Category Archives: Ranch Life

Stories and reflections from everyday life at Roy Creek Ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

Solar Panel Tilt and Mounting | Solar Power Rainwater Project

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Learn how to optimize solar panel tilt and mounting for real-world performance. This off-grid rainwater project explores panel angle, seasonal adjustments, and practical installation decisions to improve solar output efficiently.

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Solar Powered Rainwater Project – Grid Tie vs Off Grid Solar

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Learn how solar power system sizing drives real-world decisions about charge controllers, inverters, and grid tie vs off grid solar design. A practical guide to building a reliable, resilient solar system.

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How to Size a Solar Power System (Solar Power System Sizing Guide)

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Learn how to solar power system sizing with this step-by-step guide — including panel wattage, battery capacity, and real-world design factors.

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Weber Piano Project – Keyframe Cleanup

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With key bushings installed, it was back to the piano shop. In order to test the work, we would need to try a few keys in the keyframe and see they fit. First though, a little cleanup was in order. … Continue reading →

Weber Piano Project – New Bushings!

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So far, we’ve removed the action from the piano, disassembled, and cleaned it. There’s a surprising amount of effort involved in just those steps, and it was great to finally make progress in the rebuild. Make no mistake, the disassembly and … Continue reading →

Solar Power System Sizing Overview | Solar Powered Rainwater Project

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Learn how to approach renewable energy with this solar power system sizing overview. Using real-world data, this off-grid rainwater project walks through measuring energy use, calculating kWh, and building a reliable solar solution.

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Weber Action Rebuild – Key Cleaning Update

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In my last post, I listed the various tasks to finish key restoration. During the week, I was able to get the remaining tools to install bushings. These include a brush to apply hide glue, a small painting knife to … Continue reading →

Weber Action Rebuild – Removing Bushings and Cleaning

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After bringing the piano keys home from Bernard’s shop last week, I was hoping to remove the key bushings and clean the wooden, ebony and ivory parts. To remove the bushings, I rigged up an old travel-sized clothes steamer and … Continue reading →

Whirlpool Dishwasher Repair

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To paraphrase the old saw, into every life, a little appliance repair must fall. This must be my week. We’ve been living at Roy Creek Ranch since 1996, and the appliances are admittedly getting old. So far, I’ve replaced a … Continue reading →

Weber Grand Piano Action – Teardown

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After months of discussion and planning, we were ready to rebuild the action in the Weber grand piano. I had moved the action to Bernard Mollberg’s shop near Blanco, Texas the previous week, and was looking forward to starting. Arriving at the … Continue reading →