Hey, we’ve changed locations for our blog!

(This will never happen again. Promise. I think.)

The new blog is here (along with our new website!). Bigger photos, more content, and easier access to great Bosque info. For our Spanish speaking readers, we are working hard to get the new website translated into Spanish; for now, stay with us here and keep looking for new entries at the Spanish version of our blog.

To subscribe and read our blog in your reader of choice, click here.

Making your own yogurt is super easy. No special equipment is needed; just a double boiler (I fashion one out of two pots) and a food-safe container for storage. And two ingredients: a small amount of living yogurt, and milk. We get our milk from a local provider who raises grass-fed, free range cows.

A few days ago we delivered some starter (living yogurt) and instructions to friends in town who were curious how to make yogurt. Brian calls it a cultural contribution to the community (pun intended). Hopefully more people start making their own living yogurt instead of buying the dead, sugary yogurt that is normally available. For those who prefer a sweet yogurt, honey and fruit can be added for sweetness.

For folks living in the Lake Pátzcuaro region who want to try making yogurt, you can purchase some living yogurt to eat and use as a starter at Don Chucho’s, near el estación in Pátzcuaro.

And yes, the previous entry is just a joke.

The partnership will mean that we can receive a lot of funding to increase our infrastructure, make visiting easier and more comfortable, and expand our fruit orchards and veggie gardens.

We’re really excited about how this will help our project; getting just a bit of funding will help us develop the food forest, improve our access road, and make really comfy housing for guests.

For visitors, not much will change except the following:

• Buffets will now include meat options, though vegetarian meals will always be available.
• Rather than one shared shower, every cabin will have hot water that will be delivered from the city, instead of collected from the rain.
• Electricity will be provided, from the grid.
• An ocean will be installed near the view of Lake Pátzcuaro.

Here’s to an exciting new adventure!

Ocote is super-resinous wood that is produced in a number of the pines in this area. It is a bit mysterious. Looking it up, I can’t find a lot of information about why exactly a tree over-produces the resinous wood. Local theory is that when a tree is damaged, ocote is produced near the damaged area in an effort to recover. This article confirms the theory: perhaps the tree is protecting itself from further damage from insects after initial fire damage.

Ocote is sold in the markets, but we just harvest our own. It makes lighting fires very easy. Ocote lights easily using a match, and while it burns faster than wood, it burns long enough to get the kindling and fire going well. Just a small piece is needed to start a fire; except in the rainy season when outdoor fire starting becomes somewhat of a challenge, and two pieces may be needed.

When guests inquire about painting a mural, Brian usually lets them use his large containers of paint with basic colors, because the small, speciality colors are quite expensive. After day one of Brandi painting with the bulk paint we were impressed! She mixed the bright colors so well and is so completely talented!

Full paint access: granted. Final result: incredible.

Thanks Brandi, for not only contributing art to the Bosque that so many people will get to appreciate, but also for being such a wonderful guest.

Mauricio is originally from the state of Aguascalientes. He is a filming location manager and has been a part of creating several documentaries. His experience with filmmaking combined with his experience being a part of large teams made him an amazing addition to the Bosque.

Depending on the day, Mauricio helped out with general work such as building with cob and clearing trails, joined in on activities like pottery and papermaking, and filmed and edited videos that will give visitors a better idea of what to expect at the Bosque. During our team meetings he was able to provide valuable advice and ideas based on his experience running events and working to coordinate large groups of people.

In free time, Mauricio enjoys practicing yoga, meditating, and Edgu. He’s a people person but also enjoys time to himself; it was great to always know that he can be content with the simple forest setting and also participate in group events. A great person to know! We hope to have Mauricio back in the forest someday.

Be well Mauricio, and come back soon!

Videos Mauricio made:

Mauricio and Angela at bread class:

Recording:

Editing video:

Seven recent guests have written about the Bosque on their blogs. Enjoy their entries!

1. Eric and Sabrina are traveling through Mexico and Latin America on their motorcycle. Eric writes up their adventures (and takes amazing photos). See their entry about the Bosque here.
2. Anna visited the Bosque and is en route - always! Her blog is a fascinating account of her world travels - by bicycle. Enjoy browsing her website. Her entry about the Bosque is here.
3. Steven and Rossana were able to visit us during their latest trip to Michoacán. They founded Visionary Values; an organization committed to promoting sustainability and conscious consumerism. Their blog entry about the Bosque is here.
4. Adam and Danny are on a long journey through Mexico, Central, and South America. We were happy they could make a stop at the Bosque! Adam wrote about his time at the Bosque here.

Step One: GPS

The first step to making the Bosque map included using a GPS to record all of the trails in the Bosque. Many people worked on this step, including Nika, Brian and Marie. We use a Garmin GPS to walk the trails, mark significant points, and learn about distances and elevation changes.

Step Two: GPS Trackmaker

The second step involves loading the files onto a program called GPS Trackmaker. This program allows us to fiddle around the different lines, making up for any obvious errors that happened while using the GPS. In Trackmaker we could change trail types, add symbols for different locations, and make a basic Bosque map.

Step Three: Adobe Illustrator

After the basic map is done in GPS Trackmaker, we convert the files so that we can edit the map in Adobe Illustrator. Using this program, at least four people have done work on the map. Brenda, Niklas, Jairo and Brian all contributed to making the map look pretty in Illustrator.

Niklas, in particular, spent hours and hours and hours tracing the lines on the Bosque map.

And the FINAL PRODUCT!!!!! (click on the image to see a large version)
This map will help visitors know their way around the Bosque - it is a really fun place to explore, and much easier to enjoy with a map. There will of course be changes as the Bosque continues to develop.

Thanks to everyone who helped along the way!

Brian working with one of the first drafts on a canvas:

Drafts, of both GPS Trackmaker files and Illustrator:

And last, the original map of the Bosque Village (and its old name)

]]> http://www.bosquevillage.com/words/?feed=rss2&p=840 http://www.bosquevillage.com/words/?p=835 http://www.bosquevillage.com/words/?p=835#comments Sat, 15 Jan 2011 20:36:11 +0000 Brian http://www.bosquevillage.com/words/?p=835 It seems difficult to get people to the Bosque even after they decide to come visit.
It is farther out than they think it is! It is important to plan ahead.
These videos can help people get some idea of how to get here. Everyone still needs to have a prior reservation and print out the directions as well.

Mauricio made the videos! Thanks Mauricio!

Public transport: how to get to the Bosque Village and walk in with a guide.

How to get to the Bosque Village in your car

How to get to the Bosque in a plane.