On Saturday September 6th 2014 an enthusiastic group of natural building students from DVC began the crafting of a cob bench at CACG.
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| Marking the site where the sand and clay were to be delivered |
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| Digging a foundation down to the sandstone substrate |
The group was led by seasoned and dedicated Permaculture teacher Bethallyn Black.
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| Bethallyn demonstrating mixing rice straw into the 1 part clay 1 1/2 parts sand mix |
The sourcing of materials was mindfully executed to keep the carbon footprint as small as possible.
The sand came from a quarry on Mt. Diablo. The clay was surplus material from a landscaping project in Martinez. The broken concrete base material came from a local tear out. The straw ... we're not too sure about, probably a little north of Sacramento.
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| Unloading broken concrete to use as base material |
Mixing of the sand and clay with water takes place in a tarp
The mix is formed into balls
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Moving finished balls to bench
"smushing" balls together
Two local chickens, who had nothing to do with the cobbing project at CACG, admiring a stone bench
Empty wine bottles added for artistic effect
A cobbing crowd
Above the bottle layer
Foot washing
David very happy to witness this long held dream for the garden taking shape
There is still a back to add to this bench but the cob needs to dry before we can elevate any more. A group of students will return at 9am on Friday September 12th to continue the project. All are welcome to watch or take part in the construction.
There is more to follow as the first ever cob bench at CACG takes shape.
Gratefully,
David
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