Another neighborhood dome

I met another neighbor today who is also building a dome. This one is pre-fabricated...including the windows. What is it with West Texas and domes ? Who'd a thunk ?

Desert Volvo Shop

My neighbor charged me $60 to repair my volvo . The Volvo shop in the city wanted to charge me $260. The Volvo shop here has a much better view. A penny saved is a penny earned....especially if they are Canadian pennies. Now my Volvo is like new again, which is good because it also doubles as my bed and office sometimes.

testing the dirt

When making Adobe or Cob, it is important to know the makeup of the dirt one is using. Today, I tested the soil in three places on my land. One was the excavated material from the foundation ditch. Another was from dirt 3 feet below the ground. And the third sample was taken from a wet weather creek that runs through the property. Mostly, I am searching for the clay content as it is an important ingredient in making cob and mortar. For this test, I followed the instructions from a book called, "The Hand Sculpted House" by Ianto Evans. I filled a glass jar 1/3rd full with the dirt sample, added water to the top and then a teaspoon of soap. I shook up the contents and then let them settle. Whatever settles in the first 5 seconds is coarse sand, also very important. What settles over the next ten minutes is silt, which doesn't have much use. What settles over the next few days, is clay. Clear layers are formed, which makes the result easy to decipher. I'll soon know the clay content.

Ojinaga Dome Project

The Adobe Alliance, which is headed by Simone Swan, is working on a project in Ojinaga, a small Mexican town across the border from Presidio, TX. The dome uses an ancient Egyptian technique, perfected by Hassan Fathy, the author of "Architecture for the Poor'. No cement is used... not even in the mortar. The bricks are adobe. The mortar is clay, sand, and water. A simple compass ( a hinged 2 x 4 ) is used to measure and guide the bricks into a perfect, self supporting dome. The placement of the bricks combined with gravity and mortar require no extra support. The Adobe Alliance is located in Presidio, TX and hosts workshops in the area and beyond. The dome in the picture was built by the Adobe Alliance, however the building on which it rests was already there. Inside the dome, it almost appears as an optical illusion. It seems as if the bricks should fall, but they don't. Perhaps it is because we are not used to seeing this in conventional architecture. Simone Swan and her crew were gracious enough to let me work with them for a day. A completed version can seen at the Adobe Alliance complex.

Terlingua Chili Cookoff

...didn't stay long.

Day of the Dead

Every November 2nd, Mexicans celebrate the "Day of the Dead". This is when they have a festive celebration to remember those who once lived. In the Ghost Town Cemetary in Terlingua, locals gather to follow this same tradition. Being that it coincided with the chili cookoff, the gathering was much bigger than usual. The candles placed on the ground at each gravesite appear as a reflection of the night sky. Locals brought food for all, including deviled eggs, black bean salad, and sweet creamy cornbread.

NBCTX

The Texas Natural Building Colloquium ( NBCTX ) in Kerrville was an eye opening and brain expanding event. Over 200 people gathered from all over the world for ten days to learn directly from experienced natural builders, many who are also published authors. Days were filled with workshops and presentations. Nights were filled with music. It was appropriate being that this site is also the site of the longest running folk festival in the country. We shaped the natural earth into useful structures. We used sand, clay, straw, rock, Junipers, and reclaimed wood and metal. We refined the recipies for adobe bricks, earth bags, and Cob, in order to make it work for the locale. We ate macrobiotically... compliments of Casa De Luz ( Austin, TX Macrobiotic restaurant ). We had pizza parties and hoe downs. We baked in the sauna. We swam in the river. We left buildings for many people to use for many years to come.


Not a bad way to spend 10 days.

Pictures are at the this link ( various photographers ). The Sand Castle is by "Amazin Walter"