5 Days Later...

 The next step, after the dome has some chance to harden is to cut out the door. 

 I used my pizza peel to get the measurements--- the opening is 13 (W) X 10 (H).  Once the opening was cut, I cleared out some of the sand.  Not a lot since the oven at this point was still pliable and soft. 

The opening helped speed up the drying process. Everything I read said to be patient, because the last thing you want is for the oven wall to collapse.


Sandy, one of my Pizza Angels, came over to help me make a brick archway. But we  decided to wait till all of the sand was cleared out. 


We did add two extensions boards to the front and back of the oven.

Each day I cleared more sand out, allowing the oven to dry slowly---finally five days after the big build---all of the sand has been excavated.  

 Everything looks good, no signs of distressed or troublesome cracks.   I sat myself down on a rock and just stared inside.  I find myself just looking, touching, hugging this earth structure.  It feels so alive to me, and something about it resonates within me.