Ciao, everyone,
You send an energy guy out on a trip and you’ve got to expect observations.
First leg we drug our baby and 3 yr. old to was the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia. This is the good life: life on the water, private docks, access to the world! The minimum was a 40 footer in front. But the real spendies had a ski boat, a 40’+ sailboat, then a large cruiser. (Where are the people though?) Kept looking for solar panels on the sun drenched water front roofs, but I guess I did not look hard enough.

Lots of big trucks and SUV’s on the road, but this is the land of the Washington DC retiree. With gas at $1.78/gal, let the good times roll.
It was most interesting reading about energy miser houses in my July HomePower magazine, listening to one or both of my in-laws’ AC compressors (6 kilowatts/ea for those counting). Then I could not decide which refrigerator to grab a cold one from.

Jeremy made the plane ride to Scotland as the sleeping baby he is. Both our boys are proving to be hearty travelers.

You feel the functionality of Scotland the moment you step off the plane. Great to be in a place free of the job snob. People do what they do for work there and seem happy with it. All seem to get along quite wonderfully.

OK, so small cars are built to fit on small roads, but I still cannot figure out how cars with so much power barely affect the gas gauge. Maybe we need to think about reducing smog restrictions, then increasing our mileage requirements. There’s go to be a balance here of clean air and independence. Paying out $5.40 /gal does squeeze the best technology out though. They ran the super efficient diesel in most cars until the recent raise in diesel fuel to exceed gas. I have to guess that they’re getting technology we don’t get.

If you just give someone a spoon, they’ll still find a way to eat with it. Even their common delivery vans were the size of our Subaru Outback. We even got stalked by a Scottish couple in Arbroath, thinking we were drunk drivers. Once I told her we USA’ns she understood. Imagine shifting a stick w/your left hand, while negotiating a road which, if it was a US road, would not even be wide enough to put a divider stripe. Guess I’m just used to our maximum road width.

Aside from cars though, here’s the absolute kicker: It’s rare to find a clothes dryer in a Scottish household! Even thought they’re up at 57degree latitude, and are not known to be a sun splashed burnzone, the clothes go outside. Then on those short winter days (think Alaska people) they dry the clothes on the radiators, or on lines on the kitchen, tapping into the rising heat of the oven and stove. Sadly our original road/homeowner’s association contract stated NO CLOTHES OUTSIDE! To bad, because we get enough sun to dry laundry for 6 families here. (But we’re rebels).

Much of my family started out in this land. With common sense living, we may end up there, or like them.
Push the kids to Florence Italy in a double stroller? Why do they have to change the name Firenze anyway? If I can say burrito grande, I can handle Firenze. Bet that stroller saw 200 miles though. Airports, train stations, and many street miles.

If we were on a train, Ian was absolutely in heaven. Kelly and I could also get used to relaxing in hi speed trains to get around too. Does the kid realize something we don’t?

All small rides in Italy too. Then they buy the shit out of the Smart cars. Damn, these things can compete with the scooters for parking. Read about em’ here plz: http://www.aol.com/autos/index.adp?ref=ws
Sadly, Italian’s don’t seem to be to crazy with Americanas. I remember being there in 89’ and found red white and blue to be a trend. Don’t vote Bush if you care about Europe’s perception of us.

Thank the gods they feed us well though. Plus their table wine beats a lot of our fine CA bottled.

So all my eyes did not see one Prius or Civic hybrid over there. Makes me wonder if we’re being target marketed by the battery companies? Drive em’ if you got em’ though. I just might believe that we are being sold a bill of goods here in regard to how we live, and that we’re possibly denied some of the efficiency that many Europeans have been used to. Did I mention that BBC and CNN over there show much more news there than I’ve EVER seen here? The international CNN seems to be expected to provide more news, with 1/5 of the commercials.
What can the eurpoeans learn from Americans? Well besides acting and music, they got to start picking up their trash. They got to get off the ciggies too. We have better access to a healthier lifestyle than Italians and Scots.

So I’ll drive off in to the sunset in my 300 hp turbo diesel long bed pickup. But hell, it runs on grape seed oil. I’ll just make sure I leave enough of the plant for wine. But Mark Zubek and I stuffed 48 solar panels in it, along with solar racks, a ladder, and many tools for 2. One trip to a jobsite is still one less than two!