Spirit Pine Schedule

Here is our schedule for the year at Spirit Pine.

We have already completed our Passive Solar Hot Water and our Earth Sculpture course. Still ahead this year is our straw-clay barn raising, an owner builder cob home, greywater systems, ferrocement roof structures, composting toilets and a course on earthen and lime paints and plasters. I hope you will join us!

































Please let me know if you want me to email or snail mail you a copy as I am still trying to figure out how to post this so that you can read all the text! Any web designers out there who want to barter for a course in craft or natural building?

My New Hip Gear

Betty taught me how to make this awesome leather bag. It holds my knife, phone, salve, etc.

Earth Sculpture at Spirit Pine

On January 10th and 11th we hosted an Earth Sculpture workshop at Spirit Pine Sanctuary. Patra Loundsberry came to assist us in the process of sculpting with earth. We created animals, totems, spirit houses, and candle holders. A variety of techniques were used, many of us began our pieces by making armatures with metal and wood. We explored embedding treasures, seeds and found objects. The workshop taught about how these techniques could be applied when building an earthen home. Betty and I made and shared info about natural paints and finishes and we used them on our pieces. Here are some photos from our sculpture weekend!

Patra creating an armature outside of
Grandma Jackie's house, my current abode


We began the weekend with a walk in the Chumash wilderness, our backyard, gathering inspiration. The experience was nurturing and our creations brought us joy.





Everyone brought something to share

Cassie created delicious meals for us

I made a shelf to hang on the wall.
It holds a candle and is made with cob
and decorated with broken mirror.