Day 4, Tuesday  July 20

we all realized by mid day we would not complete the project by Wednesday afternoon. Moral was lower and we were hot and working hard. We started the am with the ritual crop duster buzzing over our heads at 6:30 am.  Students viewed the Strawbale codes and testing video in the am. Progress slowed with the tedious nature of the rafters and topplates.  Bob, our hired carpenter was managing that part while we started on the 1500 gal cistern we were building out of bottles and cans next to the Gonzo structure so that the roof would collect the 20" of rainwater annually and send it to the cistern by gutter.  Had to make another run for lumber, the shims took up more than what we thought. Nearest store 5 miles west.  By the end of the afternoon we had placed the plastic on the outside of the walls and completed the rafters and it was 9pm. We decided to do dinner in the Dalles.

    Alison pinning the plastic for backfill later

    beginnings of the cistern, notice all of the green tea bottles!!

    interior view before coconut fibre

    Rod

    rafters on topplates

    viga supporting rafters

return to gonzo page