!!!! SEPP to Boot: Stephen's Experience (BEL)

At each event, we have a large flip-chart sheet of paper hanging on the wall from Day 0 of the event (as in, the day before the event officially begins). Paul asks attendees to offer up any suggestions they might have in an effort to make each event even better than the last. Here's the feedback poster from the Permaculture Technology Jamboree, saved for posterity at Paul's request. Transcript follows.



Transcript:

DART BOARD.

Willow Bank could use a hook for hats, jackets, jet packs, etc.

More barefoot-friendly paths/spaces: pebbles, sand, rugs.

Ladders: bunk beds in Solarium [Cory and I addressed this during the event, BTW. --Stephen]

Clocks next to all the thermometers: Solarium, Library, etc.

A short, well-produced "best practices @ Wheaton Labs" video: explains water situation, showers, how to operate equipment (rocket stoves, etc) and show the actual [work- and living-] spaces, to be viewed before arrival. Or send a link out to new arrivals a few days prior if this video already exists.

It would be nice if the outdoor maker space were organized such that extra-loud noises, fumes, sparks, other nasty particles could be done with some sort of barrier between it and the assembly/talking space.

Metal grinding, asbestos, ceramic toxin dust in a different area from other activities (barrel burning, too!).

More than 25 minutes for meals (some of use are slow eaters) (which is better for you anyways).

Dedicated table for Food Preservation track.

Space-out instructors. Heavy on Day 1, but started getting lighter over time.

DANCE PARTIES.

Also a clean, open floor space for movement would be lovely... perhaps a yurt. <3

More of the tents and awnings that don't try to decapitate tall peeps.

Window in door between shop & auditorium.

Willow Feeder by the Fisher Price House.

More chips, salsa, bread - we kept running out.

Lights in [Shower Shack] for evening showers.

More hooks in the south shower [the solo-occupancy one].

Too many solar lights shine in your eyes.

Berm on Plum Plateau (or Junk Pole fence).

Cistern on Plum Plateau (no pump - rainwater collection).

Retractable power reels that extend power to work areas.

Cart/wagon for each track instructor. (yes, please)

Cold Saw for metalworking.

Need Log Dogs.

Dog Village [day kennel for furry friends].

BRK #21

Following-up after the first day of the SKIP Event. I've been granted "Instructor" status and I'm excited! It's all in pursuit of new experiences, worthwhile practice, and of course Badge Bits.

At the start of the day, I coached Justin through constructing his own Rock Jack. Before we were done at lunch time, he was driving 16 penny nails in straight and true:



Tool maintenance is also a vital good habit to cultivate. For example, topping-off bar oil to your chainsaw prior to work is important:



We took those chainsaws with us out to Allerton Abbey that afternoon. The boots arrived to lubricate the joints on Rex, the excavator. Mike coached the participants in building their hugel beds and performing their "three scoops," and I chain-sawed logs and provided mini-tours across Allerton Abbey. Here's Mike and his excavator students:



Finally: this past weekend before our SKIP participants arrived, I had a little more time to work on my rag-rug project. I found a nice shady spot just a bit away from the House and knocked out an easy 10 feet of braided cotton t-shirts. Only 999,999 more feet to go...



Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #22

Another busy day with the SKIP event and our guests. Several interesting building projects happening at the moment. The rock jacks built in the past couple of days will have junkpole fence added to them today and tomorrow. More hugel work, some lime whitewash, and even a dry-peg project or two are slated for today.

Meanwhile, I have a few photos to share regarding recent happenings. For instance, here's an assortment of club mallets crafted by the SKIP attendees earlier this week:



David brought out his router, and I worked my way through a branding/sign project that I'll share in a later post. But here's the "action shot" of the work in process...



Finally: I was pleased with the outcomes yesterday with my tractor-driving students. Here's Angela with a smile that can't be beat, dropping a massive load of rocks with the tractor.



Thank you for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #23

Had a lot of fun yesterday, not the least of which being Choco hopping up on the table in the midst of our evening Spades game, and plopping himself down directly in the middle of the cards...!

Prior to that however, the day was full of even more excellence. For example: while scouting around for locations for the day's Trail Maintenance BB session, I couldn't help but notice several bees zipping about the hugel beds at Allerton Abbey:



Later that afternoon, the team worked on clearing out an overgrown trail between Allerton Abbey and McDaniel Road:



David impressed all of us with his work on a dedicated trail section, intent on earning his Badge Bit. Here he is cutting a small tree he felled down to size:



Finally: for the past few mornings, both Gandalf (I call him G Dawg) and Pearl have been visiting me to help me start off my morning right. Here they are wrestling and doing their morning calisthenics. They're quite active for it being 5:30am, and are an inspiration...



Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #24

Everyone is movin' this morning...! We're capping off our first week at the SKIP event with building berm scaffolding, cob-patching, dry-stack wall crafting, and more. Nature is busy as well, showing us how it's done.

For instance, apparently yesterday was moving day for a colony of ants here at Basecamp. Here are a few folks (circled in green) bringing their kids to their new digs:



SKIP attendees made stuff with mud and cob yesterday. Here's an example: some adobe bricks setting in their frame:



Sometimes you just wanna have Xmas in July, so here's a miniature mud-man... wish I had a photo of the full-size one that other attendees had made:



Here's Jae refining the cuts for her three-log bench with a compound mallet and chisel:



Finally: how do youtransport a massive log from the ground to a nearly-vertical hugel bed surface? The answer: muscle! Here's the "before" picture:



Many hands make light work, as they say. After six of us put our backs into it, here's the "after" picture:



Thank you for reading, and enjoy your day...!