So much pain. So little progress. Sort of.

Building season is winding down (already?!) and we've gotten a lot done and still have a lot still to do.  Probably only another two to three visits for actual work to get done so we're trying to focus on getting the dome covered.  Next year we're probably going to do a bit less since we're both feeling the need to get back to our international travel adventures (possibly Israel this time) and that will limit how much time and $ we can devote to the Domestead.

Pretty sunrise just outside of Laramie, WY:

Bunneh camped out in the tires on the wall:

Covering up the dome:

One row of bottles at a time:

This is about 18 inches (4 bottles laid horizontally) high.

All ready  for break time in the shade!

By the end of the second day, we'd added another 2 feet to the shell, 

bringing the height up to the first row of struts (just under waist  high.)

Someone rode a motorcycle up the driveway while we were away and had a look around.

Guess reading isn't a high priority out in the desert:

This time we also had some neighbors stop in while we were hard at work mixing a batch of crete.  It was pretty tense as we watched them pull off the road in a ATV, drive AROUND the gate at the botton of the driveway and come up toolin' right up to the wall.  Husband had the rifle ready, but out of sight right behind the wall.  Not paranoid, just ready for whatever considering they had to drive around our (locked) gate to get to the domestead.  To their credit, they stopped at the sign and turned off the engine and said a friendly hello.  

Two older guys wondering what we were up to and decided to stop in and see sinec they could see that we were "home".  They asked politely if they could check out all of our projects so we had 'em come in and have a gander.  They seemed impressed with all the work we've done and our creative approach to experimental architecture.  They had even heard of geodesic domes and were again impressed at our little shelter.  They even told us there was a house up the road a ways that had a similar (larger) dome out in our AO (Military speak for Area of Operations).  We'll have to see if we can find it on our next trip up.

 Ever cautious, husband stayed between them and the rifle and had it within arms length while chatting and speaking redneck with them.  In the end, they headed on their way and we got back to work. (The Wife is still boggling at the fact that the Husband slipped seamlessly into "good ol' boy" mode without even trying.)

Gettin' it done:

We should be able to get the dome completely covered with bottles and crete by the end of season.  It's a lot of work and by the end of the day our hands, arms and lower backs are sore and we can barely move.  When we're finally done, it will all be worth it.

We've also been doing a lot of clean up along the way as we go.  We're hoping to have all of the ceiling tiles used up by the end of the building season.  (Grounds up, soaked and used as aggregate for the crete on the dome.)

Compare this to pics from earlier this year when the courtyard looked like a disaster area:

 

View of Elk Mountain on the way home

Next trip = using up the rest of the loose little bottles, probably the rest of the water we stashed over last winter and getting the dome covered by at least another 2 feet!