Fun with buggy

 

Well, today was fun.

My Buggy, or Tractor, was looking a little forlorn in the front yard. It was encased in snow and ice, and hadn't been run since around Christmas. I figured a nice clear day was just the time to take out for a ride.

Umm....Clear and cold that is. It was about 18 degrees, which is not too bad, but it took a half-hour to get it started. The throttle cable and carb both had frozen in the idle position, and just getting all that thawed had my fingers frozen. Finally I got it running and warmed up to where the glass was clearing.

Our beautiful daughter Kyla was practically in the cab allready, wanting to go for a ride. We hopped in and ran up the unplowed road beyond our house. At the top of the hill was another loop that we had not been down, so we went a bit more. the loop ended with a big snow berm. I was pretty sure we would get high-centered on the berm, so I thought I would go around. All I can say is crusty snow can get you in a moment, and I was stuck.

Now, you would think I would have a shovel, or a winch. Nope. How about a cellphone? Nope. Just a warm-up run, why would I need those? We didn't really enjoy the walk home. A bit cold with the breeze off the bay. When we got home it was Momma and her Jeep to the rescue, with only a little joking about Dad getting the big buggy stuck.

Good Times...

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:)