Quick post to share that I’m on YouTube making videos. This is a sort of natural progression seeing that blogs are now fairly dated and video is a more accessible and prevalent media. I have some highlights to share here and several new posts I plan to write because I’m fairly determined to see how long I can keep this blog going. Look for updates on maple syrup this year, bear hunting and the projects that spun off of that endeavor, another update on the batteries, and a massive project (in terms of time) installing some very noticeable finishing touches on the basement. I do hunt quite a bit ..read more

4.1.2022 – 4.12.2022 This year I took over the boil and it was a data driven season. I began work in July 2021 when I designed and ordered parts for a home-built reverse osmosis sap concentration system (RO). The design was based heavily off of the work Dan Roseum did to make his RO. Check it out on his website – his diagrams explain the layout of components nicely. From this starting point I learned about the recirculation valve and incorporated it into my design – this little valve loops a portion of the concentrated sap back through the system to further concentrate it. My boil rate was too ..read more

4.12.2022 – Monday I’m hanging out at the cabin boiling maple syrup and it’s time to convert the LiFePO4 battery bank from winter to summer mode. The boil is going very well at the moment and I’ll have an update and some videos on that later. I have collected a lot of data, put together some summary statistics, and made two of three planned videos. The sun is up and hot today! Wind is gusting up to 30mph and a few brown maple leaves are looking for spots to land. Only one scout found my boil pan so far. At the moment the battery bank is at 64% and climbing. I moved the Blink wireless camera ..read more

11.11.2021 – Thursday Today the cabin saw a new battery bank officially enter service! But first, a brief reflection on the first battery bank and its years of reliable service. The original flooded lead acid (FLA) battery bank, made up of 14 golf cart batteries, lasted for 12 years and 500-700 cycles. At the beginning it was capable of 1540Ah at 12V and weighed in at 860 lbs. The longevity of FLA batteries is commonly accepted as 500 cycles or about 5 years for high quality cells. The cabin had Sam’s Club batteries manufactured by Johnson Controls. They were pretty run of the mill. The one a ..read more

4.22.2021 – Thursday Sarah, the kids, and I arrived late Thursday morning. We would be spending the night and leaving the next day. I worked the upcoming weekend this go around, so I had had a shorter work day on Wednesday, was off Thursday, and then would be going in to work Friday through the weekend. The only downside to a cabin trip was having to take both vehicles, since we had different destinations Friday. At home I have already finished cutting, splitting, and piling wood for next winter. With that 23 ton task complete, I brought the wood splitter back to camp – a good middle point for ..read more

The Ol’man and I have been philosophizing about the ideal small four wheeler for a while now (3 years maybe). Something 250 to 300cc with four wheel drive would do nicely. So we started looking around… The closest thing we found was the Honda Recon. It’s a gorgeous machine! It is 229cc with a five speed transmission and comes in at a petite 434 pounds curb weight (with fluids). But with only 2WD it’s not ideal for our needs. It’s also $4200 at our dealer. To get to 4WD the most budget friendly Honda is the Rancher: 420cc, 580 pounds curb weight, and $5500. In other words, what we want simply d ..read more

1.29.2021 – Friday The cabin is closer to work than work is to home. A 62 mile work commute (one way) is less than ideal, but the drive from work to the cabin is shorter at 44 miles. The drive is slower paced and still takes less time, so it’s always a nice leisurely transition from the fast pace of work to the relaxed pace and warmth of the cabin. To wrap up 2020, we made a trip to the cabin to celebrate Christmas. We arrived on Christmas day after nightfall. At the cabin it was warm and inviting. Sarah headed to bed with the kiddos while I stayed upstairs and tended the fire. I also found t ..read more

10.15.2020 – Thursday I just wrapped up a three day weekend at the cabin. It was good for the soul and worth reminiscing about. I arrived after work and loaded bait and gear in to the Honda Pioneer 1000-5 side by side and set out down the trail as daylight started to fade. The movable top had blown off the bow stand at the middle food plot. A few trips up the ladder and I had the roof in place and chairs set up. A hanger for my bow was reinstalled on the ceiling. Lastly, I set some bait out (most of which would be gone by morning) and then I headed back to camp. Up on the ridge, headlights bru ..read more

8.3.2020 – Monday If you look back on the blog you’ll find that it started in 2009. Wow… that was 11 years ago. The internet is primarily occupied by video nowadays. Perhaps I should venture into that media and start a channel on all the homestead and wood working projects that I make. Well… maybe I’ll just keep that to instagram since it’s less work and I don’t have to listen to myself talk and edit video (@swiltzius if you are interested). The cabin is more or less a complete thing now. There aren’t really any projects left to do. Sure, some will always come up and I have a few I’m tracking ..read more