barefootwalk

I continued the camper design and improvement. Last week's design was a half failure. The stove jack I got from Lowes, it was rated for 180 F, but it melted in contact with the pipe. I guess the shorter pipe gets hotter than 180 F. So I spent this week with a new more robust redesign. The picture is for the old failed design. I will test the new design this week and if it works, I will post updates. My 2nd design. Three is the charm! Note that although it looks like the pipe is touching the tarp, there is good 8 inch separation between the two. The black jack is holding the pipe tight, but no more, it melted about 1/4 inch around the pipe.  

Finally pulled the trigger and got the wood stove. Although it is not as small and as cheap as many other options, and there are many hassles, I like the aesthetic of it and it also gives me an option of using my MSR stove safely. I have been heating my winter journeys with MSR and cracked window and CO detector, but this sounds safer and more flexible. I spent a day next to pond and build the basic frame and tested the heater. The first impression was good! This is not mounted, it is just a test

Just more DIY projects. Probably most interesting are a new insulated jacket and a wool hat. The merino wool fabric is white(ish). It is wonderful color but unfortunately it shows dirt easily, so I dyed it.

Finally got the comet. After a night with binuclear only and another night of mostly cloudy sky, I managed to capture the comet. I think comets are very impressive. This one will not return until very long time!

A couple years ago I upgraded my down sleeping bag. I removed most of the older 850 fill duck down and replaced with premium 950 fill goose down. Major upgrade and I love it. But the main problem is, sleeping bags are not as versatile as quilts and down requires more attention. Synthetic on the other hand is cheaper and very easy to work with. It also performs better than down in wet condition. Nevertheless it is really heavier and bulkier but this is not a problem for camping. So I decided to make one and I am very satisfied with the results. We will see how it performs in real condition but so far it looks fine. Final product: And a few pictures of the process.

Greenway is getting back to normal and water has gone down. There are still small ponds here and there and the road is closed for cars but it is now walkable. Deers are having a peaceful time without crowd, well not when Twyla is around!

Another tropical storm came and gone. This is the highest level of river water I have seen in the south over the last 8 years, as far as I can remember. The Sinclair dam has opened three flood gates. The weather is getting cooler and soon we can have more comfortable outdoor activities. I can't wait for winter. We went for a walk at Greenway but most lower trails were under water and I could hear the boats not far away behind trees. They must be emergency response people working all day.

Finally it arrived, after 36 weeks of waiting! Why? I have made a few myself, there is also cheaper Walmart version that work fine, what is so special about it? First of all its design is beautiful and functional, it is masterpiece for doing a very simple job: having a small fire! I love the fact that you go above and beyond, make a perfect design and use the finest materials (aerospace sheets!) to build something otherwise cheap and non-essential. Second is being handcrafted. Not sure about staffing now, but in the beginning it was Fritz and an off-grid cabin and welding with batteries, now Jeff and Belle are producing the stove and everything is hand crafted. The mass producing society is so boring. And finally the waiting also adds some value to it in my opinion. 36 weeks is long time, but it think is a good reminder to live slow. Our mindset has become "don't waste your time to waste your life". Running all day, using every minute we have and making sure we don't ...

It is already feeling cooler but not cold, the trees however have started shedding leaves. This adds more in to autumn vibes. So many plans and I am feeling I am already behind the schedule. Never ending chores.

She has been busy chewing this bone. She takes her time and enjoys it. Finally hot summer days are over and we can start spending more time outside. There are so many projects I have started working on but there is no end. At one point you just say it's okay, let's just do it and stop worrying about having the right tool.  "After rain after any days without rain, It stays cool, private and cleansed, under the trees, And the dampness there, married now to gravity, Falls branch to branch, leaf to leaf, down to the ground. Where it will disappear – but not, of course, vanish Except to our eyes. The roots of the oaks will have their share,  And the white threads of the grasses, and the cushion of moss;  A few drops, round as pearls, will enter the mole’s tunnel; And soon so many small stones, buried for a thousand years,  Will feel themselves being touched." ~Mary Oliver

I stopped social media activities about 2 years ago. I still open them but just a quick view and no actions. This is getting less and less frequent and it is safe to say I don't pay any more attention. I must say it was a great decision and I am very happy about it. I miss some friends but I can always call/email/visit them. Another decision today was to do the same thing with similar websites such as YouTube. I enjoy replacing many of these screen times with outdoor walk/camp/hike. In another news, I migrated from ipage today. ipage was for domain parking, but it would charge me for both domain renewal and extra charge to keep my information (such as name, address, phone number) private! Almost all major internet service providers offer this option by default for free so ipage had to go! The webpage redirection might go down for a few days but it should go back to normal very soon.