Matthew lights the fire.
Henry adjusts the sun catcher.
P.A.I.R - Portable Artist In Residency. Our new home.
No smoking.
Generous methane provider.
Two seconds later Matthew is fixing a hole is his jacket where the cow gets in. It keeps him from wandering.
One of two brothers,Berend Ausma, on the left, then Henry Alles, then bubba.
Nature preserve. Kinda like strawberry preserves you might spread on toast.
Matthew's signature "I am freakin' lovin' life" pose. You can't see his big toothy grin.
Mmm. Why do I not trust that smile?
Elles is an excellent chef.
The main room at the PeerGroup studio.
I did it. It's true. I ate the working model.
Mark Kooistra, rietdekker, thatcher extraordinaire.
You want to do what?! Actually Mark didn't even bat an eye at our proposal.
PeerGroup workshop.
Train station parking lot in Assen.
Dinanda's Fiat.
The tanks arrive from Belgium.
Working.
Working?
Mark does this at least four times faster than me and Matthew together.
Groningen...
...
Henry Alles in chains.
Heavy lifting.
Thatch.
There just aren't any ugly houses in Holland. At least not by American standards.
After a couple of weeks on the old military compound we've moved to the new home and first site for displaying the project. On top the 600 year old ruins of a cloister.
American artist on Dutch television.
Orientating the P.A.I.R. the same as the cloister.
Stuck in the mud.
Scenes around the new neighborhood...
... and handing out flyers...
Scene seen from behind the screen of the lean mean portable art makin' machine.
There she is.
And later that night...
Carless for the moment, we bicycle to Veenhuizen. Two hours on old bikes.
Ask the tree, or plant, for permission before using it to make tea. So says a local edible plants expert.
Time to move the project to the landscape.
I can't seem to catch the thatch on fire. HA!
You're always welcome at our house. Any time of the day.
Lot's of interest from passerby's all day long.
What's he building in there?
The magic of luan.
Kokosnoot. Another dutch word we have quickly become familiar with.
Tea time. Now serving stinging nettle tea. Mmm.
Ahh. Time to relax after a hard months work.
