Greetings, I retired and re-invented myself

[kcowan]

Welcome Offgrid

I see you as a strategic participant. You chose your path and executed it. Without regard to history/inertia. Well done!

We have friends who live on a gulf island in BC and they rely on sun, wind and artesian well for over 20 years. We visit them every summer and take enough food and beverage to cover our consumption and some of theirs after we leave, and we take the bottles and some other refuse to deposit/recycle on the mainland.

He has a salt water hot tub that is warmed by a wood fire. He does use propane and there is a delivery service to keep it full.

In the winter he comes to PV MX for 6 months.

[Winemaker]

Thanks for your service, I have a good brewing buddy who is a retired submariner. How he built his fully automated operational brewery in a single car garage (with a car parked inside is the 8th wonder of the modern world!

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker Thanks for your service, I have a good brewing buddy who is a retired submariner. How he built his fully automated operational brewery in a single car garage (with a car parked inside is the 8th wonder of the modern world!

He is accustomed to fitting a lot of equipment into a small room.

Has he told you how the whiskey stills work on subs?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer Has he told you how the whiskey stills work on subs?

"Whiskey"?!? Hunh.

The Missile techs and the Auxiliary machinist's mates told me that they were simply analyzing ethanol-based alternative fuel sources for a NAVSEA research project.

Of course, the fermented orange juice bottles which broke free during angles & dangles to cascade down a frame bay... they were a different problem. Apparently that was an advanced-formulation cleaning fluid.

[Winemaker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer He is accustomed to fitting a lot of equipment into a small room. Has he told you how the whiskey stills work on subs?

Oh I am very aware of where he picked up those skills. I met him while working underground at the coal mine where I worked, and where he picked up even more skills. He was a electronics tech for a manufacturer that created personal monitoring devices and personal radios.

No mention ever of ethyl alcohol fuel or cleaner production but I will have to inquire....

[ChiliPepr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer Yes, I go by various handles. Should I have shaved, or was it the hat? I live in dense forest and I keep bees [along with a herd of pigs, etc].

Welcome!

I am also moving to Maine, have riverfront on the Saco River and will be starting my first two jives in two weeks. I would say we were neighbors if Maine was not so big!

[TDub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer Our fixed expenses are low and we grow most of our own food.

You're living my dream right there. Does anything taste better than the food you grew yourself?

Welcome! And thank you for your service.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepr Welcome! I am also moving to Maine, have riverfront on the Saco River and will be starting my first two jives in two weeks. I would say we were neighbors if Maine was not so big!

Hey neighbor

Welcome

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer ... We have 4400 watts of photovoltaic panels that feed a 600ah 48vdc battery-bank. We find that on most days our batteries are full by noon, which means that we can run every appliance in our home and every power tool without consuming all the power we generate. Last year we bought a plug-in hybrid sedan to take up some of the surplus power we are generating.

Welcome to the forum!

I am in the process of building up my lithium battery bank of 22.5kWh. This is for my urban home, so I cannot have all the solar panels that I want. Still trying to find the best spot for the 3kW worth of panels that I just bought.

In contrast with your location, here in the Southwest, I found that the hottest day of summer last year, I burnt 120kWh/day mostly for the AC. Disgusting, isn't it?

But in your case, you need winter heating, and your BTU consumption is not going to be that low either.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Welcome to the forum! I am in the process of building up my lithium battery bank of 22.5kWh. This is for my urban home, so I cannot have all the solar panels that I want. Still trying to find the best spot for the 3kW worth of panels that I just bought. In contrast with your location, here in the Southwest, I found that the hottest day of summer last year, I burnt 120kWh/day mostly for the AC. Disgusting, isn't it? But in your case, you need winter heating, and your BTU consumption is not going to be that low either.

A/C consumes a lot of power.

Heating is not very expensive when firewood is abundant.

[Chuckanut]

I wish you all the best. You seem to be living the life you want for you and yours. That is a great accomplishment in and of itself.

[ChiliPepr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer Hey neighbor Welcome

Just curious, how many hives are you running? If you are up north you must have a short season... I am in the part of Maine that is more "Northern Massachusetts" than Maine, and we still have snow on the ground.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepr Just curious, how many hives are you running? If you are up north you must have a short season... I am in the part of Maine that is more "Northern Massachusetts" than Maine, and we still have snow on the ground.

Right now, I have one hive that over-wintered.

We had more snow yesterday.

Though it looks like most of it may go away this next week.

[Al18]

Just wanted to say welcome to the forum and really enjoyed reading your posts on your alternative retirement lifestyle.

Have you considered starting your own blog?

[Zorwarrior]

Welcome Offgrid. Nice story. Are you really off-grid/self-sustained? If so, what do you do? Always interested in solar and other self-sustaining ways.

[jzajzz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer I served 20 years in the US Navy, mostly on various FBM submarines. I took 4 years for college, and I got a pension when I was 42. During my working career, we collected an assortment of apartment buildings. Basically one at each duty station. When I retired, we sold them and used the money to buy a farm out in the forest. I am now 58. We have done pretty well on my pension. This year it has gone up to ~$1650/month. I think we would be fine on only half of my pension if I would only stop building stuff.

What do you grow... and how do we purchase from you ... I'm in MA ... love to support organic farmers (whether it's certified or not)


Edit: looks like you answered some questions... I'll read them to see if mine has been answered.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorwarrior Welcome Offgrid. Nice story. Are you really off-grid/self-sustained? If so, what do you do? Always interested in solar and other self-sustaining ways.

We have 4400 watts of solar power and a battery-bank, we generate our own power.

We manage 150 acres of land, where we produce most [roughly 90%] of our own food, and we are vendors in a Farmers Market where we sell the surplus.

Our living expenses to cover the rest of the stuff we need is pretty low. No debt, no mortgage, property taxes are very low.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzajzz What do you grow... and how do we purchase from you ... I'm in MA ... love to support organic farmers (whether it's certified or not) Edit: looks like you answered some questions... I'll read them to see if mine has been answered.

Some of it is bartered among neighbors. We have been in different markets, and in a Buyers Club.

[cnocmmz]

Hi and welcome...Retired Navy Command Master Chief... retired in 2004 Getting ready to retire to retire from civil service after 15 years in 20 months.... at age 59.5. We will not have the investment portfolio as most on this site; however, at least about 1-M. After all the sacrifices we all have a good streams of have endured we have guaranteed income [emoji106][emoji3]

[Dtail]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnocmmz Hi and welcome...Retired Navy Command Master Chief... retired in 2004 Getting ready to retire to retire from civil service after 15 years in 20 months.... at age 59.5. We will not have the investment portfolio as most on this site; however, at least about 1-M. After all the sacrifices we all have a good streams of have endured we have guaranteed income [emoji106][emoji3]

Cnocmmz - thank you for your service.