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Dani & Gary Moss know how to work. They haul boulders
built an English conservatory, and a chicks-ville hen house
all by themselves. Plus they designed gardens with wildlife
and whimsical appeal. When they want a touch of art,
they make it themselves. Gary welds to sutl the purpose
and Dani catches the light with her stained glass. Adventure is their credo
especially after spending four years on a Prevost bus
when they went to look for America. On the return to Austin in 2010
they brought home ideas to put their creative stamp on their new garden.
I wanted it to be a retreat, just kind of
to walk back into the backyard and just go "Wow, I'm home."
To be able to sit outside,
look at flowers, I love hummingbirds, I love love them
and I wanted to plant stuff that was going to attract them
and for butterflies
just so that every day you would walk out and you would just
have butterflies around, hummingbirds, and
we put out bird feeders so that the Cardinals would start coming
because nothing was here, and there weren't a lot of birds that were coming around.
There wasn't much for wildlife, even trees, after oak wilt came through.
All they had was a ton of rocks. Tons and tons.
With the Bobcat chains and plain-old
back-breaking ingenuity, they unearth their potential. Their new role
above-ground framed raised beds, once filled with yards of rich soil,
Danny was on her way to a lively wildlife garden.
Gary welded the nameplate for one spot after her nickname, Bugs.
So little by little, I just started planting
different plants and there's no rhyme or reason for anything, you just ckind of see
that there's a menagerie of everything
everything from big to small, different colors,
and it just seems to work. Some of it
kind of hangs out and it's whimsical
and then we wanted stuff that would stay
evergreen, all winter. And some of it
will die back and some of it won't.
Dani went for drought-tough plants but even they need some water,
especially when young, they installed a 12,000 gallon
rain collection tank. Their house came with a patio that they've covered as a
central family starting point.
They added new paths to take them to the destinations they've added.
One is a year-round greenhouse. I wanted it to look like an old
English conservatory. I draw it out for him
kind of give him a rough draft of what I want it to look like and we talk about
want what I want it to look like and then he creates it
from there. With stones from the property and doors from Habitat for Humanity
recycled as windows, Gary built a magical room for them
and Dani's plants.
For the roof, Gary used polycarbonate panels to cut down on the heat. The greenhouse still
has a fan to cool down summer heat
and a watering system. I like to build stuff and there's nothing I can't do
it's just a matter of just doing it. Dani designed stained glass to accent the romantic setting.
Gary welded it's trelaces and other metal work.
they even gave it a cozy patio, complete with Gary's whimsy.
Gary had barely put the tools away when Dani had another idea.
It was it either "Here kitty kitty" ot "Here chicky chicky"
and he didn't want a kitty so 'Here chicky chicky"
It just kind of slowly progressed and I wanted it to be brigt
brighter colors. The greenhouse is more traditional looking
and I wanted the chicken coop to be as whimsical
as it could possibly be. I wanted them to be polar opposites.
Again, they relied on many recycled materials including windows they found in Gonzales.
Those were actually windows that would lay on their side and open
this way, is what they were. And so I just turned them up
and put the hinge on top and stuff and just redesigned them
is what we did. They were casement windows. Their first priority was to make it safe from predators.
For now, with running water and electricity, it's a spot any friendly
pet chicken is
happy to call home. But they designed it to repurpose
as a playhouse or even doghouse in the future. Visiting family and friends get
the panoramic view from the upstairs guest quarters
in a building that multitasks as Dani's stain glass workshop
and Gary's current welding shop.
Gary crafted the intricate staircase and the overlooking balcony.
His artwork for purpose and decoration
started when he was 15 and landed a job in Oklahoma
with a Craftsman ironworker,
I figured out real quick I wasn't going to make any money at it,
so, but I promised myself if I ever retired, I would pick it back up.
So I retired and I picked it back up. And so
I just, I like a project. And so, it's not a problem with her around.
She can think of more things for me to do than you can only imagine.
Since they value handcrafted artwork, they're always on the lookout for fellow creators.
They never miss a chance to recycle the latest find into their design
or model their own version from something that sparks their imagination.
Where you just drive along and you see something that you really think
is cool and then you kind of just try to incorporate it into something that you're doing.
You can bet that the garden's a favorite for grandchildren birthday parties and
family events where every generation finds its magical connection to the outdoors.
Probably though, the best thing they passed on to the next generation
is their fearless jaunt into life. If you don't know how to do it, try it anyway.
And if you mess it up, don't tell anybody.