Wattle Hollow Retreat Center » cobbing

2nd Annual ‘A Greener America’ Workshop – May 27-30

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:02:34 +0000

4 p.m., Thursday, May 27th - 2 p.m., Sunday, May 30th 2010

Cobbing Fun at A Greener America workshop

We will continue to build the newest cob building: Sea World, with more emphasis on sculptural furniture, adobe floors and the last of the windows. Expect your building experience to be accompanied by music, whimsy, and dancing. No suffering allowed.

We will also have a guest lecturer for a couple of hours on the weekend days, Richard Herman, sharing his expertise on permaculture.

Our meals will be gourmet vegetarian (from local sources), some of it cooked in solar ovens. Daily yoga classes for those who wish. This is a time to relax, learn, and commune with friends and nature.

Cost:$130., entire workshop, or $40/day includes lodging, gourmet meals, and hands-on experience.

Retreat Registration Form (pdf)

About Richard:

Richard Herman has devoted his life’s work to sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry and medical care, permaculture, and leading youth in wilderness adventures and education.

Trained from childhood on Ozarks farms, Herman has done extensive and varied work on three continents. He served for six years as large- and small-animal veterinary assistant, followed by stints in herd health management for Heifer International and physician’s assistant in schools and clinics in Kenya. His international experience has brought diverse perspectives in agricultural and health customs and traditions.

A certified consultant in permaculture, Herman teaches at community colleges and by invitation for numerous organizations. He served a tour in the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa, assisting schools with agriculture using permaculture principles. In Lesotho, he was member of a permaculture guild which established weekend workshops for teachers.

With the Lambourne charity for troubled youth in England, Herman designed and set up a farm using animals as therapy for young people. A field instructor with Outward Bound in Maine, he led groups into the wilderness for 2 and 3 week treks, orienteering, white water rafting, rock climbing, and canoeing.

Herman lives a low impact lifestyle, harvesting water from rooftops, collecting water in ponds and soil and has transformed a dry stream bed to a near year-round flowing stream. Using permaculture design on his land, Herman has also developed a forest garden, no-till kitchen gardens, intensive grazing systems, and a sustainably harvested forest; grows rishi and shitake mushrooms; and introduced tree grafting (creating a genetic library for scion woodland).

Mud Festival 2009 & New ‘Sea World’ cobbing photos

admin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:20:36 +0000

Sunday, September 27th, 2009 was Mudfestival, working on the newest adobe building, “Sea World”.

Joy outside the new 'Sea World' cob building

Click here for slide show of the progress on ‘Sea World’ (opens in new window).

Thailand 2009 Cobbing slideshow

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:54:56 +0000

Click image to view slideshow in new window:

Slide show of cobbing during Joy's 2009 trip to Thailand

Older slideshows and images of cobbing adventures at Wattle Hollow Retreat Center – links open in new window (so close (X) window to return here):

Slide Show of 2006-2007 completed ‘Cob Castle’ – Updated July ‘07

Slide Show of Cob Festival 2005 – ‘Cob Castle’

Slide Show of 2004 Cob Festival & Cob Lodging Interior

Our First Slide Show 2003 Cob Interior & Cob Woman

History and Updates on the Story of Cobbing at Wattle Hollow

Early photos of Cob Decor at Wattle

More stuff you may like…

Cob Building in Thailand – Photos

Nature Images at Wattle Hollow Retreat Center

The Outhouses at Wattle Hollow Retreat Center

The New America – Greener Ways to Live – July 23-28

admin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:47:30 +0000

July 23 – 28th (Thursday, 10 a.m. – Tuesday, 1:30)

Joy Fox and friends will demonstrate:

*natural healthful cooking
*solar cooking and baking, with a solar oven
*daily yoga classes
*cobbing – the ancient, but recently revived technique of adobe mounding for construction. We will be working on an outdoor project near the cob castle.

This week-long workshop is definitely a hands-on experience! You may join us for any portion of this retreat, but please reserve ahead.

Cost: $200 for everything, or $40/day (Some trades possible.)
Retreat Registration Form

Cob Castle & Doors at Wattle

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:56:27 +0000