Aquarius Ranch: Day 1

This is the trailer I presently call home

There is a lot to learn here at Aquarius Ranch. The place pretty much has a revolving door (Penny says the magic number is about 6 WWOOFers at any given time, each working for six hours a day), so routines and schedules are important. The day begins at 8:00 with a short meeting in the house. I was on horse duty, so Penny took me around the corrals, introducing me to her five horses (Poco, Navajo, Raffles, Feather, and Johnny) and acquainting me with the routine by which she cares for them.

Today was a dome day which meant contributing to the ongoing construction of a dome house on the property. Fellow WWOOFer, James was here before and has returned after taking an intensive course at the nearby Cal-Earth Institute with other students from around the world. The course was in the construction of special dome-shaped dwellings made from a material known as super adobe which consists of earth, water, and cement.

Together WWOOFers Stephen, Bryan, and I worked under James’ direction to fill long tubes made of a woven plastic material and lay them on top of a layer of identical tubing that was already laid when I arrived. I worked for several hours out in the 62-degree day (actually quit bearable with the steady breeze) listening to 96.9 FM “The Drive” until it was time for lunch. When we stepped inside, the garden director, Tonya already had a delicious, cheesy vegan sausage pasta dish waiting for us.

Lunch!