Parker update

For those of you following Parker's progress...he had a little setback. Thanksgiving evening we noticed that there was some leakage on the cast and a foul odor. We called the e-vet in Phoenix and they said to bring him in. Mind you it's almost 9pm and by the time we got the others fed, it was 9:30p before we left. We arrived in Phoenix at almost 11:30p, and they opened the cast to inspect. We found that there was a pressure sore that revealed a little piece of bone through the skin.

They suggested we leave Parker overnight so Dr. Gilson (his orthopedic surgeon) could check it out in the morning. So Parker stayed over and we drove home. Got back at 2:45 am.

We went back on Friday to pick him up and they had re-dressed the leg. He's now in baby blue. He needs to go back on Monday for a recheck...thank goodness gas isn't $4.00 a gallon now.

Concrete arrives!

It's the day after Thanksgiving and we had rain almost all day yesterday. That made for a muddy install area. Since the ground was soft and the septic system is in that area as well, it was decided to use a concrete pumper so that the heavy truck could be on the road and not in the driveway or install area. Lots of heavy hose to manuever, but the concrete team and Chad and Paul Winton were up to the task.

It took about 90 minutes from arrival to departure. About 11 cubic yards of concrete were used. These poles aren't going anywhere...if they needed to be removed it would be a task of cutting them off and burying the foundation.

The poles are nearly 16 feet in length. The photo below shows a 16 foot survey pole that has been put into the hole and runs the length of the pole.



The next photo shows Chad and the concrete man pumping into one of the holes. That takes about 350 psi of pressure to force that stuff through the 100 feet or so of hose.



Below is a filled hole. On Monday they will remove the support steel, clean up the poles and repaint them. Then the gravel will be moved back into place and the area should look like it hadn't been attacked by 60 foot gophers!

Later in the week the solar arrays should be installed. Stay tuned...



Here's a shot of the concrete pumping in action!

Still waiting...

Not much progress on the solar install this week. The building inspector came and signed off on the structural steel so that the concrete can be poured. The electrician has placed a bunch of material on the shelf in the garage. Grounding rods have been placed in the holes to be bonded to the monopole mounts for the trackers.

Concrete may be poured Friday or Monday. Stay tuned...

Solar Install update

We're currently waiting for the next phase, which will be the concrete pour for the tracker foundations. The poles and steel have been inspected and we anticipate that the concrete may be done Monday or Tuesday. I'll post an update when there's new activity...

Solar install- Day 3 (...and the whining begins)

Day three brought us the monopoles for tracker/panel mounting. They have been set into the holes and braced into a vertical position. We were in Phoenix with Parker for a leg check, and so I didn't get the chance to get photos of the install and welding that happened. I got photos early this morning of them set in place.

Each pole is in the ground about 7 feet, with another 9 feet or so above ground. I haven't measured, I just did a "stare check". In the one photo I am next to a pole to show scale.

About the "whining". I got a message from a neighbor all worried that these trackers are going to block their view. Well, I'm assuming he thinks that more are still coming, because if the lineup continued to the West, they would be visible to him (though there's nothing he can really do about it, everything is approved, permitted, and legal). The units that are in place are all that will be installed, and they provide no more visual blocking than our existing trees and shrubs, and besides these folks are out of town half the year, and the "view" is from the patio towards the valley. The houses across the road block more. Anyway, I'm betting he drops in today to voice his concerns and I'll reassure him.

Looking West down the line at pole #1


Post in the hole showing temporary bracing


Me next to pole #3, neighbor's house behind

Solar install- Day 2

The second day of the install project was mostly more trenching. The four holes have been dug for the tracker foundations. Each hole is roughly 3' x 3' x 6" deep. Conduit is in place from each tracker site back to the side of the garage where they will enter. From my perspective it was a lot of work today and yesterday--I moved several thousand pounds of boulders and rocks that used to be in the areas being cleared. I also cut down several large bushes and a tree that needed to go. The excavators pulled the stumps with a backhoe for me.

A few photos from today:

Inside the garage where the inverters and other equipment will be located


More trenching and digging down the line


One of the holes, hard to tell but this one is almost 7 feet deep!
You can see the conduit that will take the wires back to the garage

The Solar Power Installation Begins...

We decided to install a 7.5kW grid-tie solar electric power plant at the house. Today was the beginning of the installation process. We will be installing 4 dual-axis tracking units, each with 8 solar panels. By using the trackers, output is enhanced by about 30% over a fixed array. This meant we could get by with 7.5kW vs. 10kW. So in a sense this will be our "sunflower patch". Once the trackers are placed, the panels will be installed, the necessary metering, disconnects and inverters will be placed in or on the garage, near the existing power meter.

The installation should be completed this month, but due to some major tax law changes regarding renewable energy, we will not "commission" the power plant until after 1/1/09. The change takes the tax deduction from 30% of cost with a $2000 cap to a 30% with no cap. This is big $$$, so waiting is the right thing to do.

Keep watching for progress photos.

First photo is of the trenching for the conduits that will go to each of the four arrays. This portion of the trench is from the power panel to a point near the first array. Only about another 75 feet to go to reach the fourth array! Our installation company is Arizona Solar Power, and the equipment is manufactured by SunPower Corporation, an industry leader.

Parker's Home!

Parker came back from Phoenix today--four legs intact!!! He does have a cast that he will wear for about a month, and the fun part will be keeping Mr. Parker from running around and being active for 6-8 weeks. The ride home (almost 2 hours) was uneventful, he stood part of the time, slept the rest. He is so happy to be back home, first thing he did was get a big drink and flop on his bed. Welcome home sweet boy!

Parker's Crisis

Parker, our number 5 Greyhound, had a crisis this past Sunday. It was about 7am and we were at the park for a morning run. He was in his second or third sprint when--POP! We could hear the horrible sound and then his cries of pain. He pulled up his back leg and went to Debbie. Seems his right rear leg, which was already damaged due to an old racing injury, was now lame. We knew that he had a broken bone that was not properly set from two years ago, and someday would probably need corrective surgery. What we didn't expect was a ruptured calcaneus ligament (like our Achille's tendon).

So a quick trip to Airpark Animal Hospital on an early Sunday morning. Fortunately Dr. Flannery was wrapping up an earlier emergency and took us right in. After some pain meds were on board and the preliminary assessment was made, we took a digital x-ray of the leg. (see below). Dr. Flannery referred us to the specialists in Phoenix and off we went for a 2 hr drive down to get him evaluated.



That portion of bone at the upper right (it faces upward left at the top of the foot) is the talus bone. It should be straight and not bent like that. That's the old break that had left him mostly lame in that leg. It's the bone structure that the ligament attaches to. The ligament must be at just the right length and tension for the leg to function. Because it was not taut, there was limited motion for the leg. Now the ligament was snapped.

Concerns were raised about whether or not we could get a good strong repair to the bone to attach the ligament. If they could not, then the leg should be removed. Since he has been mostly operating on three legs for two years, it would not be a major adjustment for him. Of course we prefer that our young boy have 4, but we would not have an issue with three if needed.

Surgery was Monday 11/10. Results so far are that surgery went well, reconstruction looks good and hopefully in a few months with some physical therapy, he should be OK.

We're waiting for the word that we can drive to Phoenix (Sonora Veterinary Specialists, a great 24/7 emergency facility with the latest in high-tech vet equipment) and pick him up and bring hom home. I'll post an update when he's back!