Shower House UP dated

After hauling and stacking many locally collected rocks (all within a mile) in the heat of the Texas desert summer, the shower house walls are at a finished level. All in all, I estimate it took between 40 and 50 man and woman hours. Since this wall is a dry stack, it will one day fall down, maybe tomorrow, maybe in 300 years. I just hope it doesn't happen while I am showering. 

The shower now has privacy. The temporary water collection bucket makes it easy to distribute the used greywater to the trees that surround the shower house. 

I spent a day helping a new friend work on a concrete floor in his hand built strawbale house. Greg Donner is here for a year to work on his paintings in an inspiring and distraction free setting. I try to sit in on friends' projects when I can in order to pick up new skills and inspiration. Greg then talked me into going to the hot springs in our national park, which I never would have thought of as a summer option, but any temperature water is a respite in this unrelenting Texas summer . 

Good friends and fellow off gridders Kevin and Zoe stopped by for morning coffee and a tour of Don's Domeland. Kevin and Zoey are also coordinators for our recycling program in town and have been naturally living by example out here for many years.

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"