A quick update while I’m waiting for my laundry to finish…
Progress on Hut 2.0 has been slow. I’ll be honest. Working alone means every task requires at least double the effort, which in turn requires double the motivation. Which means everything takes at least four times as long, or, if it’s 96F in the shade like it was yesterday, about 16x as long. So… since my hut raisers left, I’ve gotten woefully little done. I’ve added diagonals to all the 4×4 posts, put up a couple of posts that’ll hold the roof beam off of which the rafters will hang, cut the roof beam, measured out the places where the rafters will go… and that’s about it. Oh, and I read a book.
In other news, the garden is starting to mature, and I’m slowly starting to harvest some vegetables. So far, I’ve gotten some decent sized green beans, and it looks like I’ll have a yellow crooked neck squash ready for harvest in another couple of days, with plenty more on the way. I have an egg plant on the way too, though I’m not sure how big it’ll be. The tomatoes are still green, and taking their time ripening, but they’ll get there soon, presumably. I also just noticed today that I have some cucumbers on the way, which is exciting. The corn is also maturing, though the stalks aren’t nearly as tall as they should be, so we’ll see how big the cobs will be. Over all, it seems like most of my vegetables will be small in size and yield, but I’m happy to be getting anything, seeing how this is my first year growing a garden. I’ve learned a lot, and perhaps I’ll do better next year.
Next week, I’m off to Burning Man, which basically means packing up my camp and bringing it to the desert in Nevada. I wasn’t planning on going, but decided a few days ago that it’d be fun to hang out around crazy people for a change. I’m planning to organize an ad hoc gathering at my camp for people who want to (or think they want to) go live in the woods and/or build huts and cabins, to talk about my experiences and share information. We’ll see if anyone shows up. If there are any Burners out there reading this blog, keep an eye out for a flier on that board near center camp where such things get posted.
Laptop and a Rifle 
Burning man? Made me LOL. Go while your young, try not to do anything you’ll regret later… Keep your head. The older you get, the more creepy it all seems. Careful what you look at. Some of those images will burn permanently in your mind – especially the hippies way past their prime. gag. Overshadows the good stuff. Not a lot of beauty there. Good luck to you.
Here’s someone in a similar situation re building:http://ranprieur.com/land.html
If you want to hang around gun-crazy people you could stop-in a the Gunblogger Rendezvous in Reno the week after. There’s a chance to win some cool swag including a Leupold or a Glock or a HiPoint Carbine.
Man, I’ve missed a whole bunch of Zouaves’ matches and practices…
Ooh, thanks for the heads up. Reno isn’t too far from my property…
Also… yeah, the one draw back of being out where I am is that there aren’t any clubs shooting highpower nearby (but then, I’ve got my own 100yd range, so…). I’ll probably be back in the Bay Area for the winter though, so hopefully I’ll be able to make the occasional appearance in SJ. I’m also hoping to make it to Coalinga in October, so I might see some Zouaves there too.
I’m reading this blog. You’re a real live tin horn Jerimiah Johnson. God Bless you and I hope that bear doesn’t eat ya. Hang in there.
There’s a lot you can’t even do by yourself in a situation like that, where you need an extra pair of hands – it’s not just a matter of taking x-longer multiples. Even if you have heavy equipment to lift the roof-beam, you should have another guy (or two, one to run the equipment) at the other end of it when you put it in place. And a girl with cold lemonade for afterward, or to call the ambulance if there’s a major mishap. You don’t want to fall off a high place, and don’t go doing any tree-trimming alone by yourself either, that’s definitely a two-person job.
-k
/zouaves