First overnight visitors!

A fun weekend of visiting and some "light" work...

First, a trip to Eagle's Nest look-out over the town of Bancroft after Indian food with friends Karen and Vince.

The Pioneers (aka Dash & YP)

Group shot with Adam, Victoria, Vince and Karen, The Pioneers

The driveway!  What a beauty!

 The Golden Falcon rests solidly beside the build site and is prepared for solar panel power!

The future build site.  Dash and YP have worked so hard to to get their temporary shelter and working quarters set-up towards the back with a tool shed (the foundation is truly a work of art), gazebo, tent, campfire, rain barrel, and a most-comfortable compost toilet facility now complete with privacy curtain and bug-screens!

View back towards the driveway entry (shed and gazebo behind us in this view). 

Adam works on making the final solar panel DC connections.  I admire Dash's customized stand and organized, well-labelled wiring!

Great job, Dash!

The next day the completed panel is brought over to the trailer and voila, off-grid electricity established. Quick, everybody charge their phones and laptops!  The sun has come out!

Rory, Emily and Scarlett arrive to join the party.  Rory expertly takes down a tree on the build site...

...under the watchful eye of YP!

Not pictured here:  The ever-lasting camp fire tended to by Victoria.  Multiple bug bites.  The amazing, delicious campfire dinners crafted to a chef's perfection by YP.  The endless piles of tree limbs and branches that YP cleared and cleared and cleared.  The look of wonder on Baby Scarlett's face when the fire was roaring.  The excitement of a sustainable community coming together with every action.

Thanks for a great weekend!

Love,
Victoria

Luna Moth Sighting

The Luna Moth (Actias luna) is a lime-green, Nearctic Saturniid moth in the family Saturniidae, subfamily Saturniinae. It has a wingspan of up to 114 mm (4.5 in), making it one of the largest moths in North America.

Harvesting Sunlight

Salvaged-wood rack for ground-mount solar panel system.

'Round back we have a plywood cabinet for batteries and electronics.

What? Trees are the best solar harvesters around right? Look at all that lovely sunlight converted to cellulose! OK, this is just a sneak peak. The actual solar system will be added shortly... honest.

The Tools/Equipment Finally Have A Home

Hey! How come the tools have a better home than we do? Oh wait, forgot we upgraded (see earlier post re: Golden Falcon).

A good home starts with a good foundation. A good foundation in 5 (not so) easy steps. Step 1: clear trees. Step 2: remove stumps/roots and topsoil down to subsoil. Step 3: fill with sand to raise the height of the foundation for good drainage. Step 4: level and lay down patio stones.

Step 5: assemble shed.

 

Wait... is it the camera or the level???

All tools/equipment in one (safe and dry) place.

 

A word to the wise: pouring concrete is easier than laying patio stones!!!

When Will This Driveway End? (Pun Intended)

OK, so who knew how much work goes into something as simple as a driveway? Two dump trucks worth of "4-inch-minus" fill (tech talk for sand and rocks up to 4 inches big).

 

Spreading of said fill by our friend and neighbour with his trusty littly Kubota farm tractor.

And finally... we can drive our truck into the property!

But it's not over yet... stay tuned for "Driveway III: Culvert Action", starring our friend and neighbour and his trusty sidekick Kubota the little farm tractor.

Golden Falcon Soars Again

Moving on up in the world. After a month of roughing it in a tent (during blackfly season!), we earned an upgrade to this luxurious 1988 trailer home.

Complete with running water, stove, refrigeration and no leaks during heavy rain! And, as an added bonus, there is enough head room that you can actually stand up (amazing how much you miss standing up when you live in a tent).

Guests welcome because all seating convert to beds!

 

Why aren't our houses designed this way?