Living Totally Off Grid in Eleuthera and more

Living totally off grid is now viable here in Eleuthera. Bob and I went to see such a house and enjoyed a delicious brunch with owners Scott and Paula. They are just around the corner from us here at Sprawling Towers and their views are spectacular.

The house is run by solar power – they have Tesla batteries to store the electricity and the 2 bedroom 2 1/2 bathroom house runs efficiently and well with this system. They collect rainwater into a cistern and do not have mains water at all. In fact the only utility bill they have is for the Starlink internet connection.

High House is available to rent – click on the link here for details of it – it is a lovely property with stunning views over the Atlantic as well as the harbour side. Eventually the house will have mains power but at the moment it is a perfect example of how to live off grid. There is air conditioning as well as all the usual amenities like a washer and dryer.

There is a tablet that monitors the amount of energy stored as well as the amount of energy that is being consumed at the current time – so people can see that maybe they should turn off that AC unit that is running in a room that is not being used !

This is an option that more and more people are interested in and given the problems with utilities here on island I think that we will see a rise in the number of people looking to build in this way.

Bob and I were both impressed with the system and feel that it is definitely the way forward – whether as a stand alone system or as an additional system.

Next up is our trip to Bonaire – to see an old school friend of Bob’s. We flew American Eagle from GHB into Miami – then we had to stay the night in the airport hotel – on site – for the convenience of it as we had to check in by 7.45am . It was grim !  Freezing cold – as is all of Miami Airport – but at least the sheets and towels were clean and the bed was comfortable. However the bathrooms left a lot to be desired. We had to stay over again on the return journey and it was no better but at least I knew I had to turn the AC in the room up to warm instead of foolishly thinking that turning it halfway would be enough !

Bonaire was 10 degrees hotter than Eleuthera and the humidity was very high. But it was good to see another island – Bonaire is a Dutch Caribbean island – and the people were very friendly. We saw flamingos , large lizards, donkeys and plenty of wildlife. We had a full tour of the island and saw the salt pans where the salt is produced and shipped out.

The people were very friendly and of course being shown around by Bob’s friend David and his son Jason meant that we were not floundering in the dark ! Scuba diving and wind surfing are very big there and a large percentage of the visitors were there for that reason.

We flew back into ELH with American Eagle on Sunday as there are only flights into GHB on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It was a great plane and is a good option for getting here if you are prepared to negotiate Miami airport.

A quick word about the Celestial Chronicles Book Club meeting that I went to prior to our visit to Bonaire. It had a theme of Hollywood Glamour and we all dressed to the nines that evening. There was a lovely meal and the conversations about the book were good to hear. It gives the women there a forum and a structure to talk about how various themes apply to their own lives. It was great to be in the company of these women and hear what they had to say.

Incidentally they had hired a camera with a ring light to take everybody’s photo as they arrived. All I can say is that having flattering lighting is a really great thing ! I love my picture – but let me tell you I didn’t look nearly as good as that flattering light portrays !!

And so dear friends – most of you will be reading this on Thanksgiving. I wish you all a wonderful time and hope that you all take a moment to list the things that you are giving thanks for. Life itself, family, friends and all the small things that make our lives good. Special thoughts to those going through tough times, whether that is illness, bereavement or the multitude of problems that can make people feel lonely and isolated. ‘This too shall pass’ is the mantra for those times….