Season Transitions

What season?

As WinSol3's energy meter turns to 12.6 vdc at 7am of the first rainy day of the new winter season, the outside temperature reads 38F. My reflections turn to a summer filled with learnings and the upcoming winter season.  This time I may not be spending the winter here - lifestyle changes beckon great adventures.

Some weather reports are predicting snow levels dropping to 6,000ft (on October 5^th!).  Kirkwood received 10 inches of snow!  wheeeeee....The upcoming winter season is picking up where the last one left off – from snow on Memorial Day weekend to a trace of snow today.  That’s 4 months without snow: No spring, no fall – just snow, heat, snow.  And it was a VERY cool summer.  I think Sacramento had 6 days over 100F (normal is 30 days).  This is all new to my 30 years here, an all-time short season and cool summer record.  I couldn't even get into the high country with all the snows lingering around.  Who says there’s no climate change?

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So what has transpired and what have I learned over the past short summer seasons?  There is a shorter growing season sometimes, and I need to get the greenhouse warmer in order to grow more food.  AND the big one: the 2^nd biggest fire ever could easily have rendered me homeless and all my efforts negated. 

Of all the things occurring over the past summer months though, I took the first big step toward shaking off the isolation and remoteness and started finding community.  The WOOF and HelpNetx and other web networks have generated some interest, but nothing concrete yet.  There have been over a dozen visitors (plus the September celebration) to WinSol3 from various areas.  I am grateful to all of you who came up to visit, and I treasure your friendship.

The distance of this place to main urban areas is probably the single largest lesson I’ve had to come to grips with: don’t build too far out.  Since this was initially picked to be my Kirkwood ski hamlet, I could have never guessed that the location of WinSol3 would be THE big issue.  But people who frequent mountain resorts are not the same people who would readily live off-the-grid in a closed loop, self-reliant style.  I believe they are more inclined to pay for the convenience of endless energy and conveniences next to hi-end infrastructure.  So I am turning toward the Coloma/Nevada City area for possible future eco-village community networking since they are seem more enlightened and closer to ‘civilization’. 

Here’s a list of WinSol3 accomplishments over the past 4 summer months:

• Living roof connecting deck with hi-psf structural supports
• triple sized courtyard patio with new firepit and sitting areas
• five raised beds and bountiful veggie + grape + rhubarb + harvests
• Greenhouse water feature and tile work
• Demos of Rocket Mass heaters
• Perimeter clean-ups, screened under deck storage
• Outside LED lighting system
• 12vdc Sound system everywhere
• Gravel driveway straw cover, weed prevention
• Main area, loft, mudroom drywalled, painted
• Main deck final bracing

Whew… I get tired of thinking of the hundreds of cement bags mixed, hauling of dirt buckets, the # of granite slabs,

Lessons learned: 

It is possible to live self-reliantly with many hi-tech + modern comforts

It requires only knowledge and construction materials

More + more people are discovering reused, salvage, hospice,

My overall fire prevention strategy of not exposing wooden sill plates, masonry barriers, etc. to the surrounding forest area really paid off since it helped stop the spreading uphill fire (flame retardant helped too! :-)   

So the shift from summer to winter is on.... and this is where WinSol3 shines.  Solar PV panels and large windows + overhangs designed to let maximum daylight and sunlight in during winter months.  It's nice and bright and soon to get warmer as i fire up the stove for the first time in months....