Month: August 2014

Guess What?

There was a rare Solar Convergence today… We even managed to get a photo

And that’s what it looked like less than 2 hours after they showed up

So far we are really happy with Islandwide. Now I hope it can be switched on soon for Kass Household Carbon Neutral Stage 1

So I posted that on Facebook. And people asked. I thought I’d preserve some of that here as well:

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  • Sonja Kass I tried the Hawaiian version of the backyard homestead… long story (and we are on 1/6th of an acre with more than 1/2 of that built on)… I also tried to get a walking distance community garden project going, and one day I hope to get back to that. Farmer’s markets for now for stage 3 But I still have 10 easily propagated tropical edible greens and beans, as well as herbs, avocados, citrus, papayas and Surinam cherries in my yard, that we eat and share.
  • Rony Baenziger Did you calculate/estimate your ROI?
  • Sonja Kass Break even is after less than 5 years, ROI is too complicated for me:

    Status Quo: if gas continues to go up 5% annually and our miles and current miles-per-gallon stay the same we’d pay $13,720 for gas within the next 5 years. Our electricity rates have grown 8% per year over the last 11 years. Continue our current consumption at that price increase we’d spend $13,672 within the next 5 years. Total cost would be $27,400.

    PV + Leaf: If we invested $17,300 (today’s cost for the PV part) at 5% APR for 20 years it would return $46,000 – an annual opportunity cost of $2,300, so $11,500 for 5 years. The cost of the new Leaf over 5 years is $9,400 more than our current car (not including gas, but factoring in estimates for repairs, warranty, value after 5 years, e-fuel for the Leaf at 9.2 c/kwH for our current miles driven). Total cost is $20,880 (and for the first time in my life I’ll own a new car).

    Disclaimer: I’m not doing it for the money but for the environment. But I really like the added benefit of saving a lot of money.

June 2014

At the Healing Horses



Jet and Julie wrestling

Kealia post office

Kealia, old school which once housed Island school as well

Beachwalk, Kapaa south



Beach Heliotrope

Pets on the front stairs



Leilani saw a Monkseal with pup with the Children of the Land

Beach fire at Lydgate


Andy’s Hiking (and dogs and cats…)

While Sonja and Leilani were in Austria, I was working and pet-sitting on Kauai. The dogs were still big puppies back then.




I did take the dogs on some nice hikes.

This is the Anahola Baptist Church, below the Kalalea mountain:

An unnamed cemetery going wild but full of flowers (I am reminded of the song “Where have all the flowers gone?”):

This is Papa’a Bay:

Our biggest hike was the Kalepa ridge between Hanamaulu and the Wailua river:











When Sonja and Leilani arrived home, there were flower leis, and all animals got together for the only picture we have of all 4 of them:


For the 4th of July, I took this picture by the Kaua’i Lagoons. I could never get all the fireworks at once, so this is photoshopped together:

Lydgate walk

photographed with my soon to be exchanged iphone 5C









(un-photoshopped demos)


Summer 2014

I made this hat for the posy parade in San Bruno many years ago… when I wanted to throw it out Leilani got it…

Beachglass



Children of the land – land

In the turtle cave with the children of the land

Healing Horses

Picking up coconuts from Troy

The Coco Palms was burning




Kealia


Kapaa Water Park




Hiking with Jet and Julie

Bennu

Bennu photographed with the iphone (and partially photoshopped)

July 4th
None of the photos was spectacular… until I layered them in photoshop (blending option lighten)