Water = Beer
Just want to say thanks to my hubby for helping out a neighbor...
We live off the grid on Maui, which means there are no county services in our part of Haiku. For water, we use a catchment system where the rainwater ends up in this attractive Scafco (converted grain silo) water tank. It holds 12,000 gallons which is way more than we need, as there's only 2 of us tapping into it. The rain is channeled off the house's metal roof by way of rain gutters and pipes. A pump and pressure tank deliver water back to the household system.
All our neighbors are in the same boat, either using catchment systems or drilling wells for water. Some neighbors are newbies and don't have adequate systems in place for times when there is little rain, like right now.
A neighbor down the road has a family of 4, and his small water tank ran dry. They were going to the beach park every day to shower and fill up some water jugs just to get by. That's no way to live! My husband was working to prepare the site for their new and improved water tank and offered to help. He happened to have a 300 gallon portable tank kicking around and delivered it in the bucket of his backhoe one day. Boy were they glad to see that! Since then it's rained a few times and they are probably "out of the woods" by now, though still being cautious with their usage.
So one day after that the neighbor shows up with a case of Steinlager beer. Boy was I glad to see that! I don't go into town every day, and we were out of beer. I really didn't want to go anywhere, so this was good timing.
Anyway, that's how you turn water into beer... pretty simple huh?
Thanks Murray, and thanks also to the neighbor. It's nice to have neighbors like that.
Aloha from Haiku Maui - The Hunter
Wow! What a great post. I'd love to visit all the islands, only been to Oahu and Kaiwaii. I know I'm spelling the western island wrong, but you know. My wife asked me when we returned if I would go again. My response was "Only once every 3 months."
Love it. Would have rather gotten some Heinken myself but the Steinie's will do when there is no Heinies. Have a great weekend.
Georgina, That was a nice story to finish up my blogging week. I hoped you enjoyed your beer. Have a great weekend.
Always good to hear of neighbors helping neighbors in a time of need :-D I have never heard of that brand of beer, any good?
Kenneth - thanks! Oahu and Kauai are quite different from each other. Once you visit Maui you'll find that it's the best.
Patrick - haha - they asked what kind he wanted.... it's his fave.
Jimmy - I enjoyed not having to go to town. I prefer white wine myself, and usually lay in a good supply.
Chris - Steinlager comes from New Zealand - even the dirty water is clean down there... so that's gotta make for some excellent beer.
Great post,
Kindness to neighbors & Beer. What more does anyone need.
Happy Summer
Kevin - thanks for commenting - have a great summer yourself...with plenty of ice cold beer.
(can't log in!)
Georgina - Great post and wonderful of your husband to pay forward. And a nice return from the neighbor. But I was really hoping for some miracle kind of thing, water into beer, a little less traditional;^)
Mike - now if my husband could do those kind of miracles, do you think I would be sitting here? haha
This is sooooo funny! We are getting ready to live off the grid too. Can you recommend someone for solar?Thanks,
PS; for water, we drilled a well, that was quite exciting. we dont live there yet, but they estimate that we have tons of water...into the aquifer:-))))
Hi Mihaela - I sent you the names of some suppliers. You must have a great property and I want to hear all about it.... will you be blogging it? Tell us about your well experience, as others must want to know.
Neighbors helping neighbors. In this day and age there is so little of that. Most don't even know their neighbors names...What goes around comes around.
Georgina,
That's a neat way to earn a case of beer. The neighbors probably have now learned that their catchment system needs to be a bit bigger, otherwise it's going to cost them a bunch of money to keep buying you beers.
Casey - we've been here long enought to know most of the neighbors, especially those that need backhoe work.
Esko - it's a great way to get beer, when the store is a long way off.... it's beer thirty now in fact.. cheers, and have a good weekend.
Are you living "off the grid" as in no electricity, too? I am searching your blog and hoping to read more about your experience with it if so.
Either way, you all make for awesome neighbors!
Hi Amanda - yes, no electric or county water service. We had to put in our own phone lines way back in the day too, before cell phones were common. No paved road or mail delivery, no bus service. But we still pay those friggin property taxes... haha.
Georgina, Now that blog title was pretty catchy and drew me in, what a trade. Enjoy your beer!
Cynthia - thanks! We do enjoy our "happy hour" every evening.