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

Thanks Mike and Coydon, I appreciate both of you taking the time to share the feedback.

Mike, one thing I failed to properly explain in that B.E.L. post was that Seth was actually running point on the tree felling and made that notch cut himself. Looking back at the picture though, I do think you’re right about the cuts bypassing each other instead of lining up cleanly. I’ll definitely remind him about it again because it’s a solid learning point. I really do appreciate you taking the time to point it out and explain it. That kind of feedback helps us improve and pay better attention to the little details that matter.

And Coydon, you’re absolutely right about the timberjack. Honestly, it completely slipped my mind while we were loading tools onto the vehicle that morning. There actually was about a 4” gap between the log and the ground that doesn’t really show in the picture, so thankfully the chain wasn’t directly hitting dirt, but having that tool definitely would’ve made the job easier on both the saw and on Shawn and Zven while bucking the log.

Always appreciate the constructive input from you guys. Still learning every day out here.

B.E.L. Post # 161

I started my morning by grabbing a pail of wood ash from the solarium, mixing it with some salt, and spreading the mixture across the patio between the library and the Fisher Price house. I worked it down into all the crevices between the pavers in hopes of discouraging any future growies from popping back up there. It felt like a simple but worthwhile little maintenance task to help keep the patio tidy without needing anything fancy.

Afterwards I spent a little time relaxing with my little doggo before heading over to the shop to load up tools for a couple projects I wanted to tackle at the Abbey. Before heading out though, I fueled up Roy for the week ahead and then made my way over there.

The first thing I wanted to address was the unnecessary open space on either side of the handle area on the Cooper Cabin gate. I gathered material and filled those sections in so the gate looked cleaner and more finished overall (please see pictures). It was one of those smaller detail jobs that really helps tie the whole project together visually.

Once that was completed, I shifted gears toward preparing materials for future fire racks near the berm shed. I felled, delimbed, and cut several trees to length — 107 feet total by the end of it. After getting everything processed, I loaded the poles onto Roy, strapped them down, and hauled them back to Basecamp where I staged them near the shop doors for future use.

After wrapping that up I headed back to my living quarters. A little while later Stephen returned from the shopping run and surprised my little dog with a rope toy, which was very much appreciated. It definitely made somebody’s day. I finished off the evening by taking Melissa back to the Abbey before finally calling it a day.

B.E.L. Post # 162

Today was a good day on the land.

The cleaning blitz went by quickly with a solid group of people — good energy, steady work, and it makes a big difference when the crew is dialed in like that.

After that I spent the rest of the day in a quieter mode: some reading, journaling, and hanging out with my dog as usual.

I also processed about 30 aluminum cans and gathered mulch from around the Fischer Price house, then laid it out on the berm.

To wrap up the day, I put together a list of priorities for tomorrow for my team, including both the assigned tasks  and a few additional items I’d like us to stay ahead on.

B.E.L. Post # 163

Today was a very productive day, and the team accomplished quite a bit.

For today, I had Tracy, Jesse, and Melissa join us for the second half of the day.

This morning started with filling up the water jugs and delivering them to the lemon tree site. Once that was completed, we headed off to the Abbey. I tasked Tracy with watering the berms, and Jesse with watering the trees, while I planned to work on adding pickets to the tipi gate.

However, I later discovered that the harvested pickets from late last week were subpar—just too thin for my liking—so I pivoted and focused on harvesting junk poles instead to use as proper pickets.

After lunch at basecamp, we refilled the water jugs and placed them out at the trees in Apricot Alley and Raspberry Rock. I assigned Jesse to continue working on the trail at the horseradish berm, followed by maintaining chainsaws afterward. I also tasked Tracy and Melissa with debarking the poles I had harvested this past Saturday.

While they were working on that, I set up a sprinkler at the garlic patch on a two-hour timer. I also picked up the “candy” cans by the willow bank and staged them at the candy warehouse.

One small side task—found the rearview mirror bracket for Toots had been mounted upside down. In order to set the mirror correctly, I had to remove and reinstall it properly first. Once corrected, I'm allowing the glue to cure before proceeding.

All in all, a solid day of steady progress and good teamwork.

Yesterday 05/12/2026 ... turned into another solid and productive day with the team. During the morning meeting, I picked Tracy, Lorenzo, and Jessie to join me, and we headed straight over to the Abbey to get rolling.

I had Tracy and Jessie continue watering the trees and berms while Lorenzo and I kept processing the junkpoles I felled earlier for pickets. We cut them to length and fastened them onto the tipi gate. I still need to add a few more pickets around the gate handle area to close up some unnecessary gaps, but it’s basically finished for now and coming together nicely.

Back at basecamp, I set Tracy and Lorenzo up to debark the remaining material I felled this past Saturday. They did a delightful job and nearly processed everything. I’m really looking forward to getting started on the live roundwood natural fire racks soon.

While they were working on that, I had Jessie sharpen another chainsaw and then continue work on the horseradish trails. She’s doing such a splendid job with those trails and they’re shaping up well.

Meanwhile, I spent part of the afternoon processing gravel at the rock face next to the wooden delivery sign and managed to net 4 buckets of gravel. Afterwards, I spread three buckets of “candy” that Samantha brought over this past weekend around the baby trees along Apricot Alley.

By then, Tracy and Lorenzo had wrapped up debarking, so I tasked them with securing the lines for the yoga yurt roof window cover. One of the tie-down lines snapped during the process and it turned into a complete comedy for a while there, but we eventually got everything back on track.

Wrapped up the evening with Taco Tuesday meal and called it a day.