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

BRK #407

Monday is here, and with it the Fall Fest.

The weather predictions are noting that we're likely to have snow and freezing temperatures as soon as Wednesday. I'm saying so long and thanks for all the food this season to our hugels.



Meanwhile, the Fall Fest guests are busy being rock stars. Cat was busy here plucking the last of the tomatoes from one of our (massive?) tomato plants.



Her man Jim cut this rebar so we can fasten the walls together at the Sepp Holzer Root Cellar project tomorrow.



Here's Cheryl mixing up some matte-textured cob for the floor of the Yurt project. It's fine clay that's been sifted so the floor is smooth as silk when you walk on it.



Big thanks to Nick, a PTJ alumni, for both his gift of some billboard tarps...



...and also for rigging these fasteners (that look authentically Mongolian) for the Yurt project today.



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

BRK #408

Happy Taco Tuesday to you...!



More action with the Fall Fest crew today. We found a solid rhythm at the Sepp Holzer Root Cellar project, adding more posts to the walls, complete with rebar security pegs.



Here, Cat drills a hole through a wall post while Cheryl looks on.



In the afternoon, Cat and Cheryl teamed-up once again to repair the steps leading up to the front door of the House at Basecamp.



Nick and SEPPer Tolin completed the exterior paneling on the Swede-ified Sauna project. I love this site...! It was a total transformation.



I ended up spending a lot of time behind the scenes today, battening-down the hatches. There's a lot of rain and snow predicted for tonight and the next couple days, and a hard frost is possible, so we brought in any more pumpkins and potatoes we saw. Sunchokes are staying in the ground as a way to preserve them. We'll see which of the methods we've attempted turns out to be the most effective. Here are today's 'taters.



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

BRK #409

First snow of the season...!



I started up the heater in the Library prior to our morning meeting today. It's still keeping me toasty warm, roughly 11 hours later.



Today was a mixed bag, thanks to the weather and a couple other factors. Some good news to fill out the day, however. For example, Fall Fest guest Jim happens to be an experienced vehicle and equipment mechanic, and he assisted us in troubleshooting Judy (our big red truck) and her various performance issues. She was in such good shape this morning that we were able to strap on her tire chains, 4WD up to the Lab, then do all manner of retrieval tasks up there that the other vehicles wouldn't dare attempt in this weather. Thanks, Jim!!!



Cheryl and I cleared-out the rest of the sand at the Cob Hat project in the Love Shack. I did a little clean-up of the opening, though I want Paul to have a look at it before I do more. Cheryl is staying in the Love Shack as well, so she can give the heater a test run this evening and let us know how things went when she checks in tomorrow morning.

Here's the before and after of the Cob Hat:





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

BRK #410

Yep, I sharpened the Old Timer today. And I guess you could say it was tested...



Here's Nick test-fitting some of the panels for the Yurt project's skylight.



He also sealed the glass panels to reduce the chance of water intrusion.



In a rare mis-step, here's Nick's first attempt at a large (22-inch diameter) round glass cut. The plan is to add this to the top of the yurt's skylight to prevent moisture intrusion while allowing maximum illumination.



Nick is hoping to invest in and build a yurt of his own eventually, so he'll take back what he's learned and use it to succeed in his own yurt back home. Best of success to you, man!

Meanwhile, Dez and Jim installed the snow tires on the RAV today. Here it is parked in the Classroom, while we have the room, so they don't need to work out in the snow and cold.



Finally: I took a little time to remove the majority of the snow accumulated on the roof of the yurt. Looks like we have about three inches of snow built up on the roof here. I assume this will be a periodic task throughout the winter.



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

BRK #411

I'm grateful for how this week has turned out. Fall Fest with the first snow of the season. Things have turned out all right. I'm glad I had the chance to cross paths with a few new faces, and catch up with some old friends.

Here's what today looked like:





There was a major cosmetic renovation for the workshop's Rocket Mass Heater today. I saw Cat, Julia, Eliot, and Nick working with Uncle Mud to make it happen (sorry if I missed anyone!). Here's a pair of photos showing today's progress: morning and evening.





Finally: I stayed "on call" for the participants today, so I hung out in the workshop and performed some long-overdue straightening-up and tidying.



That's all for now. Make the most of your weekend...!