Sowilo (Phase IIA)

The foundation has set and now Phase II begins.  Phase II involves building the  concrete columns that will support the solar panels and rotating axis.

The north column stands nearly three meters tall, so a pedestal is required to strengthen the structure and minimize bend or cracks.

Also do to intense winter wind loads and the fact the uppermost solar panel will stand four meters above ground level, it is crucial that the structure cannot topple and land on our roof.  This iron reinforced bench will add 1700 kilograms of weight as a counter force.

I decided to us natural stone as a functional form, rather than wood or blocks.  

The bench should seat four people, one at each of the cardinal directions.  This will be ideal for watching the sun rise from the ocean.

It takes a little more time to select and align the field stones, but I want this to be Art as well as Engineering.

The bench is nearly at the final height and ready for the capstones.

Only one more course of stone and then I can back-fill with concrete and place the capstones.  Then on to Phase IIB!

Sowilo - Harnessing the Power of our Star (phase I)

Our off-grid home is powered by a Hydro-Turbine.  In the winter months we get more than 500 watts of output non-stop.  During the late summer months we start to get less rainfall and therefor we get less wattage.  As global warming shifts our system of winds and ocean currents, we anticipate drier summers.  As a result we are adding an additional 1,000 watts of power to our  system.  In the winter we will have more hot water and heating during the day and we will maintain our current standard of living in the summer when the rains stop and the sun beams down.

The tracker is designed to maximize yearly output of solar power by following the sun's path from East to West daily at  a constant 23 degree angle.

The first stage of the project is to accrue all the building materials and get them to the site.  Not a simple task without a 4 wheel drive truck.

All the sand and gravel must be bagged up and then hand carried to the top of the hill.  Thank you Stan and Ben for your help with this morale breaking job. 

Once at the top of the hill, the bags are sent down a steel cable to the location of the work site.  In the photo above you can see the bags of materials in cue to be launched on the steel cable directly above them.

Once the sacks of sand, gravel, and cement are all on location, the mixing process can begin.  In the meantime, the bags make a comfortable resting spot for the boss-man.

Next the foundations need to be dug to support the structure.

Ben and Cbass take charge with mattock and shovel and excavate the site.

The tracker will sit atop of a retaining wall we built in 2011, directly behind our house. 

After a day of physical labor, Ben, Cbass, and Magnus, take a break to press some wine and sample the quality of ethanol production this season.

Concrete mixing finally commences and the 2,500 kilogram foundation begins to be poured.

The iron is held in place with guide ropes to maintain perfect North-South and Vertical alignment as the concrete is dumped bucket-by-bucket into the wooden forms.

A difficult job is made much easier with two strong and able men alongside Magnus.

The final foundation shape is revealed as Sowilo.  The fitting symbol for this project and what it seeks to accomplish.

Next, the pedestal will be built at the base of the North column.  And then the columns themselves will be poured and finally the metal frame will be attached to the tops of the columns.  Stay tuned...

Our Humble Sacrifice to Summon the Spirit of Dionysus

This year we had a great harvest season for Strawberry Guava.

Odin and Mitra were eager to lend a hand to gather berries, one for the bucket and one for the mouth.

We developed a good system with the boys relaying the full cups picked by our woofer helpers to the master bucket. Below Stan and Mitra team up to get the job done.

Vince also lent a hand to gather fruit on our family farm.

After a hard days work, Mitra puts his feet up to enjoy the biggest and best fruit gathered.

And when there are enough fruits to fill a large vessel, we engage in the ancient and sacred art of fermentation.

Early Autumn Harvesting

Clearing the Jungle to Make Room for Fruit Trees and Gardens

So far we have cleared about 15% of our available land so far.  It is difficult and dangerous work.

Below Kristina gives some perspective to the scale of our jungle.

After clearing out the underbrush, we can find the larger trees that need to be cut down to compost over the next years.

The smaller trees that are in good health can be left for future firewood harvesting.  We remove all crooked or damaged trees as we clear.

Finding cliff walls and old retaining walls made of stone helps to illustrate the value of this land for agricultural use.

Below Stan tackles one of our worst invasive species, False Tobacco.  It is a plague on our ecosystem.

From inside our Zone 3, we can look out to our Zone 2 and the Wwoofer Cabana across our valley.

Late Summer Fruit Trees and Gardens

Our Zone 2 is steadily growing and improving as we clear more jungle from the adjoining  Zone 3 and replace it with edible plants.

Below Kristina transplants young seedlings around our newly established Golden Bamboo.

We added 7 new Tamarillo trees in addition to the 5 that are now producing fruits.

Below Konswan stands in a garden that was only underbrush earlier this year.  Already she has harvested from this land several times and now has freshly replanted it with Winter crops.

Below is the upgraded garden that we began clearing last April.  What was a scrubby mess a few months ago is now abundant in Eggplants.

Another newly created garden has just had the onions harvested and is now replanted with Red Mustard and Shiso.

Our Mulbeery Trees are thriving in the chicken enclosure along with the Strawberry Guava, both excellent for humans and foul alike to eat.

Konswan is tying up her plants in advance of the coming winds of autumn.

Our 3 lime trees are producing heavily this year, for the third year in a row.

Wwoofer Cabana Interior and Winter Proofing

The ladder to the sleeping loft is installed now , and the second wall is closed to the wind and rain.

Now two walls are completely closed to the elements and the other two are being framed for windows and doors.

Elit helps to install the sink in the new kitchen.

The south facing wall has a window being installed to allow natural sunlight to enter the kitchen. 

Eyal and Elit build a table and benches for the sitting space.