While heading north from Portland, I received an email from best friend Windy Dankoff encouraging me to see Ian Woofenden’s home on Guemes Island, a tiny island in Puget Sound, near the San Juans. Windy wrote that it would be a highlight of my trip.
Ian is Senior Editor of Home Power magazine, and has been for perhaps twenty years. I have written a dozen or so articles for Home Power over the years, and Ian has several times sent readers’ questions my way to answer for their “Ask the Experts” column. So we had Renewable Energy in common, but I had no preparation for the tremendous beauty I discovered when I arrived.
Ian Woofenden on Monday morning. He was playing a Jesse Winchester song at that moment.
Lisa Grace singing. They sing together very well.
A south view of Ian and Lisa’s home on Guemes. The homestead is off grid. This photo captures the wind gennie, 150′ above the ground (just marginally above turbulence at this site), and a 500 watt array just beneath.
Perhaps the world’s most inviting composting toilet. If you look closely you’ll see a string along the back wall, attached to the seat.
Opening the seat raises a red flag on the stairs.
I’m approaching the top of the rope swing steps.
Few people have real rope swings. They have childhood stories of rope swings. Ian’s family has a fine rope swing. Here is a 12-second video of my first swing and hard landing: