The Land Wizard of the Columbia River Gorge

Sensors, soil, and sorcery. Skamania County, Washington.

About

I'm fifth generation Oregon Trail people. I grew up in the Gorge. The place I'm on now has been in the family since an 1894 homestead patent.

I read fantasy books. I like technology. I like nature.

By day I monger data, code, and professional services.

I built and host a local project tool because I have too much to do. Dashboard, Python sidecars, a tunnel so I can reach it from town. The goal is to connect the LoRaWAN soil sensors and everything across the property because I'm tired of running cables everywhere. The sensors are still in boxes. Data telling me one of my watering pipes isn't getting water is priceless.

Our above ground pool has five thousand gallons of water, a trash pump, a PVC manifold, and sprinklers. We have it because a ten thousand gallon water tank is way too expensive and I'm not a fire wizard. The pump and sprinklers are good to go.

We hatched chickens because eggs are delicious and we like fertilizer.

We bought a tractor with a backhoe because digging holes in the Gorge is hard. So many rocks. So so many rocks. Some of the rocks are beautiful, though.

We built a tiny home out of a prefab shed. It was an experience. We needed space. And we managed to build it.

We've got two rounds of native plants going, both from the Underwood Conservation District plant sale. Ash, snowberries. Indian plum, red flowering currants. Cedars, oak trees. They've all been planted. I wish I would have thought it through more, but it's good to get the trees in the ground.

We also have some gardening spaces with tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, onions, the usual. My Mountain Witch wife is building a new garden space that we'll hook the sensors into.

— Wizard