ALTADENA, California ¨C Marialyce Pedersen stood in a white Tyvek suit on her Altadena, California, lot leveled by this month¡¯s wildfires. Her house was reduced to ash that spilled into the pool, turning the water a toxic black. But along one wall, a sculpted pink bench and outdoor kitchen looked only slightly worse for wear.
Pedersen built the bench and kitchen using cob, an adobe-like mix of decomposed granite or sand, clay and natural fiber, an ancient technique she says points to the future for her house and community.
¡°That is going to be the start of my rebuilding efforts. It is one little bright spot,¡± she said.
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