Who Are We?

Bob and Camille a.k.a. “The Trouts” live in rural North Carolina where they support organic farmers and the grassroots resilience movement.

Both Trouts are co-authors. Bob wrote Backyard Biodiesel with Lyle Estill, and Camille collaborated with Stephanie De La Garza on Two Brauds Abroad. Camille’s essays are also featured in three anthologies: Once Upon An Expat, Nature’s Healing Spirit, and Heartspace: Real Life Stories on Death and Dying.

The Trouts met in 1990 and recognizing each other as soul mates, joined forces, got married, wrote a mission statement, and jumped off the corporate treadmill. They have lived in Colorado, Virginia, Belize, China, Guam, Oahu, Maui, Nicaragua, Texas, and Ghana.

Now that they are in their sixties, Bob and Camille believe, as did their grandparents, that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Although they have fervently promoted world peace for half a century, they don’t see much progress. And so, to keep their chins up, they search for beauty and irony and post their observations here.

The name, Plastic Farm Animals, draws from an overheard comment made by Bob’s oldest daughter when she was seven. You will find the rest of that story in our first post.

These days both Trouts stay close to home, where Bob works from his office, and Camille plays with horses and tends their gardens. After Bob joins Camille in retirement, the Trouts will spend a significant part of their days rocking on the front porch, spitting, and telling lies.