Out on Bale

We've had a great stretch of weather... It brings out Island living at it's best. Sienna won't come to work with me while it's this hot, but she loves the beach outings. The ocean is the place to be, as the lakes are just too warm for swimming.

Saturday evening we went to see Los Rastrillos at the hall. An all ages show.... and as usual no Denman dance complete without Kids and a Border Collie. We were a slightly smaller crowd than the one in the video.

Straw Bale House Update: About half of the exterior walls are now "baled". We've started at the back of the house.... the idea being that we'll make all of the learning curve mistakes on the least visible side. We'll do one complete wall, then move on to the more visible areas. Once the bales are stacked and the cracks between them "stuffed", the walls are given a final plumb (fine tuning) using a sledge hammer. Then it comes time to shave the walls (to make them less hairy of course) and knock down any unsightly straw bulges. It was challenging to find a tool capable of shaving the flax straw. We tried weed-whackers, hedge shears and even the electric chainsaw with dismal results. The flax straw is just so fibrous that nothing seems to be able to shear it. During a visit to a hemp bale house a few years ago, that builder said that he'd had a difficult time with the same sort of problem. The problem has been solved by mounting an undercut saw carbide tooth blade onto my angle grinder. The result is a very dangerous, (but effective) tool.

Once the wall was sheared we attached 2" square stucco wire, (which I'm told is not "code") anchored to the plaster stops and window bucks. Cedar window trims are then screwed into the bucks. Pretty much the same procedure will be done to the inside of the same wall, then the wire mesh on either side of the wall can be "sewn" together. This is accomplished using a customized baling needle which is capable of either pushing or pulling baling twine through the 18" walls. See design detail from http://www.strawbale.com/ I used a 3/8" aluminum rod (cost- $6) and a cutting wheel on my angle grinder to make the 45 degree grooves into which the twine fits.

Straw Bale Construction

Straw Bale House Update: The back of the house (which served as the learning curve) has been "baled". What we've been calling the "catwalk", (a box-beam built above the living room windows made to suspend the bales) is being filled in. Below the living room windows another box beam will form a very long window seat. The picture of the window seat also shows the electrical box detail. The wiring runs within a chase at ground level with the bales on a "toe-up" seven inches above floor level.
Working with the Flax Straw has been challenging. It is extremely fibrous and hard on the saw blades (not to mention the skin on arms and legs) The big advantage to flax is the oil content, which makes it extremely rot resistant.

Kari is off on vacation for a few weeks and is being indoctrinated into the strawbale brother/sisterhood. Not exactly a relaxing vacation.

Port McNeill - bean there

straw bale house update:

I've pretty much finished the wiring rough-in except for the kitchen. The kitchen design will have to be finalized before it can be wired. Jesse, ( the electrician in the family) has given it an inspection and has given his approval.

At long last it's time to bale. With my small trailer I can "shuttle" 20 bales of straw at a time from the barn (where it's stored) to the building site. I'll bring the bales to site as needed, as storage is at a premium. The garage is currently filled with 2x12 cedar which will act as plaster stops (top and bottom of the first floor). The wiring in the bale walls has proven challenging. With several attempts to remedy, I think I've come up with something the inspector will approve of.

Let's say that I'm a farmer... maybe a bean farmer. I'm a very experienced a bean farmer with a triple "A" credit rating. One day the government says that I can't grow my beans anymore. I must buy them from other farmers in the area and re-sell them. The other farmers in the area have no fields in which to grow beans. The Government allows the farmers to clear some publicly owned Old Growth Boreal Forests in which to grow their beans. The new farmers have poor credit and they have to pass these costs on. At harvest time, I'm forced to buy the beans at a much higher price than I can grow them myself. Further, I am not allowed to store, freeze or can the beans to sell in the off-season. I must sell all my beans at harvest time, which creates a glut in the market and drastically reduces the market value. I am forced to sell the beans at half of what I paid for them. How long do you think I can stay in business? Would you vote for the government that mandated this practice? 45% of BC residents did just that.

It's only a matter of time before BC Hyrdo is sold off because it will no longer be profitable. (or you'll be paying double to stay on the grid)

Took a quickie trip to Port McNeill on Friday. The highlight was the world famous Burl. The largest burl in the world. Hey, I've saved you the trip.

say what?

Kari & I have what's called a "blended family" with 6 kids between us. At some point in time, each and every one of them asks the dreaded question. "Have you smoked pot?"  What flashes through your mind over the milliseconds that follow, ranges from complete stone face denial... to a bad impression of Elmer Fudd... abbada-abbada umm.

I can't remember the last time I smoked pot. That may be because I smoked enough to

 destroy any semblance of a long term memory. Does admission of the deed condone the use to your children? And if so, is it any more (or less) of an event as their first drink?  

My wife has never smoked anything.... ever.  To her, my voiced opinion that underage drinking is the same as underage pot smoking is met with furrowed brow.  I think both should be avoided until there's some evidence present within a brain that they can make an intelligent decision. Teenagers in general fall into the category of questionable decision making... along with most adults (+ something I'm still struggling with).  

The one straggler still at home recently insisted on asking some pointed questions on this matter. "It'll effect your long term memory", I say. "You don't want to turn out like me do ya...?"  By the time I get downstairs, I've forgotten what I went for.... surely it was the (effects of) pot.  

Where else to turn for unbiased information, but  the Internet? OK, so google "marijuana memory loss"..... this looks interesting " Could Marijuana Substance Help Prevent Or Delay Memory Impairment In The Aging Brain?  ".Huh?  Not what I expected. What's my excuse now?

  

"Why isn't it legal like beer and wine?" she asks. "I heard that California is going to pay off all their debt by legalizing pot and taxing it."

"I dunno" I say. A little investigation turns up a home grown (no pun intended) documentary, The Union. It proved to be informative viewing for the whole family and answers all the questions, like why isn't it legal. 

Oh Deer!

I met up with this little guy on the road to the (new) house. As soon as I drove close, the mother made a dash for the bushes and this guy quickly lay down, spread-eagle on the road. After a few moments, he timidly got up and gained his wobbly balance. A few days old at best, he didn't have the ability or instinct to run away and posed nicely for the camera. (yes, mom came back for him)

straw bale house update: The weather has been spectacular to say the least. Often reaching the mid 30's by early afternoon. We've switched to an earlier start to the day in an attempt to escape the late afternoon heat. There's just a few final touches in preparation to baling. The soffits are nearly completed, with just the dormer portion to go. I devised a continuous venting system....(mostly stolen from a design I saw on the Denman Island Home & Garden Tour... see video below) The electrical is about 1/2 done. All the switch and receptacle boxes in the straw walls must be placed as the courses go up. The electrical inspector seems to OK with the wires being buried prior to inspection.... I did get busted for having the wrong speaker wire though.... who knew speaker wire is covered in the electrical code?

The good weather along with some smoke (from a forest fire on the mainland) has made for some nice sunsets. We're looking forward to sitting on the deck with this view.... minus the scraggly trees (which I shall call "standing firewood"for now).

Ants and Uncles

On a short hike last weekend we came across this skyscraper of an anthill. (Uncle) Bill was kind enough to give the picture some scale (but not for too long).

straw bale house update: T&G soffits for most of the week, with some electrical work thrown in.  I decided to take out the electrical permit myself as electricians are an expensive lot.  For a mere $300 permit fee you can wire the house yourself.  One thing the wiring book doesn't cover is speaker wire.... and that's the first thing that had to be replaced after the first visit from the inspector. (the only inspector that we have to please here on Denman) Who woulda thunk.... busted for speaker wire "not to code".

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I've watched the last few seasons of American (and Canadian) Idol.  It's becoming more than obvious that the results are fixed. It seemed that even the judges were aware that there had to be some surprise ending (to the show) to keep the viewers coming back for another season. The New York Daily News survey concluded that 61% of people polled also believe the results were bogus.... even the winner thought the results were wrong.  I don't have a problem with the whole charade.... just don't call it reality TV.

Not sure how, but I missed the ZEITGEIST: ADDENDUM   Likely the most thought provoking movie you'll ever see. (every bit as good as the original)  It makes one want to fast forward time a few thousand years.

I'm Baaaaack

A sabbatical was in order.  What can I say?

Two bloggers that I read faithfully have have called it quits.... or not....James (UK) who has proven that we can change the way we live... and Paddy K (Sweden)  a very talented writer that just plain "burned out" then had second thoughts. 

straw Bale House update: Lots of building since I last posted...

Front entry is near completion... (waiting on some custom flashings)

Mason heater has been faced.

Doors and windows have been set.

Trenches for the power and greywater have been dug.

The "toe-ups" that anchor the straw bales are in place.

The pine T&G ceilings are about 1/2 complete