Very good article, lots of pics and good explanations. I live in Alabama, like Twisted Limbs, I have problems firing due to moisture in the ground. What I do is dig a shallow pit, mound the sandy dirt around the side and build a green wood bonfire. I let it burn down to coals, then push my mounded sides over the coals to dry out. That usually takes a day and a night. I uncover it the next day and let the coals burn out, that afternoon, I bury my preforms or mostly just rocks, then build up a dry wood bonfire. I let it burn down and go off and leave it for the next couple or three days. I put a piece of tin over it to protect it from the rain, but if it rains, you can expect to loose a lot.