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

BRK #299

Quick update. We're transitioning from the PDC to the PTJ. Here are a few photos from this past Thursday's pizza dinner. Drew and Josiah were co-captains along with me in operating the rocket oven. Much smoother when more folks are involved in the process of feeding the fire, timing the pizzas, and negotiating the three oven racks... Thanks guys!!!

Participants Estella, Daniel, and instructor Chase prepare their pizzas for baking.



Once a pizza's done baking, it's cut into pieces and everyone's welcome to a slice or three.



Participants Katie, Valerie, Boot Liam, and Corinne enjoy pizza and lounging at one of our outdoor sit-spots.



Our peak temp was pushing 700F, which may have been a bit much. Most of the baking was done between 400F and 500F.



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

BRK #300
It's a milestone...!!!







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

BRK #301

It's the first full day of the PTJ, and it was a big one. There are several projects that I think are interesting, and I think all of them on the agenda will make a difference: both here and in the world at large. It's a good time to be here.

Here we are at the morning meeting. This is the "mezzanine view."



As per usual, Boot tasks persist even during events. Shai, J Jay, and I visited the Lab to check on the Trail Cams installed throughout the property.



One of the cameras caught this crew of playful deer splashing about in a seasonal spring/pond. I had no idea that the area would grow so marshy, nor did I know it was so popular.



Speaking of ponds, Zach's Pond is growing in size. If you stand here long enough, you can hear the bubbling of the stream that draws the excess water from the Lab's well to slowly-but-surely fill the pond.



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

BRK #302

The PTJ continues, and so do Boot tasks... and successes.

It was a true team effort to mount Bob II (as in, "Bob The Second") on the Bob Tree earlier today. For those unaware and still curious, the Bob Line is a steel cable strung over 180' that will suspend several sunshades over the entire Classroom building, enablling cooler summer events. It's been a series of challenges to upgrade the system to its current state, and today we made tremendous progress.

Pictured here, clockwise from left: Brent, Matt, Brian (at center), Barton, and Shai inspect the steel cable to Bob II prior to lifting.



The tractor was used to lift and support Bob II while Shai connected the Bob Line to the Bob Tree via a 2-ton snatch block (a pulley with a hook attached). Here's the view from the roof of the Classroom, where I was staged.



While Paul does rounds, he inspects the current state of Bob II and the Bob Line. We'll be making changes tomorrow (yes, that's a massive tree stump hanging from the tree next to him).



Also in experiments today: Uncle Mud and blacksmith Justin simultaneously burn and compare temps for melting iron in their respective rocket heater forge builds.



For dinner, event chef Rebecca made the guests and staff some celebratory cheesecakes for dessert.



Finally: kitten update! Puff AKA Batman's kittens are shown here napping on the steps leading into the Library. Believe it or not, there's four of them there.



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

BRK #303

Middle of the first week of the PTJ. It's exciting to see so many projects that are now underway.

Beau is building an arbor between two large poles in the rear of the Classroom. They'll grow grapes, beautify the space, and help delineate the occupied space, removing trip hazards and parking problems (as we have some guy-lines leading directly into the soil in that same spot). Here's some of the lumber he sourced from our earlier work up at the Lab.



Speaking of Boots, our work continues during the events. Here's an example of some of the cable-rigging J Jay, Shai, and I are working on. That extra ring there, in the middle? Well, just consider it a good-luck charm, I guess.



Finally: here's that pesky ol' Rocky Mountain Hirsute Dipshit, back up on top of that gigantic (well, 25 feet up in the air this time) pole. Seems like he enjoys it up there.



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