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

Beau Davidson wrote:Spotted: Stephen & Wes at the solar sawmill:

Hahaha! Yep, that was us.

Thanks to you, Paul, and the team for making the video happen, plus all the kudos.

BRK #236

It's been a happy Monday, with all sorts of diverse tasks and projects on the agenda.

We spent the first part of the day over at the Lab. Caleb piloted the tractor, Moto Jeff ferried logs in Doug (the blue pickup truck), and the rest of us hauled tools, chains, and logs to and fro. Here's a couple snapshots of the worksite, after we moved all the logs to the Sawmill for processing.





In the afternoon, the team was back at Basecamp for a wide-ranging list of tasks. Prior to wrap-up of the day, I assisted Wesley with the ceiling panels in the Library.  At the start of the afternoon shift however, I worked on my own for two projects: Doug maintenance and the Workshop sign.

Here are two snapshots of Doug, showing the installation of a new back window. Along with this I replaced the engine air filter and a burned-out turn signal lamp.





Finally: I completed the Workshop sign! It's curing now, after receiving a coat of raw linseed oil. I should be able to hang it in front of the door by the end of the week.



Before I wrap up, I wanted to mention I appreciate all the kind comments on the Sawmill video that Wesley and I made. It was an enjoyable process, and I hope it's a worthwhile instructional video for Boots in the years and seasons to come.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #237

A Taco Tuesday is here, once again...! Pleased with the evening's meal and the influx of garlic (a personal favourite). Meanwhile, a majority of time was spent up at the Lab today with all manner of outdoor activities. It's definitely a transition time round here, at least in terms of the weather. I hope that the Spring holds on as long as possible and we have a slow release of moisture from the snowy peaks. The Lab is affected much more by the changes in the weather, ranging from when to plant on the hugel berms, to road conditions.

Speaking of which, we're hoping to have the Millenium Falcon (our '73 Kenworth dump truck) running ASAP to help with a project back at Basecamp. However, it's snowed-in up at the Lab. I joined a couple repair techs up there today while they worked.

Here's a snapshot of me in the seat of Rex, the excavator, practicing my sweet digging moves.



No, this isn't a fancy, flanged trash can. This is the air intake element and filter for the 'Falcon.



Here was a ray of hope...! Lots of exhaust, but this is the first step in clearing the moisture out of the fuel system. They're coming back tomorrow morning to do quite a bit more work. Here's to hoping we'll have even better news before we start celebrating our Half-Assed Holiday.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #238

Happy Repair Cafe' Day to you...!

Today was a splendid way to wrap up the Half-Assed Holiday season. Repair Cafe' Day also happens to be a first-time Half-Assed Holiday. In general the day was a hit. I have over two dozen photographs to serve as evidence.

Part of the morning shift was spent doing Repair Cafe' Triage. The items were grouped based on the initial impression of "fix-ability." At first glance it was just a bunch of stuff scattered in piles all across the floor. However the big picture was that we were able to stick with accessible projects (which is what I did), but if we were feeling more ambitious then we could find a project with more meat on the bone to provide a challenge. Here's a glimpse at the organization the team had done at the outset of our celebrations.





Meanwhile, the Repair Cafe' shelf had been emptied of all items, ensuring there was an equal opportunity for being fixed for all occupants...



And of course, what's a cafe' without coffee? We had two stations, ensuring the team was well-fortified for the task ahead.





Reid gravitated towards repairing a heavy rake: personally, one of my two favourite gardening tools. He focused his energies on creating a sturdy, hand-made handle. He draw-knifed the entire thing, used hand tools to fasten the head of the rake to the new handle, and then finished the end so it's easy to grip and use. Once the wood is dried, it'll be a "lightweight heavy rake" worth taking out to all the hugels.











The rest of the Boots were busy on their own projects of course, each focusing on their own strengths. Here's Caleb with a handheld metal detector that just wouldn't stop screaming.



Wesley turned his attention to repairing a hot plate, which happened to not need fixing at all, but had been improperly used (an induction cooker needs a proper pot on it to work as intended). Good catch, man.





Moto Jeff first started working on kicking this miniature fan into working condition.



I finished a handful of simple projects, including setting this radio-controlled clock (it's connected to our weather station) to the proper time zone. It's now in the Solarium.



Next project: testing the batteries in a set of walkie-talkies. All signs point to the fact they need to be charged. We'll see how long the batteries last with a test run tomorrow.



Next project: replacing a missing rivet in a staple gun. I used a nut and bolt as a suitable remedy, using a hacksaw to chop off the excess bolt length.



Next project: using the rivet punch to attach a spade head to a fiberglass-wood handle.



Final project: a spray nozzle was missing a handle. So I took a bit of dowel rod, "drilled it out so that it would fit," then took a scrap pin to attach the new handle to the sprayer. This is about 80% complete. I ended up peeling off to start preparing dinner before this was done.







Reid and I headed up to the kitchen at about half past 3 to start dinner. We were all tucking in for our cafe' meal at five minutes after 5. One of the best meals we'd done this season, and I'm proud to have been Reid's partner this time round. Focaccia with marinara, lunch meat and avocado on toast, pesto, fresh juices, and blueberry scones. Also dug out some jazzy piano music for ambiance. No complaints.













Definitely a worthwhile end to the 2022-2023 Half-Assed Holiday season.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!

BRK #239

Spring is springing up all over. Whether it's the appearance of eager plantlife kicking its way out of the dormant soil, or rain instead of snow, or the...assertive behaviour of some of the cats in residence. The evidence is convincing, at least for me.

I spent the morning at the Lab with the truck mechanics. The Millenium Falcon isn't just running, it's moving, too. There's apparently a lot of moisture buildup in the fuel tank, and tomorrow morning is forecast to be the day the tank is completely cleared of non-fuel fluids. But a temporary exterior tank was used to do some troubleshooting, and things are looking up. This is a photo of the refueling effort.





I'm still impressed with just how large everything is on this vehicle. Here's the towing hook/hitch at the rear, beneath the dump container.



When the treads are flawlessly impressed into the soil at about an inch deep, you know the truck has been there for quite some time.



Here's a photo of two towing assemblies for the three-point hitch at the rear of the tractor. Hmm... We've been looking for these. It's amazing what sort of stuff you'll find once all the snow melts away, eh?



Finally: two new plants at Basecamp. The first is the unknown "patio cat shit fern," still going strong. The second is very likely the rhubarb coming back. They're both lovely.





That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day...!