Progress on Projects - Solar Panels, Door Refinishing

The solar panels we ordered were installed last Monday and Tuesday. We're leasing the panels, which means that the company we contracted with guarantees a mimimum level of output and will maintain the panels to ensure that. With a roof that requires a 30 foot ladder to access it, we're happy to have the maintenance taken care of by someone else.

Still to go before we can "go live" are inspection by the City of Oakland and review by PG&E, the local utility company. The arrangement with PG&E is that annually we get paid for power we produce in excess of what we use, and day-to-day, power produced during daylight hours is credited toward nightime use. Our hope is that typically we'll be covering our power needs each day and our monthly billing will show we won't owe PG&E anything.

Our contactor

Subcontractor, Sun Inc, doing the conduit work.

Balcony as staging area for the panels.

Ready to lift panels to the roof.

With the job finished, the panels are so high up you can't see them.

The metering equipment and conduit is all that's visible from the ground.

I made some progress on the door refinishing project. Phase one was bleaching out some black water stains on the inside of the door and restaining it.  

Phase 1 finished

Phase 2: I got started sanding the outside of the door removing flaking varnish.  There's quite a bit of deep sanding needed before the outside can be refinished. Most of that work may wait until we order and install a storm door so we can remove this door and do the sanding horizonally instead of vertically.

We continue to enjoy the sunsets from our perch in the Oakland Hills.

Toward Mt. Diablo

Toward Round Top

An Earthquake 30-40 Miles Away & Other Happenings

I guess we are now officially Californians.  The August 24 Napa Valley earthquake was 30-40 miles away and at 6.0 magnitude was the largest since 1989.  (Info at the link in case you didn't hear about it - http://www.wunderground.com/news/napa-northern-california-earthquake-20140825) We barely felt it here and pretty much slept through it - although I did dream about getting the seismic gas shut off valve that's been on our to-do list.

Another indicator that we are Californians: We're having solar panels installed.

Solar techs from Sun Inc. - subcontractor for Sungevity

18 panels in the garage awaiting installation - bottom view

Once these are on the roof, we won't see them because the roof is 30+ feet up

Erick's latest "for fun" project is this bamboo water feature for our deck.  I have to turn it off when I'm on the deck trying to read or else I just keep watching it. The water flows from one bamboo tube to the next via a pump located in the base.

Because wildfires are a danger here, we got together with 5 neighbors and applied for a grant to reduce the fuel load on the slope behind our homes. We can't just cut back everything - and wouldn't want to - because of the beautiful and protected species of Manzanita that grows on our properties.

Looking south across the "back yards' of our neighborhood

I've spent some time in the couple of weeks helping to raise funds for a similar grant that involves fuel reduction work on the Montclair Railroad Trail. I enjoy talking with people who use the trail regularly and many of them are willing to contribute.

My "Be a Friend of the Trail" sign

The Friends of the Montclair Library had a potluck last Friday evening.  The hosts' home is close to town but in a lovely setting set back from the road - definitely worth a photo.

The bridge goes across a stream that runs in front of the house

Always lots of birds visiting our feeders lately, especially finches and juncos.

Bird Watching and Next Project

We're pleased that our bird feeders are proving to be popular.  We have two - one on the bay side and one on the canyon side of the house. The one on the bay side is mounted on the balcony outside my work and exercise space, within easy reach of my camera. So, most of the photos here are related to that one.

Oak Titmouse

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Nuthatch in the morning mist

Nuthatch taking flight

Nuthatch, fledgeling House Finch, Adult male House Finch

Fledgeling House Finch with Adult female House Finch

Black-headed Grosbeak

House Finch pair on the canyon side

Chestnut-backed Chicadee in a Manzanita tree

We're getting ready to for another project. The private outside door to our entry level space is quite weathered. So sanding and refinishing is in order. Erick is making sure we have all the right supplies and I'll be doing the sanding (a bit at a time) and will finish it with spar varnish.

Here's the "before" photo:

Nice door, but needs some work

An aside - Oakland and Alameda County are big on recycling. It's a 3 bin system: gray for recyclables like cardboard, paper, plastic and metal containers; green for food waste and yard waste that's compostable; burgundy/brown for anything that can't be put in the other two.  We find that the gray bin typically fills up first. (It's all those boxes from online ordering.)

With Our Head in the Clouds

There were some interesting cloud formations this week and a smiley waning crescent moon worthy of photos.

Marge Simpson

Dinosaur bones

A Dr Suess character?

Crescent moon at sunset

Latest addition to the balcony collection:

Miniature Fushia

Rescued Primroses still going strong:

Pink was the color of the week:

Belladonna (aka Naked Lady - no leaves on the plant when it blooms)
seen along the Montclair Railroad Trail

"Wildlife":

Sunny says: Because it's where the birds are.

Another Weekend, Another East Bay Park

I got a craving for Afghani food after chatting with an acquaintance who came to the US from Afghanistan about 30 years ago when he was ten.  I asked him about restaurants in the area and he recommended De Afghanan in Fremont, about a 45 minute drive from our house. (Restaurant menu here: http://www.deafghanancuisine.com/menu.html - good eggplant, kabobs and a wonderful milk pudding for dessert.)

We decided to make the drive when I found out that a couple of miles from the restaurant was Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area.  So, we made plans to walk around the lakes after dinner.

posts for measuring water level

Where there are lakes, there are birds.

one of many vultures

soaring gull

Sandbar in one of the lakes with gulls and pelicans

One of the features of the park is a Rare Fruit Tree Grove. 

We didn't find any ripe ones to pick.

lime

pomegranate

fig (with selfie shadow)

full of hanging berry strands

Other plants along the trail:

Surprise lily shining in the sun

California Live Oak with acorns

Thistles

Recent sunset photos:

over Round Top to the north

Mt. Diablo

Bay side to the west

A "holy card sky" photo courtesy of our son-in-law:

Looking toward Mt. Diablo on a cloudy morning