This morning, after Marlene and I went for a bike ride for exercise, had a warm shower, and breakfast, I started mixing the clay for rebuilding the oven.
John Black came around to offer help and was gladly put into service. We added the sagebrush straw to the wet clay mix and I began the "earth oven stomp".
We would stop occassionally and roll the mixture to the center of my mixing tarp. Then I would stomp again and we would repeat the process until the straw and clay were thoroughly mixed.
Then we began packing the adobe clay mixture around the old oven. The old oven walls were about 3 1/2 inches thick because some of the clay had weathered away during the year we had been away.
We added about 4 inches of new clay to the surface so when it's dry, the rebuilt oven walls will be almost 8 inches thick. The rebuilt oven should hold it's heat for 4 to 6 hours.
In the mean time, while the oven repair was progressing, Marlene started on her project of recaning our dining room chairs. We brought two of them along with enough material to redo the seats. These chairs originally were used by my great grand parents and have been in the family for over 100 years. She did this job once before in the 60's shortly after we were married. Then we had it done again by an antique dealer who did it as a side hobby.
Now she is starting to weave the new cane into the holes in the chair. Today she completed the horizontal and vertical patterns and tomorrow she will start on the cross weaving. That is the part that takes the most time because you have to go over and under so many previous runs of cane.
After a long, but fun day, it's time to relax. This is taken about 6:00 pm and the sun is just going down. The temperature is still about 70 degrees and it's very still and peaceful here in our spot in the desert.
John Black came around to offer help and was gladly put into service. We added the sagebrush straw to the wet clay mix and I began the "earth oven stomp".
We would stop occassionally and roll the mixture to the center of my mixing tarp. Then I would stomp again and we would repeat the process until the straw and clay were thoroughly mixed.
Then we began packing the adobe clay mixture around the old oven. The old oven walls were about 3 1/2 inches thick because some of the clay had weathered away during the year we had been away.
We added about 4 inches of new clay to the surface so when it's dry, the rebuilt oven walls will be almost 8 inches thick. The rebuilt oven should hold it's heat for 4 to 6 hours.
In the mean time, while the oven repair was progressing, Marlene started on her project of recaning our dining room chairs. We brought two of them along with enough material to redo the seats. These chairs originally were used by my great grand parents and have been in the family for over 100 years. She did this job once before in the 60's shortly after we were married. Then we had it done again by an antique dealer who did it as a side hobby.
Here Marlene is removing the old seat by cutting out the cane.
Now she is starting to weave the new cane into the holes in the chair. Today she completed the horizontal and vertical patterns and tomorrow she will start on the cross weaving. That is the part that takes the most time because you have to go over and under so many previous runs of cane.
After a long, but fun day, it's time to relax. This is taken about 6:00 pm and the sun is just going down. The temperature is still about 70 degrees and it's very still and peaceful here in our spot in the desert.
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