Pallet Barn and Chicken Church Update

Building The Fuddy has inspired me to post an update on the other two pallet structures at Spirit Pine.The seven sided structure above is made from pallets and houses our chickens. It was built almost entirely by Candace. I helped plaster it with a straw-clay plaster.

Here is the Pallet Barn pre and post rough plaster which the other ladies at Spirit Pine have been rockin on. A final coat of plaster will be added soon.
Below is me adding some interior windows and stuffing above the shop room door.

Fuddy II

This week we got all of the walls up on the Fuddy, the ridge beam
and all of the Northern Rafters.

The Fuddy

Adelaide and I at the site on the first day.

Levi and I inside the foundation trench.
The building will be 10' x 15'.

Watering the hard clay soil so that we could dig.

Ed helps me get urbanite!

The most fabulous, function stacking, foundation digging
Adelaide and Luca (& Zuri!) in the back of the truck on the way to find Serpentine for the retaining wall.

Ratcheting the lag screws into the bottom plate

Fuddy Door!
Yeah!!! The pallets begin to go up!

I am designing and constructing a building at Spirit Pine called the Fuddy.
The term "Fuddy" is used to describe a humble dwelling. This building is made with reclaimed pallets and was inspired by the Pallet Barn we made with Dafyd and Yolanda last spring. (See previous post.) The pallets are later stuffed and plastered with straw clay.

Three people have come to learn and build this September with me. Their names are Adelaide, Luca and Fezzo. I am appreciative of their enthusiasm and motivation.

Everyone at Spirit Pine has been very helpful to the design process,
each bringing wisdom and skill. As the building grows, so do I.

Stay tuned.....

Wedding at Spirit Pine

Above you can Jenn and I standing in front of a pair of Orchard Toilets. They are the beautiful work of the phenomenal Betty who created them swiftly and with impressive skill using a wire wattle technique. Below, the Wild Oat bouquets Betty made for the ceremony.

Figueroa Mountain was a beautiful place for this wedding.
I made zucchini bread in our earthen oven to share with the guests.

Grandma Jackie's Stairs

New Staircase at Grandma Jackie's house!

Cooking at The Cob Cottage Company

The outdoor kitchenBuilding the new kitchen

Participants learn to make cobThe oven I baked inBounty from the gardenCOOKING AND NATURAL BUILDING!
TODO MASA!

Betty painted this wonderful fresco!Linda brings us oyster mushroomsChioga beetsAwesome ladies making cob!Oh the Oregon blackberries!Nick, gardener and musician,
brought delicious vegetables daily. Ianto Evans, GodfavaThis August's Complete Cob participants and staff.***
What an amazing opportunity!
A creative culinary adventure!

This was the 2nd summer that I cooked for a Complete Cob Course at the Cob Cottage Company. This year's course helped to build the new kitchen as they learned so many aspects of Natural Building. It was an honor to be back with my friends Linda and Ianto to participate in what they do and the beauty they have created.

My pursuit was to cook 3 meals a day for 10 days, for 32 people! The food is organic and cooked in an outdoor kitchen. I use a wood fired earthen oven for baking and toasting and roasting.

The school is beautiful. The people were all so kind and interesting. The garden there is stunning and majestically full of bounty for every meal. Thank you to my friends, new and treasured for taking part in the adventure with me.

The following info about the course is from their website- www.cobcottage.com ... Check it out!

Complete Cob

August 22-30 2009
The Instructors:
Bernhard Masterson and Max Edleson

Description:

This is the most comprehensive cob course available in North America. In the past 15 years, we've taught almost 200 major cob courses. In 9 intensve days, we'll cover in depth all aspects of cob and the many techniques in building with cob including arches, details, shelving, furniture and earthen floors. In this expanded version of our most popular program ever, we'll take the ground out from under your feet and turn it into a versatile medium to sculpt a whole house. You will learn construction of walls, doors, windows, roofing, foundations, siting, design and artistic details. And you'll leave confident enough to build a cob building of your own!