About Us

We are two middle age folks who tired of urban living and wanted a place where we could live simply, build the type of home in which we want to live, grow our own food and be a vital part of our community.


Katy Blanchard has 30+ years of using and studying herbs.  She is currently working on a Professional Herbalist Certification program.  She owned and operated a freelance graphics business in San Diego for 20 years

She has been a fiber artist for more than 15 years, designing and knitting one of a kind hand knits and spinning and dyeing with natural dyes.  She regularly shows at the Abiquiu Studio Tour and the Pedernal Studio Tour.

        See:  www.urbaneagle.com/ue/index.html


Rick Blanchard has 35+ years as a landscape architect and irrigation specialist with an emphasis on water management.  He is also an artist who loves sculpture, pottery, etching and painting and has a love of model railroading.


We are totally off grid, using solar power to run our household and farm and we hope to break ground soon on a straw bale/adobe hybrid house that we plan on building ourselves.


It is our goal to live sustainably and debt free. 


Otra Banda - our land

In 1997, we along with our partners, Steve and Karen Morgan, purchased 56 acres in beautiful Northern New Mexico in the little village of Youngsville.  Our goal is to create a sustainable environment in which we are healthy, vital, happy and comfortable with a sustainable income that allows us to pursue our personal desires and follow our hearts in a fulfilling manner and to share what we are learning with others who are interested.  Part of that is to be a steward to our land.


In 2003 we started our first test garden and since that time we have continued to grow and test herbs to see what grows here (at 6800 ft.) with the idea of growing the herbs we can grow for our herbal products.  While we are not certified organic, we do practice organic growing principals.  We are also learning to incorporate Biodymanic techniques in our growing.


What does Otra Banda mean?  To the locals translate it into “the other side”.  Our property was once part of a much larger family farm.  When the patriarch died, it was divided between his two sons – one son got one side, the other son got “the other side” – La Otra Banda.  The name stuck and we continue to use it.