Check out the beautiful plasters in a Riad posted by Maryam at My Marrakesh.

Plastered!

A beautiful day in southern Arizona, perfect for plastering. The west wall with the sculpturing has been calling to me and today I responded. The clay bamboo had never been finished and had worn down by our summer storms. It now has a second coat and the whole wall is ready for a final coat. Before and after photos.





Various stages of plaster completion. I had a little trouble with the mix this time and I'm not sure why. It was soft and dusted when touched. Simple fix, old-fashioned paste: water and white flour 1:1, pour into hot water, bring to a boil and cook until thickened. Did the trick!






Now it just needs a final very thin coat to even the color.

B-r-r-r-r-r-r-it's winter!

Forty-six degrees when we got up this morning. Yes, I know, that's not really cold but it is for us baked desert dwellers.

Rick even lit the stove on Friday night but we did need to open the windows as it quickly got very warm in here. We had never lit the stove before so it was a shakedown. It performs perfectly, has a beautiful flame and will provide more than enough heat for this house.

Yesterday we repaired the damage created by that ferocious storm we had during monsoon season. It didn't take long, probably 5-6 hours of actual plastering. Rick also put in about that much time earlier in the week, digging up the clay (we created our own clay mine with what we had leftover) and sifting. And I enjoy doing it so it's not really a chore. Here is a comparison of the surface before and after:

From this..................................to this.............................................to this:
















Amazing what a little clay, sand, water and fiber can do.

Me and the trusty companion, Gen.





The finished wall...












We're going to try some soy resin on the wall to stabilize it a bit more. Even though this is not a huge job, it's something I wouldn't want to repeat too often.

These pictures also show the patio. It's done with 8x16 concrete pavers placed in a random pattern with 3/4 minus river rock between. The curb is 3.5" poured concrete. About 3/4 of the pavers we got at the salvage yard, the rest from CABCO block company. I plan to stain the pavers and the curb a light brown so they won't be such a glaring gray. So far we like it but it does make it difficult to place chairs as they tend to sink in the gravel.

And one last picture of some of our landscaping as it matures. The hummers love these Orange Bells.

What do You Do with Eggplant?

I went to a Farmer's Market (yes, people do grow things other than cacti in Tucson) with my friend Michelle last weekend and as she was choosing eggplant, that was my question. Her answer: Ratatouille. Now, I have bought and been given eggplant in the past and it always ends forgotten in the crisper drawer looking wrinkly and vaguely pornographic. I'm from southern Ohio and I don't think anyone there ate or grew eggplant Of course, we were surrounded by soy beans and I had no idea until I left Ohio what those were used for.
photo courtesy of TinyBanquet


Not that I was totally unaware, just that no one in West Portsmouth, Ohio used soy at that time. We didn't have a "Chinese" restaurant until the mid 70s. And tofu...no way! When she said ratatouille I wasn't too sure, it sounded French and difficult. But guess what? Not! Definitely French but easy and delicious. I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated except I didn't do anything in the oven. I browned the vegetables in my cast iron dutch oven and finished the dish up in that. We will definitely have it again. Thanks, Michelle!


The monsoon is bringing out all kinds of critters.
This is a tarantula, somewhat camouflaged by the rocks. After a rain, a drive down a somewhat protected road, such as Saguaro National Park, will allow you to see many, many tarantulas. They get flushed from their burrows. This one happened to be right in front of the back door.

On the project front, the wall is finished. Dave and Chris came back and installed the gates. We had by that time, finished filling with the river rock. With all the rain and humidity we've had, the steel is already beginning to rust and the rocks lost much of the grayish gravel dust they had accumulated. We've received lots of positive feedback from neighbors.












I mentioned the rain we've been getting and on last Saturday we got 1.5 inches in 45 minutes. The annual average rainfall for Tucson is 11 inches, with most of that coming in the summer and then a bit more in the winter (February). I wasn't home but Rick said it came sideways. Living in a house with earthen plaster on the outside means that sideways rain will likely cause some damage. It did. But, we knew that was a likely occurrence. We just didn't know how much or where. The greatest damage was on the south wall and luckily much of it is protected by the garage. Now we know where the most vulnerable areas are and can repair and protect. We had planned to put a ramada on the south side anyway-now we know we need to do it before monsoon season next year.


In these two photos, you can see the before storm/after storm difference. The faint lines on the left of the photo to the right is where the bamboo was. But the rain has washed away the damage we had from oil that was sprayed when a piece of heavy equipment malfunctioned and has left a beautiful surface for keying in the next coat of plaster. Everyone chant: Ommmmmmmm...

If you have a minute, check out the Stonehouse Strawhouse blog, as they finish up their plaster. I remember those days!

Until next time...

Just A Warning,

the next person who asks :"When will you be finished?" gets it! We're at that point and others involved in projects of this magnitude will understand-those who don't should get their own shows. (oh wait, that's a "Whad'Ya Know?" disclaimer, never mind).


We've accomplished a lot this week. The last plaster coat is on all the walls except our bedroom. Being on the northeast corner and with the weather we've had it's taking a long time to dry coupled with the fact that the NE corner had a huge hole which had to be filled in layers-you get the picture. Today we're painting ceilings! I can't believe my excitement. I chose a white with a yellow/brown tint to take advantage of the volume the cathedral ceiling provides while adding some warmth. It will also be complementary to the brown tones of the earthen plaster (pictures later). It is such a rich brown and the walls look so beautiful, I've decided to leave the south wall brown and use the white kaolin clay on the west and east walls. I love the look of these walls. The east wall will have the adobe veneer. Rick picked up the adobes this week and they are a totally flat, nondescript gray. I will have to put a coat of brown clay paint on those once they are in place.

I have two new obsessions, the first being the website It's nice to know there are hundreds of others out there involved in the craziness that is home building/renovation. I especially like the bungalow blogs as I've always had a passion for these little jewels and our house is a "sortof" bungalow. They have so much character and personality and were built at a time when those who built them were Craftsmen.

My other obsession: researching limewash/paint. Being unschoolers we have always known that learning isn't linear and usually not triggered by chronological age (Ding!! OK junior, you're 12, time to learn Algebra). I like to think of it more as Bursts and Bubbles. Learning occurs when you need to know something and have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the subject and let it take you where it will. This week I have visited the lime kilns of Italy, England and southern Arizona. Saw the building of a Roman bath, and cob structures in England. Learned why barns are painted red. Found wonderful art and glimpses into the the workaday world of an earlier era. Gained an understanding of the chemistry involved in a successful lime project and why lime has that luminous glow. That led me to learn more about pigments that will work with lime which made me think of that beautiful scene in Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vermeer teaching Griet to mix paints. That of course led to pig bladders and the growth in popularity of plein air painting with the advent of collapsible tin tubes. Whew! was I busy but the journey was made easier by the Internet. (Thanks, Al Gore!)

So, after all that I think I've come up with a doable recipe for limewash and hope my results will pay off with something like this.

But until then, it's on to the ceilings.

Winter in Tucson

Some years most people can't really tell it's winter in the Sonoran desert. After you've lived in the desert awhile you begin to notice the subtle differences that signal the changing of the seasons. The angle of the sun, different smells in the air, a slight dip in temperatures and sometimes water falls from the sky. Rain!-in a location that averages 11 inches of rain annually, rain is an event.

On the negative side for us this year is the fact that the lower tempreatures and damp air have significantly slowed the drying process for the interior plaster. On the plus side, it should be a great year for wildflowers. Even though many people think of the desert as a barren wasteland and some are even surprised to see things growing here, the desert has seasons, you just have to pay more attention. But in years with good rain, there is no missing spring as wildflowers literally burst forth and paint the desert with yellow, orange, blue, purple and white. It's an amazing site. It's such a big deal that there are Wildflower Hotlines and sites dedicated to keeping the public advised of the wildflower situation.

The other thing that bursts forth in Tucson this time of year is the Gem Show which draws people from all over the world. It's also an amazing site as all motels/hotels and any open areas around the I-10 corridor become the venue for sales of gems, minerals, rocks, jewelry, beads, jewelry making tools and supplies, rugs, furniture, clothing-you name it, someone there is selling it. The Show is quite an adventure and has to be seen to be believed. There is something for everyone.

But, back to the plasterwork.












Working in the bedroom. This wall had some really deep holes and took a lot of mud. Some areas I had to fill in as much as 3 inches! No wonder it's taking so long to dry.

















This is an attempt to show the depth of the second coat but that's only an inch or so.

















This is the window in the dining area. If you ever do a strawbale house, come up with some other way to finish the top of the window. Filling that area in is so tedious and half the mud ends up on the floor, 1/4 of it is on you! I'm using reed mats on the other windows and will slather on some mud and then sponge it back for a more textured look and a lot less frustration, I hope.










This is the living room west wall, the light areas are unfinished niches. This room is drying more quickly but gets more sun and took less plaster.



We now have a fully functioning toilet at the house and the little blue outhouse went away. Hooray!
The solar water heater is on the roof.
I've chosen some paint colors and tile for the shower.
Adobe veneer goes on the LR wall next week.
Will the details never end?

Click the photo for some more great flowers-but I can't take credit

But then I recall the Chinese proverb: He who finishes house, dies.

And I won't complain about the weather cause it could be this:

This is the house of our former neighbors in Colorado taken just last week!

Playing in the Mud
Plaster Party




Last Saturday some friends came to help celebrate my birthday and apply the first coat of interior earthen plaster. We had a great time and thanks to Sam, Connor, Dave and Shayne, who kept us supplied with mud, we were able to get the first coat done by about 1pm.



Amy and Olga



Sam and Shayne



Connor




Thel...errrr Loui......uhhh Robin!



New acquaintances, Phyllis and Mary, who hope to build a strawbale cabin in NM.



I must have been tired, because the camera shook. This is Mariel who came with her husband Bill and MIL Elsa. They also helped with the wall-raising and Bill helped put the roof on.



Casey, Me, Donna



Karen and Victor



Rick, Michelle



Lunch time!



Finished wall-we had to leave that space above the first course because we hadn't had the electrical inspection yet.
We have now been inspected and we passed! But not before having to run out and buy and install fire alarms....duhhh!

We were so busy we didn't get pictures of everyone but we sure appreciate all the help and encouragement.

We now have the garage roof finished and the "driveway", all 4 feet of it, poured. Victor will begin the stucco on Saturday.

Kitchen cabinet decisions have been made-they will be Plyboo! I was having a difficult time deciding what to use then picked up a copy of one of those glossy home mags and there it was, The Answer. I was drawn to the mag because our neighbor's house is on the cover. This issue is dedicated to "green" building and living.