29th - 30th Jan.

Contouring around Humbug Mountain.  Roadside conifers are a regular height now, can see their tops.  Bike lights on in the day, on account of the mist.  Coastline similarities with Scotland.  Seems like I've cycled from one climatic region to another - no more cacti!  Pedaled into Bandon, via a library where the librarian had been to Tobermory, and some helpful garage car mechanics who sprayed a lot of grit off my chainset and cassette - cheers! 

Welcomed into Tammy and Bob's home - another hub of cob building activity.  Delicious salmon, caught themselves, hot shower, water massage table (!) and a bed.  The kindness of strangers is humbling.  The natural building community is such that an email saying I'm passing and would love to call in, results in being invited to stay as a new friend. 

Tammy and Bob used to manage and maintain high-rise office blocks in Seattle, earn lots, spent lots, not see each other much.  They swopped that for a home alongside a row of dilapidated motel cottages in Bandon, rebuilt by them and rented out to people who would otherwise have difficulty renting somewhere, for various reasons.  Neighbours come and go at their house, and the next building project is a large kitchen space for community food prep. - canning, pickling, butchering and so on. 

Tammy made great French toast for breakfast, with freshly laid eggs - yum.  She then walked and talked me through all the mistakes made, and lessons learnt, in each of the cob buildings on site. We also looked at their large solar water pipe coil outside - cool stuff.  The Cob Cottage Company uses Tammy and Bob's place for cob workshops, and there are umpteen little living spaces, at varying stages of completion.  So generous in spirit, time, knowledge, advice and welcome, such an inspiring pair of people.

It was interesting talking about the stability of cob with Tammy.  Seismic testing of cob has been done in BC, Canada, in advance of building in a public park, and it has been found to withstand up to around 8 on the Richter scale, and fail at around 9.  Cob's strength comes from its monolithic structure, not to be confused with adobe brick building, or rammed earth/earth bag building.  I wish I'd been clearer on this when I mentioned 'earth houses' to a structural engineer from San Diego a while back.  He wasn't impressed, and we had to talk about something else!