Well, after talking about alternate options, I started a month long internship with him at his farm. I’ll be going into more detail soon, for now I hope these images give you an idea of the place.

Spreadwing farm panoramic

chicken coop and orchard

Kids after cleaning the barn floor

Insect eggs on kale

Some of the chickens

bull eating green almonds

The move in to the “The Ranch” took four people racking their brains for a couple of days just to figure out how to move the 5th wheel in.

Ankle breaker…

When we moved in the “soil” was so trampled, dry and compacted we could hardly walk on it. The “smooth” patch on the right got that way after it rained and we walked on it for about a week. It took six passes with a tiller to get this to a walkable form. The horse manure and clay in the soil makes this soil perfect for adobe bricks or cob, maybe if I add some sand. Do I smell a cob project coming up?

Unconventional, yes

The short version of how we moved the trailer involves showing you these pictures. Yes, those are casters under the legs, and wheels, and that is a winch attached to the frame pulling from a large tree. Also you might notice the winch being powered by the trailer batteries from the open compartment. All those late nights watching Mac Gyver payed off.

Easy does it. My brother moving the trailer.

In fact, the setup was so good we could actually push it ourselves. It was like magic, every time we ran out of space to push the trailer one of the six plywood sheets under it would free up. Not to mention the fact that we had very few inches to spare at every turn.

Home sweet home

After twelve hours, and many close calls, we got the trailer located where we wanted it. You might notice, unless my pictures make it nearly impossible, that the trailer is pointing opposite the way it came in. That would be because we actually pivoted the thing 360 degrees and slid it sideways to get it there. I should consider starting a custom trailer moving service, that or committing my self to the crazy house. Now on to fixing the drip irrigation system, getting bees in the hive, digging the garden beds and well, the list goes on…

Very nicely built deck on this 1977 Airstream Argosy 24

We call this the office/library and the view from the deck begs for a comfortable chair and a cold beer. Who need TV with stuff like this.

Click for a larger image

To the left is where I plan on digging the garden beds and to the right is what will become, soon I hope, my outdoor workshop and ceramic studio.

Old Tractor

Have you ever read old, early 1900′s, books? They are written with a flare that, I at least think, is inpiring.

Recently I found Cornell.edu‘s The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture. These are written in the same style I mentioned and are all about agriculture starting in the 1620′s to 1999.  It’s a win win if you ask me…

Some of this might be outdated and not necessarily the best approach to take, however, there is still lots of information that would help feed a hungry brain.

Dave Wilson Nursery orchard with truck

If you have never heard of Dave Wilson, then you provably haven’t been to a nursery in your lifetime. They are one of the largest distributors of fruit trees in the United States and have been around since 1938. I just recently stumbled upon their YouTube Channel and it is full of information from maintaining your fruit orchard to pruning, planting and more. A great resource for your tree maintenance needs.

Here is a good intro one for you to get your feet wet

Found this little one walking about

White-marked Tussock Moth

Unknown caterpillar found cruising around the yard. There were dozens of these for a while and then all gone. Never got to see what they turn into…

[Update] Looks like this might be a Orgyia leucostigma or White-marked Tussock Moth. Though they are supposed to not go farther west than Texas, I did find this one in Topanga, California. Maybe a cousin?

macro spider

Found this little orange spider on a carpet in my last home. It was very small, but thanks to macro photography I got a good look at it.

I am thinking it is a Phidippus Otiosus or Jumping Spider. They are called jumping spiders because they do not trap their prey on webs, instead they jump on them.

Spreadwing farm – Photo credit HelloPinecone.com

We almost did a four month internship with Michael G. Smith. Organic farmer, natural builder extraordinaire, and all around great person. However, after three days helping out at the farm, we realized it would not work out with our current job arrangements so had to put that on the back burner.

Now, even though our friends are being more than supportive and the fifth wheel is safely stored, we are feeling the pressure of not having a place of our own. Luckily it looks as though starting April, we’ll have a new place. This is still off grid but has solar panels and city water. It looks very promising and has a horse stable with an old, mostly gutted, airstream (kind of like this one) and random structures on it. I can make it work and will have a blast in the process.

For now though, I am blessed to have a wonderfull wife and puppy. So home is where the heart is…

Sociable Weavers nest (from: Dillon Marsh Photography)

I’ve been on a community state of mind lately. Might be because we are “homeless” right now and our friends are really stepping up to bat. We are very lucky to be able to maintain our course through these rough waters.

The Sociable Weavers (Philetairus socius) build these incredible communal nests one straw at a time using a technique called thatching. These nests are multigenerational and have been known to be inhabited for as long as 100 years. Easily housing 200 birds, these little communities are continually being maintained.

Another nod to natural building and communities…

Also, check out this (low quality) video from the BBC’s David Attenborough

Tianluokeng Tulou (Photo credit: Martin Tai)

Ever heard of a Tulou? They are from China, meaning earthen building. The outer walls were made of rammed earth, a technique not conventionally though of as long lasting. That being said, these structures date as far back as 700 years ago. How long do you thing our current buildings will last? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate building practices…

For more information on these very interesting buildings, check out their wikipedia page.

Also read this informative NY Times article on the decline of their use.

Check out this Google Map link to get a clearer picture