Scraping off cracked lime plaster from a to-smooth earthen wall

Failure: the omission of expected or required action. I think this is what they call “Another F-ing learning experience”. It’s sometimes necessary to make mistakes to learn what not to do. I thought I’d share mine.

A year ago we plastered a wall with a sand and lime mix. The mix wasn’t very precise and a little thin. It was applied to a wall that had little to no key, nothing for the plaster to hold on to. I have always finished the ’scratch’ coat with my hands in the past. I guess that left enough of a key or grip, but this was finished with a pool trowel. And huh… not scratched. Continue Reading…

I had the good fortune of roaming around Portland, Oregon for a few days after my friend’s wedding. Surely I wanted to see what’s been happening on the cob and public art scene there, since it’s been so long since I’ve lived there. The Portland Hostel gazebo was new to me. It is similar to other artfully crafted places created by City Repair, though I’m not sure it was one of their initiatives. Fantastic! I love seeing cob art on the streets of a major city. This was particularly well done and a comfortable sanctuary off of busy Hathorne Blvd.

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