With the wooded slope of The Mountain rising behind it, our cabin is shielded from full sun until mid-morning or later. Its long front wall and roof receive direct exposure ’til just before sunset.
Placement of the structure was dictated by the landscape, of course, and by excavation for a house we ended up not building. It worked out well, though, I think.
Since the front of the cabin faces due west, and considering our plans for a covered deck on that side, we definitely have porch-sittin’ and sunset-sippin’ in our future. Out back, a shaded and sheltered “yard,” which we came by accidentally, is its own cozy retreat.
If there are any disadvantages, one would be that late-day cooling during the summer months will be a challenge. Likewise, a cold winter wind from the west will blow inimpeded through leafless oaks and hickories.
We’re still toying with the idea of solar, if only to supplement grid power or as a backup supply. Rooftop panels, the way the cabin is situated, probably would give us the greatest PV potential.
This place is far from an ideal candidate for solar. We have some clues about that already.
Scattered around the homesite are 20 or so individual and small-scale solar-powered lights. After dark each day, we take note of which lights come to life and which ones don’t — it all depends on what the conditions were during the preceding daylight hours.
Only on rare occasions do all of them work. Few (if any) stay on ’til morning, the lone exception being the strings of lights around the picnic table.
That’s useful information right there. As we progress through shorter days between now and springtime, we’ll gather more data and get a better idea of what’s possible.
We were leaving Miller Hardware this morning, where we’d just picked up a two-inch hole saw and a filter for the wet-dry vac, when I turned to Deb and remarked about how undeniably right it feels to be dealing with small businesses almost exclusively.
Before settling in at the laundromat later, we dropped by the roadside shop where we bought our picnic table a few months ago. We browsed the selection of rough-cut and live-edge cedar, oak and black walnut.
Now it’s not the kind of fine millwork we saw the other day in Mountain Home — rather, it’s the back end of a tree service making profitable use of what it cuts. We drove away with empty hands, but with our heads full of ideas.
Deb and I each took a walk at sunset. She stayed up on the homesite, while I strolled along the road.
She found that by standing on the picnic table, she could see the western summit of Hall Mountain. I lingered to watch a whitetail doe browsing in the woods.
I have nothing more to say today, really. I’ll leave you with those images.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB