forms ready. Excellent, I am glad that I had not ordered the truss material, I was headed down the road on that 325 mile journey again.

I stayed in the cabin for a week while 10 men and some excellent trenching equipment constructed the forms, included in the bid was a plumber (so that I would not be holding the concrete crew up waiting on me to rough in the plumbing if I was not available) After the plumbing went in the crew laid in the steel, the next day the pump truck showed up and concrete began to flow. 6 hrs later the crew had smoothed the slab to be ready to stain and seal.

On March 2016 I wrote the check and as the concrete cured we made a trip to Las Cruces for the week.

April Fools- So I loaded all my tools and clothes to last me for a couple of weeks, purchased the lumber to start framing, had to change the delivery date because of the rain, got the lumber on the slab and covered up right before a flood. IDK how many inches of rain came down but i was definitely "rained out".

The rain filled the pond.

Upon returning to Greenwood and stewing for a couple of days, unable to build I decided to order the metal for the roof and after delivering it I would bring back some lumber to build the trusses in Greenwood. Calculating how to build and the transport 40' trusses became the project to keep my mind busy for the next few days.

This is my first time to build trusses. After much research, downloaded truss software (which measured in metric), several attempts at a template, and lots of 2x4's cut up I finally have a simple pattern. After two days of cutting lumber I am finally ready to start assembly. For those who want to know why I did not just have them built, it was all about price. My material cost =$58 per truss- The bids came in around $150 per truss. Cost savings = $2,852 for 31 trusses.

Finally finished, loaded & ready to travel.

I am very excited to BEEcome a BEE keeper. After much research I have finally got the hives in.

This is what I want to build though.

After much delay and a few set backs I will be headed down with the last load of trusses.

Maybe we can get some walls up after Labor Day.