The Chronicles of Commander Clay

Happy Piña Colada day from morning meeting!!!

Festivities underway!!!

No matter what percentage of “assed” it’s hard not to like a holiday at Wheaton Labs!!

Today was another great day!
It was clear that my efforts to prepare and decorate were worth it by the reactions Paul and Alex.



We had a quick festive morning meeting as the day had been mostly planned out in advance.

Alex and I got to work rebuilding the section of Junk Pole Fence we’d taken down earlier this week.
Having the poles staged and ready to was a great time saver - thanks Alex!!



That video condenses about an hour of work into one minute.
It wasn’t difficult, but it does take attention to detail and some thoughtfulness!

Once the frame was built, I ran off to the lab to take care of a few minor chores and grab video for the potential willow feeder movie.

That took me through to lunch, when I started cranking the rocket heater so the house could get up to 80°F (part of the holiday festivities) and making the dough for pizza.



From there, also per the holiday, we headed to “Improve The Dock”. We replaced a few light bulbs found some electrical issues with one of the chandeliers, so we took that to the shop for repair and upgrades.

We returned to The Library, installed it, and finished cleaning up The Dock before heading inside to make the food for our evening.

The Piña Coladas themselves really hit the spot with how hot it was in the house. Paul even said they were some of the best that have ever been made here at Wheaton Labs!

The pizzas also turned out pretty good - if I do say so myself! Everyone had seconds… I might have even had thirds.

To cap off the event and round out Piña Colada Day, we watched Shrek (ya know - because “if you like piña coladas” plays when Farquad picks Fiona) in Paul Theatre.

Really stoked to have been High Commander for such an awesome week!!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Today, with no bootcamp responsibilities, I focused on attempting some badge bits.
The main task I set for myself was the half face cord of firewood from dead standing.

The first task was to fell the tree - which was clearly dead as it was missing the top half, likely from wind damage.

Once it was down, the challenge of bucking it and getting it off the mountain began.
I cut the bottom half into rounds and rolled the upper half to the tractor in one piece.
I loaded the rounds into the tractor and took those to the solarium. Then headed back up for the long log.

None of it was easy, but it all worked out.

After that, I began splitting using both the manual hydraulic splitter for some pieces as well as a maul for others.

The maul was more physically demanding and dangerous, but it happened to be faster for some pieces - namely those either too big for the little splitter (greater than 12 inches in diameter) or with unsound edges.

I worked on this for several hours and filled up a section of firewood rack around the back of The Library.

At about the half way mark, my replacement as High Commander - the one and only Eliot Mason - arrived with his frisbee-loving dog Tilly!
It was great to catch up with him and it’s a relief to know Alex will be in such good hands.

I finished the day with a light dinner of homemade Rhubarb Jam over homemade yogurt.
It was extra special as the jam was made and preserved by my friend and former boot Brian, from stalks I had harvested in May.

It really proves the accuracy of Paul’s adage - 95% of the work done by boots is for current and future boots.

Today is the first day since I got here where I haven’t ran the RMH - a little bitter sweet. Yesterday was so hot that the heat carried us through for over 24 hours.
It got up to 83°F somewhere around 5pm yesterday, and, as I type this at 9:30pm today, it’s still 67°F.
I lit the first fire before last Saturday’s Smackdown and with the close of today I’ll return control of the temperature to Paul and the rest of the crew.
I am grateful for the opportunity to come and gain more experience while working on a BB.
Thanks Paul!!

Alas, this final chronicle is not written while basking in the radiant glow of a rocket mass heater, but instead, while on my journey home.

We woke up to freshly fallen snow, a light dusting over all of Basecamp. Paul and I talked of natural building and he gave me a few book recommendations to accompany Mike Oehler’s classic which I do plan to read again… and again and again.

As I finished packing, I looked out the window and recognized the spectacular beauty of the sun peeking over the horizon, through the clouds, and glancing off the top of the Hügelculture.

As my final act in the role of commander, I lead the four of us through the Sunday cleaning blitz. Once completed, we had a brief knowledge transfer meeting as I handed the reins over to Eliot.

I’m excited to continue watching Alex‘s videos and see the projects discussed come to life. I know the Boot Camp is in capable hands.

My only real regret is that I had but nine days for this trip… I wish I had nine or more years.

I extend my most sincere gratitude to Paul, Alex, Samantha, Eliot, and all of you who have engaged with me through this thread. It has been an honor to fulfill this role!!

Wish me luck as I attempt to beat the oncoming storm predicted to pummel the Rocky Mountains.

Where does the incoming air enter once you close the feed to the j tube with the nifty cap. Or did you close it once the fire had been extinguished?