Michael and Bert get in another book entry and swig of kombucha mushroom tea before donning gloves for the day's digging.

Council prayers start every work day

Fearless Leader Bert. Thank You for your endless devotion.

Earle! Michael!

Ben!

Brian!

Ian!!

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Thanks, Zeleigh and Grail for your endless generosity, compassion and kindness to all. We love You!

Sunrise over San Simone Valley to the Peloncillos. (picture from Grail)

First lizard of the season at Jamyang. Welcome!

Snoopy begging for a treat.

Up at the Lamas' retreat hut site, the digging has been going well with the new jack hammer

This page illustrates some of the building projects I'm working on (playing with!) at DM, as explorations of joy and offerings to the happiness of everyone. My goal in implementing these efforts is to discover what the least amount of infrastructure will offer the most comfort and grace, using the least amount of "produced" materials from off-site. But I think this page more importantly shows a lot of the joy of the people here, who are also wishing for the same happinesses. They are amazing. Here is a cactus fruit used to dye lintels in the mud hut behind Jamyang.

Here we are at the lama yurt building the first State Approved Thermophillic Composting Toilet System, for evaluation over the next two years (see dmes.org Building the Perfect Retreat Cottage class information from Winter Term 2006 for details). After evaluation and demonstration of successful pathogen elimination, we'll build more of these zero tech units throughout the project.

Bert and Aaron using a digging bar and pick ax to get through the rock. Hmmm. Not a lot of progress was made over many hours of this effort.

Here we go with the first trial on the jackhammer. If it goes well here, we may purchase one for other projects on this rocky land (and we did).

Our previous two days' of digging effort by hand yielded a depth of about two inches. (We have a secret feeling a lot of Diamond Mountain is like this...)

The lime or gypsum based stone matrix was thick. We never reached the other side of it.

Here's the rock matrix through which we had to dig down three feet.

Here's the rubble created by the jackhammer efforts. It was quite amazing

Hey, man, it has to be THIS deep! Looks like we're a little shallow.

Dang, we'll need to build up more to create the 3' depth we promised the State.

Man in action! Yeah!

Are we there yet?

Measure, level, saw, mix, dig: they did it all.

So Andy and Martine's daughters, Lily and Sylvy, Future Women Construction Workers of Canada (FWCWC), were at the job site most days. What a treat.

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Wenchi and Andy had a great system going for transferring wet concrete down into the hole

Bert measures carefully as Daniel, Sylvy and Kat amuse themselves always quite well

Andy, Daniel and Wenchi make another batch of concrete.

Yes, it was a lot of shared work effort with the girls. We absolutely loved having them on the job site. Good work, Dad!

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We have currently completed the framing for this building, and will get more pictures to you soon.

Here we are at the Three Jewels Library in Bowie, making an 850sf sealed mud floor. Maria finishes shoveling the last of 17 yards of clay and earth that we moved into the building by hand. Thanks to Michael, Luke, Eli, Grail and Zeleigh as well who helped with the bulk of this effort.

Working with earth cultivates a village based work ethic that brings folks together. Its low tech, with an easily assimilated skill set, and everyone always has FUN. I think Guy and Ven Phil would agree it was fun.

Here's Robin

Here comes Ben

Here comes Christine

Here comes Erica

Here comes Laurie

The first 6" of mud cracked like a river bed, then we filled with a thinner slip and smoothed again. The final finish was four coats of a soybased sealer.

Well, here's a method. Everyone had their own idea of the best way to mix the mud, and we tried them all. This is one of the best parts of working with earth: everyone is an expert in no time at all.

Physiologically, working in the mud is healing and stimulates creativity. Ben is the proof in the pudding

What is Guy thinking? He probably can't believe he's in the company of so many crazy women. Erica is having a hoot. Christine, what happened to your shirt? Yes, that's Tibetan grafitti written with mud on the wall. The first verses of the Heart Sutra were written in Sanskrit with mud on the wall as well.

A quiet moment for Erica reflecting on what she's gotten up to her elbows in

I can't even tell you everything that happened with this lot in the mud

Ben offered a lot of assistance on this project over a couple of weeks.

In conclusion, building with earth is totally fun and offers plenty of room for silliness,as Prem and Belen proved every day on the job.

Back to Diamond Mountain, to the very back of the property, Carl and Ruth carry provisions up the foot path to the retreat hut site. We feel as tho', indeed, we are in exotic far away lands

This cistern is of the style built over a hundred years ago in this region, and will hold close to nine hundred gallons of caught rain water. It blends into the mountainscape beautifully.

Carl adds a lot of energy to the mixing efforts

Zack even joins in as pebble-tech finisher on the acqueduct leading from the catchment pond to the cistern

Will mixes lime putty while Kendra, as usual, feeds the gang: Guy, Benjamin and Ritesh

This trio has been thrilling at building in remote areas without vehicular traffic. Kat feels like she's in a movie, spending 4-5 days a week since school's been out, walking up and down a rugged trail, up to 13 miles a day with her pals. The horse and mule enjoy being with the humans and have generated much good karma serving in this way. They've memorized the Heart Sutra with Kat, and done lots of purification with many, many Vajrasattvas.

Chris and Robert grew up with Grail and Zeleigh on the San Pedro River two valleys west from here. They have been pick axing and digging for three weeks now, and with the help of Rose's great food, are still smiling.

Rusty has been known by some of our Diamond Mountain folks for longer than Kat has known him. He's young at heart and so happy to be a part of the days in this beauty.

Horses and wind share the same primary quality of motion. They are excellent examples of the perfection of joyous effort as they move through rugged terrain, up a 150-year old or more stone cut trail carrying 100-200 pounds each of water, sand, cement and lime. This is not heavy for them. So Kat can load, move and unload 300 pounds a trip with the help of these compassionate, happy and kind beings.

This cistern now needs a top and inflow and outflow filters. We'll get to these items during March.

Manny and Rose are making a beautiful catchment pond, 850sf, that will collect 900 gallons of water with only 1.5 inches of rain. The water travels down this slope for storage and ultimate usage from the cistern for drinking, cooking and bathing.

Prayers, mantras and prostrations at the catchment pond with Laura, Kat and Christine. Its always humbling to be in this large landscape making infrastructure for holy purposes. The local spirits are overtly happy with our offerings and acknowledgements of their contributions to our project.

400 pounds of lime soaked for over two weeks before using it as a sealer for the catchment pond

Christine supervises while Laura stirs lime putty with a yucca branch

Snoopy and Rusty enjoy grazing on the way

Laura, Christine and Kat compare manicures (or lack thereof) while working concrete on the cistern. Guess who doesn't have their nails done

Back to the mud hut at Jamyang, Rose and Rex mix plaster as part of the new culture that caregives earthen buildings that will gracefully melt back into the earth, leaving not a trace when all the yogis have left.

Here's Robert, a member of the new culture emerging at Diamond Mountain, who serves low impact mud buildings with minimal tender loving care - the perfection of joyful effort made manifest

Chris and Robert

Manny and Bert

Rex mixing plaster in the mud pit

Rose and Chris.

Ian relaxes under the juniper tree outside the hut

End of winter term at DMU, and Chapman and Alistair check out of the Penthouse at Jamyang (the mud hut).

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Yep, we're carrying our stuff up and down trails. Carrying and storage boxes with handles are gonna' be big at DM.

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Inside the hut, the finished crown offers magnificent cathedral like lighting, perfect for meditation

As the light traveled around the dome throughout the day, the energy was exhilarating

It felt cavernesque, or like being under water in a secret place

The finished crown offered wonderful light throughout the day

One of two altars in the hut

An altar and book shelf in foreground with storage boxes for food, clothing, and other items

Here's the meditation back rest during the day and fold out bed at night, with food box and ample room for yoga

Some ceiling detail showing shells and mirror around the glass cube

Steps going inside

The outside living area

After a fabulous prickly pear bloom you'll see below, the acacias kicked in across the desert plains and valleys.

The cat claw acacia blooms may be the most fragrant of all the blooms on the desert night air

A SoapBox Announcement-- The raven brought in a request for you to visit http://www.northcoastjournal.com/102303/cover1023.html
The foundation principles of what these people are addressing will also be at the base, I pray, of what and how we learn to build at Diamond Mountain - building holy space for spiritual practices with LOW EMBODIED ENERGY. Learn what this means! Explore the hidden energy costs and ramifications in every decision we make, every component we transport, in every package we consume and didn't even need in the first place. Revisit Geshe Michael's Albuquerque book tour lecture at http://www.heartyoga.dharmastudent.com/ "The Second American Empire" and remind yourself that one styrofoam cup represents a day's worth of cooking fuel for a family in India. Cook It! --End of SoapBox Announcement

So now I really feel as tho' we landed in Luke Skywalker's neighborhood. This is meditation housing for all worlds (And Luke himself even made that awesome front door on which I beg someone special will knock) (with an iced mocha)

We topped the hut with a 17" x 17" solar panel and solar powered attic fan that will pull air through the bottom vents of the hut and out the top. This movement of air is all it takes to stay comfortable in the still heat of the desert.

A sunset sequence begins (do i love this place or what)

View to the north by nor'easterly

View to the north by nor'west

The bug netted hammock tucked perfectly into the cedar tree behind the hut. Can you see yourself there on warm still nights under the canopy of stars?

Cinder cones and yucca stalks reaching up

Its shape complements those on the landscape

Privacy is achieved and accented with a garland of shelled tiki grass

So the view to the house is obscured.

My last night here before 4 weeks in the little hut, the daturas offered their annual one night bloom!

I wonder if Georgia O'Keefe painted any datura?

The daturas are a glowing billiant white in the silvery moonlight for whom they bloom.

The sunflower and Mexican arnica, along with the datura came over in the soil from the San Pedro River. Love having them here with us now in the Chiricahuas. Glad you're here little flowers!

So I was blessed with the honor to create and host space for holy teachings for the entire first year of DMU. My wish was that all who passed through these doors would perceive a pure world, and that we could give only happiness and freedom from suffering.

The altar in the teaching room framed with wood from a door of a Mongolian yurt used during the Great Three Year Retreat.

The lamas brought this beautiful Greecian genre of sculpted sandstone from Varanasi.

The teaching throne and front of teaching area was framed with wonderful Tibetan folk art wall imagery painted by local artist Kaia Thomas

Bliss painted fine lotus and water imagery over the kitchen door. Kaia painted two Wheels of Knowledge on each side of the entry door.

Winston left beautiful tankas for the temple, and which inspired the paintings on the walls. Green Tara was to the left of the teaching throne

Manjushri, Jamyang to the front right of the teaching throne

Saraswati adorned us all

The kitchen entry drapes were installed so certain blessed junior students could prepare food for the senior students and sneek their ears to the walls to receive holy teachings.

Everyone washed dishes that could be piled two feet high in the sink. The blender with Ness and Anatole was the favorite kitchen device. Thanks everyone for the great food activity!!

How could buffet lines of 80 or 90 really make it through here?

BIG food projects dished forth from this table

Pink slate and red gravel blend into majestic sunsets

Tamarisk harvested from the San Pedro shades the west side of Jamyang

The front porch looks best with 100 pairs of shoes on it. (of course, kat thrills with a hitching post out the front door that ties animal energy on the space.)

In an Old West style debate ground, maturing debates with increasingly loud laughter, applause and attack ensued under brilliant star lit nights. It was magical.

St Francis and a garland of skulls impart greetings at the entrance

Zince Zeleigh gets trampoline time down further, here's some choir time with Grail (who won a Director's Award for student who made the most improvement. Right On, Grail!)

Here's some great movement by the 6-foot 5-incher (i'm a mom. i get to do this)

Our family really enjoyed the Willcox School experience.

The programs, staff and kids are really precious there.

Our yucca bloom at Diamond Mountain is vast and wonderful as stalks of pure white blossoms reach skyward across the valley

Looking southwest towards the fort

The flowers in the desert bloom through distinctive cycles over almost five months, starting at the ground and moving up by species, enabling precious pollinators successful saturation for all species.

These are the tall stalks that dry and offer themselves gracefully for our fences, ramadas and garden art

The yucca flowers are a beautiful and succulent ingredient in wild harvested salads from the desert.

I love watching these guys play

The boys are like puppies on that mat

Zeleigh talking to sky walkers

A contemplative moment for Zeleigh on the trampoline at Jamyang

I couldn't resist sharing this image. Looks just like from top o' McCullough Peak here at Diamond Mountain. We even find old horse shoes abundantly strewn up there in the rocky outcrops, such as this one. Really! This image appeared in Mandala May 2003 (the one with beautiful Kendall on the cover). Zoom in on his face.

The crown on the dome nears completion this week.

Before we get back to the dome, I've been feeding a family of ravens at the barn where my horse and mule live next door. Its an extremely rare event to witness and I'm delighted to introduce them to you. As Benjamin W says "Look into the heart of a raven and you will see Buddha".

I have a million great raven shots and will post the best at DownAtTheBarn.blogspot.com if you're interested in seeing them.

Here's a shot of dad outside the classic barn (note the hammered tin removed from the Officer's Club at the old Fort Bowie more than 100 years ago)

Here's the giant nest with the mom high in the barn rafters

There are four babies in the nest (I'm standing on a 20' extension ladder balancing on barn rafters not holding the camera perfectly still, but there IS an image....)

These baby ravens' mouths are HUGE!

Laurie and Bliss and Kat really enjoyed playing together on this little part of the project this week.

Thanks, Bart, for this magical crown.

Mirroring the horizon, this hut looks so cool!

Wow, it's looking like an ancient Persian structure, and studded with a robust prickly pear and cat claw bloom.

Laurie brings her sharp wit, bright smile, endless energy (and adorable outfit) to the project. Thanks Laurie!

Views into New Mexico 'round cinder cone and prickly pear

The courtyard of the hut shows off vibrant spring colors of the desert

The hut is disappearing in the spring green

We're making a yucca stalk screen to block off views of Jamyang House from the hut, enabling an effective OtherWorldly meditation experience

Yuccas are lightweight and easy to work with: far more fun than any materials you could buy at Ace.

This is the second section of the screen

A loving juniper to the west of the hut offers welcomed shade in the heat of the afternoon.

The form for the crown of the dome is made on top of this floating platform

Laurie and Bart mount a form for the dome on top of a 12' length post

Bart readies materials to complete the dome, made of sparkling San Luis bricks and glass block

The yellow prickly pear bloom was stunning.

Bart is making these great sand bag forms in the red wheelbarrow that he'll use to shape the crescent of the brick and block dome. It was quite a brilliant idea to which he and Laurie came.

This top has been changed to facilitate the installation of a solor powered fan that will pull the breezes through the hut on those very (rare) still summer days. But the imagery here looks fun and I just wanted to show you.

The vents are pointed downward to roll the rain to the outside of the hut

We crowned the dome with glass cube to the east and wind vent openings to the prevailing west winds

Rose and Kat added the blue tinted plaster color on the last day of the year, as is the tradition with other indigenous cultures, and named it "Sky Camo". It's also now appearently an effective "Juniper Berry Cam"! Look at that berry color!

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These openings will be screened and create a cooling upward draft from the lower openings

Bliss and Kat have delighted in the grandeur of the desert during brief afternoon "sand box" project works on the hut.

It's been a tantalizing week of monsoon weather pattern with bug ladden afternoons and stormy vibrant sunsets.