The pouring area.  I made a rectange of old bricks on the dirt floor and then filled it about 2" deep with sand.  This makes for a nice stable place to plant some additional bricks on which to place flasks, the hot lid of the furnace, crucibles, etc.  It also prevents spilled metal from getting away.  In the upper right is one of my favorite crucibles; an 8" length of 4" square tubing with a piece of steel plate welded on the bottom.