Grey's Bootcamp Journal

BRK #52, Days 89-91

Friday, October 29: Weather Ready

We have lots to finish, and I spent most of the morning on a bark mulch run with Caleb. After lunch, it really started to rain, and we all headed up to Cooper Cabin to add insulation to some spots on the walls. The work day ended early, but I took extra time to fill in puddles with gravel.

Saturday, October 30: Missou-Lad Trip

Had a crazy dream, our something. I remember questions for Paul and lots of strange people gnashing over the answers. Once I was up, I prepared to go into town Missoula with Caleb and Will. My first time in Home Resource, bought $100 in hand tools and hardware to take to my plot. Then at the Bargain Corner, I picked up some clothes to keep me warm and dry. Finally, we got Greek food, groceries, goodies, and back to Basecamp.

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(©,©) Halloween🕸️- Work to Play
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After cleaning, I texted family. My plan was to get Bartell's cleaned up and start work on the floor. Caleb's idea of a good time is target practice, so I agreed that if he helped me, we'd try out the bows and arrows he found in the library. We cleaned out the Northwest corner diagonal to the door, dug out 10 bucketz of dirt, and brought in 5 buckets of sand, plus a few rocks. My plans for the floor begin to manifest.

We made our target for archery practice by taking a shovel to what looked to be a failed hügel, making a vertical area to riddle with arrows. Caleb fancies the crossbow, while I prefer the compound bow. We practiced at around 15-30 yards, just getting the feel for shooting arrows. We both had decent accuracy by the time we wrapped up. I said goodbye to Caleb and got the tables, water, wood and other stuff moved back into the house. I Cooked soup over the barrel and the air reached 65°F and 64% humidity.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
Please tell me where can I find that podcast???

It's coming out very soon! People who donate at patreon.com/paulwheaton can access the podcasts a bit before they're publicly released.

Thank you for answering my question Grey. I'll be more patient

I have never been so into puddles.

The goal is enough rock and gravel that it it won't squish and enough clay and slope that it will drain and not puddle again.  80 years of research. Puddles were my first toy.

When is a door not a door?

when it s insulated and sealed for the winter.

BRK #53, Day 92

Monady, November 1

I made it to the morning meeting just in time. The first item of the day was an all-play firewood harvest. Bagged a lot of small dead standing and a couple of trees of more adequate size. Item number two was finishing the decking on the roof of the Solarium, including cob-sealing the gap above the round beam between the rafters. After work activities included dressing Ziq's arm and cleaning the kitchen fridge.

Hans Quistorff wrote:

Grey T. Klein wrote:When is a door not a door?

when it's insulated and sealed for the winter.

Yes. Also, when it's ajar

BRK #54, Days 93-94

Tuesday, November 2

In the morning, we resumed the dock lighting project.

In the afternoon, we worked on the water on the lab.

Wednesday, November 3

Morning meeting with Paul to get the OK on or design for dock lighting. First task of the day was taking out a broken window from Cooper Cabin to be fixed. Mags and I fought tooth and nail to get it out, then patched over the void in the wall with cardboard and plastic sheet. Back at basecsmp, we prepared for the next step of building the Solarium.

After lunch, we all went to Fred's plot. I sowed hickory, cherry, apricot, apple, plum, vetch, and some flower seeds. With my last half hour, I moved branches to the outside of the border berm to make fortify the tangle fence.

Hi Grey - I’ve only just started reading your journal. Wow - what an amazing experience. I really appreciate what you are doing. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do a bootcamp as I have too many family commitments. I do have two teenage boys so maybe it could be in their future. One is stuck at college in his room, studying over zoom. It’s the not the mind expanding experience that either of us wanted. It sounds like you are learning a huge amount about permaculture, life and probably yourself.

BRK #55, Day 95

Thursday, November 4: Lights and Raindrops

Some different things this morning. I set up solar lights for our walkway. As a group, we gathered things that we'll need to be living in Allerton Abbey for the ATI test. For the afternoon, we all went to the lab. I worked on Fred's plot, moving branches to the border berms to make a tangle fence.

Edward Norton wrote:Hi Grey - I’ve only just started reading your journal. Wow - what an amazing experience. I really appreciate what you are doing. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do a bootcamp as I have too many family commitments. I do have two teenage boys so maybe it could be in their future. One is stuck at college in his room, studying over zoom. It’s the not the mind expanding experience that either of us wanted. It sounds like you are learning a huge amount about permaculture, life and probably yourself.

Thank you, Edward, I'm glad to hear that! Being a Boot is wonderful, and I'm in it for the long haul. While true that it is not feasible for someone with family obligations to stick around very long, there have been people who have spent a week here as a vacation.

I did the college thing for a few years, but this experience has so far taught me a lot more; indeed, it might be just the thing for one or both of your sons. I strongly encourage you to share with them—perhaps even listen along to—the Bootcamp Rundown we recorded when it's available (that's podcast 597-599). By the way, your PIE ad is great!

BRK #56, Day 96

Friday November 6

Mulched the garden in the morning. Progressed the pipe in the afternoon.

Grey T. Klein wrote:Thank you, Edward, I'm glad to hear that! Being a Boot is wonderful, and I'm in it for the long haul. While true that it is not feasible for someone with family obligations to stick around very long, there have been people who have spent a week here as a vacation.

I did the college thing for a few years, but this experience has so far taught me a lot more; indeed, it might be just the thing for one or both of your sons. I strongly encourage you to share with them—perhaps even listen along to—the Bootcamp Rundown we recorded when it's available (that's podcast 597-599). By the way, your PIE ad is great!

Cheers Grey! Glad you like the ad . . . Kinda strange hearing it myself, but makes me smile.

Good to know about the vacation option. I might see if I can get a ‘pass’ at some point in the future. Thanks for the reference to the podcasts - I’m slowly working my way through a huge backdrop. They’re uplifting than the doom and gloom news podcasts I used to listen to.

Those are awesome lights. I’ve only ever seen the ones that look like mushrooms that you stick in the ground. They look ugly and fragile. Nice work, and thank you!