Down and Dirty

Two-year-old Sarah Lehmberg was up to her armpits in mud Saturday as she slapped handfuls of clay onto the walls of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

“It’s heavy, mom,” she said as she made handprints in the wet mud.

Earl Skinner, 81, of Leisure World in Laguna Hills, shoveled clay into a wheelbarrow as he reflected about how much the mission had changed since he used to bring his dates here in the 1930s.

“It brings back a lot of old memories,” he said with a smirk, “especially of old girlfriends.”

The third annual Mud Slinging Festival brought together numerous volunteers, young and old, to patch up the old adobe bricks at the mission. Dozens of visitors stood back to watch the muddy workers, but only the carefree got down and dirty.

Eight-year-old Paige Suica of Santa Ana, wearing a brightly colored jumpsuit, timidly dipped one hand into a bucket of gooey mud.

“Blaaaah,” she said as the clay dripped onto her clean, white shoes.

“That’s OK,” her father assured her. “You’re supposed to get dirty.”

Pete Suica said he brought his family to the mission for an education--and some fun.

“Just think girls, years from now kids of kids of kids will be doing what you’re doing--helping rebuild the mission,” Suica said. “Can you imagine--a long time ago, they spent all day doing this?”

Mission conservation manager John Loomis said the mudslinging was designed to replicate the process the Juaneno Indians used 200 years ago. With one exception.

“We’re obviously not going to use blood like they did,” Loomis said.

Instead, a mixture of adobe soil, sand and a shovel full of cement are used to provide a sealant to protect the existing adobe bricks from erosion.

“It’s good to save the building, and that’s important,” Loomis said. “But it’s conveying a skill and knowledge of adobe too.”

Geared up in mud-speckled overalls, 13-year-old Felicity Claire of Costa Mesa said she learned that the Juanenos also used frog slime to seal the adobe bricks.

Her mother laughed and said helping rebuild the mission is a great learning tool.

“It brings history alive. It’s so hands-on,” said Suzanne Claire, 48. “You feel like you’re participating in it, not just learning a history lesson.”

Others had an incentive to be there.

“We’re doing it for extra credit,” said 14-year-old Ankit Patel of Mission Viejo.

His friend, Justin Pickett, 14, said he had fun helping to save the mission walls--and explained the pair will get 15 extra points on their social studies grade for participating.

A Chicago couple had come to the Mission to sightsee, but when they saw the mudslinging, they could not resist.

“We can’t leave until we put some mud on this wall,” Pam Hein said.

“It’s not an opportunity you get every day,” Bart Eisfelder agreed.

Having had enough mud for one day, Mary Lehmberg of Aliso Viejo washed her hands and cleaned up her 2-year-old daughter, Sarah. She said mudslinging was fun, but it had one drawback: “Now, she’s going to want to go home and do this,” she sighed.