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

BRK #289

Another day of the PDC in the books. I think the reality of the volume (and value) of the work is now sinking in for the majority of the students.



Meanwhile, Boots stayed busy with our own tasks and event support. Wes, Catherine, and Shai mounted another suspension pole for our sunshades project. Here they are, working as a fine team.



Dez and I were tasked with exposing more of the well casing for the new pump house. Here's a before picture... There's the electric jackhammer (quite possibly my personal favourite power tool here at Wheaton Labs) on the left. An action shot of Dez in the moment follows.





We successfully sheared the rock away from the well casing, with no damage on the casing itself. A little more cleanup, and the well technician will have an easy pathway to hooking-up the water (which is what we want).



Here's our temporary e-bike storage station while the events are underway. Our typical parking space for these fantastic machines is currently occupied by snooze-inducing hammock chairs.



Over at the Lab, we worked in the gardens. I'm pretty sure this is a cat's paw, though for a moment I thought it might have been a raccoon.



Another "before and after" montage. Ye Olde Swamp Castle is waaaaay overgrown. One of the hazards of having a small team, I suppose. But I did my best with it today. Catherine planted some pumpkin and pole beans in there, so we'll have the Three Sisters visiting the castle before too long. Meanwhile, there's a patch of sunchokes there in the center that's been revealed, resembling a sort of frilly green mohawk.





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

BRK #290

Another pleasant, brisk morning. The temperature at sunrise has been a surprising 35F. Lots of low-hanging clouds sweeping through in the mornings. Never thought I'd be starting up the Classroom batch box heater in the middle of June, but here we are.



Oh, and I wrestled with a well's pressure tank today. It was a collaborative effort between Catherine, Dez, SEPPer Jeff, and myself. I was the one foolhardy enough to go into the sopping-wet, spider-infested pit, but it was legit fun.





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

BRK #291

Another big day for the PDC event. Did my best to bake a dozen pizzas in the rocket oven. Helen Atthowe showed up for tonight's presentation and she'll also be facilitating tomorrow. Having three heavyweights in the same place at the same time is a special opportunity.

Beyond that, I feel like my brain is a bit fried. So here's a picture of a bee lounging on one of the many plants at Basecamp.



The trellis has finally attracted the right kind of attention. Pleased to see some climbing vines making their way up. I hope to someday see the whole thing covered with climbing, clinging vegetation. Nasturtium blossoms would be a fantastic treat.



Worked with Wes and Shai today in the woods up at the Lab. We felled a tree and peeled the logs for future construction projects.





Stumbled across this mushroom and was impressed with its gills.



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

BRK #292

Friday, and the end of PDC Week One. What a week it's been...!

Massive thanks and appreciation to PDC guest Ericka for gifting me a brand-new copy of Helen Atthowe's new book, The Ecological Farm.



The new well is so close, so close to completion...! Here's the well technician dropping power conduit to the motor earlier this afternoon.



Finally: I joined a Cat Party on the front porch of Allerton Abbey today. Cats Pearl, Trickster, and Early showed-off their kittens during a brief rainstorm this afternoon.



That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and make the most of your weekend.

Stephen B. Thomas wrote:BRK #289Over at the Lab, we worked in the gardens. I'm pretty sure this is a cat's paw, though for a moment I thought it might have been a raccoon.

That does not look very feline. I've only seen racoon tracks on paper, but that looks very similar. Have anything else around there in the same family?