!!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

BRK #120

Happy Friday, everyone.

Another one of those days where everything seemed to go the way you wanted it, and you sit back to reflect on all the minor successes that made today great. Here's a photo of Grey in the Red Cabin. He finished his build of the bench-steps, and then he and I installed the bed frame. Before we wrapped that project, we also added a rudimentary headboard.



The second half of the day was all about the Lab. We braved the uphill drive with all three of us crammed into the cab of Doug, then I opted to ride in the truck bed as we went from place to place.



Finally: Caleb, Grey, and I mounted two more solar panels on the solar array by the Pump House. Things are looking good up there.



Time for me to do some more electricity projects. Thanks for reading, enjoy your day, and make the most of your weekend...!

BRK #121

Several lessons were learned today. One of them is how to properly tow large logs with the tractor. More about that another time.

Meanwhile, I have a few photos to share, catching up after a weekend of no updates.

Today, Caleb and I hiked around a broad swath of the Lab today, seeking out trees for felling and to eventually turn into dimensional lumber with our sawmill. Here's one candidate, not far from Allerton Abbey.



We did track down a tree on the far end of Dances With Pigs Meadow, and felled it today with the help of the full crew. I caught video footage of Caleb felling it, but I'll have that for a future update. Meanwhile, here's how things looked after the tree came down.



Earlier this weekend, I completed a two-part Nest Labor project. I had a good time building these boxes and then wood-burning the signs to label them. We wanted a more-elegant solution for storing the mason jar lids, and this is at least a slight improvement. I practiced more with wood-burning and enjoy the process and end result, so I will likely do more of this.



Finally: here's a photo of this past weekend's electricity project. The most complex of them featured two different sound modules connected to three different switches. One of the switches was a photo-sensor, which changed the tones each time it was activated. Learning more about electricity - or at least, this electricity learning kit - is a combination of puzzle-solving, logic, and a healthy helping of curiosity. It's lots of fun.



Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #122

So I was driving the tractor, and was (incorrectly, so I learned) dragging a large log out of the Meadow. I heard a POW and when I looked over, a gout of brown fluid was jetting from the side of the tractor. At first I thought it was coming from the transmission - I still have anxieties about the hydro-transmission fluid and filters I'd changed-out last month. However, it was actually gushing from the tire, which left me incredibly confused.



What the hell is this?, I thought to myself. I couldn't plug it, and during the struggle as I learned I couldn't plug it I ended up soaking a bunch of it into my clothes. We all agreed that it smelled like two-year-old teriyaki sauce.

Turns out, it's something called "bio ballast," and is made primarily of... beet juice. Fred explained this to me, and mentioned there are two reasons that this is used to fill the tires:
1. You don't want only air in the tires. You want liquid in there to help weigh down the vehicle and lower its center of gravity.
2. While you want liquid, you don't want water since it freezes at 32 degrees F. So use something that has a high sugar and/or high salt content, and therefore a lower freezing temperature.

To sum up my day, it was mostly driving to the repair shop, then waiting for their call that it was repaired, then driving there to pick it up. Here's the repaired tire at the end of the day, back at Basecamp.



Between that, I worked with the team to fell trees up at the Lab and then buck and split them for firewood at Basecamp. Here's new boot Daniel practicing as a first-timer with the chainsaw.



I have two photos of the trip to the shop to pick up the tire. It's a lovely time of year in western Montana.





That's all for now. It's been another long day. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #123

Failed to have my camera with me in the first half of the day, otherwise I'd have some photos of us re-mounting the gargantuan tire to the tractor. But the second half of the day was full of wins as well.

Yesterday's wood harvest was almost completely comprised of dead-standing, wildfire-damaged wood. Even when the area is raked and cleaned-up, after a couple hours of splitting that stuff the place still looks like a load of firecrackers was set off on the spot.



Did a major renovation on one of the Wheaton Labs rigs today. Judy now has a new starter motor...! Caleb and I spent about two hours on the job (mechanics out there will cringe, I know, but it was a first time for both of us). Here's the old starter motor. It was to the point we'd have to hammer on the motor to jiggle the solenoid in an effort to start the engine. Time for this one to go.



Here's the solenoid for the new starter. The large copper-threaded bolt is the receiver of the charge from the battery, while the other wire goes who-knows-where. I just put it back in the exact same place I found it. Hopefully, this will be the last time I need to look at these connections.



Finally: near the close of the day, Caleb preps to bag a turkey.



That's all for now. Tomorrow, we'll be working at the sawmill - provided the forecast snow doesn't scare us away. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #124

We had over 3 inches of snow last night while we all slept. In preparation, earlier in the evening I - of course - had to try a few more electrical experiments. There were a few more projects to address the phenomenon of resistance, but nothing terribly new. The photo below is of a rudimentary doorbell, complete with light and sound that activate when a button is pushed.



I skimmed through the "advanced" projects, closer to #300, and it looks like I'll be making motion detectors, a "mind-reading game," and other such esoteric electrical doodads before I'm done. I will be completing projects 16 through 20 tomorrow evening, featuring such stunners as "Momentary Alarm," and sound-maker projects like "Space War." This thing really is a treat. It's like having LEGOs all over again.

Meanwhile, back to today. The first half of the day was all for shoveling and plowing, while the other part of the team was busy making hanging signs in the workshop. They look excellent! I'll have pictures of them tomorrow.

In the afternoon shift, we were able to bring the whole team up to the Lab where I saw the sawmill in action for the first time. Here are a few action shots. Caleb is at the wheel, while Grey and Daniel secure the chains to lift a massive log destined for sawing.



Caleb lowers the log into the sawmill frame.



Seems like the log is a bit wide round the bottom (this was the bottom-most section of the tree, about 12 feet long), so Caleb used a chainsaw to trim it down to size while Grey looks on.



We wrapped the day with reviewing some video footage and write-ups about the sawmill, since we were still having some challenges. Tomorrow looks to be another afternoon with the sawmill and plenty of other projects - all in frigid temperatures. I've upgraded to my "muck boots" so my toes don't freeze up.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!