Today marks the start of week 4 of the Earth Skills Semester Program. This week we’ll be working on a new shelter, finishing our braintanned buckskins, and roughing out longbows. We’ll also spend a day poling and fly fishing a nearby river, and continuing with our studies of the natural world.

Yesterday morning we put the filler on one of my 20-foot wood canvas canoes, and in the afternoon I ran the sourdough workshop. In the workshop we made bread, reflector oven biscuits, pita bread, and a pizza. Everyone left with a full belly, some sourdough starter, and enough knowledge to keep the sourdough happy and make a variety of baked goods at home.

This is a beautiful time of year on Rust Pond. With the cool nights, the pond is warmer than the air in the morning so there is a thick cover of fog over the water. This morning I was out sitting by the lake and heard a loon calling from inside the fog. The leaves on the red maples are starting to change color, but everything else is still green. And there are fresh vegetables from our garden and from the farmer’s market, making this the best time of year for cooking and eating.

Have a great week and thanks for reading.