Concrete And Stone Hot Spring Pools

One of our favorite pursuits while traveling is looking for hot springs 

and even if you don't have a hot spring,

 you may want to build a pool and here are some ideas.

These first three photos are from a hot springs near the small town 

of Aconchi, Sonora, Mexico in the north central part of that state.

Designing And Installing A Rain Water Catchment System

We are just finishing up on a rainwater catchment system on our house

and our first big decision was what kind of tanks to use.

Of course we would have loved to have had nice galvanized tanks, 

but the reality is that the above ground polyethylene tanks we chose were more affordable, 

are easier to handle and install, are able to be moved,

 and will last much longer than the metal.

Many people go with below ground tanks but that requires different tanks,

 and the added cost of digging not to mention the disruption to the landscape,

and the added factor of pumping the water back up to the point of use.

Making Adobe Bricks

It is (was) June in the southwestern USA and as is typical it is hot and very dry-

 what better time to make adobe bricks because they also like it hot and dry.

I had a pile of adobe dirt that I wanted to get rid of

 and knew I would need these bricks for a future project.

As you can see above the ingredients for making adobes are:

-a pile of good adobe soil

 (sift your soil only if it has stones larger than about 2" or lots of debris),

-a form for the bricks,

-straw for mixing in with the dirt,

-water, a water barrel and a 5 gal. bucket,

-a very sturdy wheelbarrow,

-and a shovel, hoe, and trowels.

Make Your Own Solar Oven

For many years Allison has wanted a solar oven 

and we finally got around to building one out of cardboard

to serve as an experiment, prototype, and a pattern for a permanent oven.

(Our latest post on our new and improved oven is:

Make Your Own Solar Oven- A New Improved Oven)

Fence And Wall Ideas

Seems like a good time to show some more fence and wall ideas.

The above wall is in Santa Fe, N.M.

Helmut Hillencamp's Metal Gate In Santa Fe, N.M.

For many years we lived across the street from the Fayette Street Academy

where interesting things were always going on.

One of those things was the evolving metal gate 

built by Helmut Hillencamp of Iron to Live With.

Update On A Japanese Style Shed

One of the more popular posts in this blog has been 

A Japanese Style Shed,

and we were recently given a tour by the current owners of the property,

and got to see the many improvements they have added.

Metal Handles And Latches For Doors, Drawers, And Gates

Going through my photos I could see that it was time to look at handles

 for doors, drawers and gates to give a few ideas for designers, and builders.

Above are handles for the doors into the Albuquerque Aquarium.

Adobe Domes At The Northern New Mexico College Adobe Program

Some time ago I did the post-

An Adobe Dome Building,

profiling the dome, above, built in El Rito, New Mexico

 by the Northern New Mexico College 

and it's Adobe Construction Program .

Since the last post was on adobe hornos

 I thought by extension it would be nice to take a look at domes.

Adobe Hornos Built By The Northern New Mexico College Adobe Program

We were on the El Rito campus of the Northern New Mexico College back in the spring 

and I got some photos of the hornos that had been built 

by the Adobe Construction Program there.

Having gotten much interest in the recent post-

Wood Fired Ovens In Baja California Sur,

I thought these ovens would be a nice contrast.

The above photo shows two contrasting styles- 

the traditional one on the right that is found all over northern New Mexico

 and on the left the smaller, lower type that requires less wood to heat up.

Building A Stone And Concrete Bridge

In our frequent trips to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico

 over the last few months I got to know William 

who was doing stonework at the Hay-Yo-Kay Hot Springs.

Part of his work included this very nice stone and concrete bridge 

spanning a channel of hot spring runoff water.

Tile Art In Silver City, N.M.

As careful readers of this blog may have noted,

 I have posted on tile mosaic, murals, and manufacturers in Silver City, New Mexico,

 as well as the artists who practice such work.

For such a small town there is a lot of ceramic art.

Above, is a small work that we noticed 

walking around a residential area in the historic part of town.

Although it is small and at the bottom of a wall

it jumped out at us.

Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain In Niland, California

One of the more amazing places we have been over the years is Salvation Mountain, 

built by Leonard Knight not far from the south eastern shore of the Salton Sea

just outside the town of Niland, California.

Allison had been wanting to go there for quite a while 

and this winter we had the opportunity to see this part of the world,

and she provided the photos for this post.

Onyx Steps In Catavina, Baja California

In the long lonely drive south from El Rosario, Baja California 

to Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur lies a magical land around the town of Cataviña

populated by boulders and cactus.

Wood Fired Ovens In Baja California Sur

Here are some more examples of wood fired ovens, or hornos,

 that we found while traveling in Baja California Sur.

To see more check out LABELS-ELEMENTS on the right side bar

 and click on Kilns And Hornos.

Above is the horno at Ricardo's Rice and Beans Hotel, Restaurant, and RV Park

in San Ignacio.

Bamboo Mat Shed With A Palm Thatch Roof In Mulege, B.C.S.

I ended the last post, which was on small homes in Mulege, Baja California Sur,

with the above photo and now let's see how to build the shed.

Small Homes In Mulege, Baja California Sur

With the small house movement getting so much well deserved interest,

 I thought it would be interesting to show some examples

 we saw in Mulege, B.C.S. at

 the Huerta Don Chano RV Park and Campground

 that were built for Canadian and American retirees.

Old Adobe Buildings In San Ignacio, Baja California Sur

This is the last post on San Ignacio, B.C.S. 

and this time we will look at old adobe houses, mostly in ruins.

The previous post shows some adobes still being used:

Architectural Tour Of San Ignacio, Baja California Sur.

Sadly, I saw no current building with adobe, 

having been supplanted first by fired clay bricks 

and now almost all new construction is cement block. 

As I mentioned in the last post, 

if one had the choice of spending a hot summer in a cool adobe

 or a hot cement block house, 

it seems the choice would be obvious. Hmmm?

In the above well built wall, 

the coursing shows the bricks are laid crosswise for a wider wall.

Architectural Tour Of San Ignacio, Baja California Sur

One of the more interesting towns in Baja California Sur

 is the date palm oasis of San Ignacio,

which lies near the center of Baja both north-south and east-west.

Because it is on neither the Pacific or the Sea of Cortez,

 it has missed some of the tourist development that has centered along the coasts.

The springs that provide the water in this small valley have created a lush environment 

and an obvious place to locate a town in the otherwise harsh desert.

The large building in the center of the above photo is the mission

 which I covered in the previous three posts:

The Mission Church Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur,

More On The Mission Church Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur,

and Doors And Windows At The Mission Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur.

Doors And Windows At The Mission Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur

In this third post on the Mission Church of San Ignacio de Loyola 

in San Ignacio, B.C.S. we take a look at the windows and doors.

To see the front door of the church go to the first post on the mission:

The Mission Church Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur:

and for another look at the exterior along the nave:

More On The Mission Church Of San Ignacio De Loyola In Baja California Sur.