permaculture bootcamp - learn permaculture through a little hard work

I'm wondering if there is room for a new boot.. and his wife and 2 small children. We could pa for the extra food and lodging..

Kristen Phillips wrote:I'm wondering if there is room for a new boot.. and his wife and 2 small children. We could pa for the extra food and lodging..

This time of year:  we have oodles of tent space.  

We have been taught that a family scenario CAN work just peachy.  Maybe the thing to do is to start off with the family in a tent and they are self feeding for the most part?   And we'll see how things go from there?

Awesome, we are definitely considering it

Progress on a new willow feeder ...

The boots are working on building experiences with roundwood timber framing.   This structure is on skids.   Most of the wood was pulled off the hill just above this.  

This design is improved by adding some steps so "mounting" isn't as dancy.

This project is led mostly by bear paw, nick fouch and lane o'harra.

Whittle up a toilet seat ...

This project should have been put off a few weeks, but since this is bear paw's specialty, we did it a bit early.

The idea is to add a "couch balcony" to the make-shift classroom in the shop.  

Here, bear paw is introducing some shapely root wood that will support the balcony, and also provide some hat rack stuff.

bear paw is getting another root log ready to work into this roudwood timber framing artpiece

biological sawdust removal unit

nick fouch working a log. fred and cliff standing by.

Some of the roundwood timber framing now in place,

bear paw showing tuesday how the log is gonna fit into the root wad

Bootcamp started when snow was still on the ground.   One of the earliest projects was to build some shelves.    So experiences were built with some simple woodworking.  Using the power miter saw, drill, finding studs in the wall, measuring and planning ....  

The water went out.  So then all attention moved to figuring out the problem, figuring out a solution, pulling up the well pump, replacing it and firing it back up.

Junkpole fence is the next order of business.   Harvesting junkpole and building rock jacks.

Then planting lots of stuff for lots of gardens so we have food a bit later in the year.

Next came building the new willow feeder (round wood timber framing) and the couch balcony (more roundwood timber framing).  

Coming soon is laying in some pipe to get water to the showers and re-building the compost pile so we can have hot water for the showers.   And a lot more planting and mulching.

Busy busy boots!  Good to hear about what's happening.  Are they learning to cook as well?

Thanks to my patreon peeps for pushing me into making videos again.

https://permies.com
http://patreon.com/paulwheaton

Thanks to Dan Ohmann of The Grass-fed Homestead channel:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc2ka-aGChwIiX0mEXzfmoA[/youtube]

Tahnks to Nick Fouch of Fouch-o-matic Off Grid:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm28mg76wIUxq1eyqhbivfg

More pictures and the latest info about our round wood timber framing project "couch balcony":

https://permies.com/t/65315/couch-balcony-round-wood-timber

More info about our permaculture bootcamp:

https://permies.com/t/59706/permaculture-bootcamp


Nick Fouch has timber framing experience, but not roundwood timber framing.  When he arrived, Bear Paw was already here, and Bear Paw takes round wood timber framing to the most artistic level.  Sculpture with wood.  Sculpting and carving wood.  Lots of stuff being done with root wood.  

It's a pretty boring wood shop and we have been using it as a classroom.  We thought that adding a round wood timber frame couch balcony would spiff it up a bit.

We are trying to get this and a bunch of other stuff done before the permaculture design course starts:

https://richsoil.com/pdc.jsp

We have a kickstarter going right now so people can watch our permaculture design course from home:

http://kck.st/2q6Ycay

Part of the design stuff is to be able to squeeze in six big round tables - so we moved the log posts to facilitate that.  We also moved the log supports closer to the wall.  


Bear Paw's round wood timber framing philosophy is "you gotta get it down to square or saddle."

Permaculture bootcamp participants include Fred Tyler, Cliff Ponder, Lane O'Harra, Jesse White, Evan Pierce, Tuesday Yocum

Gonna pin the logs into the cement slab.

Lots of hatchet and mallet work.

Chainsaws and angle grinders are used sometimes, and sometimes the chisel and mallet is preferred.  And a freaky big saw.

Thanks to Josiah Wallingford for convincing his dad, Bear Paw, to come share his skills with us.

https://permaethos.com/


Relevant stuff at permies:

https://permies.com/t/65315/couch-balcony-round-wood-timber
https://permies.com/t/59706/permaculture-bootcamp
https://permies.com/f/81/timber
https://permies.com/f/102/labs
https://permies.com/t/65018/permaculture-projects/willow-feeder-willowonka-roundwood-timber

music by Jimmy Pardo
https://permies.com/t/30796/Jimmy-Pardo

Thanks to my patreon supporters:

Julia Mason
wade L
Jason Hower
Bill Crim
Doug Barth
One Community
Mark Allen
Kelton Mitchell
David Ingraham
The Rayhawk Clan

http://patreon.com/paulwheaton

I am very very encouraged to know that there are families with kids who will be on the place this year.

Last year I inquired about entering the ant village program, but my husband nixed the idea after discussing possible destinations (we were leaving SC for points west at that time). We are now in Coeur d'Alene, ID, and I have not lost my dream of entering the program. However I don't have a spare $900 at this point to go straight into the ant village. Also, if I pursue this, the children will all be coming and my husband likely will not, since he hopes to be working in Alaska for fishing season this year.

My question is, do you have space for one permaculture-experienced hardworking mom in the boot program, or as a gapper? And might it be possible to arrange child care during work hours with some of the other parents onsite, do you think, being that we might be able to come up with work trades or suchlike?

I have spent a large proportion of the last three years living off grid, in campsite situations (by choice), cooking over woodfire and using rainwater collection systems. I built my own cob oven and used it for several months in breadbaking for my family. I am just a short Greyhound ride away.

Shan,

I get the impression that the ponders are up for doing a bit of child care during the upcoming events in exchange for coin.  But that seemed temporary.  

My concern with the ponders was ....  with one person you get 1 unit of work and 1 belly to feed; with two adults and five children, i was worried that i would have five bellies to feed and would only get 0.7 units of work.   As it turns out, I might provide food for 0.3 bellies, I get 1.1 units of work and houseful of wild boys.   Mysteriously, these boys are extremely respectful.  So I was really skeptical that it could work out, but it has worked out well.  They make it work.

So a mom and kids ...   I don't see a path at this time.  But I am open to considering a path I have not yet figured out.

My guess is that you might want to talk to the ants about being a gapper for them.  An ant might be able to figure something out.

A few more pics:

paul wheaton wrote:So a mom and kids ...   I don't see a path at this time.  But I am open to considering a path I have not yet figured out.

My guess is that you might want to talk to the ants about being a gapper for them.  An ant might be able to figure something out.

How does one go about locating an ant who might need a gapper?

Shan Renz wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:So a mom and kids ...   I don't see a path at this time.  But I am open to considering a path I have not yet figured out.

My guess is that you might want to talk to the ants about being a gapper for them.  An ant might be able to figure something out.

How does one go about locating an ant who might need a gapper?

The ants that like to have a public face seem to have public threads in the wheaton labs forum that they fill with pictures.   And sometimes the ants pipe up in threads like this!

Shan Renz wrote:


How does one go about locating an ant who might need a gapper?

Hi Shan. I might have a solution for you. I am looking for someone to caretake my Ant plot for the next year or so, possibly longer, as I will be busy this year taking a permaculture training course in California. I will be back up at the Ant Village for a couple weeks, starting around May 18th, doing some work on my unfinished house. You are welcome to come for a visit and check out the situation while I am there.

I have a plan already for developing my plot, so anything you did while there would have to be in line with that vision, but I would be open to having you stay on my plot and in my house while I am away. This would give you and your boys a stepping stone into the village and a home while you work towards getting your own Ant village plot, or some other arrangement with Paul.  It would be good for me to have someone there, looking after things and living in the house to keep it dry in the winter.  You would be welcome to plant gardens and/or keep animals, in a way that fits with the vision.  Please purple moosage me if you would like to talk further.

WOW Jesse!  What an amazing idea!

I will mooseage you shortly.

Julia Winter wrote:Busy busy boots!  Good to hear about what's happening.  Are they learning to cook as well?

Julia, that is an excellent question! Some boots arrived when we were in our well drama, then we had the lovely gift of time from Bear Paw (via Josiah) and Nick, so we dove into these construction projects. Which has left less time for more domestic endeavors than we thought.

That said, Fred and Tuesday (I'm not sure if Jesse helped) made some yummy fermented foods:

sunchokes (which we grew)

onions (which we wanted to preserve because a 50lb bulk order had some that were going bad)

kimchi (well, more of a kraut-chi)

curtido

Garlic that we grew was used in several of these as well.

Wish I had pictures!

And just this week I've purchased bulk quantities of cabbage, carrots, onions, jalapenos, garlic, and we still have some ginger about, so I'm thinking a 5-gallon jar (I have a 5-gallon glass pickle jar sitting empty!) of sauerkraut or kraut-chi might be most excellent to get started before the PDC.

Mostly, boots have been doing their own cooking, and know cooking basics, though the fermenting has been new to some. The boots cook lots of oats, beans and rice, lots of salads and sauteed veggies, and the ubiquitous PB&J sammies.

Michelle, Jesse and Tuesday were a HUGE help with unloading and organizing a Very Large food order from Azure that arrived Thursday night. (We're stocking up for the PDC.) Jesse said it was just like he was working in a restaurant kitchen again! It *only* took three hours (with help) to sort, label and put away that food order. Whew!

There has been some learning curve for how to keep the cast iron seasoned well, how to preserve a knife edge, and a few other things about food and the kitchen. With this amount of food, and feeding lots of people, the labeling, efficiency, and proper food rotation IS a lot like a restaurant kitchen!

paul wheaton wrote:

Shan Renz wrote:

paul wheaton wrote:So a mom and kids ...   I don't see a path at this time.  But I am open to considering a path I have not yet figured out.

My guess is that you might want to talk to the ants about being a gapper for them.  An ant might be able to figure something out.

How does one go about locating an ant who might need a gapper?

The ants that like to have a public face seem to have public threads in the wheaton labs forum that they fill with pictures.   And sometimes the ants pipe up in threads like this!

Hi Paul and/or Jocelyn, just letting you know that Jesse Grimes and I have reached an arrangement in which I will be caretaking his plot while he is in California this year. I hope to be able to fill in with gapper jobs - Jesse's plot jobs having priority - and I have a strong and capable 12 year old who I am willing to vicariously work through. I hope also to be able to offer soft skills for jobs that need doing domestically or in an office environment. I will bring or can send a resume.

I expect to arrive no later than the weekend of the 27th of May. Is there a contact email where I can ask logistical questions? Thanks!

Shan Renz wrote:
I expect to arrive no later than the weekend of the 27th of May. Is there a contact email where I can ask logistical questions? Thanks!

Shan, I will purple mooseage you with an e-mail.

The 27th is the all day tour for PDC attendees, with the PDC May 28-June 10th; followed by the ATC June 12th-23rd. Very Busy Times!

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:
The 27th is the all day tour for PDC attendees, with the PDC May 28-June 10th; followed by the ATC June 12th-23rd. Very Busy Times!

Oh goodness, I didn't realize things would converge like that. I would like to be there in time to help get ready, not become a burden myself! I wonder if I can work out arriving this weekend...but I would have to leave day after tomorrow. Holicrap.

A few things from/for the FAQ bucket.

What is Paul Wheaton, wheaton labs, and this permaculture stuff all about?
Please peruse the best, simple summary of all things wheaton labs as much as you can, as well as listen to the podcasts, to learn what we're about.

Are there any other requirements to live at wheaton labs?
To be a full time resident here, you must have listened to at least 200 podcasts. There are links to podcasts in the best, simple summary of all things wheaton labs.
Those podcasts explain a LOT and will seriously reduce questions, explanations, training, etc. from Fred, Paul, myself, and other residents here.

What about drugs (pot?), tobacco, or booze?
Wheaton labs is a drug and tobacco free project/property, with low to no drinking of alcohol.

Can I bring my dog or cat?
Three things about pets:

animals of any kind are not allowed in the Fisher Price House. It's just too busy, already has too much people wear-and-tear to allow any pets. Plus, it is not petproof, (nor is it childproof for that matter!)

if staying in a structure that is part of the wheaton labs tour, the animals must be tour-friendly (no excessive barking, etc.)

be aware that pets could become wildlife food without proper precautions (more so on the lab than base camp) and we currently do not have proper, separate fencing for dogs (separate meaning separate from the paddocks we are building which will not be for dogs unless they are LGD dogs assigned to a flock or herd there).

How will I support / feed myself after bootcamp?
The goal is that eventually, folks will each have their own business (ala Joel Salatin's fiefdoms if you've heard about that) that fits in with others here. Someone might sell mushrooms, or duck eggs; someone else might cook meals, another sells lamb or wild game, another repairs things, that kind of thing.

So far, we already have a fair amount of bartering, and some services happening for each other, plus a type of (minimal/modified) time bank. Currently, most residents live humbly enough, and/or have some additional sources of income to make it feasible for them to live here without commuting to outside work. And the permies.com community has been incredibly generous in gifting loads of things to residents here!

In short, wheaton labs has a local economy that is in its infancy, though with this year's (2017) Log-Earthen Cabin Workshop, PDC & ATC, and Innovators Jamboree, our workshop engine is revving back up, and there are opportunities for more collaboration on workshops (at the very least providing rides to those flying or busing in), rentals, and videos.

There is wifi at base camp for those who might work over the Internet. Most current residents use the wifi from the community office or library here at base camp. There are a couch and three desks available to use in this (partially finished, though it is insulated) space in the detached garage building next to the Fisher Price House.

A bit of digging and playing with water for the boots:




Playing with the tractor and excavator:

A little something more about bootcamp:

Hi everyone!  MY boyfriend and I just learned about this and we are setting sail in our RV in a month.  We will be in the area in the beginning to middle of July and would love to stop in and be gappers for a while, maybe even boot.  Is there a place for RV hookups on the property?

~Becca

We still have some room in the bootcamp program and we'd love to have more boots! Someone asked how many boots and unfortunately/fortunately that's not a simple answer. We have some boots here for a few weeks, some for 2/3rds of this year, others for longer (hopefully a long, long time!).

We do not offer RV hook ups at this time. And we ask folks not to run generators for the RVs on the property.

Speaking of, as I wrote in the best, simple summary of all things wheaton labs:

wheaton labs is actually TWO pieces of property, base camp and the lab. Base camp is on-grid, ROCKY, has wifi, and is where Paul and Jocelyn live in the "Fisher Price House." The lab is down a paved, then gravel, then dirt (some times mud adventure!) road, is off-grid (with our solar trailers), no wifi / spotty cell reception, and is where ant village is located.

We can live without the hookups for a bit.  How is the weather in July where you are located?  We have a couple (very quiet and low maintenance) fur babies that will be with us, so I want to check our weather timing if we don't have electricity

Rebecca Tomczyk wrote:We can live without the hookups for a bit.  How is the weather in July where you are located?  We have a couple (very quiet and low maintenance) fur babies that will be with us, so I want to check our weather timing if we don't have electricity

By the way, welcome to the forums! Thanks for posting your questions here!

I'm going to link to the best, simple summary of all things wheaton labs again. There is a link there about the weather in the "More about wheaton labs and Montana" section near the bottom of the first post. That's likely a good place to poke around to learn more.  

Dear Evil Mastermind,

I caught some ripples from the war front about boot camp in your secret mountain base.

Here is the quote.

"The Bootcamp program in a nutshell: work on permaculture and homesteading projects, get a bunk and some basic food staples.  This is not an $8000 course (yet!).  You pay $100, work, and then receive tickets to our events or even an acre of land.

April 2017:  there are currently openings

Okay, you know what bootcamp is, right? It is when you join the armed forces and are put through rigorous and painful training in order to prepare you for war. Yuck. "

My question is............Are there current openings as of June 2nd? I need to retreat to higher ground and regroup. This sounds like just the right place to plant my tree.

gary james wrote:
My question is............Are there current openings as of June 2nd?

There are openings.  Send the hundred bucks and we will start getting details sorted.

And as of June 10, 2017 are there any boots to roots spots available?
Since i am brand new to this forum I  do have a question. I was wondering if you would consider allowing someone to come say for three months of year for six years to complete the bootcamp?
I am living in Florida year-round but would love to escape the summer heat!