When I first bought the Sky Bus in the spring of 2011, I immediately started searching for an RV or camping oven on Craigslist for it, but it wasn't until a couple of months ago that I actually found one, and at the right price. Last summer, I used a two-burner Coleman stove, which was fine, but a) I went through those tiny little propane canisters in a way that felt truly wasteful, and b) I missed being able to bake.
My new oven is a Flamineta, which is a Mexican brand. Everything is in Spanish, including the instructions that came with it and all the text on the oven itself.
It's adorable, and that little sucker can put out some serious heat. There are no numbers telling what degrees it is, so I had to buy an oven thermometer. Turns out on "high" it will go up to almost 600 degrees, and you have to turn it practically off to get it to 350. Not that I'm complaining; I'm thrilled with my new oven, and baptized it by making butterscotch brownies, like so:
Concerning the Barbecue
My dear and lovely friend Nicole, who is also co-owner of Serendipity, came to visit at the end of last month, so naturally, I threw a party. I was a little nervous about having so many people out on the land, but it went swimmingly, and as they say, a great time was had by all. I loved getting my neighbors together, some of whom didn't know each other very well before the party. I love that I like my neighbors enough to invite them to (and enjoy their company at) a party!
Here are some photos Nicole took:
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| deepening the fire pit that Graeme created last summer |
Can I Marry My Level?
I'm still digging my foundation trench, slowly but surely. This summer (in fact, this whole year) has been full of detours, distractions, crises, and various other surprises, so progress is slow, but I'm fine with that. I dig when I can, and I enjoy it immensely. At the beginning of the summer I bought a new level that is 18 inches long, which is how wide and how deep the trench should be, so it's a very useful little tool. (I have to admit that the first night I had it, I was very tempted to sleep with it like a teddy bear.) Before I started building this house, I didn't even know what a level was. I had no idea what I was missing out on. I mean, is there really anything in life more satisfying than seeing that little bubble in the center of the window?
