Our New Solar Power
With several years of planning behind us, our new solar roof and Tesla PowerWall 3 battery and controller finally went operational late in 2025. The system is producing over half our power now and should produce all our necessary electricity once break-in is complete. Our contractor was not completely cooperative, but Joan’s persistence and patience has so far won out over their yelling and anger. More remains to be done during break-in so we will see how this evolves. We are pleased at saving the world one Watt Hour at a time, and glad to be ahead of Florida Power and Light’s 4 years of guaranteed rate increases.
Our solar roof was designed as an integrated project to incorporate the solar components as the roof was being built. Frequently, the solar cells are just glued on the roof, often failing in the first severe storm. We took a different approach.
The building and inspection of a roof takes places in phases with a county inspection after each phase. The first major inspection comes after the old roof is removed, any water damage fixed, and a new waterproof barrier is installed. Our roof was done somewhat differently. Since it is an integrated system, the solar support components were installed prior to waterproofing the roof. This builds a much stronger overall system with extended water penetration and increased wind resistance.
Fly over the complete roof with us:
Sunlight making power that is flowing to the Gateway. The Gateway supplies the sun’s power, in yellow, to the home and the Powerwall, charging the battery for use when there is little or no sun.
Later in the day when the sun goes down, the Powerwall returns the power it has stored, further reducing our electric bill.
2026 January 1: Happy New Year
After a wonderful New Year’s Eve dinner at the home of Miguel’s cousins Erica and Rick, we returned to our campsite at Tropical Palms RV Park, a free week thanks to a gift from the Thor company (manufacturer of our new motor home).
We spent New Year’s day at the Old Town down the road from us, about ½ mile away. We had been there once before, and encouraged Rebecca and family to join us there – which they did the next day.
We dined at a very special restaurant, an Ethiopian one, and loved every bit of our meal, which by Ethiopian tradition, comes on a large round platter to be shared and to be eaten with injera, a crepe-like gluten free “bread” made of teff flour that is used to pick up the food.
2026 January 2: With the Romans at the Old Town
We met Miguel and Rebecca and the grandkids, Sierra and Dylan, for an enchanting weekend near Disney. The Tropical Palms RV Resort, where we stayed, is an easy walk from the Old Town, an amusement park with no admission fee and lots of rides for kids of all ages.
Miguel scored 4 military discount tickets, making an enjoyable day even more fun. Dylan and Sierra took turns choosing rides while Miguel and Rebecca rode several with them.
2026 January 3: With the Romans at their Disney Art of Imagination Resort
Disney has been created mostly for children. At both the resorts and the parks, the settings are colorful, creative, and happy. The Romans stayed at the Animation Studios Resort. Wherever we looked, it was a pleasure to see.
Dylan initially expressed some fear of the Skyliner as the gondola rose rapidly above the roads and lakes. On a later ride, Sierra “pretended” to be afraid of the ride, smiling with a big broad grin as Stu reminded her to look serious is she wanted people to think she was scared.
After a fun but exhausting day on the Disney grounds, we had to say goodbye to the Romans.
2026 January 4: Camping and dinner at the Linger RV Resort
We drove 100 miles from Kissimmee to the Linger RV Resort, 15 miles north of Sarasota, in preparation for a visit with Joan’s son Tim, who currently lives and works in Sarasota. We were very pleased with the Resort. We met our next-door RV site neighbors, Sandy and Chuck, and enjoyed their company.
After a stop at the pool (freezing cold) and hot tub (deliciously warm), we got ready for a meal at the Linger Resort Restaurant, just across the parking lot from our RV site. Stu put on his new wet suit for an hour of water aerobic exercise in the pool.
2026 January 5: A day in Sarasota
The Linger RV Resort was a really nice place to Linger, with very friendly RV neighbors Sandy and Chuck, who spent 3 months each winter there. In the afternoon we drove 15 miles into Sarasota for a visit to the new Mote Aquarium and to have dinner with Joan’s son Tim. Since entrance to the Mote is not permitted before the time on the stamped ticket, we had time to spend meeting some of the other museum go-ers. We had a great conversations with the couple next to me on the bench, They live most of the time in their Michigan home, but once a month fly to their second home, in Sarasota, on the Sarasota Bay next to the Ca’ d’Zan (House of John), which is a beautiful mansion open to the public and former home of John Ringling, the founder of the circus. Tough life living on the bay, next to the Ringling Complex! I admit I envied them just a bit.
The new Mote Aquarium is extraordinary, so much to see that is fascinating. See the manatee mindfully swimming across the huge tank.
The giant jellyfish were awesome to see, from the safety of outside the tank.
Touching a shark has to be done carefully. The rules were spelled out in large letters.
- Shark’s head must be resting on the bottom before touching.
- Gently touch with 2 fingers along its back, behind its head and avoiding the tail.
There is so much to see – coral reefs, penguins (from climbing under ground into a transparent cage), and where else can you get close enough to a manatee to see its whiskers?
After the museum closed at 5, we drove to Tim’s apartment, an “in-law suite” in downtown Sarasota and quite a comfortable place to live. We had a wonderful dinner together at Libby’s, which was a great choice for dinner.
Tim enjoyed his Chicken Milanese. Stu and I shared a delicious salad and an even more delicious Chilean Sea Bass, special of the day, perfectly cooked to its fully-cooked tenderness. It was sad for me to say goodby to Tim after dinner, but we had to get back to the Linger Resort and home to the east coast of South Florida the next morning.