By far the most amazing and wonderful part of the tour was Mike's ridge house. Built into the crest of a mountain, the ridge house has sweeping views in every direction. As you approach from the drive up you might mistake it for a more conventional modern timber frame structure. But walking around the side it becomes clear that the roof is earthen and extends all the way down to the ground. Climbing up and sitting on the meadow on top of the roof one gets the feeling that this is how houses are meant to be built, and Jesse said, "if I was a deer I'd be hanging out up here." Later Mike told us that a herd of elk was indeed fond of spending time up there. Good thing the structure is solid.
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ridge house from driveway
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note how every drop of water has a complete downhill soil path
Pictures really don't do the ridge house justice, but here are a few more that hopefully illustrate some noteworthy features.
Mike Oehler is truly a visionary and I am so grateful that he gifted his vision to the world. Check out his website where you can purchase his excellent books: http://www.undergroundhousing.com
My Dad and I made considerable progress on Siesta today. Thanks for all the help, Dad! You rock!
The southern sidewall frame is now complete, fastened, and ready for shoring. And we dug out and levelled some of the interior floor too. Visiting Mike Oehler's place and also talking with Davin about what we both observed there has given me some cool ideas for how to do the end walls and the retaining walls in a way that will maintain considerable earth-sheltering while simultaneously letting in plenty of light, air, and views.
My little garden is looking happy, and while I've seen lots of rabbits and chipmunks in there, the amount of damage done so far seems surprisingly small. I have noticed rabbit poo on top of some of the beds, so they're doing some good too! Thanks rabbits and chipmunks!
Lots of sawing and notching, measuring, string-checking, and screwing, and now the sidewall frames are ready for shoring.
For the cob part of the project, dug some dirt out from near Dances with Pigs meadows that seems like the right proportion of sand to clay, and sifted the rocks out of it through a screen. I'll be using maybe 1/2 cow pies, (soaked, smooshed, and sifted,) and maybe 1/2 this clayey sand, plus just a pinch of straw to help it hold together when I smear it into the gaps in the rafters.
Josh has been keeping some red wrigglers from the PDC, and they're thriving, so he split them up a bit, and now I have my very own worm bucket! Thanks Josh!
Dad and I drove up to Glacier! What a breathtakingly beautiful place! It's awesome living just a few hours away from this phenomenal natural wonder!
I just discovered the panorama function on my phone, and I was super excited about it and might have overused it a little. Also the weather was less than ideal for photography, so while it was astonishingly gorgeous it might be even more incredible if I can come back some day when it's sunny and clear. Anyway, here's a tiny taste of Glacier.
~ Sept 10 is the peak of fall color in Glacier, if I remember correctly. Of course, it varies from year to year, but it's not a bad date to start planning with.
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-Art Donnelly
