SOLAR DAY 3 & AN "R" RATING

The new 5,000 watt inverter.

It was day 3 of the installation of our residential, solar powered, electrical generating system. When 2:30 rolled around, all of the metal conduit had been installed on the roof, in the attic, on the back wall of the garage, and inside the garage. The guys finished up with pulling the electrical wire through the multiple conduits, installing one of the new meters, and the disconnect switch on the back of the garage.

Today, the meat of the system gets installed. The twenty, 230 watt panels will go up on the roof, and by the end of the day, we should be generating our own electricity. When the city does it's building permit final inspection, and when Unisource installs a solar meter, we'll officially be up and running. By the end of next week, we'll be putting a bunch of watts back into the grid, and that should balance out what we actually use.

The new disconnect switch and Sunpower meter.

Whenever there's food around, Sami's like a jack in the box, quick to sit up and beg.

At 3pm, the solar guys were gone, Patty had some snacks & drinks packed, and we headed down to the marina. With only a gentle breeze, and temps in the mid 80's, it was a good time to be in the boat. This was quite a bit later in the day than our normal mid day usage time, but we quickly learned that the party in the channel was going stronger than ever.

The "R" rated photos are coming up, so if anyone is offended by some scantily clad young spring breakers, you best not scroll down any farther. This party action was on a Thursday afternoon, in the heart of the channel, with wall to wall kids. If I animated some of this action, the "R" rating might have to be upgraded to "X"! Some of these kids have taken dirty dancing to a new level. I guess the main thing is that they were all having a good time, and oblivious to folks like us, taking a peak into their testosterone/hormone fueled party,

We first parked in the shade, away from the big party, and watched the continual parade of boats passing by, while we ate our snacks, and fed the ducks. Every time we threw anything into the water for the ducks, I'm sure Sami was saying "wait a minute, what about me". When our duck food ran out, we cruised by the party a couple of times, then made a lap around the island.

If these protesters really thought they were going to stop the spring break party, they needed a healthy dose of reality.

No words necessary, the pictures speak for themselves.

By the time we parked the boat back at the marina, it was pushing 5 pm, so we headed home, and called it a day.

We haven't heard from Nancy since she was due to fly back to Yuma yesterday, and take delivery of her new Tiffin Phaeton Motor Home. I think we'll be driving down to Yuma tomorrow, and we'll finalize that plan today when we talk to her, or perhaps go to plan B.