Posted on 03/08/2008 8:50:51 PM PST by vrwc54
13-room house? Emus, Llamas, and peacocks? This guy and his family have used far more than their share of Mother Earth's precious resources. I don't give a damn if all of it is renewable. There are people dying in Africa and all of the materials used for his house could have been evenly distributed to make sensible huts and perhaps a school.
(Always outdo the preachy enviro crowd with even more preachy leftist criticism. They don't know how to take it.)
Using Propane doesn't fit with his energy-independence image.
There is no reason not to expect increases in conversion efficiency. Photo-voltaic design is very much in its infancy, but our understanding of the basic physical processes and the mechanisms for tuning/optimization are expanding rapidly. Again, the science needs to be sufficient to satisfy the economics. Until then, it is a novelty.
Sheesh. That type is pretty common up in my neck of the woods.
Nope, but I bet he cranks out some methane, though.
LOL.
I wonder how the "rooms" are counted. I would guess that there are three guest bedrooms, but there are other rooms associated with the B&B (laundry/utility, guest bathrooms, etc.)
If there are three guest bedrooms, but the other definition of "room" is broad, thirteen wouldn't seem unreasonable.
They have a lot of common sense idea’s. Too bad they have been sold the BS of globull warming.
John does not live in Texas!!!!!!!!!!!
Generator room; solar atrium; battery room: that is three + the 3 guest rooms etc you mentioned.
And thanks for bringing up laundry & kitchen. What about water?
If they were so off the grid that the cost of running poles was prohibitive, then they must either have a well or cistern system, and at least one pump, and believe me, pumps eat power!
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Somehow, I don’t think this would be a very good idea in Alaska. Right when we needed it the most, the sun would fail to cooperate. Nobody ever stops to think that anybody lives north of the 60th parallel. We could use a little gorbal warming up here, guys. Guys? ...guys...??
Article in Scientific American if you get a chance. I’m not endorsing this but it lays out whole solar scheme:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan&page=1
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And he burns wood and fires up a generator? Wood burning is being outlawed by the libs here California and gas-powered lawnmowers are on the hit list; his generator pollutes as much as a lawn mower and certainly more per watt produced than his local utility company.
Californians are goofy. I lived there from 1967 to 1973 and then their solution to lawn mowing was to fill the lawn with gravel and spray paint it green.
Why do I feel like I have heard all of this before?
Soon all of the rain forests will be gone.
Soon there will be nowhere left to dispose our garbage
Soon all of the forest in New England will be denuded by acid rain.
Soon all of the oceans will be dead.
Nice looking house IF it weren’t for all those UGLY solar panels!
Dee Boyle-Clapp, former executive director of the Pioneer Valley Humane Society, has been named the new program coordinator for the Arts Extension Service.
Boyle-Clapp was a board member for the Franklin Arts Council and the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association and was a co-owner of Artemis Gallery in Shelburne Falls. She served as a founding member and first director of the Art Bank, the community art school and performance center in Shelburne Falls, and was most recently the program coordinator for the Fostering the Arts and Culture Partnership, a John and Abigail Adams grant funded through the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Boyle-Clapp is working with Leo Hwang-Carlos, Greenfield Community College’s associate dean of humanities, and members of the college’s business department to explore the creation of an artist-and-business series of online courses that will be available to students at GCC, the Arts Extension Service and the University Without Walls program.
A sculptor, Boyle-Clapp earned bachelor’s degrees in both art and art history from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She received her Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from UMass Amherst. She has taught at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden in Lincoln, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum in Springfield and other venues.
Your hosts at Starlight Llama are builder John Clapp and sculptor Dee Boyle-Clapp.
Starlight Llama is the region’s only solar-powered, off-the-grid, bed and breakfast in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Our newly opened bed and breakfast is just minutes from downtown Northampton, but light years from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Hike, bike, snowshoe, and if you’d like, walk our trails with a llama, toss a snack to the peacocks, or see why everyone loves our miniature donkey. A visit to our llama farm, takes you to 65 acres of conservation restricted property that has been in our family for 6 generations.
Starlight Llama offers three beautiful rooms each decorated with original art, a mix of antique, contemporary and Shaker reproduction furniture. Each has its own private bathroom and two offer a private entrance.
Breakfast starts with coffee or an offering of teas, fresh fruit, and a delicious gourmet breakfast of Swedish oatmeal pancakes, cider French toast, egg dishes compliments of our free-range hens.
http://www.starlightllama.com/index.html
Our Rooms and Fees
Starlight Llama Bed and Breakfast offers three rooms in our contemporary home. Built in 2000, two rooms have their own attached private baths and their own entrance. A third room has its own private bath located directly across the hall. Each room has a queen sized bed and is decorated with original art, a blend of antique and contemporary furniture and Shaker furniture built by John.
Rooms can accommodate one or two people. Children over 12 years of age are welcome, but will need their own room.
Starlight Llama is smoke free in the building and the grounds. If you miss your pets, enjoy our dog and cat.
Room fees are $100 per night. Check in is 5:00 p.m. or as arranged. Check-out is 11 a.m.
Reservations will require a 50% deposit. Cancellations 2 weeks in advance will be credited. We prefer a two-night stay.
Breakfast is served from 8:30 to 10. We will work to accommodate your dietary needs and schedule. Breakfast is gourmet vegetarian, and features a variety of free-range egg dishes. Start with granola, fresh fruit, and enjoy one of our delectable timbales, Swedish oatmeal pancakes, or unique dishes featuring seasonal foods fresh from our garden.
Starlight’s Farm
Our property was part of a 700 acre dairy farm that has been in John’s family for six generations. To protect this land from development, we have placed our 65 acres in a Conservation Restriction, ensuring that meadow and woodland creatures will always have a place to call home.
Coming up the driveway you might see rabbits scurrying back to their hedgerow, indigo buntings, bluebirds and crows and at noon, listen and look for the resident broad hawk.
While walking our trails, we invite you to look for signs of deer, bear, fox and bobcat. Don’t worry, you won’t see the animals themselves and the woods are very safe.
Bird lovers should watch for flocks of wild turkey, woodpeckers, and other native birds. At night listen for the owls or packs of coyote that roam the ridges of the hills. . If a large black bird soars overhead, look at the head. If it is white, you have seen an eagle, if the head appears bald, red or black and it has an enormous wingspan then you have discovered a recent arrival to the Valley, the turkey vulture.
The reservoir across the road often hosts otters, beavers, kingfishers and lone Great Blue Heron.
This is a working llama and hay farm. Depending upon the time of the year, you may witness (or help with!) bringing in the hay, shearing a llama, or digging in the garden.
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