• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Grey's Bootcamp Journal

 
Posts: 26
Location: Theodosia, MO
8
books cooking homestead
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'm glad to see that the support beam went up! I shouldn't have been worried considering that you all were very careful, but I worried nonetheless.
 
Posts: 37
Location: St.Louis, Missouri
18
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
My heart beat almost beat out of my chest at 1:35 in your dig dig dig video ... I didn't realize the excavator had a little foot that leaned down and up - I thought it fell forward into the hole at first! ~ Phew!!

You make digging look like such good meditative fun work! Your choice jams in your video edits are excellent.

The fog, the trees, the trails --- ahh, such beauty! 🤩
 
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 10
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Day 52, BRK #28
Wednesday, September 22

Packed lunch and ferried new boots and supplies up to the lab. Worked on getting some lengths of pipe laid in the trench on Pearl Rd. When Fred was done excavating from his plot to the road, it was my turn.

Most of the ground I was digging was particularly rocky, which meant more depth to prevent freezing and a wider trench, not because I wanted it to be so, but because the walls were prone to caving in. I got decently far in 7 hours, considering.
Zeke-lying-on-a-rock.jpg
Floppy floof
Floppy floof
leftover-tacos.jpg
My fav was one that I made with a crunchy tortilla.
My fav was one that I made with a crunchy tortilla.
hugel-wood.jpg
Tricky to get the thick logs to fit
Tricky to get the thick logs to fit
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 12
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Day 53/54, BRK #29
Thursday/Friday Sep 23-24

During garden shift, I finished making steps on my berm, added pine needles to the top walkway of a hügel to slow the sinking caused by soaking combined with footsteps. Afternoon at the lab where I continued scooping rocks and dirt. Luckily we were able to extend the rental period, so we'll be able to do all that needs done for laying the water pipe.

Friday I packed lunch and headed up to the CAT in the morning. There's a second cistern from which an overflow pipe will go to Fred's plot. I took a break to chop and drop out front of the Tipi in prep for guests who'll be attending the event. Dez treated me to dinner, and I spent my first night on my plot at the Lab.
truck-bed-ride.jpg
[Thumbnail for truck-bed-ride.jpg]
trench-in-Rocky-road.jpg
[Thumbnail for trench-in-Rocky-road.jpg]
cistern-before-trench.jpg
[Thumbnail for cistern-before-trench.jpg]
cistern-after-trench.jpg
[Thumbnail for cistern-after-trench.jpg]
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 9
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Days 55-57, BRK #30
Saturday, Sept 25: day off the CAT
Sleeping at Bart's Bunk was good. I moved in a little more, tidied the place up, and gathered onions growing on the hügels.

Sunday, Sept 26: and back on again
I slept in the love shack, for reasons. Helped get the kitchen ready for Amelia, the chef for the event. More trench making from afternoon til dark.

Monday, Sept 27: Chopped Grass & Cracked Rock
The usual gardening routine, plus utilizing the bounty of Wheaton Labs hay happily growing in the drain field. Afternoon excavation at the cistern site was smooth for digging the overflow line. The cistern itself, however is sunk into bedrock. I'm going to guess that our Trusty Rex will be finishing this job.
zekes-treats.jpg
[Thumbnail for zekes-treats.jpg]
la-aranya.jpg
[Thumbnail for la-aranya.jpg]
bebe-mosh.jpg
[Thumbnail for bebe-mosh.jpg]
wills-patch.jpg
[Thumbnail for wills-patch.jpg]
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 12
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Day 58, BRK #31
Tuesday, September 28: Shifting gears

Second to last day on boot time to prepare for the event. I'm going to let you imagine how this fact might affect our small team of peeps. Paul joined our morning meeting. Staging and tidying of the classroom and its vicinity were our foci. The light yet persistent drizzle didn't bother me so much as the loamy bits falling off my boots whenever I walked inside.

I learned that Paul's now on the hook for two weeks, according to the CAT rental store. which means more fun for me. At the lab in the afternoon, I made a trench on the road to the Tipi. Fred helped secure the excavator to its trailer and I cautiously drove the rig to Basecamp.

There's still one more thing to do with the yellow beauty before we get her cleaned up and ready to return. I worked an hour and a half past boot time to get ahead of it.
sunrise-on-Pascal-rd.jpg
Enjoyed alone
Enjoyed alone
vicious-on-the-patio.jpg
All the neck fluff
All the neck fluff
selfie-with-yellow.jpg
Imma miss her
Imma miss her
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 14
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
BRK #32, Days 59-63

Wednesday Will and I teamed up to install a hydrant outside the back door of the shop. I used the excavator to "find" the existing water line running from the berm shed hydrant to the shower shack hydrant. We inserted a T-junction at the point of discovery on the existing pipe and layed the new stuff in the trench I had dug the night before. We found a peeled log on Volcano Rd. to use as the hydrant support post. By the end of the work day, we had the trench filled and water running.

Thursday was a day off for all boots except me, since I'm attending the RMHJ. I planted just over a quart of hazelnuts, donated by Mike Haasl, all of which I had scratched and over-night soaked. Then I got the excavator cleaned up with Fred so he could return it. In the afternoon I went to the lab and filled in the trench on the road to the Tipi. Finished the day by raking and tidying up the road to Arrakis. When our event chef, Amelia, arrived with her hound dog, Sebastian, I helped them get situated. Spent an hour or so just labeling the kitchen drawers and cabinets to help her navigate. Mud and Christina got in late, and, lucky for them, just as I was going up to take my remaining items out of the love shack. I got them the key to the red cabin and headed to Bart's bunk for the night.

Friday I woke up at 11, taking full advantage of my freedom to do as I please. I joined the boots for lunch, then followed Mags to the airport to pick up some attendees. I met Mark Brunnr and while driving us back, asked about his plans for moving to the Lab next year. I met some other attendees and a few more instructors as the sunligbt faded. Also made a neat little board to show the evening activities roster for the event. Mud gave a fire science demo at dusk.

Saturday was the first day of the Jamboree. Our starting projects included the rocket assisted solar food dehydrator, the outdoor kitchen, the Solarium RMH, and the Sauna RMH. I helped with some wood work, digging a pit, and moving rocks. Favorite food of the day was baked sweet potatoes for dinner. We watched the Fire Science DVD from Wood Stoves 2.0 in the evening.

Sunday I got up a bit late, but didn't miss too much. Mud gave a chat about building a fire box. I helped with sifting sand, cutting brick, chopping grass, finding clay, and building a new style of heat riser with remesh and superwool. Favorite food of the day was Morrocan chickpea stew with fry bread for lunch, though rocket oven baked pizzas for dinner was a close second. In the evening we watched the second DVD, Sneaky Heat.
sowing-Haaslnut.jpg
Densely in the high corner of the paddock.
Densely in the high corner of the paddock.
label-making-2.jpg
Orderly kitchens make happy cooks.
Orderly kitchens make happy cooks.
kitchen-build.gif
The base of the firebox is to be built so that the wood feed is at ground level and the cook top is at a sane height for normal human use.
The base of the firebox is to be built so that the wood feed is at ground level and the cook top is at a sane height for normal human use.
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 12
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
BRK #33, Day 64
Monday October 4:

Late to the classroom again, I recieved a golf clap from the group at Paul's behest. The day began with a clay harvest at the Lab. I also used the tractor to scoop pea gravel into a truck bed. Then at Basecamp, I got elbow deep mixing water into the buckets of clay. After breaking up the chunks and picking out some of the rocks and floaty bits, I power mixed the mud in a steel drum. I had a warm outdoor shower before dinner, and during, enjoyed an awesome beef salad with cheesy corn bread and chia seed pudding with fruit for dessert. Bonfire in the evening.
dehydrator-build.gif
If I stay in the top chamber, is it then a sauna?
If I stay in the top chamber, is it then a sauna?
kiln-brick-cart.gif
Going up to the outdoor kitchen build
Going up to the outdoor kitchen build
Lorena-stove-build.gif
Desig Ed to quickly get a large pot of water to boil
Desig Ed to quickly get a large pot of water to boil
arrakis-bonfire.jpg
Featuring the SoloStove
Featuring the SoloStove
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 11
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
BRK #34, Day 65
Tuesday October 5

Feeling low on energy, most of the day I was spectating or eavesdropping. In the morning I helped mount a gutter on the east face of the red cabin. In the afternoon I coated the outdoor rocket cooktop with cob. Tacos for dinner and strawberry yogurt with peaches and chias for dessert. Pebble style RMH movie to end the day.
Rodney-cutting-remesh.jpg
Used for making the heat riser in our new designs
Used for making the heat riser in our new designs
muds-fire-science.gif
Teaching us rocket newbs
Teaching us rocket newbs
armchair-designer.jpg
Figuring out the solution for the sauna
Figuring out the solution for the sauna
Jonathan-cutting-remesh.gif
An excuse to use oxy-acetelyne
An excuse to use oxy-acetelyne
 
Grey T. Klein
pollinator
Posts: 141
Location: Limerick, PA
343
hugelkultur kids monies foraging trees earthworks wofati cooking building rocket stoves
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
BRK #35, Day 66
Wednesday October 6

Not much to say today!
cobbing-the-stove.jpg
[Thumbnail for cobbing-the-stove.jpg]
gamera-in-red-cabin.jpg
[Thumbnail for gamera-in-red-cabin.jpg]
Rocket-in-the-dehydrator.jpg
[Thumbnail for Rocket-in-the-dehydrator.jpg]
gift
 
The Humble Soapnut - A Guide to the Laundry Detergent that Grows on Trees ebook by Kathryn Ossing
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic