Firespeaking

• “Naturally Building Patagonia” – February 15-20, 2010
  Patagonia, Argentina

• 2nd level Natural Building Courses at Valle Pinatado – March 3-13, 2010
  Patagonia, Argentina

• Earthen Oven Workshop at Sacred Grove Retreat – April 16-18, 2010
  Gold Hill, NC

• Complete Cob at Cob Cottage Company – June 19 – 27, 2010
  Coquille, OR

• Natural Living Workshops at Hawthorn Farm – August 13-21, 2010
  Woodinville, WA

Earthen Oven Workshop

at Sacred Grove Retreat

Gold Hill, NC

April 16-18, 2010

Contact us now to reserve space, or with any questions:
www.sacredgroveretreat.com
info@sacredgroveretreat.com
704-463-0768

Woodinville, WA
August 12-21, 2010

Wood-Fired Barrel Oven Workshop (August 12-13-14)

In this weekend workshop you will learn all the skills necessary to build yourself an affordable, practical and productive wood-fired oven.

• Basics of making and laying adobe bricks
• Construction of a vaulted arch
• Principles of building for fire
• Develop basic natural building intuition

Rustic Carpentry Intensive (August 15-20)

Stay with us during the week for a round-pole carpentry intensive. We will build the roof for the oven which will complete this outdoor kitchen.

• Use of traditional hand tools
• Basic round pole joinery
• Experience in simple, hardy structural design
• Develop confidence for building your own useful structures

Mastering the Mix (August 20-21)

Learn the basics of earthen plasters by joining us in the finish work on the barrel oven and knead different doughs to bake its first loaves!

• Intuitive bread baking – sourdoughs, cinammon rolls and pizza
• Traditional methods to make and apply earthen plasters and paints
• Use local, natural materials to craft many types of beautiful finishes
• Apply skills to Natural/ Green Building and Eco Remodeling
• Special Addition: learn to churn butter and harvest honey
  

View our current design proposal!

Location/Host: Hawthorn Farm – Woodinville, WA

This productive, three-acre farm is 20 miles northeast of Seattle.  It is an example of suburban small-farm revival which includes organic gardening; beekeeping; chickens, sheep and horse raising; wool spinning and other fiber crafts.  Alexia is a naturalist and dedicated teacher of wilderness awareness skills.  Find out more about your location and host….

Instructors

Max Edleson and Eva Miller are accomplished natural builders who are dedicated to facilitating environments in which people can deepen their experiences with natural living crafts.  There vast experience spans across mediums including a large variety of natural building techniques, woodworking, metalworking, farming and ceramics.  Find out more about your instructors….

Workshop Details-

We will receive up to 15 students for either of the two weekend workshops and up to 4 for the Round Pole Carpentry workshop.  Registration and deposit of 25% confirms your spot in the course.

Workshop Prices:
Wood-Fired Barrel Oven Workshop (2 days) $240
Rustic Carpentry Intensive (5 days) $350
Mastering The Mix (2 days) $240
10% discount for registering more than 30 days in advance

Courses include fresh, locally grown meals and exquisite space for camping.

Musical instruments encouraged, the dance floor in the living room is great!

Contact and registration:

To reserve yourself a spot or for inquiries, contact Alexia Allen: 425 286 5640 (CP), 425 488 8605 (H), alexiaallen@hotmail.com.  Registration and deposits should be sent to Alexia Allen, 17340 NE 195 St., Woodinville, WA 98072 .  We prefer postal money orders; if you send a check, it should be written out to: Levi Old.

More about Barrel Ovens….

A four part series to deepen your experience with natural living crafts

Naturally Building for Fire
March 3 – 6, 2010

Come see how little wood it takes to warm your home while creating a lovely hearth.

Join us in building a multi-functional and beautiful masonry heater using natural building techniques.  Masonry heaters are highly efficient fireplaces which are designed to burn cleanly and and maintain much more of the heat inside your home.  They provide a comfortable and environmentally-sound way to heat your home.  Our project will use affordable earthen materials while also incorporating traditional European stove design and modern methods used in the United States.

Cost: $400

NATURAL FINISHES: PLASTERS, PAINTS, FRESCOES, ETC.
March 10 – 13, 2010

Come join us as we make and apply a plaster coat on our new community kitchen.

Learn how to use local, natural materials to craft many types of beautiful finishes.  This course will include information about various interior and exterior treatments as well as tool and application techniques.

Cost: $400

SHARPENING AND MAINTENANCE OF HAND TOOLS
March 9, 2010

Learn how to keep a sharp edge on all kinds of tools so they can do the work for you.

Realize the difference it makes to use sharpened tools!  Bring knives, machetes, shovels, hoes, saws, chainsaws, etc. from your home and garden (or we will provide many!) and we will show you how to sharpen and maintain them.  We will cover a wide range of tools used in rural homesteading including essential tools for working with draft horses, human-scale agriculture and rustic carpentry.

Cost: $60

BREAD MAKING: FROM SEED TO OVEN TO TABLE
March 2, 2010

Love the taste of warm, fresh bread?  Ever wanted to make your own?

This course will help you understand the how and why of the bread baking process so you can make delicious loaves.  Learn how to make sourdough, rye, whole wheat, pizza, focaccia, calzone, chocolate bread, savory bread and more. Through hands on sessions and discussions you will learn about growing your own grain and how to thresh, winnow and mill it in order to make bread. We will also talk about different naturally built ovens and their use.

Cost: $60

LOCATION: The following projects will take place at and contribute to the development of Granja Valle Pintado, a small land-based community dedicated to the development of local organic food production, natural building, sustainability, and cultivation of the human spirit. We are located in the beautiful river valley of the Rio Azul on the outskirts of the inspired town of El Bolson in Southern Argentina.

Payment and Registration:

Contact for South America- Alex Edleson , alexe@riseup.net

Rest of the World- Eva Miller, evalarevolution@yahoo.com,  503.333.9042

Spaces Limited.  Reserve your spot through 25% down payment

Accomodations and Food:

Course includes 3 fresh, home grown meals and exquisite space for camping.

Count on live music and fireside discussion!

The members of Granja Valle Pintado have over 10 years of experience in natural building and community-based experiential gatherings.

More information on instructors for this course…

February 15-20, 2010
El Bolsón, Patagonia, Argentina

Inquiries and registration
bioconstruyendo@gmail.com

Program includes:

Introduction to Permaculture
Permaculture and Natural Building
Passive Solar Design
Introduction to Natural Building
Composting Toilets
Solar Water Heating
Grey Water Treatment
Sacred Geometry
Electricity
Green or Living Roofs
Geodesic Domes

Natural Building Techniques Covered:

Adobe Brick
Wattle and Daub
Light Straw-Clay Bricks
Earth Bag Construction
Cob
Natural Plasters
Earthen Sculpture
Tile Mosaic
Natural Paints
Insulating Panels
Cast Floor Panels

Location

CIDEP, which stands for Center for Permaculture Research, Development and Education, will be the central location for both hands-on projects and lectures.  The center is a 24 acre farm in a beautiful rural area at the foothills of the Andes and 9 miles from the center of the town of El Bolson. Many sustainable systems at various stages of development exist at the center including natural windbreaks, natural buildings, alternative energy generation, passive solar systems, composting toilets, recycling, garden, and nature reserve spaces.  The presence of all these systems creates a dynamic environment for participants since they actually live in and experience them.

Lodging and Facilities

The coursesare residential-based since the community experience is an important part of the program.  The facilities are simple: including 12 dormitory-style beds and many options for camping.  Composting toilets are available.  Participants should bring sleeping bags, sheets (or a tent depending on arrangement), towel and other personal hygiene materials, flashlight, comfortable and warm clothing, hat to protect from the sun and footware adequate for not getting your feet wet.
Lodging in the dormitory is limited so it is necessary to reserve your sport upon registering.

Food

Food served during the course will be based on a naturalist diet which includes organic, fresh, whole grained and varied options.  We will harvest many vegetables straight from our and neighboring farm.  We make sure that you receive a diet that will keep you energized and open-minded throughout the course.  Like other aspects of the course, the cuisine we serve is an expression of creativity, art, care of people, and care of the earth.

Registration and Costs

The cost of the course is $1500 (Argentine pesos) or its international equivalent (aprox. U$S 400 / € 275).  Registration is confirmed with a 30% downpayment.

Any other inquiries can be directed to the following email: bioconstruyendo@gmail.com .

Visit the course’s main website which is in Spanish….