Needless Death of a boat...

I wish I had a camera with me today, as I witnessed the destruction of a Sailboat hull by the city hands. It was a 29-30 or so foot sailboat (with no rigging) that was apparently left in the harbor and was in danger of sinking.

The city pulled it out and was destroying it with a backhoe.

I have been looking for a Sailboat hull to use as a slow cruiser to Homer and back. Unfortunately, no opportunity existed to salvage this boat. I am very sad...

The city could have sold it for the back-due slip fees and had someone pay to haul it out. Instead, they will now eat the slip fees, haul it out for nothing, and pay city employees to destroy it and take it to the dump, where it will be fill or be burned. Poor call guys!

on waiting...

One would think that I would be really good at waiting by now.

I once heard a saying:
You can have anything you want, but you have to choose from two of these three: Fast, Good, and Cheap.
Fast and Cheap is no good, Fast and Good is never cheap, so I go for Good and Cheap. I wait...

This last year has been an exercise in waiting for me. When we choose to move, I waited weeks to move. Then I waited six weeks on the beach for fishing. I waited two more weeks for a ferry that wasn't full. I waited on money for materials to build with. I waited on employers to call me back. I waited for Santa, and the New Year, and for my dial-up internet to finally load a page.

Now I wait for Spring. Today it is raining, teasing me in January, trying to make me think Winter is over. I won't be fooled though, and I will wait for the real spring to come. With it will come either a Job or a shop opening, or both. I need something to keep me busy and to make a living.  Cabin Fever is here, and I can't wait for it to leave.

The Otter Shop is Born!

We are opening a small-engine/auto shop! It's called the OtterShop, and it now has it's own blog to keep track of progress and projects.

You'll see repair projects, Electric conversions, Alternative and off-grid power projects, 4x4 projects, and more.
Opening Spring 2010!

See the blog at www.OtterShop.blogspot.com

Thanks Again!
Bryan Barratt and the Team

The time for change is now

I have got to do something about my fuel useage. It bugs me every day. Just to day I saw this:
Pump-prices-on-pace-to-top-2009

Energy independance!

     Ever since I was very little I have been a car nut. Well, anything with a motor nut really. I've been told stories of me lying on my back under my tricycle with a wrench emulating my Dad under his FormulaVee race car. I fed his race engine parts it didn't like. I rode in his roadster in parades. Later I spun his roadster off the track at Portland International raceway. I drove  a hotrod Camaro in high school, and I started working as a mechanic right after that.
     My job, and my hobbies have always revolved around engines, and so around Gasoline and oil. Like so many others, I have watched the price of oil and fuel go up and up, and have just opened my wallet further. I always just saw it as an element out of my control, and paid the piper. I moved to Alaska in high school just before the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound. Through the years I have watched Exxon litigate their way out of paying the people whose life were ruined by the negligence of their Captian. I listen as Exxon complains about having their Pt. Thompson leases (which they have never started on) revoked. I see reports that Exxon posts record profits while the rest of us suffer life altering economic problems.
     It finally hurt me enough, financially and morally, to change. Maybe soon it will hurt enough for others to do the same. I have to do something to reduce my personal independence on oil. I live off-grid with batteries and inverter, but rely on a Generator for charging. I am looking at Solar panels and micro-hydro to replace or supllement that. In a weird twist, I am looking for a sailboat for transportation across the bay. I am going to build an Electric car or ATV to cut my gas use for going to town. My sailboat will have an Electric Auxilary drivemotor.
     If a die-hard, 12v nervous system, gas in my veins, gearhead like me can change, then so can anyone. I am lucky enough to be able to use my skills to go green. If you can't, find someone who can and ask questions. Don't pull at the Petrol Collar and complain about it getting tighter. Take it off! Take back control of your life. Look into alternative energy for your home. Look into electric cars. You'll be suprised how many people could do %90 of their driving with one. Gain back your Independence.

How to budget with no money...

Well to start, I was never very good at budgeting my money back when I was "rich" (working). The money went out as fast as it came in. I did make enough that covering expenses wasn't too hard, so I never worried too much about a budget. Good thing I suppose, as I would've been horrified to know exactly what I spent on fuel, fast food, and magazines.

Fast forward to now, with less resources coming in we have to be more carefull about where we spend it. Our property payment is much less, and our utilities consist of propane for the stove and fridge, Generator fue,l and saw parts to cut firewood. I does feel good to not pay Homer Electric or Enstar(nat gas) anymore.

I suppose the easiest thing about our budget is that if we have no dollars, we don't spend any. There is no utility bill being ran up though. Our single largest "bill" now is gas for the Jeep. We drive 8 miles round trip to town about once a day. Right now that equals about $200 a month. Gas in town recently went down to $4.10 a gallon. Propane is near $5 per gallon. I really need to find a way to cut our fuel costs.

The other big cost we have is going to get groceries. Since our town is only accesible by air or water, we have to take a ferry to Homer to do our shopping. Food is available in town, but the cost reflects our "remote" status. A trip on the ferry is a three day deal. Out on tuesday, thursday, or sunday, one day in town, and return the next. Or one could fly, but that is not in my budget. A typical shopping trip, not including what I buy, will cost me $200-400. Ferry fare, hotel(if it is really cold, or family is with) and fuel add up.

Plans for easing the budget include getting more work (I am a Mechanic), reducing trips to town, reducing Generator time, and renting out the kids for labor time... Well maybe not that last one, they need more training yet:)

The Blueberry Bog Cabin

We moved to Seldovia in July '09. When we got here we were to move into Brenda's father's cabin. Trouble was, it was a 15x15 two-level cabin attached to a travel trailer. Worse yet, the upper story was a skeleton. The roof ply was on, but no metal. I had my work cut out for me. First was to tarp the upper floor to keep the eagles(mosquitos) out.



It took me about two months to get cash for materials, sheath the building, put on the roof tin, and move the trailer away from the cabin. Another month netted a 15x20 addition. Can you say Kitchen? Brenda was pleased. We moved in our nice range from the old house, (only thing we kept) and built counters and shelves. I also installed the Norcold fridge from the trailer. It's a little small, but fine for the cabin. Now if I could only keep it working. It is a cranky bugger.

When I built the addition, I also enclosed a 150gallon water tank. We haul water from town for now, and use about 3-5 gallons a day(we shower in town), so this lasts a little while for us.









I used an old propane water heater and a stainless heat exhanger and now have hot water from our wood stove. Currently we get about 20-30 gallons of 130 degree water for free. Hot and Cold running water! what will they think of next?

New things for New Year...Organization!

So, the cabin has been crowded and with no outside storage, trying to get shelves built inside with all the clutter has been impossible. I broke down and bought three metal shelving units. We set them up last night and wow! I can see the floor and walk on it! I even have enough room to pull stacked up stuff from upstairs and get it organized. Way overdue action on my part.

Back to School

School is in session again! We homeschool, but the Boy & Girls club is open again. Which means... 3pm-6pm= no kids! I love them, but too much of a good thing can be annoying:)

Written by my wonderful Brenda...

January 1, 2010 2:55am

Where to start? New Years Day today. I rang in the new-year alone on a blue moon. I wonder if it’s true that there is only one blue moon every two and a half years. Does it seem odd that it should be on New Years Eve?
I have become entranced by the Alaskan night and I just had to write it down. I have this image in my mind right now of why I love this place so dearly and I wanted to get it down in print. As I stood on my porch and took in the night I wanted to share my thoughts, this image and this feeling.
The night is so quiet and beautiful. The full moon’s light makes it as bright as day only without all of the garishly bright colors. Everything is muted. It is all silver gilt and blue tinted glass. The trees stand black against the snow and glitter with crystal prisms of moonlight. I stand under a stardust sky. There are no city lights to fade even the faintest of the stars. Wonder and awe vie in my mind and the frosted plumes of my breath slow as I relax and take in the magnificent beauty that surrounds me. A breath of wind threads it’s way through the towering pines and brushes my skin with an icy caress. I close my eyes and deeply inhale the crisp winter air.
People that do not live here seem to think that Alaska is a barren wasteland of nothing but permafrost and tundra. They could not be farther from the truth. I am happy to allow them that. I don’t want anyone to discover the riches of this land. Alaska in winter, there is a no more chillingly glorious sight.
With a sigh I push away from the sturdy wooden column of my porch railing and turn to make my way back inside. The dry heat of the wood stove envelopes me with warmth as I slip inside the door. The fire crackles and snaps a welcoming song and the shadows play a cheerful game of tag with the flickering fingers of light that twist and turn upon the walls. I can hear the soft rustles and quiet mumbles of my kids sleeping in the loft above and as I settle into my chair before the fire my speckled husky mutt shoves her cold nose into my palm. I lean back and stroke her silky soft fur and drowsily watch the flames dance. I think I may want a cup of tea or maybe a coffee but dismiss this as too much trouble. Lethargy slowly steals the strength from my muscles and my comfy warm bed starts to look like a very good idea. The morning sun will break with dawn soon enough. I bank the fire and seal the door before burrowing beneath the plush covers of my bed. A pitiful whine reminds me that I have forgotten one very important bedtime ritual. I crack one eye and grin as a wet puppy tongue washes my cheek. She is only waiting for my invitation. I pat the empty space beside me and she leaps up on to the bed. I snuggle up to her and burry my fingers in her thick fur. The Alaskan night whispers a sweet song of peace that lulls me to sleep. Is it any wonder that this land should hold my heart?

Background

We moved to Seldovia in July of 2009. I was unemployed and for the first time having a tough time finding "Paying" work. My wonderfull S.O. and I made the decision to quit trying to make things work in Soldotna, where we had close to $2000 a month in expenses, and move to a cabin south of the bay.

We moved out Memorial Day weekend to the beach in Kasilof, where we set up camp and waited for a Set-Net fishery a few weeks away. Six weeks spent on the beach hanging out, fishing, watching sunsets and weathering storms. What an experience! We took home a hundred or so Red salmon and a few Kings to fill the freezer. I traded a little work on a charter captains truck for a halibut charter for the family in june.

Just after the 4th of july, we got on board the Tustumena and officially moved to Seldovia.

Happy New Years!

2010! We made it to the future! Glad you all could make it.

I type this as we pull away from the ferry dock in Homer. 30 degrees and snowing a little, I am headed home from a food shopping trip and newyears party at a good friends house in Kenai. Really looking forward to getting home, as I grow tired of the rat race in town quickly.

More later.
Bryan