We at Circle Acres are committed scavengers. Group dumpster runs are part of the fabric of our collective. These runs provide needed goods for the farm as well as plenty of food for shared meals.

Scavenging also includes gleaning scrap lumber from neighboring demolition projects, concrete pieces (urbanite), old greenhouse plastic, bamboo, hay twine, nails, and irrigation drip tape. Combine all those elements and you get a really decent and basic greenhouse.

The process started with a bamboo harvest – this ingredient was necessary for putting together the top framing as well as the side ribs.

The ends of the greenhouse were built with downed cedar trees that we pulled out of the woods as well as scrap lumber from a demolition up the road from us.  There were also a few pieces from a recent gutting of a few rooms in our house.

The plastic came from an organic farm near the NC coast as did the drip tape that was used to staple through and hold the plastic to the framing.

Photo from Danielle

Total cost for this greenhouse (not including labor of course) is somewhere between $5 and $15 depending on who you ask.  I think the staples were at least $4 for the box, but calculating how many nails were purchased versus how many were scavenged is difficult.

Regardless, the greenhouse is ready for seed flats and a jump-start on the season.  Anyone interested in our CSA?

The “hands” edition…

I applied for a photography fellowship over the Summer. I don’t know what to expect from it; it was a big deal at the time, but it takes forever to hear anything back.  Basically, my excitement has died down. I continue to see possible documentary projects all over the place, the only problem being finding time to do them with everything else that is going on – home construction, farm work, planning of all sorts. The unfortunate deal is that the tools for working in low light, fast action or other places where I can see things going are expensive, sometimes very expensive. This is hard to swallow for an amateur leaning towards removing the word “hobbyist” from my fake title.

Gray seeds out some flats

Scalding a chicken before plucking

Filming a music video with anarchists

Madeline framed with a fence under construction

Jack

Many of my photographs go into a folder called “Random Signs of Life”. Sometimes there isn’t any actual life within the frame, but there is life in the in between. As I have progressed in my photography, I have tried to abandon the want for my next photo to be better than the last. I don’t think this is anywhere near the best strategy for becoming a better photographer. I’m actually not sure what my current strategy is, but whatever it is it contains a very healthy amount of observation coupled with a wish that I had my camera with me during some of those observations.

I thought it would be fun to look through the photographs I took during the last year, the ones that weren’t posted here on Cricket Bread as part of an essay.  These photos don’t necessarily tell a story all together. That said, there is no particular order in time or in theme.

Noel focuses on starting a fire with primitive tools

Mike Slaton prepares for Diner Night

Jamie hula hoops at the Pittsboro Pepper Festival

Kristin relaxes in Denver

Dance party in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Kristin destroys a door frame

Danielle, Noel and Gray cook dinner in the Wolf Den