columnar basalt in the Outback

 Finally found a place full of the columnar basalt - although it is underground.  It is slightly harder to dig through than the cobblestone around it, but it doesn't shift like sand when it is dug - which I had half expected.  There was lapis lazuli and pyrite right next to this, as well.  I had a few questions I had asked myself about - will gardens grow in the Enverness area, if you bring in regular dirt?  Yes, just like in the marsh and savannah/desert areas if you put water and regular soil, it will grow. 

 

I was exploring more of the jars and the chests that are under the water in the almost endless Enverness pools - lots of weird things there.  Trying to get around and through those areas was a big thing earlier in the game, because there was no food there and I didn't want to hang out.  Now, I'm geared up more and have lots of bases with food, so I'm exploring them a bit more.  Even just running through some of the earlier places I had been in the game, now that I know so much more about surviving there and have built up resources, I'm seeing those old bases with new eyes.

Don't eat the raw calamari it's poisonous! I keep reading that you can catch different fish in different biomes, but so far I am only catching the same types everywhere.  It might be the fishing rod?  I have seen some about an ice fishing rod, as well - will have to check that out when I return to the place that I finally found the ice.  Having a fishing rod and edible fish was one of the things I had missed in the other type of Luanti I had played for a few months - Asuna having that, animals and so much more farming and biomes really pleased me and has kept me playing this modpack.

  a savannah/mesa 'outback' biome home with a garden

near some very good mining locations

I have expanded my network of world locations to almost two hundred - not all of them connected by roads, many with 'pointing' spires like described before, where continue to go in that direction along that x or z axis and you end up in the next location.  I'm using the online Desmos graphic calculator to give myself a rough bare bones map, entering the x and z coordinates from the f5 information window that I finally saw the other day - I don't know why that took me so long to find, but once I do stumble on something to make the mapping easier I will use it.  Although, I may not continue seeking easier and more advanced mapping - once I have something that works.

Mark was looking at all of the graphic user interface (GUI) utilities out there and wanting me to go use one of those, that is his interest, technical programs and utilities and forums to extend the game experience -  but this is 'good enough' and I actually kind of like making myself 'true navigate' like some ancient Viking and keep an idea in my head where I'm going with the Desmos map being almost like a hand-drawn pirate map.  It's part of the fun for me.  I was using the sunrise / sunset and lines of sight and landmarks before finding the coordinate system, so hey - I'm high-tech now, compared to that!  I'm almost ready to exit the Stone Age, right?  And yes, I'm still using mostly stone pickaxes, even though I found some iron in one place I haven't been back there to use more of it in a while, as exploring and working my way through the world and new biomes is more interesting than having a faster working pick axe.  I'll explore more of the technology naturally as I run out of other interesting things.

Going back through the new Alpine and desert areas to build more bases now where it is logical and collect supplies and interesting rocks to transfer along the network.  Mark had been thinking to start playing in the same world with me, but then he got caught up in the politics he is seeing on forum posts and for some reason that makes him not want to play - even just the two of us in the game.  He said that participating in forums about games is really important to him, while I just like to play the game.  I'm having fun with it though, discovering all the things, post here a little when I finally figure something out.  

That is another main draw for me in games, besides the number one thing of being able to really build a little bit at a time, over time and keep inventory/maps etc - is having lots of things I have to figure out for myself (but not a bunch of enemies and deadly bits, more just curious bits, potions to use, herbs etc.), and not a big wiki base that has every answer, so there are things I have to ponder and bash the rocks together so to say, until I find the answer for myself.  I've been told that is 'the hard way'.  I often do make notes, like here on this site, though - so someone else might stumble against at least a little Eureka and then go back and work on the things that have been puzzling them.

Still studying Greek and Japanese, French-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-French.  Mark was wondering if we could buy a small outside shelter soon for the little blind goat and the cats and a hay crib to go in it - we've been thinking about it for a while, and watching a few more farm videos he saw something at an online store that he thought might work. 

Jade pyramids, tree farming and spire mapping

 

This is basically because I found 1400 blocks of jade in an island near here - and well, what do you do with that much jade? The pyramid was built over a cavern entrance and still didn't use up even half of my new stash of jade.  So, I started seeing what else I could make with the blocks.

 They are sort of like ziggurats, more than pyramids - but the little house ones were an interesting puzzle to solve.  I had never had REASON to make glass stairs before, but having seen some in a loot chest a while back, I had a light bulb that they could work really well to put a window in each of these little houses.

 

   

The little pyramids are fully viable houses in their own right, with furnaces and chests in them, each having a window and a door.  The floor is sunken one block inside with a stair from the door - although it didn't have to be it made it feel more like the regular house size inside.  The regular house is in the background above.

  

the inside of the small jade pyramid houses

Aspen farming : when you don't have enough trees, similar to this that had been a treeless plain full of vegetable plants and animals - aspens are a great go to.   Each one will drop 2 to 6 saplings, more likely 4 to 6.  Acacias are pretty prolific, as well, but a bit harder to plant near each other as they spread out more.  Cherry (sakura) trees also have that sideways sprawl.  Aspens grow most always straight up, and only require about 4 to 6 spaces between them to drop full saplings when you cut them down. (no leaf overlap, which can cause problems with some trees).  Silver birch trees grow straight up, and quite tall, but the leaf overlap means you might have to cut down three or four of them before they begin to drop their leaves into saplings.  Juniper trees are a great wood type - and drop lots and lots of saplings, you'll have stacks and stacks of saplings, but the trees only have 3 to 4 blocks of wood in each one so you have to really want juniper wood as your material.  Lemon, orange and banana trees do not grow well in some biomes.  You can quickly turn an area into a forest if you work at it with the right kind of saplings, and have plenty of wood for any project that you might need, pick axe handles, torches, bean and grape supports etc etc.  Since there had been no wood in this location when I arrived - I made the house here with dirt, and a willow wood roof that I had left over blocks from the last place.  

Island life and the living is easy...

 I kept passing these three little islands grouped together, and the largest of the three had a lot of minerals showing all over the sides of it as I zoomed around it in my boat.  This was a mid-point between four other places, so eventually I gave it a name and a spire with the directions indicated just so I could remember that yes- this is the place.  Then I saw the minerals, and pulled the 1400 blocks of jade out of just one of the sides of the caverns - along with seven other minerals in different amounts, and there is even more in there.

I made a little 'island life and the living is easy - the sea is full of fish' base and decided it didn't even need a full house - just a roof and a small garden.

 

How the spire mapping system works :

When you get to a really interesting place it gets a spire, 4 to 12 blocks high, with a torch on top hopefully, and then a sign with a unique name on it.  The sign on the spire that faces the actual feature, where a house might be built, has the name of the place on it.. for example 'Shurl Island'.  The sign on the opposite side says both the name of the place and 'cross (Place)' with the name for the place that is exactly opposite.  IE: If you see the sign, turn around and go straight in the other direction - you end up in Place.  And of course, the other two sides of the spire are also 'cross (Place)' for where you would end up if you walked / boated in that direction.  

 

Building an actual road between the places is the best - but sometimes the terrain is such that you cannot easily build roads and bridges, or you do not have enough resources to build a road between two good points but still need a good way of navigating a long distance between them.  This spire system helps you not get completely and totally lost while exploring the known Universe - everything has some sort of constellation relation to each other like breadcrumbs, and you can track your way back or realize you've somehow gone in a circle.  Some spires have all directions marked with 'cross' as well as the location name - and it gets really useful when you do lose your way and have no idea where you are, but then pass a cliffside with a spire on it that was founded on the other side.   Ah, that is where I am - but how did I get here?  And then you can complete the circles and know how to get from one place to another easier.                                      

In this world, I came across blindly from three different established places and hit the same long narrow island with jungle trees.  I did not know that the Tidaris island was so large - and had started two different houses with small farms and mines.  But, because I had a spire with a torch on top in the second location - I saw it when I climbed up the roof on the other house and was able to realize that it was all the same place, and yet, still large enough for both locations to exist (one with a good mountain to mine and harbor straight across from the city, the other with resources of bamboo and clay and a flat inland route that led through to another biome).

Some places will also have signs with arrows that indicate a string of places that are in that direction, in the order of appearance.  This particular world has maybe seventy named places, not all of them with full towns and gardens in them.  This little island itself was a rarity in that it was a named place for a very long time, that I came through often, but had not seen any reason to settle it - until I saw inside one of the caves on the back island and saw a whole shelf of blue covelite (which looks like lapis lazuli).  Then I saw a jut of purple sygilite, and some silver sand (which makes lovely silver sandstone), and the jade, and blue limestone and a wall of coal and a wall of shale etc etc..

It's that time again - garden plan 2013

 

Sweet corn in upper left corner, tomatoes on fences in the middle, limas, pintos and bush beans in the bottom left corner, cabbage and carrots in the bottom right corner.  Flowers and coleus in pink on the right bottom and yellow square.  Indian corn, pumpkins and cowpeas in the upper right corner.   Gourds in brown.  Sunflowers along the top and back.  'Gray' color for pole beans.  Eggplants, okra and pepper, zucchini and radishes and cucumbers.  

The entire garden is 47 feet wide at the top, and 33 feet at the bottom.  31 feet from front to back.  I thought I was a little obsessive in planning, but Mark said we should go all the way with measurements and be 'realistic' if we were going to plan... hmm.....  The corn is spaced 24 inches apart and thinned to one plant every foot...That is realistic according to University standards, but I doubt our garden will be that measured!

The broccoli I planted the other day is already sprouting in the little yogurt cup it was planted in.  I think that is a little under three days... wow.  I need to put the new tomato seeds and coleus in starter flats - but need to rearrange so I have somewhere to put them.

In other news:  Esme wrote a love letter today for one of her classmates.  I'm not sure she realizes exactly what that means.. but she put it in a bag and wants to bring it to him at school.  It has daisies and a puppy on it and says 'LOVE Esme (Name)'   

A day after the equinox, the first day of spring.  It is 24 degrees out and they think it will snow.  We will likely not plant outside for at least another week...

great day

We've had a great and productive day.  Esme went to school and we went to buy the toilet while she was there.  She did not want to leave the playground when we arrived - thought the teachers were mad at her and that is why she needed to leave. We completed the toilet install, and hauled a lot of trash away.  I did some work in the garden and also went to see Grandma and Grandpa with Esme.  We put out another tray of seeds in the window and also repotted the aloe vera plant.  The garden still has a long way to go - but it is progressing nicely.  I need to get out and do some careful weeding tomorrow.

Esme's comment about the toilet:  It has no batteries and goes crack. (it does not work/flush and made an awful clattering noise) But, you fix it, and this one has batteries and does not crack!  She thought we did a good job.  She fixated on the new shiny silver bolts as the old ones had blackened.

planted today:  blue sweet corn, new squashes in the bottom left hand square because it seemed the seeds had not taken there.  The blue hubbard and glop pumpkins are in that square too, but they are plants and seem to be doing okay.  The strawberry popcorn was put in last week in front of the sweet corn in two rows, with a few squashes and zinnias between them.  There is spinach planted between the rows of the sweet corn which is not on the map.  I found the summer savory and basils coming up in small amounts.  There is 'maybe' a speck of chamomile coming up - and I planted more again there.  The zucchinis are coming up by the black krim tomatoes in front of the sunflowers.  I put a few Kilarney beans in front of the sunflowers where the okra did not take.  I really think there are some 'volunteer' tomatoes coming up from last year - probably yellow pear tomatoes.  I see some carrots here and there, as well.  Only two of the lima beans are up :(

I put one third of the Virginia bright leaf seeds, several bean varieites and several squashes into the next greenhouse flat.  The tomatoes in the other one are getting close to having their second set of leaves and there is one solitary pepper seed that may be germinating out of three pots of four to six seeds each.  There may be more coming.

Labelling Notes for Myself:

The zucchini on top is the zephyr while the other one is 'dark green zucchini.' label from the sample bags.  In the bean patch the identifications are: on the left are pintos (second planting - first with parchman/lockwood which did not do well and now with my seed from last year) with blue/black shackamaxons on the 'top' (3/5) of the row by the red field corn.  The next row over is the 'King of the Early' bean, which came up the best out of all of them.  To the right of that and on top are the dragon's lingerie beans (2/3), then the maria amazalatei's bean (1/3) below them.  Then the blue field corn in a row, then the Bosnian bean on the 'top' (2/3) and the 'jimenez' on the bottom (1/3), the ingot summer squash is on the top between them, and the 'goldrush' bean (of which only one came up) is the last row on the right.  I planted more Provider bush beans where only one Goldrush did not come up, and the little pink square are Mayflower pole beans.  There are Dragon Tongue pole beans actually at the 'top' of one of the other rows but I did not note which row for the map.  The Lina Siscos are planted along the 'right' edge of the sweet corn and are bush beans - they seem to be coming up about halfway and I planted more of those today along the rest of the row.