totally off the grid groovy man

when i bought this cabin 3 years ago the idea was to restore it as an off-grid homestead. needless to say, the progress has been slow. but i made a huge leap forward installing a photovoltaic (pv) solar system this week.

before the install on the south facing barn.


the panels are secured together with a piece of angled aluminum (no need for pricey rack system) with brackets from my folks' old solar thermal system.


the penetration for the panel array wires was an old pvc bulkhead fitting with a homemade gasket seal (bike inner tube)


hoisted the array as one piece; bolted and caulked it in place


sebastian and tyler the grad students from appalachian state who helped design the system


he must work out!!!!


the array is mounted after the first day


tyler installing the power systems in the barn


trench to the house that will have a pipe with the electrical run in it. almost like a real house!!!

outer banks paddling

ive been itching to go paddling "down east" and finally i wrangled mike fisk and jordan nance to come along to the southeast corner of the state for the weekend. we got to harkers island after dark and decided to sleep at the park boat launch. unfortunately the park museum was hosting the annual duck decoy festival and was bustling with people. we attempted to blend in with the brooks brothers suit coats crowd while hovering over the wild game spread; stuffing our faces with boiled shrimp and crab salad, duck pate, beef livers, and venison as well as an open bar.

bellies full, we excused ourselves to crash in the parking lot, the only thing is that apparently on fridays the only thing to do on the island for locals is to drive to dead end cul-de-sacs and make out. not just for 15 yr olds anymore old people too. literally every shady dead end was packed with face-suckers!!! soooo we headed back to the museum and decided to sleep in the parking lot because we saw a scout troop camping out. we walked up the trail and passed around a bottle of whisky and fell asleep. sometime in the night the webelos found us with their flashlights and we heard their whispers "i think we found homeless people, look at all the liquor bottles, gross. i bet they just finished eating children." i woke up and yelled at them and was sure upon reporting to their scout masters they earned a sexual predator/hobo merit badge for disturbing creepy forest hermits.

the usual suspects

mike fisk


jordan glenn nance


yours truly

we got up early and paddled across the sound to west end of shackleford banks. the island is inhabited by wild ponies; a remnant of early explorers. the horses browse down the vegetation so the island resembles a manicured golf course complete with greens and sandy bunkers.





we camped in this amphitheater-like bowl protected from the wind halfway from the sound and ocean. we collected clumps of oysters and steamed them in the shells over the fire as an appetizer and finished with ground venison and hashbrown scramble. and fell asleep while visions of redfish and mackerel danced in our heads.










no luck fishing despite a valiant effort and headed home on sunday.





the dudes return from a great paddle

3 bear night

monday i drove up to the house in tenn with my folks corgi, king leonidas. we got there around 6pm and straightened up as i hadnt been there in 2 months. i poured out some spoiled soy sauce on the back porch and was reading on the couch when i heard something and thought to myself 'the mice sure are getting bold coming out.' then leo started growling at the door that was ajar and got up to check it out. as soon as i opened the door leo ran off and was chased by something. suddenly i saw a black streak rush towards in the doorway, and recognized it as a black bear. i slammed the door and freaked out, screaming like a girl. i immediately ran to the other door and as i opened the door another bear ran up the stairs at me. by this point i was out of my mind running frantically, but the whole time i had this clear thought that my mother is going to kill me because her dog is a bear snack. i grabbed a headlight and baseball bat and ran outside going bananas: hitting trees and the house and yelling at the top of my lungs. i can hear the mother and cubs down in the woods and i hear leos little collar bell jingling and sheepishly coming up the drive.

i think when i opened the door the mother chased leo and one of the cubs bluff charged me. when she heard my flipping out she turned back then the other cub charged me on the front porch.



this little bear hates benches

this bear hates styrofoam insulation

this little bear hates football-sized yankee candles (autumn toasted-cinnamon swirly surprise)


this little bear loves sleeping in compost bins (this one is juuuust right)

chandeleur islands

soundwaves.usgs.gov

the chandeleur islands managed by the National Wildlife Refuge, are a chain of islands off the east coast of louisiana, which were the historic result of the mississippi river outflow when the mouth was much further north. the islands were hit hard by the oil spill compounded by heavy erosion (>85%) means they are predicted to disappear in 20 years. we are the last team this season to collect impact data from the sites.


soundwaves.usgs.gov

due to their remoteness from the mainland (3.5 hrs from biloxi, ms) trips require you to stay on boats. visitors arent allowed on the islands because of their distinction as a federal wildlife refuge and ecological sensitivity, so our access to the island was very special.


http://www.rodnreel.com/chandeleurislandcharter/assets/images/pagea2.jpg


also known for its legendary amazing fishing the islands are a sad reminder of what used to be. they are ringed by deep, blue water which closely approach productive, shallow grassbeds this creates a unique environment where large predator fish can come close to land.

it would have been a sin not to take advantage of this opportunity soooooo every spare moment was spent fishing the shallow flats for redfish, black drum, sand trout, speckled trout, and shark

sand trout


motoring through the flats


shane and greg


pelican feeding frenzy


the majority of our time was spent pulling boats through the flats


greg and shane (green)

angola prison rodeo

25kt winds helped give us sunday off and we decided to check out the infamous Angola Prison Rodeo in angola, louisiana.

fun facts about louisiana state penitentiary nicknamed angola or "alcatraz of the south" or "the farm":

*largest maximum security prison in the country (5000 offenders, 1800 officers)

*18,000 acres property including death row chamber (larger than manhattan)

*"Angola was designed to be as self-sufficient as possible; it functioned as a miniature community with a canning factory, a dairy, a mail system, a small ranch, repair shops, and a sugar mill. Prisoners raised food staples and cash crops. The self sufficiency was enacted so taxpayers would spend less money and so politicians such as Governor of Louisiana Huey P. Long would have an improved public image. In the 1930s prisoners worked from dawn until dusk"

"you've got to keep the inmates working all day so they're tired at night." -warden burl cain

warden burl cain - seems like a nice guy

-source Wikipedia


anyway the rodeo starts @ 2 and its 2.5 hours north of new orleans. so jill and i thought we could drive to baton rouge, watch our respective football games at the bar and arrive a hour late to the rodeo. any rodeo ive ever been to is like a baseball game, you can casually observe and drink, apparently this is my first prison rodeo. its exactly 2hours - no exceptions.

this is what we missed... i guess

convict poker- only rule: last man sitting wins http://www.vincentmaling.com/wordpress/?p=6

convict poker http://www.newlywedinneworleans.com/2010/10/angola-prison-rodeo.html

other events: wild cow milking, barrel racing, bust out, bull dogging, and guts and glory; where a poker chip is tied between the meanest brahma's horns and the object is the snatch it off.


the inmates also make crafts that are sold to the throngs of visitors. much of it looked like my middle school shop class work; endtables with 2" of bubbly lacquer and wobbly 3 legged chairs. also a fair number of lsu tigers and overly dramatic portraits of jesus on velvet (sometimes in the same scene).

what made it more interesting than my normal sunday trip to the arts and craft store was that the shopping was done under the watchful glaze of very scary prisoners behind chain-link fences. see below. i actually saw one with a real life eye patch. they are hanging against the fence just breathing and moaning like you would imagine.


i didnt like these but i wanted to get photos of the inmates in the background, but they would kill me if they saw me taking pictures.




this guy is named harlowe parker, a truly gifted artist from new orleans that produces these stylized paintings depicting rural louisiana life. they look similar to some art we saw in tanzania, the bodies elongated and exaggerated faces and limbs. apparently he has quite an audience including harry conick jr.

i think my shadow adds to the piece.






the beautiful landscape belies the tragic lives being lived behind those walls

the toof is loose

as with most younger brothers, i waged a constant battle with my older brother to get the other in trouble and get out of chores, through any means necessary. nathan and i were given the task of washing the dishes after supper. one night, i took the opportunity while drying a huge iron skillet to smack myself in the face. i turned to my mom and said "my toof feels funny" like any good mother she immediately started hyperventilating and screaming at the sight of my broken two front teeth. "oh my god, oh my god" she shrieked examining my jagged maw. i looked behind her and saw my obnoxious brother mouthing "youre even uglier than before"
turned out i really showed him; my little charade worked i havent dried dishes in 25 years.

this brings us to the present. while eating wings with thom, it happened again. i turned to him and said "my toof feels funny" "holy schnikes, dude youre tooth is broken"



i never really got used to the sharp half tooth. i have a habit of spitting alot and now with my new and improved pee wee herman look its even more disgusting now that i drool as well as blowing little bubbles while i talk.

freedommmmmmmmmmm

wednesday the twenty-seventh day of july in the year of our lord, 2011 is the day of reckoning... bum.. bum.. bum.... i had my court date scheduled in mountain city, tenn for my telephone harassment charge (see 'the mtn city saga continues')

i needed to get my hairs-cut last week. i allowed jill to persuade me that it would be a good idea to cut a lightning bolt and two stripes in the side of my head. only later did i realize that i would have to show up in court with these ridiculous markings on my head. strike one

tues night i drove to the cabin and upon arrival in the dark immediately ran headfirst into the corner of the low eave of the roof which crumpled me to my knees. shaken and a little woozy i then felt something dripping down my forehead. "hmmm red and sticky uh oh." the sizeable gash swoll and throbbed all night. the next morning i awoke to a bloody pillow and a tom and jerry-esque egg on top of my head. 'oh well my misshapen head will help me fit in, in court in east tennessee' i thought. strike two

i arrived early @ the courthouse and dressed in pants w belt and shoes and a shirt, i mention this bc these items arent a given in johnson county as evidenced by the sign on the door.


after a cooling drink of water @ the fountain i noticed an interesting sign.


i sat in the courtroom as my fellow innocents filed in. i thought my chances were looking better as a "gentleman" politely took off his miami dolphins tazmanian devil ball cap upon entering the courtroom and as he passed me i read his tshirt Blountville Septic Tank Services 423 323 5921 (i swear to god). directly in front of me sat a young lass with a johnson county FFA (future farmers of america) 'gettin' down and dirty' it read. the woman across the aisle either just finished cutting the grass or racing go-carts.

no sign of my accuser, maybe/hopefully she was in a painful accident involving a chainsaw and female circumcision... a boy can dream.

sights and sounds from the johnson county courtroom:

'i had me a cigarette but i laws tit sums'ware'

'this one aint gunna stick they aint got shit on me'

the prosecutor has velcro shoes on

everyone in johnson county breathes through their mouth and eats beef jerky, which they leave on the floor of the courtroom

the judge enters and welcomes everyone and announces "for all of you that were here last week you will notice a new face. please welcome mr roark the new prosecutor.' it makes me want to spend more time here

woman in sweatpants approached the bench and in accordance with court procedure set her pack of basic full flavors, lighter, and gum on the DAs table.

3 prisoners waddle in dressed in stripes and shackled

order of docket:

speeding
assault
speeding
speeding
meth. possession/manufacturing
speeding
meth. possession/manufacturing
speeding
criminal impersonation (punished by 6 months in jail)
speeding
driving on suspended/revoked license (15th charge... wow this guy wont do it again i promise)
telephone harassment/assault
thief of electricity from mountain electric co-op

anyway the judge announces we will be taking a break @ 1030 sharp and im writing down the aforementioned judgmental observations when they call andrew spees. my heart hits me in the throat and i walk in front of the judge prepared to plead not guilty. he throws me for a loop by asking me my middle name and i stutter "q..q..quincy."
"how do you plead; guilty, not guilty or ask for a continuance?"
"not guilty, your honor"
"do you plan to hire a lawyer, have a court-appointed lawyer, or represent yourself?"
"pro se, your honor" (thanks clifford and bailey)
the judge looks at me pleasantly surprised "pro se, very well. the DA will meet with you to discuss the charges"

i met with the DA over the break and i tell him that the charges are from 3 years ago and he wonders if the statue of limitations has expired for a misdemeanor, if so he will dismiss the charges.

i sit through the rest of the docket and am reading my book when im startled by my name being called. i approach the bench and the judge tells me the charges are being dismissed, my record expunged and the state will pay the court costs.


FREEDOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

serious paddlin down the nantahala

for the 4th, the family met our uncle and aunt and cousins for a mountain weekend. we paddled the nantahala river on sun and mon.





david and matthew

pops having a tough time with little wesser falls and raf coming to the rescue

that their's my boat right over their