A few weeks ago, when the rain finally stopped, Niko and I embarked on a project: construction of an earthen bread oven in our backyard. Remarkably, progess is being made! We built a stand for it, including making a concrete slab table, then put down brick for the oven floor. Next came the sand form, which is now encased in the three- or four-inch thick "thermal layer" of clay and sand. Once that hardens, we'll cut out a door space, remove the sand, and then put on a thick (seven inches) layer of cob, a mixture of clay, sand and straw. Here's how things look now:
