!!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 104

After the morning meeting, Harry and I headed over to Cooper Cabin to get a fire going. The cabin was cool and quiet when we arrived, so we got to work right away. For about 45 minutes we worked the fire—coaxing it along, feeding it carefully, and making sure it was burning well. There’s something satisfying about taking the time to get a fire properly established.

Once that was squared away, we made our way over to the Abbey. While Harry handled feeding the cats, I swapped out the memory card from the Abbey’s trail cam so we could check what kind of wildlife activity had been happening around there.

Before heading to lunch, we grabbed a bucket and filled it with soil, then carried it over to the greenhouse and added it to one of the growing basins. Bit by bit those basins are coming together.

Back at base camp we checked the trail cam footage. Nothing unusual showed up this time—just the usual quiet watch of the woods. With that done, we spent the remainder of the morning tidying up along the Complexity Trail before wrapping up the first half of the day.

After lunch came the cleaning blitz. I replaced the bedding in the cat box and then spent some time looking through a seed catalog, picking out three vegetables for the upcoming growing season. It’s always fun thinking ahead to what will be growing later in the year.

Later on I assisted my high commander with bucking, splitting, and stacking a log. Always good work—solid, practical, and a nice way to round out the day.

Another full day at Wheaton Labs.

B.E.L. Post # 105

Today was a really enjoyable day here at Wheaton Labs.

This morning, Harry spent some time walking me through the basics of using the MIG welder. He showed me how to weld overlapping pieces, T-joints, and butt joints. It was my first time really getting hands-on practice with these different welds, and it was a lot of fun seeing how the pieces come together with a good bead. I really appreciate Harry taking the time to explain things and guide me through the process. Learning practical skills like this feels incredibly valuable.

Later in the day I performed some maintenance on one of the chainsaws, making sure it was cleaned up and in good working condition for future use.

After that, I took it easy for the rest of the day—spent some time relaxing with my dog and enjoying a bit of quiet downtime. It felt like a good balance after a productive morning of learning new skills. 🐕🔥

Have all of the fence repairs been completed?

B.E.L. Post # 106

Today started with a little prep for the day ahead. I filled up the green work rig with gas, then headed over to the Abbey to make sure the cats were fed and happy. Their purring was a nice little reward for the morning.

Afterwards, I swung by basecamp and spent some time splitting firewood to fill the shop’s firewood holder. There’s something really satisfying about stacking wood and seeing the pile grow—it feels productive in a simple, grounding way.

To cap the day, Harry and I ran a little experiment together. It was fun, hands-on, and a reminder of how much there is to learn just by tinkering and observing. Days like this make the work feel full and varied, with a bit of adventure mixed in.

Coydon Wallham wrote:Have all of the fence repairs been completed?

Great question! Technically, not yet—there are still several panels that aren’t up to ideal specifications and need attention. At the Abbey, about six panels are still standing but are propped up against a nearby tree and need work. Around ten panels with the Roman-style fort pattern also need to be brought back to spec. The remaining fifteen panels that I completely rebuilt from the ground up are solid ...

B.E.L. Post # 107

Today started with the morning meeting, and afterwards Harry and I began gathering the necessary tools and materials to continue working on the wood flooring piece at the Abbey. While we were getting everything together, Stephen was busy lighting up the rocket mass heaters at the shop and the Love Shack to get things warmed up for the day.

Once we had everything we needed, Harry and I headed over to the Abbey and got to work. We were able to finish laying the wood flooring piece, which felt great to complete. Tomorrow we’ll begin cobbing the section, which should be a fun next step in the process.

After wrapping up at the Abbey, we headed back to Basecamp and shifted gears to work on a couple of burn signs. We finished both of them and set them up on mini rock jacks and placed them at their designated spots.

To finish out the day, we spent some time tidying up along Complexity Trail before calling it a day.

Another good, productive day in the books.

Being able to just excavate a chunk of floor to make room for the peg-install is pretty handy.