Ian's Wall

The progress on the backyard has been ongoing since October, and we are closing in on a semi-finished state (yay!). This will mean that Ian can go out and play in the yard in the traditional sense, not in the construction zone sense. This will be very exciting, and I imagine we'll be spending a lot of time there this summer. It's not quite ready yet, but Greg has made a lot of progress on finishing the cob wall, one of the coolest features of our yard.

A crew of Greg's friend arrived on Sunday to help with the plastering. Greg had already completed the stucco work on the lower (block) part of the wall. The plaster on the upper cob portion is a mix of clay and (gasp) horse manure, which is very fibrous. Here Greg is wetting the finished portion of the wall to prepare for smoothing while the crew applies plaster to the next section:

The first section of plaster in its semi-smooth state (more smoothing has been done since). Although still waiting for the green roof to go up, this gives an idea of what the finished wall will actually look like. Cob has a smurf like quality that seems especially appropriate for a child's area:

Later in the day, when the 97 degree heat had abated somewhat and he had gotten a nap, Ian came out to help apply some plaster:

It was a very messy process, and required quite a bit of bathing afterwards:

The tireless Greg continues to work on the wall, but as I write this, he is moving mulch into the yard. (Yes, it's the longest day of the year, but he's still working in the dark). This formidable pile of mulch arrived in front of our house this afternoon:

More photos of the yard when it's all complete. Onward!