Workshop Day I

We had ten newbies stay on to participate in the full three-day workshop - a wonderfully diverse mix of hard workers. Workshop participants were joined by professional straw balers - Zak Miller, Rob McLean, Meghan MacCulloch, Jeffrey Ponsford and presenter, Kim Thompson.

Participants came from various parts of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia - and all are keen to build or renovate with straw bale in the future.

We kicked off each day with breakfast together as a group. Meals together made for great bonding and information sharing time - one of my favourite parts (well, food and fun are always a priority!). After breakfast on Day One, we spent a few hours learning about each other's straw bale plans and discussing straw bale principles and techniques. Before lunch, we began laying bales in a running bond around the perimeter of the house. Much time was spent on notching bales to fit around window and door openings and tying them to one another for additional security.
By the end of the day (as you can see in the photo of the house), we had most of the main floor wall up and the group was in a fine groove. I'm amazed at how quickly everyone caught on and how much they accomplished in a short period of time. Wunderbar!