Finishing the plaster 1st pass.

All the plaster has been applied to in-between the bag rows. We will do reptiles on the bottom 2/3rds and textured plaster finish on top.

We borrowed a scaffold from generous, friendly neighbors, I love this desert! 

Cholla in bloom.

We believe that 5-6 weeks after eggs appeared, the babies are off learning with Mom and Dad. We found ZERO signs of "fowl" play, and we saw Mom or Dad down the way a bit.

Connecting all the plaster rows.

Starting to blend in! Scary clouds threaten our day.

The dome dwarfed by the Goat.

Pretty sure plaster fixes EVERYTHING...

View from above the leaning arch entranceway.

Another view from on top. On the small dome.

Raquel is crushing the preliminary plaster. Ninja training continues. You MUST BALANCE on the BUCKET. SAND IS HOT LAVA!

Testiles.. er... I mean... Test Reptiles.

Cool headgear. Raquel!

Master Plaster er

TesTile, Reptile.  Side view, boogaloo

I lost it... oh there's Waldo.

Aaaaahhhhhh (angelic chorus)

Dome from front view. Note: Jon is not to scale (1.25 scale)

Even in the doorway.

With plaster all on the main dome now, the window looks sweet and the dome overall looks more "monolithic"

Another view of the plaster as is. 

Can a door/ entranceway be sexy?

A look at the window plaster.

A closer look at the window sill plaster and the reflection of a madman! but seriously, look how nice the burnished sill looks.

Plaster Blaster

Wow! Compared to bagging, plastering is fast. Do I know what I am doing? Hell NO! Well, I did watch a plaster video at https://plasterscience.com/  and Cal-Earth's Plasters and Finishes and got some hands on at the 4 day Cal-Earth workshop. But this is the Mistake Dome, so let's do this and learn. Did about 12-20% cement mix depending on location and needs. 

Plaster up to the window height all around the whole structure!

Plaster close up of foothold structure. There is a barbed wire knot inside this plaster hold.

Tiny micro desert grasshopper Locust Deity

Wrapping this dome in a plaster ribbon!

Plaster drying nicely, starting to feel monolithic and imposing instead of fluffy!

Sealed the foam in plaster. Remember, our "plaster is the same as our "in bag" mix with just a bit more cement (maybe 2-5% more)

Plaster close up, little dome hatch. yes there could be some water pooling, but, A. This is a desert with low rainfall, B. This is a nautical porthole salvaged from an actual sea fairing vessel and is very water tight, even if not meant to be upside down and horizontal, C. I am not planning on storing my comic book, vintage record and rare instrument collections directly under the porthole. 

Even in the doorway, plaster all around the whole structure!