Solar Panel System Completed

On March 25, 2011, PSE&G came out and changed out our old meter to the new digital meter which can run backwards. This was the final step needed in order to be able to turn on the solar panel system. It works great. We have had 4 days in a row of sun, so the system has produced well over this period. Total cost of system = $13, 410. I signed the contract on 9/16/2011, so it took about 6 months to get a system installed and working. Hopefully this process will become more streamlined for future customers but dealing with the state and local inspectors may always take time. Now I need to sign up for Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs).

Solar Panel Installation

We just had solar panels installed at our home. They are not fully hooked up yet, but the bulk of the installation is now complete. Last year I did research on solar energy and decided it was the right thing to do now. While I am not sure about truth of global warming, I do feel alternative energy sources need to be explored and supported, especially energy that is coming to us free from the sun. While the technology to deliver this energy from the sun to our homes is not cheap, it is becoming more affordable. Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC) and electricity savings make the panels a good investment. A better investment than a bank or the stock market casino. I was also concerned about the rising cost of electricity and solar is a way to help offset those rising costs. As more people buy in, the costs will come down even more. I also feel good about doing my part to support the local economy with alternative energy jobs. I will report more as my experience with solar progresses.

Outdoor Ice Skating This Morning

Last night I passed by a small patch of ice on the side of the road. This is the patch my son and I played ice hockey on last January. I stopped to check it out and it seemed fine with no cracking. I hopped back in the car and headed home. This morning I decided to get my skates and go over to this site. It was 7AM and about 32 degrees outside. A light rain was falling as I laced up my skates and started. Cracks started to show but nothing that would stop me from having about 30 minutes of exercise and fun. This ice was soft and water underneath was starting to seep up on the surface. My hockey stop shavings turned to slush. The conditions were not real good but good enough to skate around with the stick and puck. I can see now how the outdoor ice conditions helped the hockey players of old become great skaters. The outdoor ice today for me was slushy, soft, and bumpy. I also had to side step (skate) dog paw prints that were molded in the ice surface. When I get to skate on the pristine zambonied ice surface at the local rink, my skating will be different. I still love ice skating outdoors. This was my fifth time this year. Not sure how many more outdoor skates I will get this winter. I was tempted just to stay inside the warm house on a rainy Saturday morning. I am glad I can still skate for free.

Outdoor Ice Skate

I have been watching our little 5 foot swimming pool which is flipped upside down and has about 5" of water in it freeze solid over the past few days. This made me alert to watch out for the freezing of those small patches of water that collect into pools by the side of the road or out in open fields. They are not very deep and they are the first to freeze up. This morning on my way to work, I noticed a great spot only a few minutes from our house. I decided to try walking on it when I passed by it again after work. Sure enough, it was solid. There was a little cracking but no major cracking. I got home, changed my clothes and grabbed my skates. I got my hockey stick and puck out of the garage and headed over. It was about 24 degrees outside and cold but not uncomfortable. A light snow was falling and you could see the moon through a light haze. I laced up the skates and ventured out. I started slow and tested many areas of the ice. There were some parts I stayed away from because of some loud cracking. I think the cracking was due to it being too shallow in some spots. I still had plenty of ice to skate around on. A narrow stretch about 80 feet in length by 15-20 feet wide. What great fun. It is hard to beat ice skating outdoors. I learned to skate with my sister on top of our outdoor swimming pool cover. We would skate for hours. I got started early this year and this is New Jersey to this is a treat. This is really the first time I have ice skated outdoors since those times on the swimming pool cover. I hope for many more outdoor skates this winter. I will keep my eye out for other sites or maybe even make my own backyard rink. I plan to take my son over to the ice after dinner and after he finishes his homework. The moon and street lights will provide enough light to pass the puck around.

Outdoor Soccer Season Experience

The fall soccer season started on August 12, 2010 and just finished up a 10 week season today. This was my son James first participation in organized sports and it really was a fun experience. The team was U-8 Boys and they finished up at 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. Great job! James had 8 goals and 4 assists during the season. Bobby-Joe Esposito was the coach of the team and did an excellent job coaching the boys and having very productive practice sessions during the week. Bobby-Joe is the second highest scorer in the Rutgers college team history and played 14 years professional soccer. We really were grateful to have such a great coach for James first time with soccer. I really looked forward to practices and games. The action was always exciting! Next up is a winter indoor soccer season which will provide more good experience and practice for the boys.

Boat Pulley Hoist System in Garage

One of the problems with having a boat is where to keep it when you are not using it. Let's face it. If it is not easy to use, it will not be used. If it is mostly in the way, you may think of getting rid of it. You could just put it up in the rafters or on the wall, but once up there, it will be hard to get down and you will make excuses that it is too hard to get down, so it won't get used.

I now have two row boats and I was thinking about what I would do with them in my garage. I thought of building a rack behind my garage and I would store outdoors under a tarp. Then, I recently came across a website, by Michael Krabach where he has come up with an inexpensive pulley hoist system to store his kayaks. I loved the idea and had to try it out. For about $50 in items from Home Depot, I made a pulley hoist for my 74 lb. rowboat. It works absolutely beautifully! I love it. The prusik knot to hold the lines is a great idea! It lifts the boat up out of the way quickly and high enough where I can drive a car underneath it and then set down on roof racks. I made 2 safely ropes under the boat as insurance in case of an unlikely pulley system failure, the safety ropes will catch the boat from falling to the floor.

This is so much better than my rafter system I had been using. Once I finally got it up in the rafters, it was not coming down because it was such a pain. With this system, all the work is done by the rope and pulleys using the age old mechanical advantage technique of a simple pulley.

I am now making one for my new Adirondack Guideboat and the boats will stay indoors and out of the way during the winter. Thanks Michael!

Guideboat Construction Pictures

Click on this link for a set of 58 Adirondack Guideboat construction pictures on Flickr.