Dreams

A good friend of mine, whom I met while learning to Fly in AZ, is quite the musician. Along with being pretty good at youtube videos. Here is a nice mellow song of his about keeping to your dreams!

You know I take it to heart. It is my hope all of you strive to do the same in your own lives.

- Cloud

DougMMMMusic - Dreams Music Video

http://whisperfall.deviantart.com/art/Dreams-144932089

Collecting Sun-rays.

Yesterday, late afternoon, I plugged in half of the solar array to the combiner box. (1000 watts out of 2000) Before it rained and went dark, I was able to harvest 200watts. Today has been mostly cloudy. It started to rain in the late afternoon. Occasionally the sun broke out between the clouds and beat down onto the panels. (Still only half connected) Saw a lovely sight of 15.2 amps being put into my drained and bottom balanced Lithium Iron Phosphate battery pack. Or 819Watts.

The whole bottom balancing these cells are different than Lead Acid batteries. You pull each individual cell down to 2.750 volts. Get all of them within a few milli-volts of each other. Then charge them all up (connected in series for a nominal 48v pack (actually 56v) ) together.

Happily, as they are charging up, they are remaining well balanced. The last reading after today's cloudy day, putting in 2.4 KwH, showed them all within 2mV.

Fantastic.

I am relieved to no longer need to balance the cells. All in all, it took me a week and a half for the 16 cells. Between the rain, building the other structures, sleeping, and sun-stroke.

Tomorrow I'll connect both strings to the combiner box. Today showed me that even in some not so perfect conditions, half of the array was producing enough to power (per hour) my 42in TV for an hour. With the full array pulling in power.... I should be golden!

A view into our Life.

2000 Watts basking in the sun.

Putting 15.2 amps into the batteries. 819 Watts (1000watts connected)

Day 28

Tonight marks the 28th consecutive evening camping for a goal. It partly makes me laugh. I've always enjoyed the outdoors, however, never spent much of my life camping or fishing. Years would fly by between them. Here I am now. Suddenly with enoug time under my belt to equal someone who has spent many years of their life doing just that. Week trips here and there. I'm finding it easy to cope with. I also wonder if I even need to build full on Tiny house shelter. NO NO. I haven't gone feral. Simply no longer concerned about the pace of my build. As long as this next year involves finding land, building the post and beam with a metal roof, the dry in can drag one. Mr. pickles and I shoud be well enough. :)

The season is nearly upon us. I wish you all the happiest of times. May you find the resolve to make it through seeing family members you do not see eye to eye politically with. Lol.

As much as it saddens me that I havent had access to a plug for my month long x mas lights, i think I have found much meaning in peaceful woods life.

I will be spending it with Four nice camping co-worker, friends, at the Hilton cafe for Xmas dinner on the beach. I'll try to find solace in that. The simple things.

Hope you can do the same!

Enjoyed Viewings - Inspiration

A while ago there was a posting about how people have happily over leveraged themselves. We of course are quite comfortable with this in most societies. It even has a perfectly acceptable term. Mortgages. It is a way that everyone can have instant gratification. Instead of saving up to purchase land or a home etc we take out massive loans and leverage our future time against it to pay them off.

These last few years owning our home (My first, V's Second) has allowed me to develop my understanding on the whole concept of what is a home. What defines it. What do we personally need as individuals, as a couple, and even an eventual family (I would say the cat and Us comprises a family already. ;) ) in order to be happy. Secure.

I've spent plenty of time scouring the internet and youtube on the subject. One of my favorites, although I enjoy each one we are subscribed to, is Jane's "Hardwork Homestead" blog. It is because of the spirit behind it. Working towards self sufficiency. Although I would boil it down to simply security. A feeling or intuition that makes a dwelling a home.

While we have not 'over' leveraged ourselves with a massive mortgage payment over the next year or so I would like to move towards that goal. Purchasing an acre. Building a 'Tool shed' with the accompanied solar array and rain catchment. The secret hidden bunker underneath to house the potatoes. ;) Paid outright.

I'm learning that it really isn't about how much you make in a year. It is about the margins of disposable income. The meaning of this is simple. If you can reduce your over head to its absolute minimum, then even with modest income, you'll find that you have the disposable income of a higher wage earner.

If your 'home' is paid off. The land is yours. You harnest the power of the sun for your energy needs. A bountiful veggie garden view out the window. What do you truly have left other than taxes? ;)

One could travel the world at that point based on savings from minimal wage positions. Now please do not misquote me on this aspect. I still wish to remain a plane flying career, veggie eating, cat petting, all around cool dude. The idea is to bring life back to what it was.

I am fairly certain that nature did not develop the human being simply to spend the majority of their days working to get by. Personally it seems a shame that we have switched ourselves from the majority of our time gathering food, storing it, creating textiles etc to one of working forever to pay off your 'over leveraged future time'.

On that note should you be so inclined, feel free to watch a documentary that hits all the little nerves inside my skull. :) Oh, yes. I want a tool shed as is seen about 50 minutes in.

Thank you!