The Great Crossing
Crossing the ocean was just the beginning. We arrived in Bulgaria in the fall of 2021, fueled by the dream of that sweet, lazy life among the walnuts that Jonathan wouldn’t stop talking about. We were convinced everything would be just fine because we had the “right tool for the job”—our trusty 2002 pickup truck. With its long bed and efficient engine (proudly equipped with a propane system for more budget-friendly travels), it became the heart of our logistics between the city and the grove.
The Rescue Operation
We began carving a path through the “jungle,” liberating each walnut tree from the suffocating grip of the weeds. While we were planning our future dome and nearly finishing a small 2-meter test home, fate decided we were missing one more key element.
Enter Harley Quinn: The Real Boss
One sunny morning, just as we were leaving the village, Harley Quinn crossed our path. She looked at us with that mix of judgment and hope typical of puppies who know exactly how to find their humans.
“I like the idea of living in a dome. You look like good people,” she seemed to say with a twitch of her ears. “I’ll allow you to take care of me.”
And so began the true story of Harley Quinn and the “lost” couple from Mississippi. Suddenly, our team got bigger, and our mission became much more lively. With Harley as the “Chief Security Inspector” and the pickup as our mobile fortress, the dream began to take real shape among the walnut shadows.
Healthy Mud Baths and Good Manners
As time went by, Harley Quinn didn’t just grow up; she became our loyal companion in every adventure among the walnuts. While the grove was slowly being cleared, Jonathan took on the role of her personal instructor. It turned out, however, that “good manners” training in our project always includes a mandatory course in healthy mud baths. After all, if you aren’t knee-deep in mud, are you even building your dream? With Harley by our side and the pickup truck fully loaded, we were ready for the next big challenge—the real collision with construction.
The Workshop
The Projects: The Prototype and “Cardinal Mistakes”
We began our hands-on training with the instructor’s words that became our golden rule: “If your back hurts, you aren’t doing it right”. That’s how the adventure with our 2-meter practice dome started. We got incredibly lucky finding high-quality bags from the “Asenova Krepost” factory in Asenovgrad, which became the backbone of our project.
Over those months, we weren’t just building; we were learning ergonomics. We sourced and even created our own tools to streamline every movement—from filling buckets to tamping the earth.
After months of wrestling with gravity and mud, I finally had a reason to celebrate. I climbed to the ‘top of the world’—a true testament to our stubbornness. Looking down at the grove from above, I told myself: ‘Well, it’s not exactly a castle, but it’s ours, and most importantly—it didn’t fall down!
The 5-Meter Ambition: Grand Plans and “Creative” Circles
After finishing the practice dome, we felt like experts. We decided to tackle a more complex structure from my course: a large 5-meter central dome with two side half-domes. Enthusiasm was high, but so was the temptation to cut corners. We skipped pre-installing the door frames to save time—our first mistake, but not the last.
I also forgot to stabilize the central compass. Over time, it shifted, turning our perfect circle into something more “artistic.” Yet, thanks to the incredible technique created by architect Nader Khalili, the structure remained majestic and rock-solid. The real challenge was the height; we realized we couldn’t properly apply the cob and waterproof layers so high up. With a heavy heart, we decided to remove the top of the dome and cap it with panels, keeping the smaller half-dome intact.
Inside, work continued under the watchful eye of our supervisor, Harley Quinn, who frequently had to take “concentration naps” to deal with the stress of the job. While I kept working, Jonathan—our certified expert in quality relaxation—tested the beds before the floor was even laid. His dream finally felt reachable: wrapped in a cardigan with a cup of hot tea, he enjoyed the cool interior while it was a scorching 35°C outside.
The Proof of Concept: Tomatoes, Grit, and a Flying Dog
Everything finally felt as though we had caught the rhythm of nature. I started my vegetable garden from zero—literally ‘from scratch.’ I raised seedlings in yogurt cups and tucked them into the soil quite late in May, as the shelter was consuming every second of our time. But as Jonathan put it: ‘This is a proof of concept.’
It turned out we could achieve anything. The only ingredients we needed were a massive serving of grit, seasoned with a few pinches of enthusiasm and imagination.
And Jonathan? Well, he finally materialized his dream. He found the perfect chair among the walnuts and immediately received some serious ‘mental support’ from… the local fauna. A butterfly, which was clearly also seeking its own perfect resting spot, perched on his hat to share a Zen moment. While this winged representative of the fauna and Jonathan silently debated the meaning of life, Harley Quinn—in full ‘Superman’ mode—accelerated time around us. In that moment, the DOME project wasn’t just a build; it was our personal triumph, officially stamped by nature itself.”
Shifting Gears: The Unexpected Turn
The Master Builders
We were intoxicated by our success. Inspired by the genius of the architect Nader Khalili and the incredible stability of his structures, we decided to build the “perfect home” – exactly according to the textbook. It was August and in two weeks, in just two weeks, we had erected a 4-meter home. It already seemed like child’s play to us.
The most difficult part was the ramming, with my arms crossed, I tried to mentally make the tool work on its own. Alas, it didn’t work out, I had to help.
The Final Stretch
We faced our first obstacle: the new sacks from Sadovo turned out to be thin and unstable in the sun. So we spread them with adobe on the fly to protect them. The plan was clear: we would finish the structure, make the rough screed with adobe, and immediately seal it with cement mortar so that everything would be waterproof and ready for winter.
We were so convinced that by October we would be finished with the cement and the floor that on September 19th we bought a cruise to Antarctica. A dream reward for three years of work.
The Night the Engine Stopped
On September 23rd, we were shopping in Asenovgrad, prepared for a full week of work and staying overnight at the dome. Around 7:30 PM, we headed toward the village, super enthusiastic about finishing the plastering and winterizing the shelter.
But that night, we never made it to the walnut grove. At the junction for the village of Izbeglii, the voice of our most faithful worker—the pickup truck—fell silent forever. Being such a solid and well-maintained machine, it managed to save our lives at the moment of impact, but the price was its own existence.
