The bustling summer and fall seasons are finally coming to a close. We just wrapped up our final Natural Building Essentials Workshop a few weeks ago, gardening season is long past, and it’s nearly time to start hatching plans for 2023 already. It’s been a year to remember.
Our First Dry Stone Wall Workshop
Way back in late April (both eons and/or mere months ago), we had our first ever Dry Stone Wall Workshop. Ten intrepid stone stackers joined us for 4 days of learning the historic craft of building dry stone walls. It was a strong start to what would be a very full workshop season. Stones were sorted, split, stacked, and admired. I love to think of how many thousands of years humans have practiced this same craft, and how little has probably changed in that time. It’s challenging, rewarding, and definitely benefits from a fun group of people at your side. Luckily we had just that.
Meeting Fresh Faces
The turnaround time to our first Natural Building Essentials workshop was quick. That May group was a lovely bunch (all of our groups are great!). We’re lucky to meet so many funny, kind, talented, interesting people through the classes we host every year. This one was no different. There were some real foodies in the mix, too. I won’t forget how tickled everyone was when we took out a batch of fresh strawberry sorbet to share one evening. The ooohs and aaahs just make me happy, you know?
Strawberries & a Bell Tent
That reminds me… strawberry season was a thing of wonder. I think we picked somewhere around 150 pounds of strawberries. That’s uhhhm, a lot for us. Much of it became sorbet and jam, some were frozen for later use. Friends came to pick their own. Roasted strawberry ice cream was a big hit at our monthly Pizza Night back in June, too. I’m getting hungry all over again…
Sometime around this time, I finished work on our first timber frame tent platform. We invested in two bell tents this year for hosting instructors, guests, and helpers. The bell tents are actually pretty badass. They’re 13′ in diameter, big enough for a queen size bed and with enough extra room and head height to comfortably move around. Once we secured the tent, we basically haven’t touched the guy lines after months of weather, wind, etc. It’s been solid. And it’s been a nice space for us to visit, hang out in. Next year, I’ll have to make time to build the second platform.
Breaking Ground for the Timber Frame Pavilion
June was monstrously hot, dry, and the July Timber Frame Workshop loomed overhead as we worked to prepare as much material as possible for the new pavilion site. So very typical that the busiest month was by far the most uncomfortable — many days were over 95 degrees, with nary a drop of rain in sight. In that time, we built the entire foundation, got the timbers delivered, framed the floor system, put up a brandy new 20×40 event tent, and much much more. It was a 4 week adrenaline rush for me, basically. If I close my eyes, I can still feel the scorching heat on my back as Nick and I dug and cleaned 40+ holes in rock hard soil for the pier foundation.
Our Biggest Workshop To Date
And finally in July, we had 30+ people on board for our Timber Frame Workshop. That’s over 20 participants, 6-8 teachers and crew, 3 kids… lots of people, lots of activity. I can hardly do the class justice in a short summary, but I can say that it was pure joy. And I do mean that. Amazing people, camaraderie, community, ridiculous heat and humidity, exhaustion, thoughtful conversations, celebrating… wow. April planned a killer workshop menu for what was basically 7 days of feasting, let’s not forget.
Blain and his Earth-Bound Building crew were absolutely amazing and I look forward to future collaborations with them. We’re already talking about what to do next. My only regret? With all the excitement, I completely forgot to organize a group photo. Ahh! I’m still sad about that.
Looking Ahead
The end of summer and fall in a few words: tomato canning galore, more timber framing, more pizza nights. Gardens falling into neglect (ha!). A smashed finger, unfortunately. (My first smashed digit, and hopefully my last. My fingernail still looks weird.) A successful corn harvest in April’s first milpa. (More exciting than I even expected.) It’s all a blur to me now. Once our kiddo’s school year started back up, we naturally had to downshift a bit, too.
Our lives have had a seasonal flow for a long time now, and kid life / school life adds a new dimension to that flow as well. It’s still somewhat of an adjustment and a learning experience. Life can feel like a squeeze at times, but we’re definitely privileged to be able to make the choices that we do. I suspect that we will downshift slightly for the 2023 season, as we need to balance one year to the next as well as day to day, week to week, month to month… Not to mention, there will be plenty of work left on the pavilion project to complete.
As it stands, we’re a few weeks away from raising the timber frame pavilion. I anticipate a huge sense of relief once I can stand back at look at it in a vertical orientation, instead of pieces laid out in waiting. This is the biggest project we’ve taken on for ourselves in many years, and it’s a whole different ball of wax to manage a project of this scale with other life responsibilities in tow.
Ultimately, this building is a tribute to wood… and a tribute to community. I hope that after all the sweat and investment, it will help cultivate group events and gatherings for many years to come.