May in Pictures Part 2

The Magical Marsh of May

The fine ladies trellising peas in the main garden

Preparing a hoop house for tomatoes in the main garden

mmm....baking bread.

I love the intimacy of kneading.

It fascinates me that this process is about managing an ecology,

creating the right environment for a living culture.

Siobhan wheel-barreling with style.

Michael is in the back peering into the depths of the woodchips

after spraying plants with some suspicious liquid.

Your average meeting.

Standing, sitting, stretching and yoga.

The Bullocks are not known for their ability to sit still.

Cute little fig babies

Nectarine....mmm.....

Wednesday (the duck) eating our compost.

Josta babies

Cherry flowers

What better place to have tea in the Spring than under cherry blossoms.

I like to do informal Japanese tea ceremonies,

with maccha tea and wagashi (Japanese tea snack that is usually mochi and azuki based).

Gooseberries

So tasty and plump.

I hope they will grow wherever I end up settling in Japan.

Pizza party

Remember, when you plan your permaculture dreamstead,

design in enticements like a woodfired pizza oven, solar boom box with rims (spinning kind is best), and pizza dough. And, if you want to take it to the next level, sauna or hottub.

I think it'd be pretty likely you'll get a good amount of willing volunteers if you had those things. Thats how you build a barn or something for cheap.

Post-breakfast 5 minute dance party,

following a group tooth brushing and flossing session.

Adele is on heavy rotation.

Main path in bloom.

I wonder what it does to you psychologically and physiologically when you walk on a path like this as opposed to a sidewalk along a busy road surrounded by concrete buildings and neon lights.

Thats one of my fears of Tokyo living.

I imagine that the landscape you are surrounded with has a profound impact on our lives.

Speaking of which......

Manufactured Landscapes

Sam recommended a documentary called Manufactured Landscapes and I just watched it. What a overwhelmingly disturbing and fascinating reality. I highly highly recommend it. It was mind blowing. How can we apply permaculture to these landscapes?

for more info on that http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/ (click on film)

Newly grafted tree nursery

This is a way to save space and allow the tree to size-up.

Its amazing that these strange-looking sticks with tacky rubber bands wrapped around them,

are going to be a fruit tree with tasty fruits we chose.

Pears...yum...

Strawberries

Man, what an awesome berry.

Nature's beauty

A madrone expressing its naked beauty.

They grow in very peculiar shapes.

Homemade fruit wine.

Its alive!!!!!!

What a trippy world we live in.

This is a ceanothus flower just as it starts to bloom.

Makes me want to give the little blossoms a kiss.

Sam presents the dense entry way planting.

He's pointing to the Italian Stone Pine which is a cold hardy pine nut producer,

to the right in the shadows is an Incense Cedar known for its fragrant wood

and the tall tree with spreading branches is an European Beech that also produces edible nuts.

The grayish cone shaped tree behind Sam's left hand is an Atlas Cedar, native to the Atlas mountains of Algeria. Most of these are large trees so perhaps a few of them will be removed at some point.

Here is a relatively young chinampa bank/path way.

Its quite springy and occasionally your foot might puncture through and dip into the marsh.

What a cool pattern and use of resources.

Our ferrocement water tank half full.

The roof is a new addition from last year.

Pretty heavy duty roof capable of a snow load. the post was custom welded by a welder on the island.

Pretty important to live close to skilled crafts people.

There most likely be a day when cheap Chinese products will no longer be available.

Then where will you get your tools, materials, and products?

Jane, Simon, and Siobhan working on the plumbing for the ferrocement tank.

When you call Dave, this is the other end.

Its a fun image of someone calling from the concrete jungle of some city,

to Dave standing in the midst of an edible forest garden.

I'm so glad I don't have a cell phone....but Tokyo (aka Babylon) awaits.

The attack of the tent caterpillars.

We removed them semi-swiftly.

Looks like a party up there.

The beautiful bachlor's button.

Onion loving.
Our onions this year are really struggling.

It seems like birds are picking them out,

weathers been cool, and probably other factors.

But we love onions so much!

Next door, are garlics which also had some problems,

and it seems like a significant amount has molded.

NooooooooooooO!

I need a distraction.....

Ooo, the Sizzling Bliss Rangers in action.

If you're lonely, and need someone to fix your hoop house,

why not hire these guys.

The Bliss Rangers can stack some functions, if you know what i mean.

Looks like a futuristic plastic farm operation.

Plastic tarp, plastic liquid receptacles fashioned into hot caps, and plastic drip tape.

Such a unfortunately useful product.

Imagine a world without plastic.......

That will be a challenging transition for the human race.

Three little squashlings in a rich pocket of soil surrounded by black plastic

for weed suppression and heat.

The main garden.

Isn't this what life is about.....a garden of joy.

Canoe meeting with Nico on the marsh.

Nico and I have done some co-facilitating/teaching this year and it has been amazing.

We are both really interested in teaching and exploring social permaculture.

I think here, we are doing positives and improvables from our last session.

Professional permaculture designers at work.

The green house also serves as an office,

in addition to sauna, wood-fired shower, winter kitchen, etc.

Preview for my nextish entry about the Village Building Convergence in Portland.

This Singing Alive event that we landed on at Tryon Farm was a beautiful experience.

What an enchanting event, younger and older people sharing songs and everyone singing along.

I hope to live in a community that sings and dances regularly.

It nourishes my soul.