@John5097
There have never been public utilities out here, which is not all that unusual in our remote rural region. Our area was known - until it became popular, even trendy - as the solar capital of the states, and much innovation came about here. There was even a parade of people powered vehicles. We had one of them parked here, which was called the Yellow Submarine, made from a fiberglass septic tank.
Nope, our house is not tiny, it is about 4000 sq ft. We have acres of glass ( I call it living in a fishbowl) which is double pane and tinted for glare. South and west facing glass walls are buffered by a wraparound solarium, which protects from storms and warms the house in winter. The guest wing is up to the most recent building codes, with so much insulation to offset the glass in there, which is also tempered for the wind and storms which can happen in winter. You've already inspired me to consider efficiency building codes and such for my list. This discussion is getting my brain going, something I need more of after more than a year of isolating here on the mountain. Thank you!
In the 1950's it was not "cool" to car pool, but my father did it every day to work and back, with a group of friends who all worked in the same downtown area. We did not have a car for many years, we walked everywhere, and rode public transportation - busses, trains, ferries, shuttles, streetcars. Even when we got a car it was garaged unless we were going somewhere, like camping out in the wilderness, all over gorgeous places including this one, for a weekend or a vacation. This is a strong trend here - when we have guests from the City, they are usually in a rented car, they don't need one where they live and work.
Permaculture is like religion here. One of the Gurus of the movement is local, we can see where his place is, on one of the mountains opposite us across the valley: John Jeavons, you likely already know of him. As you do, our restaurants are all into locally grown organic foods, including meats, eggs, poultry. We also have a local fishing and crabbing community to source from. Our freezer has locally produced lamb and beef, as well as some venison and elk gifted from a friend who bow hunts. Every community here has a Farmer's Market, and also a variety of CSA farmers. Our FFA and 4H are very big here, as are the County Fairs and rodeos.
I have a bound local guide here for guests to use and take along on road trips. I'm a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council, Tourism Bureau, etc. I use all their resources, picking what the guest indicates are their particular interest here. I love playing Concierge; who else is better qualified to provide them the best experiences? Our County is the size of Connecticut, with perhaps 75K people, so this is a paradise for city folk needing time away.
Since our night sky is so dark - no neighboring or ambient light to disturb us - we do star shows regularly, loving to show the stars, planets, and neighboring galaxy to visitors. The Milky Way and seasonal meteor showers are so wonderful. When the Space Station passes by we are tempted to wave!
I'm looking forward to more exchange of ideas with you, thanks!