Date: May 22, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
Today was full of fail. The weather appeared to be uncooperative in the morning so we decided to check out the museum of natural history in Caribou. The museum's answering machine said summer hours but the door said winter and no one was home. We did a bit of riparian plant ID on the Aroostook but spent most of the day in transit.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) ID and press:
-ostrich fern
-Jerusalem artichoke
Initial Reflections:
I wanted to see that museum so it being closed was a let down. I do find myself feeling like I need greater amounts of down time as the course goes on, so maybe this is what I needed. The mosquitoes hit a level last night that required a 4am move to my tent. I am getting a bug net!
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Friday 20 April 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 31
Date: May 21, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The earl part of the day was spent on further reducing the red oak stave. The day was very hot but windy enough to keep the black flies at bay. I have the stave carved close to the goal lines. I decided on the dimensions recommended in Primitive Technology II. After lunch we worked on plant ID and I added a number of specimens to my herbarium. Before dinner we identified two sets of tracks along the road.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) made progress on bow
2) pressed plants
-Fragaria virginiana
-Plantago major
-Viola sp.?
-Rumex acetosella
-Sambucus sp.?
-Amelanchier sp.?
-Alnus sp.?
-Taraxacum officinale
-Populus balsamifera
-Populus tremuloides
-Brassicaceae gs? sp?
Initial Reflections:
The family based plant ID is really helping my understand of plants. It gives a great framework for ID and for understanding plant evolution.
Current Reflections:
I am now getting back into proper plant study so its fun to try and access this information from a few years ago. I've also taken a few proper biology courses now so I am curious to see how the classroom work informs my person study and viceversa. I think the raw quantities of information in nature study make it a better fit for self study than classroom work anyway. I don't absorb a whole lot of academic information in the classroom setting, I tent to just take notes and do the actual learning on my own time.
I am surprised to find myself becoming curious about how learning actually happens and how to optimize it. Education is more interesting than I gave it credit for.
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
The earl part of the day was spent on further reducing the red oak stave. The day was very hot but windy enough to keep the black flies at bay. I have the stave carved close to the goal lines. I decided on the dimensions recommended in Primitive Technology II. After lunch we worked on plant ID and I added a number of specimens to my herbarium. Before dinner we identified two sets of tracks along the road.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) made progress on bow
2) pressed plants
-Fragaria virginiana
-Plantago major
-Viola sp.?
-Rumex acetosella
-Sambucus sp.?
-Amelanchier sp.?
-Alnus sp.?
-Taraxacum officinale
-Populus balsamifera
-Populus tremuloides
-Brassicaceae gs? sp?
Initial Reflections:
The family based plant ID is really helping my understand of plants. It gives a great framework for ID and for understanding plant evolution.
Current Reflections:
I am now getting back into proper plant study so its fun to try and access this information from a few years ago. I've also taken a few proper biology courses now so I am curious to see how the classroom work informs my person study and viceversa. I think the raw quantities of information in nature study make it a better fit for self study than classroom work anyway. I don't absorb a whole lot of academic information in the classroom setting, I tent to just take notes and do the actual learning on my own time.
I am surprised to find myself becoming curious about how learning actually happens and how to optimize it. Education is more interesting than I gave it credit for.
Thursday 19 April 2012
JMB Spring Term Day 30
All right! The semester is over and I get down to the serious business of bushcrafting and posting about it here!
Date: May 20, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I started my long term project today, a red oak longbow. Tim has a stave cut and seasoned already so I started shaping it. I already have it down to the point where I need to start being careful about cutting into the bow. I spent the whole day on that, minus some time at lunch making fries on the fire.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Started longbow and finished much of 1st shaping stage
2) Made fries on the fire
Initial Reflections:
I am really enjoying the bow making process thus far. I will definitely be trying this again at home.
Current Reflections:
After working on lots of smaller project it was interesting to get started on a large and technically sophisticated project like a longbow.
Date: May 20, 2009
Location: JMB, Masardis, Maine
I started my long term project today, a red oak longbow. Tim has a stave cut and seasoned already so I started shaping it. I already have it down to the point where I need to start being careful about cutting into the bow. I spent the whole day on that, minus some time at lunch making fries on the fire.
Accomplishments and Observations:
1) Started longbow and finished much of 1st shaping stage
2) Made fries on the fire
Initial Reflections:
I am really enjoying the bow making process thus far. I will definitely be trying this again at home.
Current Reflections:
After working on lots of smaller project it was interesting to get started on a large and technically sophisticated project like a longbow.
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