A Busy Week Gone

This past week was extremely productive. Thursday and Friday we ended up finishing the framing of the final wall in the upstairs lookout (seen here). It was kind of frustrating for me because Jennifer and I got it done before lunch on Friday and went out to look at it from far away and realized the top plate was very bowed (over 1"). Alex and I fixed after lunch in less than 1 hour. We are amazing!Meanwhile, Owen and Bear spent the day working on the finished ceiling on the north side (1st floor). After Alex and I finished the wall framing upstairs, he went back to the computer to finalize his design of the lookout windows, while I helped Owen and Bear finish the ship-lap ceiling. With rotational sanding rounds, we were able to finish just after 4. With a cold beer and a swim in the pond calling, it was a great way to end a week of hard work.
It has been a few weeks or so since I realized how we were powering the whole work site. At first it didn't occur to me, but when I plug in a saw, sander, or some other power tool, I'm not sending harmful pollution into the atmosphere. Seen below are the solar panels that have been powering saws, recharging the battery powered hand tools, and keeping our beers cold for that special moment at the end of a hard day. Before coming here, I had no idea the extent of the power of the magical panels. I thought there would be no way we could rip boards on a table saw for an hour, if it was powered by solar panels. It feels good to be off the grid and still be able to use all the useful technology that goes into building.
I know not everyone wants to live off the grid, or even understands how it can be done, but this just feels right for me. I think if more people started living like the folks here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, the world would start becoming a more enjoyable place to live for everyone.