Monday, October 12, 2009

Columbus Day, 2009 Update

Hi All,

Just a quick update for now, with much more to follow.

I'm in the middle of a complex solar installation about 30 miles away that I need to get finished before I can take the time to process photos and get the blog caught up to the progress on the building.  Today is sunny and cold (25 & quite frosty this AM), so I need to get the solar panels mounted before the rain returns tonight.

As for the house, so far most of the bales on the first floor are up, and its starting to look like a slightly fuzzy, light golden-tan house.  I got some good photos this weekend, and we even had a visit from a professional photographer, so who knows...?

I've been a tad busy lately -- in fact too  !^%#^$ busy to help with the work on my own house, which is starting to drive me nuts!  We have some very talented people on site, but I want a lot more hands-on, and I'm simply overwhelmed with stuff to help right now.  Not only would I really really enjoy helping with the bale work, but any labor I do is labor I don't have to pay someone else to do...  This is just a matter of timing;  if we were doing this 2 months sooner, or even a week or so later, I'd be able to get down and dirty a lot more.  After this crunch time, I expect to get into the plaster work, and learn a lot from the crew.

I helped organize a very successful weekend energy and green building fair in Bradford, VT called LEAF, or Local Energy Alternatives Festival.  We had a good turnout (probably 500 - 600 despite cold and drizzle), and held 24 workshops on everything from solar hot water to wind power to masonry heaters to natural, green building techniques, and preparation of locally-sourced food.  We also arranged solar home tours and tours of the Bradford Hydro Dam.   We had a great crew who worked very hard to pull it off , and we'll get together in a day or two to compare notes and evaluate how things went.  We'll want more volunteers for next time!  I'll get a link to that event and a few photos for that event in the next few days.

One cool part was that Ace McArleton and Jacob Deva Racusin, of New Frameworks Natural Building, gave a workshop on natural building techniques for cold climates.  There are the same Ace & Deva who are working on our house.  The more you look, the smaller the world gets.

The real drag on my spirits is my need to complete my already-extended taxes for 2008...  Almost there -- once they are sent in, I'll get quite an emotional lift, as that sword of Damocles above my head vanishes into the clear air of sustainable living!

"That sword!  That sword!  Don't you see it???"

Be well, stay tuned, and clear skies,

Brad