The last few weeks have been busy with matters mostly unrelated to
this blog. Julia’s mom, who was a frequent commenter to this blog,
succumbed after an uncomfortable and lengthy battle with congestive
heart disease and related kidney issues. Her ashes were placed in the
ground on Monday. Berla was a generous, optimistic woman who almost
always had a smile on her face and encouraged others to smile by showing
her love and support.
In early August, I purchased the 100 watt solar panel kit from Harbor
Freight for the Brew Hut. It worked okay, but I wasn’t satisfied with
the build quality of the panels or the solar controller. It was also
quite bulky. After trying it out for awhile, I returned the kit and
purchased the Renogy 100 watt solar suitcase kit.
So far, so good. It
is much smaller and easier to transport. The solar controller provides
information on amps supplied to the batteries(something that the Harbor
Freight controller did not do). The panels produce more amps in
direct sun than the HF kit.
I think it will be an excellent tool to
top off the batteries for the Brew Hut when boondocking (camping without
electrical hookups).
We’ve had a stretch of hot, humid weather that ended yesterday. I
celebrated with a Slack’s Hill hike on the Ice Age Trail to the Merrimac
Ferry and back. One of my favorite spots on the Ice Age Trail is a
bench overlooking Lake Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills. This is the
view:
This is the bench:
The
header photo to this post shows my feet on the bottom part of the bench
as I stretch out. This bench was built in honor of a professor who
loved the trail.
This segment of the trail ends at the Merrimac Ferry, the Colsac.
The
Ferry crosses the Wisconsin River from the Town of West Point to the
Town of Merrimac. From the deck of the Colsac, looking upstream, there
is a railroad bridge.
In
our family room, we have a painting of this bridge. Bernie Kvam, a sign
painter for many years, became an artist in his retirement. Bernie was a
coffee shop customer and continues to give me a hard time when we
meet. I try to dish it back, but he usually wins.
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