Setting Up an Off-Grid Retreat in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
Since I got back, there is a lot of deferred maintenance needing to be done, and so that's the name of the game since I got back. Much of the spring time was spent working on figuring what's going on with the land, what needs to be tended to, and what needs to be prioritized.... Continue Reading →
Well, I have no idea who is still reading this blog, but here we go. We are back! After living overseas for a couple of years, enduring a pandemic, and making a short detour in Michigan, I have moved back to Washington, D.C. While moving back, I made a few trips to the mountain to... Continue Reading →
So, its been a bit since I posted last but, I still have more to post! In my last post, I had finally got all the trees into the ground. However, thats not good enough. I was extremely concerned about deer eating the young trees while I was away and needed a plan for that.... Continue Reading →
So now we have a tractor and now know how to operate it. Lets get some trees in the ground. After everything else, this was relatively easy. Get the trees, get them out of the boxes, and get them into the the ground. Pretty simple. A few more steps I put into it, but that's... Continue Reading →
So in part I of starting an orchard, I went through why I want an orchard, but in this post, I will go through the planning and prepping I did. First off, this project almost didn't get pulled off. First thing I learned about trees is you have to plant them winter or late spring.... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFAkeVpbQrE This is a 3 minute time lapse from 2 September 2018 to 9 March 2019. You will probably see minimal changes, but when the snow comes and melts away, its kinda cool. I also like watching the tree sag under the weight of the snow, then recover. Deer wandering around is also fun, but... Continue Reading →
To me, campfires are one of those things that are key to having an enjoyable, relaxing, retreat. It's one of those things that provides heat, is the center of where people gather, and tell stories. The last several months I have been working on figuring out how best to fell trees, skid logs, section them... Continue Reading →
The first winter on my land is approaching, but I am trying not to slow down. While I may not have been posting as much on the blog, I assure you I have been getting out there as much as possible. The rain this year continues to be absolutely absurd. According to the National Weather... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, I mentioned that some vines are killing my trees. I have been searching up and down for an answer, but it turns out, what I am looking at are wild grape vines. Apparently, wild grapes are becoming an invasive species in WV and can grow up to 15 meters. And sure... Continue Reading →
Over Labor Day weekend I went out the mountain to do some surveying of the woods, and figure out what I want to do about forestry management (more on that in a later post). The plan was to head out there, and cut down as many standing dead trees as I could, section them off,... Continue Reading →
Vantages From Vandalia 