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This is a story about an
international couple raising and home educating three
young boys on a small island in Japan, half living in
buses, engaged in organic, self-sufficient farming in
the middle of a mountain forest while dealing with
climate, cultural, and personal challenges. These pages
are about pretty much anything and everything all guided
by our family motto, Taking Chances, Making Changes,
Being Happy. Thank you very much for joining us on our
ongoing crazy adventure.
Comments or questions about this blog?....message me at
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September 8-10, 2021 - This was now our second
overnight trip, and once again, for three days and two nights. The first day was
spent removing a couple of very unsafe, dry and termite infested, oak trees.
While removing one of the largest sections, was almost hit by some branches
which fell off the top. Today was also all about smoothing out the tent area and
raking up more leaf litter. The second day was spent making a play pen which
connects to the tent entry. I used construction quality bamboo which is growing
along the access road. We made a nice broom out of the leaves. Then the last
section of the access road leading to the bathrooms was widened and raked up.
That night the kids played with glow sticks. Me and the older boys went for a
nighttime walk. Then on the way back to the campsite we saw a nocturnal snake
roaming around. The third day was spent working on the other end of the access
road....the entry. Many understory trees were removed and the road was widened
and the trash was burned and raked to the side. A possible plan to stay an
additional night went away when huge thunderstorms formed just off the coast.
Came home and apparently got chigger or mite bites all around my
ankles....incredibly itchy.
Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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September 18-21, 2021 - This was our third and
longest overnight camping trip....the total stay was four days and three nights.
The last night was kind of a last minute decision in order to finish up some
work, a plan which quickly changed thanks to rain....more about this later.
Anyway, I spent the first and second days raking up leaf litter and cutting
brush and understory trees amounting to about a one meter swath along a 100
meter section of the access road. The purpose was to allow more sunlight to hit
the road and hopefully dry up faster after a rain. This particular 100 meter
section is the path from our campsite to the public bathrooms. The third day
began with a light rain which meant being unable to burn the leaf litter
previously cut on the access road and the plan changed to finally checking out
the other forty percent of our property which was unexplored by us up to this
point. I made a trail through the forest stretching over 100 meters and was able
to access the two last points extending out into the reservoir. As it turned
out, the point where we hoped would be a level, buildable area was not, and
lovers point turned out to be perfect for a long rectangular house. the problem
is that point receives the most sunlight and needs to be reserved for growing
our food. The interesting note is that this section of land was supposed to be
bordered on both sides by the reservoir. The south side actually slopes to dry
land while the north section does, in fact, meet up with the reservoir. The new
plan for lovers point is now a terraced farm on the south facing slope with the
north facing slope reserved for animals. The fourth day it rained much more. We
quickly had to cover and pack our camping stuff. I decided to spend the entire
day working on, and around the campsite. I was able to finally sort out all of
the trees during the making of our campsite. The campsite, as it turns out, is
the only logical spot for our mountain home. Much more about this in future
entries.
Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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September 23-26, 2021 - This was our fourth
overnight camping trip and another four days and three nights stay. The first
three days were spent almost entirely on the 100 meter section of road from the
parking area to the public walkway. A lot of the understory trees along the road
were cut and the leaf litter was raked up. The entire pile was burned and the
resulting potash was raked back into the forest for fertilization. The last day
of the trip saw the exploration of the corner of the land which backs up to the
access road and the public walkway. A bit of a surprise as this section actually
seems to split with one section covered with weeds and bamboo while the other
section is mostly understory trees along with huge oak, sugi, and hinoki trees.
The plan is to cut everything in both section. The weedy area will be used for
growing native banana trees and wild turmeric, while the other section will be
used as the source of wood for our cabins. This will open up the area with even
more sunlight and the potential to grow even more there. A few notable
happenings on this trip. The pet bottle containing the bug solution actually
caught a couple of worst bees which were hanging around the campsite. Another
green vine snake was seen close to the access road. A compost pile was made
using the leaf litter, humus, and potash obtained while making the campsite. The
last night of the trip saw a pretty good amount of rain and loud enough on the
top of the bus to preclude being able to watch clips of late night comedy TV.
The rain continued the next day but eventually the sun came out and we were able
to dry out the tent and other stuff.
Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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Picture - Mountain - Us about to return home
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