Stucco Workshop

posted by The Paititi Team on August 15th, 2013

Stucco is a hands on process

Stucco is a real hands on processThe land in Crawford, CO, which is called The Eagle’s Nest in deference to the Prophecy of the Condor and the Eagle, is intended to create a space which works with the land and allows for people to come, worship, and heal in ways traditional to the Western Colorado region.  Growth and building on the land needed to be as gentle and as close to nature as possible.

Anastacia lead the way during this three day workshop to work on building a stucco kitchen. The kitchen would provide necessary support to future projects and the initial groups working on the land.  With a small group eager to learn more about working with the local dirt the workshop kicked off for a three day push to get the external walls complete.

Participants applying stucco to the external walls

Everyone was lulled by the methodical work.

The project included cutting reed mats to size to give the mud something to stick to, stapling the reeds to the exterior plywood of the building, sifting through the dirt, mixing the dirt with water and straw to form the mud, and slathering this concoction on all sides of the building. Did I mention a lot of singing, dancing and general fun while this was all going on?

Some big takeaways were that in order to do any more work up there there is a need for completion of the kitchen, a bathhouse, and a composting toilet setup. Until those things are in place the space just isn’t set up for large workshops.

What gratitude for the family, friends, and skilled workers that showed up.  It was truly a beautiful experience.

~Kirsten

This post can also be seen on Kirsten’s blog Sustainable Bonanza.