Day 48

Sunrise was beautiful this morning!

We got to work right after breakfast. We finished the first layer yesterday. Today we are adding the first finishing layer on the casita (another will be put over it).
Along with the smooth layer, which is thin and fills in the cracks that formed when the base layer dried, we are adding artwork!
This little vine tendril was my handiwork. Marisa is working on another on the other side!
In order to do this we make 'chorizos' (sausages) out of hay and mud, wet the wall under where they will go, and then smoosh them onto the building, being careful to leave them smooth enough that water will drip off rather than pooling.
We started with the vision of making vines, but they turned cosmic somewhere along the way...
These birds hang out in the fields in pairs. They are called tero, and Marcelo says they become territorial and help to keep away trespassing wildlife. They were harmless to us though. I thought they were so beautiful!
Opaybo has a beautiful walk through the woods, along the river for quite a ways. It's nice for a tranquil, cool, and relaxing break from the hot work of the day.
Here is Sash, being one with her favorite menorah tree...
And some of our handiwork from today: The moon was filled with the same covering cobb (which has more sawdust and sand than the cobb underneath it) and tiles and left to dry.
We spent some time after lunch relaxing...
These are the pine needles we have here... the same ones we use for fiber in our mortar and cobb at Mama Roja. They are so long!
and then picked up our things and headed home...

We made a new record when all 12 of us packed like sardines into Kim and Marcelo's car, along with our gear and building equipment!

We stopped for ice cream in Obera on the way home... not only was it delicious, but also a welcome opportunity to stretch our legs!

As soon as we got to our driveway, Jess and Kim hopped out to ride home on the back of the car, and Maggie on the side. I wanted to volunteer too, but thought better of it because of my ankle and tailbone... humph.