Jul
18
2015

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Strawbale Workshop, Day Six

by Tara

Time flows differently during an event like this workshop—on the one hand, I can't believe how little time has passed: You mean we've only known these people for six days? Not an entire lifetime? And on the other, it is shocking how quickly time flies. How is it Saturday already!? Today was another crazy busy day, packed from dawn until midnight, rich and full of memories.

The day started with bagels for a special breakfast. Charlie, being the champ that he is, went to the store to pick them up and dropped them off at our place bright and early. For lunch, Becky and I treated everyone to a Mediterranean falafel feast. I provided the roasted eggplant, and Becky whipped everything else together while I was busy cleaning up from breakfast.

In my few brief moments of free time interspersed between dishwashing, cake baking, soup stirring, and dinner coordinating, I walked to the worksite to see how it was progressing.

Prepping for Plaster at Grindbygg Strawbale Workshop

There, everyone was hustling to get ready for plastering! Nooks were being finished, wire mesh was being stapled, and a thousand odd-ball details specific to our wonky-ass workshop were being addressed.

Carol & Mickie Building Door Reveal Andrew Andrew Instructing Mickie, Carol, and Owen Martin Stapling Wire Mesh Ash Stapling Wire Mesh Dan Through Window Christopher Making Speaker Nook

Some folks worked on mixing massive amounts of plaster for the following day's labor, while others focused on installing the jambs to our behemoth set of doors. The site's soundtrack was a cacophony of power tools: whining saws, churning mortar mixer paddles, whirring drills, screaming metal cutters.

Andrew Mixing Plaster Andrew Dumping Out Plaster Andrew Mixing Plaster Dale Working on Door Framing Dave & Wire Mesh Dan Dumping Plaster Owen Screwing into Door Jamb

It was a stiflingly hot afternoon, and the noise was intense, and the air was filled with straw. And yet, everyone seemed to be in good, if serious, spirits. There was a sense of buckling down, of hurrying; I could tell they really wanted to get the place plastered before parting ways on Sunday. And for this, I was grateful.

When I stopped at the worksite about an hour before quitting time, Tyler asked if I had a minute to run into town to grab popsicles and drinks for everyone, to keep morale high, and to show our appreciation for their hard work. I happily executed Tyler's brilliant idea, and was thus showered with accolades as I passed out treats like some kind of fairy. After dispersing the goodies, I ran upstairs and finished preparing dinner. Another day done!

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