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

Coydon Wallham wrote:I hadn't realized the metal ran that far across the entrance. I remember the clumsy wire gate and was excited to read you were replacing it with a proper wooden one, though...

That's understandable. The wire gate definitely had a bit of character to it, even if it was somewhat awkward to use. I'm looking forward to seeing a wooden gate go in as well—I think it'll fit the Abbey much better and give the entrance a more finished look.

In the meantime, we've been focused on getting the surrounding fencing back into good shape so that everything is solid and ready for the next phase of the project.

B.E.L. Post # 186

This morning I woke up to a light rainy morning and headed straight into the cleaning blitz. It was actually pretty pleasant as usual—especially with Melissa’s silly antics keeping things light.

After that I moved into the solarium to get it tour-ready and presentable. While I was there, I also went through the free shelf and filled up two boxes of items to be taken offsite. Stephen will be dropping them off at Goodwill / thrift shop at his convenience.

Once that was wrapped up I took a short nap, then headed out to the lab. I loaded the last log onto the bed of the Maverick and staged it back at basecamp with the others.

By that time I met the two new people on site, which was a nice way to round things out. I finished the day off with some journaling and reading before winding down.

B.E.L. Post # 187

Today started with a trip out to the Abbey with Jesse, Melissa, and myself.

Once we arrived, I had Melissa doing soil probes and irrigating where needed while Jesse and I continued work on the junkpole fencing project. Jesse focused on filling in the fence panels while I harvested and staged additional junkpoles for the build. It's been satisfying watching the fence gradually take shape as we repurpose available materials into a functional and attractive structure.

After lunch, I shifted the crew around a bit. Jesse moved over to trail building while Addy, Leo, Melissa, and I headed to the shop for some chainsaw maintenance. We spent some time cleaning, inspecting, and servicing the saws to keep them in good working order for future projects.

Once the maintenance was complete, we headed back out for some chop-and-drop work, processing woody material and returning biomass to the landscape. After that, I had Leo join Jesse on the trail project while Melissa and I began work on the hugel steps. We started placing and positioning logs to create durable steps along the hugel berm trail, helping improve access while making use of natural materials already on site.

Overall, it was a productive day with a good balance of infrastructure work, tool maintenance, biomass management, and trail improvements. Always nice to end the day seeing multiple projects moving forward at once.

B.E L. Post # 188

After the morning meeting, Jesse, Leo, Addy, and I headed out to take care of irrigation at Apricot Alley and Raspberry Rock. We got everything topped up and running well so the zones are set up for the next stretch of warm weather.

Once that was dialed in, I had Jesse wrap up her final section of trail building at the horseradish berm. She brought that section to completion, which really ties the flow of that path together nicely.

At the same time, Addy and Leo were working on planting sunchokes around the turtle lot, spacing them out to help establish a productive and resilient edge planting there.

While they were on that, I shifted over to seed work and got melon and tomato seeds planted along the berm across from the library door. That area should do well as a warm microclimate, so I’m hoping for a strong early start there.

After that, I pulled Leo over to help me stage and carry one of the hugel step logs—a 2-foot log about 16 inches in diameter—that I had positioned earlier. We moved it into place as one of three planned hugel steps wrapping around the grape plant on the hugel inside the garden paddock. This is part of setting up better access and structure around that grape system while adding long-term organic matter and water retention into the berm.

After lunch, Melissa, Jesse, Leo, and I headed to the Abbey. I had Jesse continue filling in the junkpole panels with the junkpoles, while Leo focused on trail building. Melissa did soil probe tests and the irrigation, and I spent some time harvesting more junkpoles. Each piece of the day felt like a puzzle fitting together, and I can really see how all these small steps are shaping something lasting. Feeling grateful for the progress today!

B.E.L. Post # 189

Today started with Stephen, Jesse, Leo, and I heading over to the Abbey. Stephen spent the morning assessing and working on the Abbey's wing walls while I coordinated work on several ongoing projects.

I had Jesse continue work on one of the newly rebuilt junkpole fence panels, making steady progress on filling it in. Meanwhile, Leo joined me in harvesting additional junkpoles to support future fencing projects around the Abbey.

After lunch, Jesse shifted over to continue trail work along the horseradish berm. Leo and I spent the first hour doing chop-and-smother work within the garden paddock to help suppress unwanted vegetation and improve the area for future use.

After that, we switched tasks. I had Leo work on widening sections of trail while I focused on preparing for the installation of the second hugel step using a 16-inch diameter, 3-foot-long log. This involved positioning, planning, and site preparation to ensure the step would fit well within the trail system and provide durable access along the berm.

Once we had made good progress on those projects, we wrapped up the afternoon by gathering firewood for the racks behind the library, helping to keep the wood supply stocked and organized for future use.