Nova bonsai garden

[markyscott]

Wow, I run my whole house with a system that size.

Biggest loads are the fans. They can easily draw 3-4 kW hours per day. Here’s how I tried to size my system. Running a whole house with refrigeration and a/c would be a challenge.

 

[Mike Westervelt]

End of a long day. View attachment 415762

Wow, that looks rough! Beautiful views!!!

 

[Carol 83]

End of a long day. View attachment 415762

That's just beautiful, lucky you. The flat land and fields of corn and beans here in Il suck in comparison.

 

[markyscott]

That's just beautiful, lucky you. The flat land and fields of corn and beans here in Il suck in comparison.

Growing up in central Ohio and living the last 25 years in Houston dreaming of the mountains, I feel that I’ve lived long enough in flattened county.

 

[PiñonJ]

whole house with refrigeration and a/c would be a challenge

We only have one mini-split and don’t need A/C that much.

 

[penumbra]

We only have one mini-split and don’t need A/C that much.

We need AC here. I can often handle the heat but the humidity makes the air swampy and everything sticky in our neck of the woods.

 

[PiñonJ]

We need AC here. I can often handle the heat but the humidity makes the air swampy and everything sticky in our neck of the woods.

Yeah, one of the benefits of our dry climate. The other major one is that we have very few fungal issues with our trees. Of course, there are downsides, as well…

 

[rockm]

End of a long day. View attachment 415762

Beautiful view. Makes me very homesick.

 

[ShadyStump]

Growing up in central Ohio and living the last 25 years in Houston dreaming of the mountains, I feel that I’ve lived long enough in flattened county.

I like to laugh at comments like this.


That's the ridge that blocks the view of the REAL mountains from my living room window. LoL
And it appears the neighbor's cute sister in law has found a place of her own. Oh well.

Treat ALL of your clothes with permethrin. Not near as effective as DEET but permanent in case you forget it one day.
Guinea fowl are great, but if you're worried about fox and coyotes and don't mind eggs, a mixed flock heavy in barred rocks will do. Barred rocks are very aggressive chickens, and will help protect the flock, even from you. If you go that route, remember to dig the fence of your chicken coop down at least 6" and wire a 12" to 18" wide horizontal section of chicken wire across the bottom of it. Keeps critters from digging under the fence. And put a top on the run too.

I'm envious though I joke. Congratulations!

 

[markyscott]

I like to laugh at comments like this.

View attachment 415821
That's the ridge that blocks the view of the REAL mountains from my living room window. LoL
And it appears the neighbor's cute sister in law has found a place of her own. Oh well.

Treat ALL of your clothes with permethrin. Not near as effective as DEET but permanent in case you forget it one day.
Guinea fowl are great, but if you're worried about fox and coyotes and don't mind eggs, a mixed flock heavy in barred rocks will do. Barred rocks are very aggressive chickens, and will help protect the flock, even from you. If you go that route, remember to dig the fence of your chicken coop down at least 6" and wire a 12" to 18" wide horizontal section of chicken wire across the bottom of it. Keeps critters from digging under the fence. And put a top on the run too.

I'm envious though I joke. Congratulations!

It’s true it’s not the Rockies . But coming from the Texas Gulf Coast it might as well be the Himalya!!!

lol
Scott

 

[rockm]

It’s true it’s not the Rockies . But coming from the Texas Gulf Coast it might as well be the Himalya!!!

lol
Scott

Never mind the comments from Westerly folks about "real" mountains. I've heard them for years. You get used to it, particularly from Coloradans...Thing is, comparing the Appalachians with the Rockies is silly. No, the Appalachians aren't the Rockies, but the converse is also true. The Appalachian chain is one of the oldest mountain ranges on the planet. A lot of their territory remains wild--head over to Highland County and see one of the least populated counties east of the Mississippi (BTW, the maple festival in Monterey, Va. over there is just around the corner). Most of the history of America's first 150 years took place in or near the Appalachians. Eight presidents in Virginia alone were born in their shadow or in their valleys...They get in your blood just as much as larger more dramatic mountains. Where my parents where laid to rest:

 

[ShadyStump]

Never mind the comments from Westerly folks about "real" mountains. I've heard them for years. You get used to it, particularly from Coloradans...Thing is, comparing the Appalachians with the Rockies is silly. No, the Appalachians aren't the Rockies, but the converse is also true. The Appalachian chain is one of the oldest mountain ranges on the planet. A lot of their territory remains wild--head over to Highland County and see one of the least populated counties east of the Mississippi (BTW, the maple festival in Monterey, Va. over there is just around the corner). Most of the history of America's first 150 years took place in or near the Appalachians. Eight presidents in Virginia alone were born in their shadow or in their valleys...They get in your blood just as much as larger more dramatic mountains. Where my parents where laid to rest:

I won't argue.
Driving through those mountains when I left the Coast Guard and came back home was amazing. They may not be so dramatic, as he says, but they are certainly stunning. I could easily imagine myself happily settling in the Blue Ridge somewhere.

...
...
Except for the ticks and fleas. Not so much of a problem around here. God, I hate those things.

 

[markyscott]

Never mind the comments from Westerly folks about "real" mountains. I've heard them for years. You get used to it, particularly from Coloradans...Thing is, comparing the Appalachians with the Rockies is silly. No, the Appalachians aren't the Rockies, but the converse is also true. The Appalachian chain is one of the oldest mountain ranges on the planet. A lot of their territory remains wild--head over to Highland County and see one of the least populated counties east of the Mississippi (BTW, the maple festival in Monterey, Va. over there is just around the corner). Most of the history of America's first 150 years took place in or near the Appalachians. Eight presidents in Virginia alone were born in their shadow or in their valleys...They get in your blood just as much as larger more dramatic mountains. Where my parents where laid to rest:

I won't argue.
Driving through those mountains when I left the Coast Guard and came back home was amazing. They may not be so dramatic, as he says, but they are certainly stunning. I could easily imagine myself happily settling in the Blue Ridge somewhere.

To a geologist, they’re all awesome .

Scott

 

[bwaynef]

#blueridgeisthebestridge. I kid. Mostly. They may not be as gargantuan as some, but a sunrise on the Blue Ridge mountains can hold its own.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm just happy to have my 50 ft x 150 ft plot of flat land in Illinois.

At least I can claim to own the wall my back is against.

My sister has 40 acres in the Shawnee in Southern Illinois, which is a low remnant of the same orogeny that gave rise to the Ozark mountains. Which I think were on @markyscott 's map. I have periodically considered the move to the Shawnee myself. But one thing or another has gotten in the way. Even low, old mountains have a magical draw. I last toured the Blue Ridge back in 2015. Beautiful country.

 

[penumbra]

The Appalachians have a huge biodiversity of plants and animals. Whereas in Colorado you might have one tree over a thousand acres, in Virginia you might have a thousand different plants in one acre.
Its all beautiful, there are no winners or losers.

 

[markyscott]

While we’re building in Delaplane, my wife and I have rented a stone cottage just outside of White Post. The cottage is …cozy. But really a cool place to land while we’re getting set up in Virginia. It is a stone supported structure built in 1738 with a massive fireplace.

 

[markyscott]

The trek from White Post to Delaplane takes about 1/2 hour. White Post is in the Shenandoah Valley. Those outcrops in front of the cabin are all limestone. To get to Delaplane we cross the Blue Ridge mountains at Ashby’s Gap where you get some beautiful views of the surrounding valley near Paris, Va.

 

[markyscott]

Ashby Gap is the pass through which Stonewall Jackson led the Army of the Shenandoah on his way to Delaplane to load them on the trains at Piedmont station. The pass was used by both the Union and the Confederacy during the civil was for various Shenandoah Valley campaigns. It’s also a very famous leg of the Appalachian Trail.

 

[markyscott]

Oh. And always remember to look up. Because you never know. The moon tonight is fantastic.