Fade to Grey (Book 1): Fade to Grey Read Free Page B

won’t come this far
out. I imagine between his truck and mine we’ll be able to top off all of his
fuel tanks in just two or three trips. As much as he’s going to like the gas
and diesel I’m bringing with me, I’m pretty sure he is going to go ballistic
about his big surprise. Since his cabin is so remote, off the grid as they say,
his main source of power through the years has been generators. A few years ago
he invested in a small solar array with a battery bank, charge controller, and
inverter. It’s a 400 total watt system, but in the back of my truck I have
additional panels that will double his total wattage. I also have several more
high quality batteries to add to the battery bank. Well I’m almost there so I’m
going to stop recording for now.
     
    *click*
    I was right. Uncle Andy was floored when I showed him the
full barrels of fuel, and the solar panels made him grin from ear to ear. He’s
been without power for about five days now; well that’s not exactly true. He
thinks that there’s something wrong in the inverter or charge controller, but
he hasn’t had time to mess with it. Besides, he’d have plenty of power if he
just ran the generators, but he’s been working in his garden and around the
cabin and hasn’t spent any time on the computer lately, so no need for power he
says. It’s about 11:00 PM right now, and I’m sitting by the edge of the small
lake near his cabin. He went to bed a few hours ago, after we made plans to try
and find out what’s wrong with his solar system tomorrow, and assuming we can
do that, then we’ll hook up the new panels and batteries. The day after that
we’re gonna spend transporting fuel to top off his storage tanks. He’s got a
400 gallon diesel tank and two 300 gallon gas tanks. He’s also got four of the one
hundred pound propane tanks that we’ll have to take in to get filled, although
he thinks two of them are still full. While I’m in a talkative mood, I should
mention that the mystery of the tire tracks on the dirt road, as well as the
upgraded condition that the road seemed to be in has been solved. When I pulled
in here, I immediately noticed that Uncle Andy has been a busy beaver since the
last time I saw him. He had put up a new metal outbuilding, one of those prefab
pole barns. I’m guessing it’s about twenty-five by forty. Sitting next to it
was one of those little termite backhoes. I say little, but he told me it was
the largest diesel engine one they make. I’ve never been on one, but it looks
like fun. I think they’re actually called Terramite, not termite. Hmmm . . . I
like termite better. He’s also got the supports in place . . . what do you call
them—pillars or pylons or something—for the dock he’s building. I think he's
most proud of his garden, though. This year he has lots of raised beds and a
huge area (probably almost an acre) that he has “moose-fenced” in, as he calls
it. Basically it means that he has it field-fenced in with an additional hot
wire six feet off the ground that runs off of a solar fence charger. Well, I’m
getting tired, so later.
     
    *click*
    Did you ever have that feeling in your stomach, kind of that
sense of unease?  Well, I’ve got it now. It’s a little after 2:00 AM and I’m slightly
buzzed. It’s been awhile since I’ve had more than two or three beers in a night;
but that’s not what’s making me uneasy in my stomach. I came out to my truck to
get my poncho liner that I use for a blanket—I had it up front with me because
it was a last minute addition and didn’t get packed in the duffel. Anyway, I
don’t know why I did it, but I turned the key to accessory and turned the radio
on. I hit scan and stopped at the first station that came in semi-clear. It was
in the middle of a broadcast about danger in Korea, Japan, and Mexico. The
report wasn’t very clear, almost as if they were reporting on something that
they heard from somebody else who heard it from another person.