Turns out I have a patient scheduled for Saturday Dec 5th - which was looking like the day we could all get together for Kevin's wonderful offer. If this is the only day that works, please know it's OK to go without me. Sorry. This is the life of a healthcare worker. If another day looks good let me know so I can double check my schedule. Joe

It's been an epic summer for me for many reasons, one of which is a new level of personal achievement in the realm of phryction phyre. Thanks to new thinking from some awesome students at my phryction phyre workshops this year, I decided to try the "impossible" and used the Egyptian drill to successfully create coals with bulletwood, Quebracho, and finally Ipé. If you've tried Ipé, then you know it's difficult even on the toggle drill, but with dozens of students getting their Ipé coals under my belt as a teacher and with my own personal Ipé coals I've learned a thing or two about the right technique to use in approaching this resinous beast; with that kind of experience and dirt time, the "impossible" becomes possible. What else can we achieve together Phyre Dojo?!? What else is possible if we set our minds free from the limiting beliefs we currently hold? Let's fuck around and find out! Let's get after it!!! Gambarimasho yo! 🔥✌️😜✌️🔥

Hello Global Tribe of PhyreKeepers! Some PhyreDojo ANNOUNCEMENTS! Ø I would like to start working on doing more PhyreDojo Research & Development stuff. In order to do this I have to create more capacity (time & space) in order to do that, as my very few days off from my work as a nurse are few and far between… For the remaining 2026 White Belt Workshops… I will be CONDENSING (PP) Phyre Plow, (PS) Phyre Saw, & (PT) Phyre Thong into the August 2026 Workshop 08/16/2026 Sunday. So, instead of (PP) Phyre Plow in August, (PS) Phyre Saw in September and (PT) Phyre Thong in October, we’re just going to do all in one in August. For those “in the know,” I ordered a lot more GUANACASTE (Enterolobium Cyclocarpum) materials for August! https://phyredojo.com/events/ Ø Green Belt Workshops will continue as usual on the second Sunday of August, September & October, then we will be breaking until January 2027. https://phyredojo.com/events/ Ø For the 2027 Theme of the Year will be: ”Phyrekeeping With Children & Families!” Ø So, for "PHYRE-CON – Sunday, November 8th 2026", PhyreDojo will be introducing the 2 new Phyrst Phour (1st Four) PhyreBoxes for anyone & everyone to try: The ”ACCESSIBILITY PHYREBOX” which is for very young children (4 years old and up) and folks whose constitution requires the best technology to be successful at PhyreKeeping. And, the ”EVERYDAY PHYREBOX” for older children and parents for "everyday" PhyreKeeping like starting campfires and your fireplace at home! PhyreDojo will also demonstrate the 2 PROTOTYPES (The (AD) Alexa Drill & (JD) Jacob Drill) made in 2011 that got my then 4 year old daughter her 1st Coal, and my then 8 year old son his coal success! SEE YOU THERE! Ø There will be no “official” White Belt Monthly Workshops (All Known Basic Methods) in 2027. INSTEAD, I will be running THREE (Spring, Summer & Fall), ONE DAY, ”Phyrekeeping With Children & Families” Workshops. Dates: To Be Determined.

Raquel (my wife) & I used to work alongside Patrick Kenyon in the old Tracker Office Trailer on the old Tracker Farm in Asbury, NJ from about 1997-2005... Anyway, Patrick just messaged me that he has a place in GILBERT, PA and he has a field of large MULLEIN (Verbascum Thapsus) that he has to mow down and asked if I would want to try to harvest them before he mows. I said YES! I asked if Sunday was OK and he said Yes. So, we're doing a field trip driving out to Gilbert, PA. Harvesting MULLEIN and seeing if there is anything else of educational importance for PhyreKeeping and then we will do lunch somewhere and then we will drive back stopping many, many times along the way when I spot (HD) Hand Drill plants for us to look at. So, we'll leave 10AM SHARP because its about a 45 min drive out to Gilbert, PA from my house. We may not have time for actual practice by the time we get back, but the experience of seeing up close and personal a majority of (HD) Hand Drill plants out in the wild all at one time is definitely worth it. Simply said, - No Materials, No PhyreKeeping...

If the weather is nice... For the 1st half of the workshop, I would like for us to go on a field trip to go find and see up close many of the plant spindle examples growing out now in the wild. I pretty much have every type of (HD) Hand Drill plant spindle example, but I want you to know and see and EXPERIENCE finding these plants. (WE WILL NOT BE HARVESTING ANYTHING UNLESS IT IS ALREADY DEAD.) The second half after lunch will be the (HD) Hand Drill training practice.