Step 2: brick floor and sand mold

The next step in the process was to lay red brick as the oven floor.



Sand and water were used to create the inner mold.





The mold was then covered in newspaper and we moved on to mixing cob.

Step One: The Foundation

After we picked a location that was out of direct rain and wind, close to the kitchen and aesthetically pleasing, we cleared the ivy away and started to dig.


We did a quick and dirty soil test to ensure that there was enough clay in the soil. There was plenty.


Because of the clay content, the soil is clumpy and hard. It's difficult to dig, so we added water.


We gathered rocks from all over the area and stacked them up. We filled the void with gravel and topped it off with about five inches of sand.

Building the foundation was like putting together a puzzle and definitely Nathan's favorite part. I liked rock-hunting. And it was fun to sit on the ground and make something out of rocks. Maybe I'm part Hobbit, afterall.

The Cob Oven Project, Introduction

Cob is: Clay, Sand, Straw and Water, mixed to a sticky, but not too wet, consistancy, usually on a tarp, in batches, with bare feet.
(Yes, Nathan did stomp in the mud with bare feet.:)

We've been wanting to make a small-scale cob something. Then I ran across a book by Kiko Denzer, How to Build Your Own Earth Oven. Perfect! So we picked a spot, tested the soil, got approval from the landlord, gathered materials and stomped ourselves a bread oven in the back yard, right off the kitchen. It's just big enough to bake two small loaves or one medium one.

The next entries will explain our cob-stomping process. Then you can make your own!


The Cob Cottage Company
Rocket Stoves
Buy Kiko's Book
[link=http://www.cpros.com/~sequoia/]Becky Bee's Groundworks[/link]

This Morning

We slept on the downstairs deck last night. This is what we woke up to...

Animal Laughter

I was remembering today that I told Beverly that I'd post some things on Animal Laughter. We were discussing it at the lake this summer. So, finally, here is a short-list of articles about Animal Laughter I had fun reading. Enjoy!

MSNBC Article
The Animals Laugh
The Last Laugh
This is Pretty Funny...
Science News Article
Laughter, Including Animals

Let me know what you think...

Portland Bridge Pedal 2005

We started about 8:30. leaving from the Salmon Street fountain.






...after a little waiting, we were on our way



We crossed the Hawthorne bridge first and then came our first "not normally open to bikes" bridge.
The Ross Island Bridge.
view north into Portland


OHSU and the VA hospital


The I-5 bridge was next on the route. It was a blast taking the freeway entrance down the hill.
However, we ran into a bit of a bottleneck at the top.


but we snapped a few pictures and enjoyed the view as we walked across the top of the Marquam.




the view of the Ross Island bridge was gorgeous.




Riding down the Marquam was worth the wait. We went faster than most cars on friday afternoon in this area.

Crossing the Burnside bridge, we were aligned with the Fremont (white) Broadway (red) and Steel(brown) bridges.


The Broadway bridge brought us another delay, but we were treated to bananas and bagels as we prepared for the final bridge.

The Fremont bridge




An incredible view to the north


And to the south








Another high speed descent and past the Union Station and we had finished the 2005 Portland 6 Bridge Pedal.