Combining Tom's 24 years of involvement in the Straw Bale/Natural Building movement along with his craftsman's knowledge of conventional building and fabrication experience and Satomi's 17 years of earthen plaster art, you will leave LanderLand full of ideas and enthusiastic inspiration to build your own fantasy land.

Our workshops begin with a tour of LanderLand. You will see first hand our various buildings utilizing numerous methods and materials, both conventional and alternative. Straw Bale, Adobe, Cob, Earthbag, Pumice Crete, Timber Frame, Bamboo, Earth Plaster, Lime Plaster, Earthen Floor, Cement Stucco and Masonry to name a few.

After the tour, we head to our Straw Bale pillar outdoor classroom. Depending on which workshop you are attending we will either begin working with bales or start mixing "mud".

Through demonstrations, question and answer discussions and lots of hands-on sessions, you will either learn the ins and outs of straw bale construction or natural plasters, paints and earth floors.

Straw Bale Workshop:
We start with what we like to call strawbale 101. Hands on working with bale stacking, making custom bales, sewing, and pinning. During this time we also thoroughly cover the building details so important to building a bale structure. Besides being covered in straw you will get muddy as we teach you how to apply the initial clay slip, the heavy clay straw fill coat and our basic LanderLand Earth Plaster.

Plaster Workshop:
During the plaster workshops, we also start with applying the initial clay slip, the heavy clay straw fill coat and our basic LanderLand Earth Plaster then we move beyond the basic clay straw mixes and into more refined finishes for applying to any number of wall types depending on your needs and the always popular earth floor lesson and clay paints.

Please bring work gloves. Right now our favorite is the Grease Monkey Gorilla Grip gloves. Two pair is good, error on the side of large. We supply glove liners when had mixing. http://gorillagripgloves.com/
Safety glasses and a dust mask are recommended when working with straw, mixing clay or applying straw clay materials. Plan on getting dusty, wet and muddy, remember though, it's really fun.

Prior to attending any workshop it is always helpful to do your homework and read a few books.

Please feel welcome to e-mail or phone with any specific questions you might have.
We are looking forward to seeing you in one of the workshops.

Location:
Kingston, New Mexico

Recommended items to bring:
Work gloves, rubber gloves, safety glasses and a dust mask are recommended when working with strawbale, mixing clay and straw and applying straw clay materials.

Contact / Registration:
Tom and Satomi Lander
Ph: 575-895-5101
E-mail: Tom@LanderLand.com

Accommodations:

Enchanted Villa B&B in Hillsboro (about 12 minutes drive)
575-895-5686 $$

Barbershop Plaza Motel are in Hillsboro (about 12 minutes drive)
575-895-9212 $$

The Black Range Lodge B&B in Kingston www.blackrangelodge.com
575-895-5652 $$$

Restaurants in Hillsboro are open limited hours. No grocery stores.
www.HillsboroNM.com

Directions:

Remember to gas up in Truth or Consequences, Deming or Silver City. There is no gas station in Hillsboro.

From the East
To get to Kingston take Interstate-25 and exit at the Hillsboro exit #63, twelve miles south of Truth or Consequences or 63 miles North of Las Cruces. At the bottom of the exit ramp, turn west and go 27 miles (on NM152) to the town of Hillsboro -- Kingston is only nine miles further.... At the edge of Kingston bear right off the highway onto “ Main Street”. If you miss that turn, you will find yourself climbing up a steep curvy hill, then you will see a sign that announces the Gila National Forest. Turn around and head back. LanderLand is up Main Street on the left about 1/4 mile at the Bamboo Gate.

From the West
To get to the Kingston drive east on I-10 and exit at Lordsburg or Deming, NM, depending on which way you want to go.

The Lordsburg route will take you through Silver City (Hwy 90) where you catch Hwy 180 for about 5 miles then take a left turn onto Hwy 152. This is where you will see the first sign to Kingston (about 45 miles, and about an hour and twenty minutes). This is a beautiful drive, but not recommend at night or if the weather is questionable. Stay on Hwy 152, which winds its way past a big copper mine, down into the Mimbres valley, then up through the Gila National
Forest and over the Black Range Mountains. You will crest the Black Range at Emory Pass, at the top there is a great vista point (left about 100 yards on a paved access road), Here you can see 100+ miles and overlook Kingston, the closest community. (There's a rest room here, too.) Back on Hwy 152, you will descend 9 miles and make a sharp left-turn into Kingston. LanderLand is up Main Street on the left about 1/4 mile at the Bamboo Gate.

If you exit I-10 at Deming follow the signs to Hatch. Basically you turn left under the freeway onto Hwy 180 and go about a mile, then yield right onto Hwy 26. This is a straight, fast road, with an occasional patrol car. Go 30 miles, and turn Left onto Hwy 27. This turn comes up fast at highway speeds -- there is a bar/restaurant called "The Middle of Nowhere Cafe." You'll also see a joke sign for the "Nutt Shopping Mall," but not until you slow down and turn left. Hwy 27 is a little-traveled road through ranch country. It goes from straight to rolling hills, and you may see cattle on the road. Antelope are also sighted along here. The road passes by the ghost town of Lake Valley and ends at Hillsboro, where you will turn Left -- Kingston is nine miles further.