Earthship construction: Day 8
Our inter-cultural crew continued its total dominance of all things Earthship. The twins have excelled in winning the love of the local builders as they have developed a strange pigeon language mixed with Taos slang and Nicaraguan highlander Spanish.
Monkeys barked at me today as I drank a coke. The kids in the valley have been studying us and I’m interested in their judgment. The crew surfed on Sunday and we picked up a truckload of bottles. Many were from Asia.
The weather was perfect early in the morning for Earthship building. The second dome was completed and is waiting for the concrete bond beam to be poured before lifting it into place. All morning long, the two ox-carts hauled materials for each aspect of the build: cement, earth, aggregate, whatever was heavy and needed hauling.
The house looks like a huge sculpture.
Three workers pounded tires on the south green house wall and a small team of Americans and Nicaraguans plugged away on the west retaining tire wall. Phil and Seth erected the bedroom dome hub and inner roof structure out of wood and built the formwork for the bond beam on the bedroom.
Half of the south wall tires were completed yesterday in preparation for the concrete beam which will hold up the arched openings. After lunch there was a frenzy of activity to mix and pour the beam. It’s completed and will be initially cured by tomorrow and ready for steel work.
Mike Reynolds continued to lay cans and bottles to hold up the north end of the wood roof structure.
The site is constantly being visited by people who have heard about the project in the town (San Juan del Sur) and the crew holds massive resentment against those who are spotless in their flip flops. Each day a local Nica woman brings frescas for sale and enchiladas. For a brief moment she is the most popular person around
Once again, the day ended with cervezas and friendly Spanglish.
(Tom Duke reporting)
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