it is now officially cobbing season

some would say the start of fall in the hills outside of portland is not the ideal time to start cobbing. well they might be correct but we are now ready. you cannot rush art, my peoples. never let that voice in your head fill you with doubt, worry and fear. that last sentence was intended for me.

the key (to anything really) is to build from a solid foundation, and that is something we have been striving for for weeks. so after visiting a couple quarries and handling every rock there, our foundation was painstakingly set with upwards of twenty ton of rock (and gravel). the work load was shared with a few friends, so i thank each and every hand that has helped thus far.

now that the foundation has been completed, the people who want to cob will actually cob. i was beginning to think we would never reach this stage but that is the doubt, worry and fear previously mentioned, rearing it's ugly head.
so this cobbing business is all new to us with our knowledge being confined to print (and the internets), we now get to incorporate our theoretical skills with our bodies. the mind and body as one. that's what laying the foundation was like, really meditative.
we will be having a cobbing weekend with a handful of friends and only a good time will be had. that is a solid guarantee.
so anybody interested in this project out there in the world of the internets hit us up, as we would love more help after this coming weekend.
help basically consists of mixing sand, soil, clay, straw and water with your feet (and hands) on a tarp and slopping it on to create the walls. fun and simple but taxing in the best of ways.

needs (for now): 28" external wood door, lumber for framing, small interesting windows/panes and help.

hey what did the window say to the door?
what are you squeaking about, I'm the one with the pane!
i'm gifting that zinger to all of y'all.

our camera is on the brink but hell it still points and shoots.

 

 

summer is falling

summer is falling. literally.

autumn aka fall is only a step away and that could be seen as a bad sign for a family that is building (slash still really preparing) their cob house.

leaves from trees that now litter the lawn mixed with certain plants that are now flowering is proof enough that fall has begun thinking.

i am not sure how a donnybrook between summer and fall would go but i know fall has won round one. at least indian summer has summer's back... hopefully.

that notwithstanding i don't think our family unity can be shaked. we are a wolfpack of five (plus one). we solid til after.

i want to travel from house to house as a pack to help those who need. we have a lot to share. i feel proud to write such words.

life is a strange teacher who tells you the correct answers. all you have to do is ask. life confuses sometimes because that is of course how we learn the difficult answers.

the travelling wolfpack is open to offers. all that is required is gratitude and some tips in the broadest form possible.

anyways lets get to the pictures.

just be careful, the pictures below do include some rock porn that might be deemed nsfw;-)

the first course of the stone foundation has been completed.

we have exhausted the repurposing of the rocks from a nearby abandoned property.

now we just need to magic up a a few more tons of rocks/stones to complete our foundation.