Solar Orientation - Hmm.. Is that right??

Have you ever had one of those days sitting at the coffee shop (charging your gadgets and checking blogger) when you begin to panic?! You may have just bored 11 holes 4 feet deep in the wrong direction?? Ehrm. So you scour the internet to make sure you read how to correct for magnetic variation, true north, and magnetic north. Then you are sure that you botched it all up. Worse. Now you are beginning to get the cold sweats due to the thought that you actually dug everything on the wrong axis. "Did I really make my array face True-East?", I think to myself.

"Oh, bother!"

Hrmf. Looking up the solar noon for my location. 13:00. It's 12:30. If I race back I can use the stick method. That should show me how bad it all is....

As I drive back to the Ranch, it dawns on me that perhaps I can simply modify the front of the shed. Move the windows over to the other side in lieu of all the wasted money and time spent augering all those holes!

WAIT.

That will not work, either!

As crafty as the idea was... It would be in vain because the posts for the array would mean that my 'luscious Mountain view' would become the back of a very large solar array. YIPPY.

I ended up stopping at a small local grocery store. (It was still in 'data usage' coverage for my cell phone) Down-loaded a fancy compass app. (To calibrate it, one of the steps was to shake the phone vigorously in multiple planes. haha)

I made it back to the Ranch in time for Solar noon, however, does not do much good when its overcast and sprinkling. *le sigh* Not worried. I much prefer having the rain.

Coat. Hat. Commence.

Ahh! *Double le Sigh*

Turns out all is well. We did orientate them to actual south. I will continue to have a luscious view. PLUS, as an added bonus... the solar panels will actually produce power!

HAHAHA

Welcome back my dear Readers! This was my day.

The really neat things for the day, other than coming to terms with my not ruining all my work after all, is that I am in a great location!

I drove south today for the first time. Found a gas/convenience/grocery store within a mile. Friendly people. Good Selection.

The amazing bit? Right adjacent to it was a garden store. A hydro style store. How fancy is that!

A few miles north of the Ranch is a great feed store that I am able to special order the same 'liquid gold' cat food, Kiki has grown accustomed to. Merrick Before Grains - Chicken.

There is also a local coffee shop. A cash only dive bar. A museum. Post Office. Lastly a library.

The library is small, but in an impressive two story building. It has internet and comfy chairs. That is where I am currently. :-)

I truly am beginning to feel an inner peace here. The cat and I cannot wait until our perfectly legal 'permit-exempt' Shed is finished along with the impressive array powering it. (My usage of it may fall outside of those guidelines a bit, but only so long until I save up for a larger 'actual' little off-grid home)  Life will continue to be special upon that day.

You know what?

It dawns on me that the reason I am in such love is that this place is familiar to Beetlejuice. Do you remember the small town. The Husband character had a model of the entire town etc.

I've been told that Beetle Juice is my favorite movie of all time. 

love,
      - Cloud

PS. Add a comment below to let me know of your ideas for naming this 3 acre 'Ranch'. I'm thinking of Veggie-burger-Burg. ;-) Get it? Mountain estate... Plus its fun to say!