Lemonade Day 16 - Adobe fun at Rancho los Cerritos

We're making Community Lemonade in Long Beach.  Come and make lemonade with us!

!  I'm on a 100-day odyssey for community and creativity in Long Beach.  We've got such an amazing city, and I'm a huge fan.  I'm seeking out the creatives and the facilitators of creativity, the art and the locations that inspire art.

I call it .

Today was Day 16 of Making Lemonade. 

I checked out the mud fun at Rancho Los Cerritos.

Rancho los Cerritos is one of two historic ranch homes operated by the City of Long Beach Department of Parks and Recreation.  I visited it today to stomp in the mud.

A Little about the Ranchos

If you didn't attend Elementary School in Long Beach, you may not know much about the two historic ranchos.  I didn't, at least... not until I chaperoned field trips with elementary school groups.  I'd lived in Long Beach for about 15 years without having visited one.  Yes, I'd received the flyers of the events at the ranchos, but they seemed so far away.  After all, the names include Cerritos and Los Alamitos. Who'd know that they were in Long Beach?

When I finally visited, I knew why I hadn't discovered them before.  The entrances to both ranchos are tucked away in quiet communities in Long Beach.  This makes it unlikely that you will accidently happen upon them, or that you will observe them from a major street and wander in.

If you visit them, be sure to look up the directions.

Both ranchos are part of the original 300,000 acre land grant (later adjusted to 167,000 acres) made by the Spanish government to Manuel Nieto.  Upon his death (and the request of his heirs), the grant was divided into 6 smaller ranchos.

I'm not sure what remains of the others, but the main houses and ranch workrooms and workbuildings of these two ranchos have undergone substantial restorations.

Adobe Fun

Who doesn't love adobe?  The idea of being able to build a structure out of mud and straw is engaging.  The irregular surface of the hand-smoothed mud makes you want to run your hand over it.  I wanted to make a mud wall.  I was disappointed to find that traditional adobe does not meet building codes in earthquake country so is not used for new structures.  Strength testing of bricks would be required, and the mortar used today includes cement.

I arrived just in time to see the last few bricks being made. Camp staff Lydia, Naomi and Joshua helped me to understand what was going on.  Wooden brick forms sat ready to be used.  Pairs of legs emerged from the now well-mixed mud.  Little hands reached down into the mud and came up with hands-full of mud.  Straw, mud, more straw, more mud.  Hey, presto!

I tried my hand at lifting one of the completed bricks, just to see if I could.  I could, but it is heavy!

The video shows a little of today's mud fun.

If you'd like to plant your feet into the mud, Rancho los Cerritos' Mud Mania event willbe held on Sunday, August 19 from 12:30 - 4:30 pm.  $6 adults/$4 kids (4-12).  Make adobe bricks, participate in a mud relay, sculpt clay, and more!

and Tomorrow: Convergence is finally here!

HGA's Convergence is at the Long Beach Convention Center this week.  If you'd like to attend, admission is $10.00, but there are several ways to attend for free!

Want more lemonade? 

Items Needed

This week I am adding a few things to the gauntlet.  If you have some of these around that you'd like to contribute, please do!

Needed: Felting needles, sponge or foam (4"x6" minimum, and 2" thickness best), unspun wool.  If you have remnant yarns, I can use for this or other projects.  Buttons.

Fabric markers, fabric colors, quick dry fabric paints.

In honor of Convergence, I will be doing a little felting with anyone who comes by.  I have just a few extra needles, sponges, wool.  You will be able to keep the needle and sponge, but please plan on spending 2 hours to complete.  If you have wool fiber that you would like to add to the pool, please feel free!  Accommodation for 8 will be provided.

I'll bring a few spindles as well.  Be warned that I am a beginner, but I can show the general concept of spinning on a spindle, and you can try it out. 

If there are any fiber artists listening that would like to help demonstrate using the spindle, I will be at the Long Beach Depot for Creative Reuse on Thursday, from 4-6 PM (time may be extended).  This is a very different kind of store, and if you get a chance, please consider a visit!

Need to contact me?  info@handmadepenguin.com

Trish Tsoiasue writes as herself about creative and maker topics for the Belmont Shore Patch and as Handmade Penguin for the Handmade Penguin Blog.