Notes from Windward:
Year 20 (2007)Issue Number 67Index of Past Issues
Internships By-Laws Stewardship
Book List the fine print Site Waiver

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Windward is a Washington state nonprofit corporation. The Windward Foundation is an equal opportunity organization which does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, or national origin.

Reader's questions and comments are invited. Permission to publish is assumed unless expressly withheld.

Copyright 2007 by The Windward Foundation. Other publications may reprint any portion provided credit is given, and a copy of the reprint is sent to the Editor.

55 Windward Lane,
Klickitat, WA 98628-9710
(509) 369-2000

     

The Windward Blog:

The Paradox of Choice
       Why more is less

PowerLab Progress
       March 3 -- constructing a portable PV array mount

Updating the Intern's Booklist [bad links fixed]
Cradle to Cradle
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
     Relevance--Walt
     Relevance--Emily
     Relevance--Jen

Pita and Pasta
       Adriann and Margaret experiment with fresh ground wheat

Bread Pudding
       Gina talks about a Windward staple

Mid-February Happenings
       waiting out the snow

Tackling the Grunge Jobs
       Adrian describes dealing with the aftermath of our cold snap

Bread From Scratch
       Adrian describes the fun of making bread from wheat kernels

Snow Pics
       our snow event viewed through Adriann's lens

Digging Out
       February 2 -- coping with an exceptionly heavy snow load

Visiting Portland
       Adriann describes some of Windward's Portland connections

The AVR Butterfly
       January 28 -- Jay describes working through a programming problem
       January 24 -- a quick trip to Evergreen, and then back to work reading and writing ports
       January 20 -- compling and downloading a simple program
       January 19 -- adding a power supply and a serial port
       January 18 -- getting started

First Impressions-- !!broken link fixed!!
       Adriann talks about her first week

A Costa Rican Update -- !!broken link fixed!!
       Lindsay checks in again

Harvesting and Preserving 2007
       Gina talks about the challenge and joy of putting up fruit

A Close Call
       note: updated chick pic
       we almost lose the winter chicks

Working on the Power Lab
       January 12 -- leveling and adding a mounting sheet

And then there were two
       Noel gets a brooder mate

Back to the Bath
       January 7 -- hosing up the faucet
       January 4 -- installing the plumbing for the sink drain
       January 2 -- installing the low-volume toilet
       December 31 -- risers in place
       December 30 -- half-laping the carcase
       December 28 -- adding more light to the cabinet
       December 24 -- adding the medicine cabinet from The Bins
       December 23 -- finishing the painting and mounting light fixtures
       December 19 -- priming the sheetrock, and making a carcase

Looking for Tracks
       A fresh snowfall gives valuable insights

Our First Hatchling
       Mo's incubator project pays off

Vermadise Update
       making the chickens play nice

Moving a Container
       December 22 -- leveling the container
       December 15 -- the container arrives at its final destination
       December 13 -- almost there, and iPod thoughts
       December 11 -- reaching the half-way point
       December 9 -- crossing open ground
       December 8 -- shifting the axle
       December 2 -- waiting out the snow
       November 25 -- finishing up the rear
       November 24 -- trying out the axle
       November 22 -- making the first move
       November 21 -- widening an axle

Vermadise Update
       making the chickens play nice

Prepping the Motar Mixer
       Getting ready to make compressed earth bricks

Greetings from Costa Rica
       Lindsay checks in and describes what she's up to

Warm-e-rator
       Monique reconfigures the warm-e-rator as an incubator

Sweet Stevia
       Monique describes her work with a natural sweetener

First Real Snow
       more snow already than all of last winter

An Observation
       on a similarity between art, science and Windward

Nature Takes a Toll
       Monique takes steps to protect the ducks and guineas

Of Apples and Pears
       Monique describes what's going on in the kitchen

November Update
       tending to the fall to winter transition

Supporting The Freezer Trailer
       November 12 -- setting the first pillar

Thoughts on a Windward Sky
       Lindsay shares some thoughts and pics

Mushroom Hunting
       Monique talks about working with Windward fungii

Tree to Owl, Etc.
    Meg's Adventures in Wood Sculpting
       November 4 -- the salmon
       October 20 -- getting started

A Few More Rules
       Karen passes along some thoughts

Getting Chestnuts Started
       Lindsay discusses the options

Butchering a Pair of Roosters
       Matt talks about the experience

Arrival Thoughts
       Monique talks about arriving

Building the Octangle Yurt
       October 25 -- adding the southern half-bents
       October 19 -- boxing in the top
       October 12 -- starting to secure the bent elements
       October 3 -- tamping in the crushed rock balast
       September 21 -- capping the first bent
       September 16 -- starting on the first bent

       Setting Octangle's foundation

Harvesting Potatoes
       Lindsay enjoys the sky show

Cider Thoughts
       Lindsay on cider and 3,000 mile apples

Lavender and Saffron
       two more crops become established

Garlic and Corn
       harvesting and planting continue

Propagation Greenhouse
       October 12 -- rearranging the grow benches
       September 17 -- finishing the felt and mounting the vents
       September 11 -- venting the north roof
       August 25 -- the north roof gets decked
       August 24 -- modifying the north roof
       July 29 -- volcanic cinder and a new north wall
       July 9 -- the roof goes on
       July 7 -- installing the walls
       July 6 -- setting the sill
       June 29 -- building the foundation

Water Catchments
       expanding our water supply

Thoughts on the Wheat Situation
       Matt describes our visit to the grainery

Laying in More Apples
       getting ready to make cider

Rigging for Cooler Weather
       Lindsay talks about changes made and planned

A pic from the Way-Back Machine
       Lindsay finds a pic of the wheat that was

Laying in Some Wheat
       stocking up while there's still some left

Preserving Fruit and Community
       Some of Lindsay's thoughts on "preserving" community

Reworking a Water Manifold
       September 24 -- filling in around the vault
       August 24 -- removing the old manifold and installing the new
       August 23 -- first, find the leak and remove the vault

Harvesting Duckweed
       Getting started with a key crop

The Barrel-ponics Homesite
       a link to lots of information on small scale aquaponic systems

Feral Plum Chutney
       Lindsay finds an abandoned plum orchard
       September 21 -- trying out a "conserve" receipe

Oneota Gorge
       Exploring a bit of the Gorge we hadn't visited before

Thoughts on Sheep and Wool
       Lindsay describes what a material culture means to her

   Setting Octangle's foundation
       August 27 -- staking out the pole locations
       August 28 -- cementing in the first pole
       August 30 -- finishing off the first rectangle
       August 31 -- finishing off the second rectangle
       September 1 -- felling trees and digging the first foundation ditch
       September 2 -- five sections done, three to go
       September 3 -- ditches done, time for rebar
       September 5 -- adding the second pass and the "Ls"
       September 6 -- pouring the first half of the footing
       September 9 -- four lights, more footing and a level plane
       September 12 -- pouring the first two riser sections
       September 14 -- at the three-quarter's point
       September 15 -- the last of the risers goes in

September Garden Notes
       September 13 -- time to harvest, time to plant

Elderberry Options
       Lindsay talks about another of our wild resources

Bunny Feed
       Nikki describes her work compounding rabbit feed

Lots to do with Peaches
       Lindsay and Gina tackle the peach windfall

Of Peaches and Gardens
       Lindsay shares some initial reactions and later thoughts

Garden Update
       the 'terns start prepping for winter

Wild Harvst Apple Pies
       Linsay and Nikki do a bit of wild-crafting

Bike rides and Blackberry Jam
       Linsay describes her second day at Windward

Prepping the Site for the Next Yurt
       August 25 -- moving out another old RV
       March 28 -- mounting the front wheels

Of Goats and Guineas
       August 24 -- the guinea move to their own coop
       July 5 -- the guinea chicks leave the brooder
       June 13 -- Jewel arrives along with ten guinea chicks

Reworking a Water Manifold
       August 24 -- removing the old manifold and installing the new
       August 23 -- first, find the leak and remove the vault

Portland to Eureka
       Alison and Mindy bike the Oregon coast

The Freezer Trailer Arrives
       August 15 -- a sketch of where we're going with this
       August 12 -- taking our meat processing to the next level

Jay's Got Fry
       the "Away Team" reports success

Adding a Bath/Shower Room
       August 13 -- the last sheet goes into place
       July 19 -- prepping the sheet rock
       July 3 -- minor setback
       July 1 -- the drywall work continues
       June 27 -- mounting green rock and backer board
       January 28 -- adding more bracing

Wood Gas Update
       our TLUD makes some initial runs

Update on Tank 2
       August 8 -- disappointing news re the NO valve
       August 7 -- adding two hydroponic flats
       August 6 -- one small additional detail
       August 4 -- adjusting outlet levels
       July 19 -- bringing the first circuit on line
       June 20 -- Jacque identifies the mystery plant
       June 16 -- a new plant for the tank
       June 7 -- starting over
       May 30 -- adding some local aquatic life

Red Letter Day!
       our young hens produce their first egg

Repairing the Work Truck
       August 4 -- moving under its own power
       June 14 -- the pinion finally comes together
       March 2 -- sending the pinion assembly into the shop
       January 15 -- pulling the axles

Gardening Notes for August
       August 4 -- corn flowers and squash blossoms

Tackling the Garage
       Becca sorts things out

With a Little Help from our Friends
       Walt describes how things get paid for at Windward

Solar Kitchen Vent
       July 30 -- installing the duct work

Running the Klickitat
       Kai describes a run down the wild part of the river

Lyle, Ho!
       Alison describes a biking adventure

Bernie the Parrot
        a fun encounter at the hardware store

Roasted Squirrel
        Becca checks out another resource

Gardening Notes for July
       July 22 -- we have apricots!
       July 21 -- harvesting garlic
       July 20 -- guild squash doing great
       July 9 -- using duck water
       July 4 -- training the tomatoes
       July 3 -- filling more raised beds

The Ice Caves
        Becca reports on a visit to a lava tube

An Update on the Barrel-ponics system
        Becca gets the water flowing and the plants growing

The Milking Routine
        Alison describes the process

Shearing the Sheep
        time to gather the wool crop

Big Score at The Bins
        a set of four pneumatic cyclinders

An Ominous Sign (link fixed 13 Jul 07)
       The silos are empty

Of Goats and Guineas
       July 5 -- the guinea chicks leave the brooder
       June 13 -- Jewel arrives along with ten guinea chicks

Questions re Vermadise
       a reader asks about Vermadise's layout

Having Fun
       June 27 -- Becca updates the 'tern's recent activities

Strawberry Picking
       June 22 -- a visit to a U-Pick farm

Mounting the Flush Tank
       June 19 -- the flush tank gets a crib

Fun in the Milk Shed
       June 16 -- Alison, Becca and Nikki learn to milk

Building a Laying/roosting Shed
       June 16 -- adding a solar powered light
       June 7 -- closing up the roost
       May 30 -- framing the roof
       May 19 -- setting the 4x4's
       March 16 -- ordering our new flock of layers

Combinations of Sustainability
       Becca talks about the connections growing around her

Inviting a Peacock to Dinner
       Alison describes what's involved

Upcoming Events
       Energy Independence Day
               July 4 - 8, 2007
       John Denver Tribute and Peace Vigil
               October 5-7, 2007

Gardening Notes for June
       June 3 -- soaker hoses and apricots

Spiral Rhythms '07
       The 'terns enjoy an on-site music festival

Four Three Views of Mt. Hood
       Becca, Alison and Walt describe their visit to Timberline
       June 1 -- Gina adds a fourth perspective

Gardening Notes for May
       May 30 -- progress report on our corn and strawberries
       May 22 -- mulching the pots and glazing the corn
       May 20 -- Black Russians tomatos
       May 19 -- setting out the first sister
       May 14 -- setting out the tomatoes

Passing a Major Milestone
       Paying off the last land contracts

Sustainable pacing
       Becca compares the rhythms of sustainability

Field Trip to the Big Horn Wind Power Project
       seeing the big wind turbines up close and personal

Rabbit Processing
       Our rabbit operation is to the point where we can count on producing a full grown rabbit for the kitchen each week, and so a word about how we do the butchering is in order. We're always looking for better ways to kill an animal so that it's done in the most humane way possible, and the technique that I've found to work best with rabbits we learned from the Raw Dog Ranch website. If you're interested in the details of how it's done, then follow the link; if not, then we understand.

The Summer Pen
       Moving the rest of the sheep to their summer pen

Sustainability and Bike Rides
       Becca offers her perspective on sustainability

Trekking Down Mill Road
       Alison describes a hike down to the river and back

Compounding our Feed
       May 15 -- bagging the chaff

Inter-generational Communication
       Alison's thoughts on building perspective

Train Rides and Sacred Circles
       Becca talks about her journey to Windward

Lavender for the Yurt
       May 10 -- preparing the bed for planting

Mt. Hood in May
       Julie and Lee check out the spring snow

Our First Two Summer Interns Arrive
       Becca and Alison arrive from Minnesota

Our Event Season Gets Underway
       Sharing Windward with a few hundred friends

Power Up! - taking the kitchen off-grid, sort of
       May 4 -- connecting the grounding rod to the inverters
       April 17 -- driving in a grounding rod
       April 11 -- finishing with the heavy cables
       April 10 -- mounting the cables
       April 9 -- rerouting the LAN
       April 8 -- pulling the "0000"
       April 7 -- mounting the fuse assembly
       April 5 -- starting on installing the conduit
       April 3 -- freeing the cables
       March 27 -- mounting the inverters

Time Shifting

Building a Rabbit Tractor
       May 3 -- adding doors to the tractor
       April 30 -- adding the wheels
       April 24 -- adding th side framing
       April 23 -- building the base

Vermadise Update--28 April

Gardening Notes for April
       April 26 -- laying in the water tube
       April 24 -- planting "baby reds" and "Yukon golds"
       April 17 -- sugar beets and strawberries
       April 15 -- lavender and stevia
       April 8 -- rototilling the potato bench
       April 4 -- doubling the raised strawberry bed

Vermadise Update--23 April

Earth Day Portland '07

Magic Worms
       April 18 -- adding the first half of a venting system to the vault
       April 15 -- adding sawdust to the vault
       April 12 -- the vault approaches equilibrium
       April 5 -- adult BSF start to emerge in Vermadise
       March 26 -- flashing the feezer
       March 23 -- jump starting the season

The Rammed Earth Brick Machine
       April 17 -- adding the stabilization rails
       April 12 -- confirming the design, and doing the remaining welds
       April 4 -- welding up the pivot and handle
       March 22 -- drilling the pivot
       March 14 -- the swivel lid and the power ram
       March 10 -- tracking down lost pages of the plans
       March 6 -- cutting and welding the ram's arm
       February 28 -- cutting and welding the basic frame

Prepping Shitake Logs
       April 15 -- clearing away the old seeder

Magic Worms
       April 15 -- adding sawdust to the vault
       April 12 -- the vault approaches equilibrium
       April 5 -- adult BSF start to emerge in Vermadise
       March 26 -- flashing the feezer
       March 23 -- jump starting the season

Some Notes from Gina

The Last Lambs of the Season -- Snowy delivers twins
       April 12 -- Moving the rams
       April 10 -- Getting thin in the winter pen
       April 9 -- Pepper brings in a surprise of her own
       April 3 -- an after lunch surprise

Run Chicken Run
       April 8 -- escaped chicks and a first taste of larva
       April 7 -- a cute feeder
       April 6 -- the chicks get used to all the new room
       April 5 -- laying down the chips and moving the chicks
       March 17 -- finishing the hardware
       March 12 -- putting the top into place
       March 11 -- finishing the vertical wall and lip
       March 8 -- working out the hinged run roof
       March 1 -- working out a clamping method
       February 21 -- cutting security panels

Gardening Notes for April
       April 4 -- doubling the raised strawberry bed

Koh-yoh-teh and the Twelve Hundred
       Losing Suzie's lamb

Switching over
        -- getting the dump truck ready for summer

Gardening Notes
       March 31 -- what about tomatoes?
       March 28 -- planting hops and strawberries
       March 24 -- trying a new strain of horseradish
       March 20 -- planting the mulberry and hardy fig trees
       March 19 -- strawberries, figs and chicks, oh my!
       March 18 -- making a hops trellis
       March 17 -- early signs of spring in the main garden
       March 10 -- brown mustard and luffa sponges
       March 9 -- straw bale gardening for lavender and strawberries
       March 5 -- Todd talks about mushrooms
       March 2 -- hardy figs and mulberries
       March 1 -- amaranth and triticale
       February 26 -- broom corn and flax
       February 25 -- the Apple Tree Guild
       February 24 -- the Three Sisters Guild

Freeing up More Counter Space
       moving one of the microwaves

Brooding the Reds
       March 24 -- day 6 and no more losses
       March 21 -- a hard frost takes a toll
       March 19 -- our Rhode Island Red chicks arrive

Winter Bunnies
       March 17 -- time to wean
       February 1 -- nine days old and so far, so good
       January 30 -- our first winter births

First Lamb of the Season
       March 15 -- Susie and one ram lamb move on to the summer pen
       March 14 -- Susie brings in a pair of ram lambs
       March 8 -- Pia doesn't fare as well
       March 5 -- Brownie and Duece move on to greener pastures
       March 3 -- Duece makes it through his first night
       March 2 -- Brownie delivers in a snow storm

Moving a Tool Shed
       getting ready to work on the bathroom

Vermadise Miscellania

Upgrading the Kitchen Workstation
       March 7 -- putting it all together
       March 6 -- the first version of the wall mount isn't going to work,
                          so back to the shop it goes
       March 5 -- installing a new monitor and video card

Pruning the Fruit Trees
       preparing for spring

Yet Another Sink
       February 27 -- installing the doors
       February 26 -- re-evaluating a part of the design
       February 25 -- gluing up more cabinet doors
       February 23 -- adding trim to the work area
       February 21 -- mounting an under-the-table keyboard tray
       February 18 -- installing and painting
       February 17 -- gluing up the computer counter
       February 16 -- paneling the front and starting on the computer desk
       February 15 -- finally getting the necessary parts
       February 14 -- grouting the tile
       February 10 -- hooking up the drain and removing the valve seats
       February 9 -- securing the sink and setting the tiles
       February 6 -- experimenting with patterns
       February 5 -- checking how the tile lays out

Cross-country skiing
       February 24 -- enjoying a late-February snowfall

Winter Bunnies
       February 18 -- lots of bright eyed bunnies
       February 1 -- nine days old and so far, so good
       January 30 -- our first winter births

First sign of spring
       saffron starts to come up in the permagarden area

Bringing Water to Bay 5
       February 17 -- checking the hot water line for leaks
       February 15 -- closing up the line and checking the pressure
       February 10 -- crossing over the door
       February 7 -- taking it up the wall
       February 6 -- extending the pipe into Bay 5

Greetings from Ecuador
       "Corn Hand" checks in

A Winter Chore
       dealing with the stump pile

Sustainability and the Inverse Square Law
       why going "hands-on" is so important

Tile and Trim for the Kitchen
       February 3 -- adding more finishing trim
       January 30 -- cutting in the outlet
       January 29 -- hardware and brass sheets
       January 24 -- grouting the tile
       January 22 -- part two - the vertical tile and trim
       January 21 -- installing the tile - part one
       January 20 -- catching up on painting the recent work
       January 17 -- cutting tile for the hot counter
       January 16 -- triming up the stove tower and the dolly counter
       January 15 -- making trim
       January 11 -- insulating the bread safe

Prepping for the Intern Fairs
       February 1 -- trying out the new header
       January 29 -- adding a header to the Intern display

Booklist Update Log
       updated through January 30, 2007
       Relevance notes on Cradle to Cradle

A Spiral Staircase for the Cabin
       January 22 -- figuring out how to proceed

Our Internship Brochure for 2007
       Note: the pdf file is 615K

Why not ethanol: it works for Brazil?
       we're working towards methanol-based fuel--here's part of the reason why

Upgrading Windward's Main Computer
       using the cold weather to do some preventive maintenance

New Counter for the Kitchen
       January 10 -- expanding the carcase
       January 9 -- lowering the slab into place
       January 8 -- hoisting the slab
       January 7 -- dolly gets wheels and more paint
       January 6 -- softening the sharp edges
       January 5 -- glueing the dolly together
       January 4 -- cutting up the wood for the dolly
       January 3 -- adding an end board and starting on the dolly

Playing with the Big Toys
       January 9 -- repair and remount

Some Wintry Holiday Pics

Low-grade Geothermal Energy
       a glimpse of things to come

Last Year's Newsletter
       Our 2006 Newsletter

Notes Volume 65
       Our 2005 Newsletter

Notes Volume 64
       Our 2004 Newsletter

Index for older Volumes


                   Essays and Editorials:

In Search of Sustainability
       the reading list for this year's internship program

Windward's Chairs and Departments
       Now that Windward has most of its life support systems in place, we're
giving thought to how we want to structure the next stage of our adventure.
This link takes you to a discussion of how we see the work we've
already started becoming more focused, more organized, and how new
members can carve out a niche to suit their special interests.

the fine print

     thoughts on the importance of realistic expectations

Stewardship

     thoughts on the spiritual dimension of our undertaking



           Administrative Matters

Windward's Info Sheet and Waiver

Current Bylaws of the Windward Foundation
          As amended December 15, 2005.

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