Rick Gordon has built it and we’ve been tinkering with it for a few months, and finally it feels ready to go. Whereas my blog is all over the place, The Shelter Blog will focus on homes, building, carpentry, gardening, farming, foraging, fishing, homesteading and the home arts. Check it out here:

https://www.theshelterblog.com

Note: it’s theshelterblog.com, not shelterblog.com. You need the article the.

I’m really excited by this. It’s as important — maybe in the long run more so — than one of our books. We have no competition here, since we have feedback from our 40 years publishing books on the subject of shelter. Plus we can share brand-new incoming photos and stories rather than wait years to get same into a book. It’ll be complimentary to our books.

We guarantee at least one new post per day, hope to get multiple posts daily as we get rolling.

“Lloyd, I was trying to figure out what to make my son for Christmas, and saw your post on Indian Clubs. Off I went on Google….and what a discovery! If Amazon’s sold out, then I’m gonna make some! I got digging in the lumber pile this morning and found some dry Douglas Fir 4×4, and had this pair of 2 pounders buffed up by mid-afternoon. The big challenge in turning these is to make the second one exactly like the first.

   I’ve been doing a bit of boogie with them to the shop radio , make sure there’s swinging room for sure, and I feel ENERGIZED! Maybe I should read the operator’s manual?

   Behind the clubs on Santa’s workbench you can see a new pair of Xantho-cypress salad forks, some 90″ Sitka spoon oars ready for collars, and a couple of experimental Yuloh pivots for the catboat, one Locust and one Rock Maple dipped in cuprinol. Godfrey will know what that’s all about.

~david shipway

   sutil point (Cortes Island, BC)”

(David is one of the featured builders in Builders Of the Pacific Coast.)

Day at the beach Yesterday I walked a few miles along the coast, carrying my wetsuit, surf mat and fins in a backpack. I’ve had the mat for over a year and never used it. It was sunny, the ocean glassy, surf 3-4 feet, but breaking straight across. Suited up — gotta bite the bullet sometime — and hit the water. Two surfers out, getting creamed each time they got up…When I got out, surf had jumped to 4-6′, breaking kah-wump with big thick lips…Bottom line: surfing a mat ain’t as easy as I thought, or as easy as it looks. I had a hard time getting in the right place at the right time. I did get one ride, but also got pounded a couple of times. But you know, at my age, I ain’t complainin, just getting in the water always generates chi…On the way back, there were these rock sculptures, hadn’t been there a few hours earlier.

Lloyd…I made a piece of furniture that was largely inspired by the books you have authored and published.

   As a constant source of inspiration, your books have provided to this home builder, furniture builder and overall dreamer. Your books have given me shelter from the storm that is everyday life.

 I call this latest simple bookcase I carved my Shelter from the storm bookcase.

Here’s the link.

   Thanks,

Tohner (Jackson)

I’m two weeks past my shoulder operation, and practically stylin. A little better every day. I don’t get to start therapy for another 3 weeks. Right arm better but still weak. Walked 5 miles yesterday, along beach with mixmaster ocean, water tussled and murky, 20+mph cold winds from north. Walking along thinking how gnarly it was, then realized how great it was to be moving. Every single time in my life I’ve forced myself to get out there and move (run, walk, bike, paddle, skate) I’ve felt immeasurably better. Get out there, stupid!

Around the homestead:

-Olives I’ve had about 15 gallons of small green olives in water, salt and vinegar for about 3 months, and they’re practically ready. Still a hint of bitterness, but plump and flavorful.

 -Sauerkraut Another thing you just set up and nature’s microorganisms do it all. You only add salt to shredded cabbage, maybe a little water. Used our own cabbage, and it’s fermenting away in the 2-gallon Polish crock in the pantry.

 -Chickens W’re getting 12-14 eggs a day from our little beauties. I favor the Golden Seabright eggs because the birds are so beautiful; maybe the beauty may come through a bit in the eggs, who knows?

 -Green smoothies I use the Blendtec blender a lot, make a green smoothie for lunch when I’m busy. Fresh greens from garden, fruit, protein powder…

 -Nightly vegetables Lesley has provided our vegetables from her garden practically every night for months. Broccoli cooked within minutes of picking is so different — sweet.

 -Crabs It’s a lousy crab season. However, son Evan has been catching them with one of those little snare traps off a fishing rod from shore.

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