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

B.E.L. Post # 115

Today had that satisfying “build it and see it stand” kind of energy.

After the morning meeting, Stephen and I gathered up the necessary tools from the shop for the Ant Village gate install. We strapped the gate frame to the top of the Rav4 and made our way out to the Abbey, rolling in ready to get after it. Once we arrived, Stephen handled feeding the cats while I took a quick lap with my little pup before settling him back into the vehicle.

With everything unloaded and the gate frame staged, we got right to work. Stephen cut the log for the threshold, and I set it in place with a gravel sock to help with drainage and longevity. I drilled out the hole for the wooden hinge while Stephen shaped the tenon—both of us moving in that nice, unspoken rhythm of shared effort. Before we knew it, we had the gate upright and in place just before lunch—a great milestone to hit.

After lunch, we kept the momentum going by installing a deadweight pulley system for the gate closure. Simple, effective, and satisfying to see it function as intended.

We wrapped up the Abbey work and headed back to basecamp, where I finished out the day by planting some potatoes in the berms—tucking a bit of future harvest into the soil.

A solid day of building, teamwork, and planting seeds—both literal and otherwise.