And finally we saw it, what is possible when a earthship greenhouse pushes the boundaries. Of course the Phoenix is a million dollar home, the finishes alone how years of painstaking work, but if instead of a single family rental with a mostly ornamental garden, it was a multi-occupancy model for communal living the greenhouse would be feeding 4-6 people fairly well. The blackwater botanical cell (the leach field of yesterday;s post) is actually inclosed in the greenhouse and there re a lot of thriving plants in the actual interior as well. With such a lush garden the greenhouse is beautifully humid rather than baking hot and with birds and fish in a pond with running water it feels more like an ecosystem. Perhaps these elements, as well as the hours put into this rental by the staff, are what help it thrive and remain pest and disease free.

It was truly heartening to see such a paradise after all the scraggly, unloved looking gardens of the intern housing. I don’t believe there was a single intern who wasn’t struck dumb by what they saw, of course there were the classic Mike Reynold excentricities like a fireplace that became a waterfall, raised bedrooms, underground walking in robes accessed by a spiral staircase and another bedroom screened by plants rather than a wall, it was rather playful and fun.

After the day was ended I visited Sam and Jason both tucked in bed for a nap, then heard Griffin and Joe drop by, after chatting with them, other Dan and other Jason with his infectious high pitched barking laugh arrived for a chat and a look at the Tower’s W.O.M. and stayed for a nice little rant I had bottled up about food security. They left and Reid came to take a photo of the bottle wall at sunset and we chatted about banana plants and permaculture and Briz arrived for a photo of the wall as well. Meanwhile Dylan was making surprisingly good camp stove pizza to share. It was all rather lovely, and made me realise as much as I felt ready to move on from this dusty place I would miss all the lovely interns I have shared the experience with. Two days to go.

What are your unforgettable experiences? Have you stayed in touch with the people you shared them with? Or were they a moment in time that burnt so bright then faded away?