Here’s what the Fabulous August Team of Jacob, Patrick, Samad, Claire and Cat ~ accomplished, together !
Natural Building
Earth Plaster: harvest subsoil, soil testing , sift, mix & application to Hobbit Sauna and Kids Cottage. Cob tarp mixing. Used cob for sculpting the Earth Oven faux rocks, and filling deep areas of the Sauna. Shaping the Rocket Stove bench of the Kids Cottage. Chicken wire over window.
Strawbale: practice plasters on a demonstration bale. Chicken wire over window buck, Sculpting of a boat and sun on the East Wall of Sauna and grapevine sculpture on west wall , wattle and daub, caulking living roof around the stove pipe for the Rumford Fireplace.
Foundation Class Site Hydrology on Earth Oven area. Clear site, trench, slope to low area, fill with rocks, from land, washed. Make a 3,4,5 square, use level.
Round Pole class, model notches built with carrots (yes). Ben Law Video, make a 6′ truss for a future building: harvest the pole, “read” the log, notch using a chisel and wooden mallet, debark using a draw knife. Make wooden pins from dried hard wood using a draw knife and a shave horse. Learn lashing and construct the Renaissance Roof !
Thatching Class. Demo and hands-on with a small frame. Use of tools and basic techniques of a gable roof.
Kids Cottage: bottle wall, cob bench, window bucks.
Movies: Alone in the Wilderness
Sustainable Skills
Sustainable Skills
Cording from local dog bane, making Sumac Ade (Indigenous Lemonade), Lashing, Class on Types of Composting including Worm Composting. Composting techniques used throughout August with our waste products. solar Oven cooking, Use of Rocket Stove for cooking. Hay Box cooking (insulative cooking. Harvesting eggs from the LeFevre Farm. Making Farmers’ Cheese from local goats milk. Local Experts bring their skills: Spoon Carving Classes with Micah L., Making window bucks and using power tools with Gene V. Eating outside together, and suppers in the Strawbale Studio, Growing Shiitake Mushrooms on inoculated logs. Teaching each other music. Ice cream and chocolate cake. Foraging and green omelets from the land with lambs quarters, ox eye daisy, oregano, dandelion, comfrey, garlic, chives and more. Food: harvest grape leaves and make Dolmas,
Community
Detroit visitors, including a french film maker who is visiting the U. S. re Utopia and Dis-utopias. The Red Door Gallery Friday night happening with performing arts. Jacob performed on the guitar. Lucy and Richard and Freya visit for the full moon. Julia and Linda, Petar and Nia, Christina and Jackson. Full Moon Potluck & Bonfire . Intern trip to Detroit: Green Garage, Heidelberg Project & more. Madison & Jeremy, Robert & Arnie & Barbara, Everyn & Kathy, Angela & JoJo, Haley& Kirk.
Plaster Parties, Aug 20 & 21, 27& 28.
Worktrade: Courtyard, clear vines, refill sawdust buckets. Go to Michaels farm and help a neighbor with garden cleanup. Path clearing at Strawbale Studio, mow lawns, soil prep, dig and sift, move rocks, full moon prep, data entry, clean red shed.
Personal: Books read The Last Unicorn, Creative Dreaming, Tiny Homes, Thatching, Herb Books, Centering, Pottery, Poetry and Life.
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