Someone loan me a bunker!
I'll tell you what! That High Desert Hideaway I dream of going to some day is sounding better with each passing day. My only problem is that I lack the money to build my retirement retreat. I can't remember if I ever described my retirement dream home or not to you folks. (probably did... but hey... I'm getting old and forgetful) I can't remember if I ever.... wait a minute.... I just said that.... well... you get the point.
My High Desert Hideaway has been described by some as a "bunker." I think that's unfair however it does have a lot in common with a bunker. First of all it's all concrete and, for the most part, buried under about 4 feet of earth. Not buried is the front of the house and the garage doors. These features face generally East to catch the morning sun. This also shelters the face of the house from the afternoon sun and from the prevailing winds which tend to blow from the South, West and North the majority of the time. Steel blackout "shutters" are installed to protect any windows. Generally these are rolled up out of sight but can quickly be lowered to seal and protect the house. (Handy for prairie fires and tornadoes to name but two hazards.)
The features described so far make the house almost maintenance free, immune to insects and 99% of all natural disasters. We'll still bite it if we get hit by an asteroid. The roof is covered with 4 feet of filter sand for both insulation and water filtration when it rains. Any rainwater making it's down to the roof is drained off into holding tanks for secondary usage. Watering plants, flushing toilets and things of that nature. The balance of the water comes from an on site well. Power is supplied by a bank of deep cycle batteries charged by a combination of wind and solar power. Backup is a dual fuel generator with auto start and auto load switching. Batteries are obviously DC devices so the AC power comes via a bank of inverters equal to twice the maximum calculated load of the home. (I like safety factors)
The majority of the hot water is provided via solar heaters with backup via propane powered tankless heater. Hot water is stored in a super insulated tank built into the back wall of the garage. Since sun light is free and there is a LOT of it in the desert... stored hot water capacity is roughly 400 gallons. Seems like a lot I know.... however this heat can also be used to warm the floors through tubing buried just below the surface and controlled by zoned solenoid valves and small circulating pumps moving water through a heat exchanger coil in the tank. Using a simple switching system the floors could also be cooled the same way. Propane is my one connection to the outside world. However I plan to have a storage tank large enough that it will only need filling annually. Less often with luck.
Style inside the house is casual southwestern. For the most part it all looks quite normal inside... except for the fact that all the windows are on one side of the house. There is a gourmet kitchen with ample capacity in both frozen and pantry type foods. Again I plan on provisions sufficient for about one year without restocking. While we'll still probably go shopping about once a month... I like the safety factor. Also stored are an ample supply of plant and crop seeds.... should they be needed. While I haven't mentioned protection.... you can pretty much count on the fact that this will be a very tough nut to crack. How about we say that dropping by unexpectedly is not recommended and I'll just leave it at that.
The reason for this post is my deep concern for the fate of the country. The media created a monster and the left elected him... now were all stuck with that. Our new president has either signed into law... or proposes passage of.... more spending that has been done by ALL the Presidents who preceded him! (And we all remember how the left bitched and moaned about President Bush's spending, don't we?) What "W" spent in 8 years doesn't amount to a pimple on a elephants butt compared to what Obama has done in 50 days. Anyone hear the left bitching a moaning about spending now? Oh hell no! NOW spending is GOOD and we must spend more and more and MORE! Unchecked it will destroy not only our economy but that of the industrialized world as well.
While the left sends the country down the crapper and transforms it into a lovely little 3rd world socialist nanny state.... I'd prefer to sit it out in my High Desert Hideaway... thank you very much. Note to Obama and all the rest of the liberal left.... If I need anything from you folks.... I'll track you down. Otherwise... leave me the hell alone. Simple enough? Here's hoping that the nation survives......
My High Desert Hideaway has been described by some as a "bunker." I think that's unfair however it does have a lot in common with a bunker. First of all it's all concrete and, for the most part, buried under about 4 feet of earth. Not buried is the front of the house and the garage doors. These features face generally East to catch the morning sun. This also shelters the face of the house from the afternoon sun and from the prevailing winds which tend to blow from the South, West and North the majority of the time. Steel blackout "shutters" are installed to protect any windows. Generally these are rolled up out of sight but can quickly be lowered to seal and protect the house. (Handy for prairie fires and tornadoes to name but two hazards.)
The features described so far make the house almost maintenance free, immune to insects and 99% of all natural disasters. We'll still bite it if we get hit by an asteroid.
The majority of the hot water is provided via solar heaters with backup via propane powered tankless heater. Hot water is stored in a super insulated tank built into the back wall of the garage. Since sun light is free and there is a LOT of it in the desert... stored hot water capacity is roughly 400 gallons. Seems like a lot I know.... however this heat can also be used to warm the floors through tubing buried just below the surface and controlled by zoned solenoid valves and small circulating pumps moving water through a heat exchanger coil in the tank. Using a simple switching system the floors could also be cooled the same way. Propane is my one connection to the outside world. However I plan to have a storage tank large enough that it will only need filling annually. Less often with luck.
Style inside the house is casual southwestern. For the most part it all looks quite normal inside... except for the fact that all the windows are on one side of the house. There is a gourmet kitchen with ample capacity in both frozen and pantry type foods. Again I plan on provisions sufficient for about one year without restocking. While we'll still probably go shopping about once a month... I like the safety factor. Also stored are an ample supply of plant and crop seeds.... should they be needed. While I haven't mentioned protection.... you can pretty much count on the fact that this will be a very tough nut to crack. How about we say that dropping by unexpectedly is not recommended and I'll just leave it at that.
The reason for this post is my deep concern for the fate of the country. The media created a monster and the left elected him... now were all stuck with that. Our new president has either signed into law... or proposes passage of.... more spending that has been done by ALL the Presidents who preceded him! (And we all remember how the left bitched and moaned about President Bush's spending, don't we?) What "W" spent in 8 years doesn't amount to a pimple on a elephants butt compared to what Obama has done in 50 days. Anyone hear the left bitching a moaning about spending now? Oh hell no! NOW spending is GOOD and we must spend more and more and MORE! Unchecked it will destroy not only our economy but that of the industrialized world as well.
While the left sends the country down the crapper and transforms it into a lovely little 3rd world socialist nanny state.... I'd prefer to sit it out in my High Desert Hideaway... thank you very much. Note to Obama and all the rest of the liberal left.... If I need anything from you folks.... I'll track you down. Otherwise... leave me the hell alone. Simple enough? Here's hoping that the nation survives......
posted by Rev. Joe Ruyle | 9:34 PM
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