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

BEL #629

A smoky sunrise to begin Week Two of the 2024 SKIP event. Though motivation is high to complete as many BBs as possible, folks were still willing to dial it back and move at a slower pace to cope with the potential dip in our air quality.



One of the first tasks fellow Boot Brian and I tackled this morning included burying some of the surplus mycelium bricks and substrate from the 2024 PTJ. That requires digging a lot of holes.



The promise of stuffy, smoky weather encouraged frequent guest and current participant Alex to start a fire in this J-tube earlier in the day, as well.



On the other hand, the intense heat and sunshine seemed perfect for Aaron's BB project of sun-cooking some quinoa.
(Also, shout out to Big Blue Sun maestro Luther Krueger... This one's for you, man!  )



Finally: a late-afternoon SKIP project was to can some vegetables. Rebekah facilitated this group of tasty-looking veggies. A little bird told me that there would be some left behind for the Boots, and I'm excited and grateful...!



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

BEL #630

A day to keep it movin', as one of my old coworkers would say. I spent a lot of time with our big red truck Judy today, and by the end of it I felt I was sputtering just as much as her.

Meanwhile...

Black Spark cools herself in the shade, while her two recent kittens investigate the compost.



SKIP Participant Paul Y. built a "birdhouse that a bird just might live in, for a while," for one of his Swanson Projects (a suite of BB projects that focus on woodworking).



Paul's brother, Aaron, continues work on his wooden spoon.



Did a first-ever trip to the wood bark supplier. As Paul says, "Now is the time for mulch." So here we go. I'll likely be going back to this place frequently. I learned a great deal during this inaugural trip.



Finally: a couple massive bumble-bees I saw today up at the Lab this afternoon.





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

BEL #631

The peak of the week...! Six photos of today's projects.

Opalyn finished a sunshade for the door to the library. One side is fairly calm, with these whimsical surfboards all in a line.



The other is much more dramatic, reminding me of the old days of playing Q-Bert at the arcade:



A group of SKIP participants went down to a nearby river in the area to cool off make willow baskets:



They brought back more canes to continue their weaving, using the kiddie pool to keep things hydrated.



Finally: I saw participant Alex wrapping a long section of rebar around a wooden cylinder. What in the world is this?



Turns out she's fabricating a kindling cracker for a BB. It's the first time I'd seen anyone attempting to make a round wood feed. I'm wishing her success...!



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

BEL #632

What a weird, amusing day. There was a Missoula-area power outage overnight, which started after I had gone to bed. Being up in a tent, I hadn't noticed lights flickering or anything. So I woke up and when I walked into the house at 5:30am, I saw Paul sitting on the couch cradling a flashlight, pointed at the ceiling. So, it was off to the Red Cabin immediately to start up the Lorena.



I think it works wonderfully. It definitely saved our bacon today - or at least mine - since we wouldn't have had coffee without it...! Water heated up quickly, and we were able to serve coffee and tea, along with hot dishwater.



Since the schedule was somewhat altered to accommodate a lack of electricity, SKIP guest Kelly finished work on her river reed woven basket. I could see this as a perfect accent to a classy end table or coffee table. Nice work!



I also feel accomplished today. As the House kitchen was out of commission, I staffed the Rocket Oven today for several hours. Once again, it performed admirably. Steady temperatures between 475 - 510 degrees F for over two hours...! Big thanks to fellow Boot Ben for prepping so much firewood for today's marathon oven session. Tomorrow: rocket pizza...!



Finally: it was our regularly-scheduled Game Night. Thanks to SKIP guests Aaron and Paul Y. for reminding me to bring down my set of Dominion so it could hit the table. What a blast...!

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

Well done, man. What a zany day. Way to bring the luxury in electricity's absence.