June 1972, I considered buying this 30 acre parcel of land.Before contacting the realtor, I drove in and pitched my tent next to my 1969 Toyota Corona.I camped for the night just to see if there were raucous neighbors, or if a freight train went by during the night. Made a deposit on the property on June 26, 1972.Friends in New Sharon built this dome from the top down, one stick at a time.
1973
Charlie Souliere from Hampton, NH helped as new neighbor, David Merry, is digging a well and building a driveway.Charlie’s red truck is a workshop on wheels.I’ve come to the right place. David Merry took me up in his airplane to survey the site.Charlie & I place 1″ rebar for my slab.Now I can pump water from the dug well, and I’m ready for temporary electric service and concrete.Camping in the tent while building a base of concrete blocks around the slab. The 1955 Jeep I bought from Charlie’s father.The triangles were prefabbed in my parent’s backyard in Hingham, MA. Charlie and I assembled the dome shell.The 26 foot diameter geodesic dome is blossoming in reverse.Completed dome with five poly covered skylights.The triangle seams were gasketed and the outside painted with deck paint. The front wall was hinged and opened inwards.Putting salvaged pallets to good use.One door and one window, and an Ashley wood stove for heat.Think Spring; there’s a window box under the window.Building a sleeping loft.Winter evening.Winter gale. There’s frost on the inside of the walls.
1974
I let neighbor, Bill Stevens, plow up the field for silage corn for his dairy cattle.My property is in the centre of this picture. The Merry air strip is up the street, at top left. Stevens’ farm is top center on the left fork of the road.Summer, the dome has been shingled, and the wood shed is going up.The shed is finished with salvaged splash boards from the Madison dam. The yard is graded. I bought the 1949 Farmall Cub from David Merry for $800.My younger brother, Ricky Bedford, came to visit.Getting civilized with glass windows and skylights, wringer washer tub planters, permanent electric service and septic system.Harvest time in the field next to the house.Fall, the view out the back window.
1975
Winter; my wrecked Taylorcraft has been hauled up from Massachusetts.
Earth Base Zero 