I am currently sitting at my friend's computer here in San Antonio. It has been a very busy week, which started last Saturday when I drove to Fredericksburg, TX, to attend the annual Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair. I have attended several times before and always walk away learning something new. This year I attended two workshops.
The first was on solar cooking, which is a great way to cook for people all around the world who live in sunny environments. There are several non-profit groups trying to provide solar cookers to folks in Africa where coal and wood for cooking is expensive and hard to come by. But more and more folks here in the US are using solar cookers to prepare some or all of their food. It is great for camping too. It is an efficient way to prepare food and once the cooker is made or purchased there is no more expense. The only must have ingredient is patience. There is tons of free sun at The Ranch and so I intend to purchase a solar cooker in the near future. I heard the prices really drop in winter, so I am waiting for cold weather to make my purchase.
The second workshop I attended was on solar water heating. The presenter first discussed all the different technologies available for heating water, pointing out the good and the bad of each technology.
When he finally got to solar water heaters, he discussed the different technologies out there and again discussed the problems and benefits to each one. Since he lives and works in Texas his talk was focused on our needs, which is very hard water but tons of sun. I walked away with valuable information.
Just walking around looking at all the booths is always educational too. This year I learned about a toilet technology, The Enviro Loo, that is legal in Texas and does not need a septic system for disposal. Composting toilets are illegal, but installing septic tanks is not only extremely expensive but difficult in the rocky terrain of Edwards County. The septic tank on The Ranch is only partially buried. This product looks like it could be a great way to provide bathroom facilities for folks living at The Ranch. Of course more study is required.
After leaving the fair I drove straight to San Antonio. I had decided to come on Saturday instead of Monday to save gas, but coming early turned out to be a blessing. Mary fell on Sunday requiring seven stitches in her hand. Mary helped me out when I broke my foot and again last March when I had surgery. It was nice to be here to help her out.
On Tuesday Mary flew to Omaha for a college friend's reunion. I am house sitting for Mary and had my six month checkup with the surgeon on Tuesday and my annual eye exam on Wednesday. Both appointments went well and I got excellent reports. Both doctors want to see me in one year.
This afternoon I will go pick Mary up from the airport. Then tomorrow I plan to return home with a friend who wants to see the bats before they return to Mexico. People come from all over the world to visit the Devil's Sinkhole, a large cavern or collapsed cave, where millions of bats sleep each day and exit at night to go eat trillions of bugs. My friend's car is in need of repair so I said I would take her with me when I return home and bring her back early next week.
It has been a busy week and I will have another busy weekend but every moment has been worth it.
Showing posts with label The Energy Roundup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Energy Roundup. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 28, 2009
My First Car Trip
I took my first real trip in my new car this weekend. I had taken a few trips to Boerne (pronounced burn-ie), TX to see a doctor, but that is just a short 30 minute drive over the county line. Saturday a friend and I drove to Fredericksburg, TX and spent the night in a motel. The purpose of the trip was to attend the Renewable Energy Roundup and Green Living Fair. I had attended the fair one time 8 or 9 years ago, but my friend had never even heard of it before. Since the school she teaches gardening at just got a grant to install a rainwater harvesting catchment system, she wanted to go in hopes of learning anything she could on the subject. I wanted information on all sorts of issues concerning green living.
I cannot recommend the motel we stayed in but I can heartily recommend the fair. It would have been better if we could have attended on Saturday but I was not able to leave town until late afternoon.
9:00 am Saturday morning I had to run over to church and pick up my Angel Food order. If you are not familiar with Angel Food Ministries, it is a way to buy lots of meat and other food items at about half the price it would cost at the store. Today as I write, my freezer is full of chicken, turkey burgers, beef and pork. I also have a number of bags of frozen vegetables, plus a bag of potatoes and onions. I have been ordering Angel Food off and on for about a year now. Unless you are on a very specialized diet such as vegetarian or all organic, I highly recommend you check them out. If there is a participating church near you, buying a box of Angel Food can really save you a bundle.
As soon as had loaded all the food in my freezer, I threw my bags into the car and headed over to my friend Polly’s house. From there we carpooled out to the town of Garden Ridge where the Church Librarian lives for the annual Librarian Appreciation Luncheon. Polly and I have been volunteering in our church library for years now. Polly is 89 years old and has many limitations, but she is still a vital part of the librarian team. We work together and she is a close friend of mine. I have divided the work up between us so she does what she can physically do and I do the rest. It works out great. It is not often the Library team can get together as one group so when we do have meetings or special events, I always like to attend. It is often the only time I hear what other volunteers are doing, since we all work in the library at different times. Our meal was catered from the Olive Garden (yum yum) and it was a wonderful time of socializing and sharing. I must say I loved the gift all of us volunteers were given, a coffee cup that reads “Library Volunteers are the Greatest”.
Once our luncheon was over with, Polly and I headed back to her house. From there I immediately headed to my friend Margaret’s place where the two of us headed for Fredericksburg, TX. We took my car, more cargo room in the back and Margaret is a plant lover. We shared the driving duties. We arrived in Fredericksburg quicker than we thought we would, found our motel and then headed to down town (which was not that far since Fredericksburg is a small town. We snooped in shops and found a wonderful place to eat dinner, The Buffalo Nickel Bar and Grill, where we shared a wonderful salad (Pocahontas) and possibly the best burger I have ever had. It was not on a hamburger bun but special bread that made all the difference. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you are adventurous and want to try buffalo meat, which I did spot on the menu.
I won’t bother to mention where we stayed the night as I do not recommend this motel, but I will say I have been in worse. At least it was a safe place to spend the night. Early Sunday morning we visited a wonderful little church in town for worship and then headed to the fair. We spent the morning visiting booths, buying stuff, taking free information, and attended part of one workshop. For lunch, we bought an expensive hamburger at the fair. Margaret and I both are in agreement that we have had enough hamburgers for awhile. In the afternoon we attended a workshop titled Sustainable Rainwater harvesting Systems. He had some good information but we both want the book he mentioned at the beginning. We were unable to stay for the entire presentation and so I am now trying to track down the presenter, who lives near Boerne.
We left the fair a little before 2pm and headed to the Wild Seeds Farms. They raise wild flower seeds and much more there. They have a butterfly exhibit and Margaret was in paradise. We both spent money there and the back end of my car was filled with plants blocking the rear view window. If you are ever in the area the Wild Seeds Farm is a must stop. It is a wonderful place to visit and they do sell sandwhiches. We just got something to drink.
In October they will be tagging Monarch Butterflies which pass by on their migration path to Mexico and Margaret plans on trying to plan a Saturday field trip for her young students (pre-K through 5th grade).
After we left the Wild Seed Farms, we headed back to San Antonio. It was a quick trip, but educational and fun.
I cannot recommend the motel we stayed in but I can heartily recommend the fair. It would have been better if we could have attended on Saturday but I was not able to leave town until late afternoon.
9:00 am Saturday morning I had to run over to church and pick up my Angel Food order. If you are not familiar with Angel Food Ministries, it is a way to buy lots of meat and other food items at about half the price it would cost at the store. Today as I write, my freezer is full of chicken, turkey burgers, beef and pork. I also have a number of bags of frozen vegetables, plus a bag of potatoes and onions. I have been ordering Angel Food off and on for about a year now. Unless you are on a very specialized diet such as vegetarian or all organic, I highly recommend you check them out. If there is a participating church near you, buying a box of Angel Food can really save you a bundle.
As soon as had loaded all the food in my freezer, I threw my bags into the car and headed over to my friend Polly’s house. From there we carpooled out to the town of Garden Ridge where the Church Librarian lives for the annual Librarian Appreciation Luncheon. Polly and I have been volunteering in our church library for years now. Polly is 89 years old and has many limitations, but she is still a vital part of the librarian team. We work together and she is a close friend of mine. I have divided the work up between us so she does what she can physically do and I do the rest. It works out great. It is not often the Library team can get together as one group so when we do have meetings or special events, I always like to attend. It is often the only time I hear what other volunteers are doing, since we all work in the library at different times. Our meal was catered from the Olive Garden (yum yum) and it was a wonderful time of socializing and sharing. I must say I loved the gift all of us volunteers were given, a coffee cup that reads “Library Volunteers are the Greatest”.
Once our luncheon was over with, Polly and I headed back to her house. From there I immediately headed to my friend Margaret’s place where the two of us headed for Fredericksburg, TX. We took my car, more cargo room in the back and Margaret is a plant lover. We shared the driving duties. We arrived in Fredericksburg quicker than we thought we would, found our motel and then headed to down town (which was not that far since Fredericksburg is a small town. We snooped in shops and found a wonderful place to eat dinner, The Buffalo Nickel Bar and Grill, where we shared a wonderful salad (Pocahontas) and possibly the best burger I have ever had. It was not on a hamburger bun but special bread that made all the difference. I highly recommend this restaurant, especially if you are adventurous and want to try buffalo meat, which I did spot on the menu.
I won’t bother to mention where we stayed the night as I do not recommend this motel, but I will say I have been in worse. At least it was a safe place to spend the night. Early Sunday morning we visited a wonderful little church in town for worship and then headed to the fair. We spent the morning visiting booths, buying stuff, taking free information, and attended part of one workshop. For lunch, we bought an expensive hamburger at the fair. Margaret and I both are in agreement that we have had enough hamburgers for awhile. In the afternoon we attended a workshop titled Sustainable Rainwater harvesting Systems. He had some good information but we both want the book he mentioned at the beginning. We were unable to stay for the entire presentation and so I am now trying to track down the presenter, who lives near Boerne.
We left the fair a little before 2pm and headed to the Wild Seeds Farms. They raise wild flower seeds and much more there. They have a butterfly exhibit and Margaret was in paradise. We both spent money there and the back end of my car was filled with plants blocking the rear view window. If you are ever in the area the Wild Seeds Farm is a must stop. It is a wonderful place to visit and they do sell sandwhiches. We just got something to drink.
In October they will be tagging Monarch Butterflies which pass by on their migration path to Mexico and Margaret plans on trying to plan a Saturday field trip for her young students (pre-K through 5th grade).
After we left the Wild Seed Farms, we headed back to San Antonio. It was a quick trip, but educational and fun.
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