I saw a patron check this out so on a whim I decided to read it when they returned the book. I was intrigued from the beginning, lately I've been interested in the tiny house movement and living off grid and this book makes that "far out idea" seem even more desirous. Ted and Kathy Carns have lived off grid at The Stone Camp for years and created their own little utopia. Ted breaks down how he did it, and how it wasn't an overnight process, it took years of hard work, salvaging, tinkering, and flea marketing to piece together their wonderful independent home. They have zero waste, recycle everything (coming up with ingenious ways to re-purpose everything!), and are completely self-reliant. It sounds hard but they've come up with inventive ways to hook up tvs, blenders, laptops, and more so they don't feel behind in any regard. This wonderful book isn't soo much a guide (although it does contain recipes, a few DIY projects, pictures, and basic outlines), as it is a memoir. Ted Carns admits freely throughout the book that there are many other handy DIY guides and manuals and pushed the reader to see where he got inspiration and how he improved on it. Very inspiring. A good look into how we can all make the world a better more sustainable place. ( )

Too much blowing of his own horn, many digressions into silly little remeniscences. Not enough "meat and potatoes" information. Not enough photos. Some value in peltier crystal information. He is a work horse, a bit off plumb. Do check out his webpage. Lots of nice photos. ( )