This site isn’t a place to chase clout or perform for an algorithm; it’s about us and our stories. Think of it like when Grandma used to pull out the old photo album and tell the stories behind every picture. We’re here to record real life as it happens—the actual work and the stories that go with it. If you’re looking for a polished “influencer” performance, you’re in the wrong neck of the woods.
Ten Foot Stripes
Most people flying down the highway think the dashed lines on the road are maybe two feet long. They aren’t. They’re ten feet long (what? really? yeah, I know). TenFootStripes is about that perspective—the fact that when you’re moving too fast, you miss the actual scale of the world around you. You have to slow down to see the real details. This site is our way of slowing down to document the actual dimensions of a life lived with intention.
Born Into the Dirt
We moved onto our land the night of my second birthday back in 1968, and we’ve been here ever since. Maintaining the property, growing a garden, and tending to livestock aren’t hobbies we picked up for a trend. Watching over the cows, hauling feed, or weeding a garden row are just the chores we’ve done since we were kids; it’s the quiet work that happens on any given day, whether anyone is watching or not.
The Campsites
The woods and the campsites have always been a second home. Our time outdoors has covered the whole spectrum: from backpacking and tents to pop-ups, and now a hard-side. This isn’t a “lifestyle brand” to us; it’s just our living room with fewer chores and a lot more fresh air. When we’re out there, we’re not “roughing it”, we’re just living. The walls might be different but the breakfast tastes better and the conversation is easier when there’s no fence that needs mending staring you in the face.
Since the Green-Screen Days
The digital world has been part of the mix just as long. We’ve seen it all: from the 300 baud modems and green-screen monitors of the early 80s to the high-speed systems of today. I’ve been at it since I was in 10th grade (that was 1982 for those keeping score). I was online long before there was an “Internet” or a hashtag. Technology was never a “new discovery” for us; it’s just the toolkit we’ve used to solve problems for decades.
No “Lifestyle Pivots” Here
Our tractor, our welder, and our computers have always occupied the same dirt. We don’t have “seasons” or a production script. The tractor moves the land and bush hogs the back acreage, the welder keeps the equipment from falling apart, and the tech is a tool that’s as common in our house as a hammer.
While the internet is busy “discovering” homesteading or trying to package country living into a curated trend, we’re just over here doing what we’ve always done. People are chasing a vibe; we’re just living on the dirt that’s been under our fingernails since I was two years old.
The Real Stuff Doesn’t Need a Hashtag
There’s a massive difference between having something in your blood and having it in your search history. Anyone with a checkbook can buy a shiny tractor or a new fifth wheel and call themselves an influencer, but you can’t buy the years spent actually doing the work when no one was around to “like” or “subscribe.”
We’re sticking to the actual work and documenting the “heaven” that’s been here all along. We really were country, when country wasn’t cool.
