Thursday, April 28, 2011

Going with the Flow



And so our Internship winds to an end. A wonderful group of people, lots of learning and exchanging of skills, friendships bridged, and lots of fun in spite of... unforeseen circumstances. Good news first...

The breakfast crew on chocolate chip banana pancakes-- a wonderful surprise:

Our freshly carved spoons a real success with the young crowd!

Candle making out of bee´s wax...We finished the wood-to-mud cabin convert, and it looks fabulous... photos soon to come...
Okay, so the month's drama goes like this: The Castle floor went in, a lovely hardwood tongue and groove.

The arched windows and bottled walls were built up...
And the final touches were being applied...
Rambo of course thought the castle was to be his new house... And wouldn't you know it-- a GIGANTIC storm came through and flooded our rivers, drenched our land, and...
...and conquered the Castle!
Shortly after the rains subsided, we attempted to rebuild the walls. Of course, it was still a little too wet outside and we were building too high too fast, and well, some instability and tumbling taught our determined selves some humility and a lesson about roofs on Earth buildings in the sub-tropics-- make sure you have one!! (We put up a provisional tarp roof for now to protect the remaining structure.)

But all in all, Earth is surprisingly resistant and the base stood strong, the floor solid, and now a good portion of the wall awaits for the full resurr-erection. So, you can guess our next project-- re-erecting the castle, maybe this time also adding a moat and drawbridge!

None of this mild catastrophe bruised our Easter celebrations. That´s right, chocolate chickens, scavenger hunts, fancy surprise cakes, and more! Always in style at Mama Roja!

Bonus photo: Dragon flies love the rains!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Castle and other Delights


Sweet April—we are rounding up our final month of the Internship with a wonderful group of people and lots of good energy! Morning glories, butterflies, mud buildings, gardening, and all...





The long drop toilet—now known as the “Castle” for obvious reasons—is almost done!



Arching windows, bottles in the wall, hardwood floor installed… it’s great!


Mmmm, mud-liciousness.

Also, the Cosmic Cabin is getting spruced up-- interior yellow flour-clay paint, fitted windows and door, a storage loft, and soon the front porch. Fancy!






Where do we keep our fresh delicious veggies for our groups? Why, in the fruit-n-veggie conserver, of course.





And what do we do with gorgeous veggies and an awesome mud oven? Why, we make pizzas, of course!

We are still in the middle of lots of projects, as you can see. Next photos will be the finishing series!!

Bonus Photo: Sweet Reflections

Friday, March 25, 2011

April Weekend Workshop

EARTHEN BUILDING WEEKEND WORKSHOP

APRIL 8-10

Thank you to everyone for participating in the weekend workshop in Earthen building—it was a blast! And a muddy success!

more photos coming soon....

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Workshops, Balms, and Beauty


A busy month, indeed! Our internship, plus a weekend side trip to share the mud love.

Our community workshop mudding up the dry composting bathroom chalet at OPAYBO School of Natural Health:

The mud was mixed by the resident horses and a turn-mill, a switch-up from our usual method of mud-stomping.
They are also mixing up some adobe bricks for their next earthen building project.
Strong sun dry wind makes the mud plaster dry fast ( maybe a little too fast...)
Plaster fun:
Mud therapy by the pond and outdoor shower, brings out one's inner animal?
Our workshop group of mud-lovers!
Meanwhile, back at Mama Roja, the mandioca is growing in the field...

We made Aloe Vera Balm for soothing delicate skin:

Our kitchen extravaganza: pineapple chutney, banana breads, soaps, and pickled beets and eggs. Whoa!

The wooden cabin is finished with its first two “mud sandwich” layers, and as soon as it dries we will be putting on the final fancy plaster coats.

Our group field trip to Chacra Suiza was a lovely sunny experience—biodigestor, milking cows, wandering in the gardens, and sharing a meal with dear Paulina and family.

Lots of skill sharing and crafting workshops: spoon carving, Ayurvedic tongue reading, macramé, Reike, Kundalini Yoga, and more!


At the end of a work day, what is better than to sit by the fire with songs and friends?


Bonus Photos:
Jo's Moon...

Crysalis from the Moon:

Mushroom flowers:

Feet Friends