Return of the Half Moon

We recently had a very special visitor appear in the Athens Waterfront, an 85-foot replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed while exploring the Hudson River in 1609.

We are quickly approaching the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's Voyage along the river. From the Canadian border to New York harbor, a wealth of events and activities are being planned in commemoration of the Quadricentennial. The celebration is expected to draw people from all over the world.

The original ship, called the Halve Maen, was commissioned on March 25, 1609 for the Dutch East India Company. The company hired Hudson, an Englishman, to search for a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He thought he had found that passageway when he sailed up the river that was later named for him.

In making his trip up the river, Hudson claimed the area for the Dutch and opened the land for settlers who followed. His voyage came 10 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

The replica of the Half Moone was built in Albany, N.Y. in 1989 to commemorate the Dutch role in exploring and colonizing America. Plans are being developed to make the Half Moon the first exhibit of the proposed New Netherlands Museum, which would tell the story of Dutch colonization of North America and the founding of the states of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

We will be looking out for the arrival of one of the Half Moon's sister ships to be stationed at the Athens Waterfront this Summer, stay tuned for details.

Click here for more on Henry Hudson & the Half Moon.

Also see the Explore NY 400 site for more on the upcomining Quadricentennial Events.

Green Technology Conference

Historic Buildings & Green Energy

June 20 – 23, 2007

Howard Hall Farm is pleased to bring you our Green Technology Conference 2007. This is an AIA Certified Course, which gives a detailed overview of the considerations of planning and using alternative energy in the historic home or building. Our mission is to educate practitioners so that we may both honor the past and protect the future.

The conference will be headed up by a panel of experts including Randolph Horner, who has recently been featured in newspapers around the world for his groundbreaking plan to take Woodstock, NY to zero carbon.

Two different segments are offered, the first being geared toward the Historic Site Manager, Architect, Engineer, and Design Professional, which takes place over three days. The second segment is a weekend-long abbreviated version tailored towards the homeowner.

This promises to be a dynamic discussion and one that will allow for audience participation, as well as address the goals of attendees.

AIA Certificates of Completion will be distributed to attendees at the conclusion of the workshop.

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Course Outline

Part I. Finance

I. Policy Trends

• Congress, New York Sate, & Public Sector

II. National & New York State Incentives

• NYSERDA & Green Lending

III. Community Engagement/Financing

• Capitol Campaigns, donations, & banks

Part II. Technology

I. Ground Exchange Heating or Ground Coupled/Source Heating & Cooling

• Energy Costs: Fuel & Electric
• How they are derived?
• What to do about it?
• Why it is cost effective?

II. RE + EE or Renewable Energy plus Energy Efficiency

• Ground Source Systems: photovoltaic, solar, & on-site generation
• Symbiotic relationship with the grid
• Companion Technology
• Looking Ahead: anticipating energy costs

Part III. Design Considerations

I. Energy Integrity & the Historic Building

• Envelope improvement without sacrifice: striking a balance
• Cultural: what is the overall mission of historic site?
• Energy containment: foundation, walls, & windows
• Aesthetics: pipes, ducts, & wiring

Articles on Randolph Horner's Zero Carbon Intiative:

New York Times

CNN

Telegraph UK

New Arrivals!

Reggie's been telling me for weeks of a sneaking suspicion that baby lambs would be arriving any day. Indeed, I had noted the fluffiness of certain ewe's, but wasn't sure it was anything but winter wool in need of good sheering. Though a few of them did seem to be swaggering around a little more slowly as of late.

Well, I've definitely learned my lesson... always trust the instincts of a Pennsylvania farmboy when it comes to these things! There was (for now) at least one ready to bring us some springtime joy in the form of twins! These photos were taken when they were just 1 hour old . . .

Behold the latest Howard Hall Farm additions...

More to come? We'll keep ewe posted.

Wind Farm Visit

The Fenner Renewable Energy Center, Inc. is a grass-roots organization that was formed to educate the public on the benefits of renewable energy and other sustainable practices. They are located on-site at the Fenner Wind Farm in the heart of Central New York. Since late 2001, they have lived and worked amongst the 20 turbines that make up this 30 MW wind project. They organized the project to share their unique experience and to encourage others to embrace a clean energy future.

Reggie and resident Architect Bob Godwin recently paid a visit to the farm to discover more about their phenomenal efforts in wind technology.

Reggie's report from the field:

The wind farm was truly amazing. I, with everything going on, forgot to take a coat and hat. One thing you want to remember always on visits to a wind farm is to over-dress! I suffered a little bit due to this mistake. However, even freezing beyond belief, it is a shocking experience to take this place in... towers 330 feet tall and 100 foot blades!

What makes this wind farm unique is the sheer vision in putting it all together. The turbines are scattered among the entire mountain range, sort of willy nilly -- some tucked in to slight recesses in the hilltop. They have an average wind of 18 miles per hour. The turbines are programed to shut down when wind reaches 63 mph, as the blades are designed to turn and deflect the wind when stronger (this is called feathering), otherwise the entire structure is always turning to face the wind. Yesterday the wind was pretty much coming from the same direction so they where all facing the same direction, apparently this can change quite a bit depending on the nature of the wind.

It is a very distorting optical effect looking at these giants. Its hard to really get a sense of the size when looking at the landscape, only when you get up close does it impact your brain how enormous they are. This farm also unique in that they are never designed quite like this, but rather they typically fall in lines, and there are more of them. Here there 20 turbines. This design was an experiment, one that Joan assured us won't happen again. The design has to be more cost effective. Of course the government subsidizes power of all other sorts, but not wind power (!!!!), so its difficult to finance a truly well thought out and effective wind farm. This one is a bit of an anomaly.

It is encouraging that this group endeavored to try something new with the idea that innovation is a worthy cause for greater understanding of alternative energy. This project is also spotlighting the need for greater assistance for alternative energy projects within New York State and beyond. Very cool thing... kudos!

-- Reggie

River Tavern Grand Opening

Reggie, Nora, & crew have been working-away for the past few months on a very exciting project here in Athens! The River Tavern at the Stewart House Hotel is a rich part of the community's history dating back to 1883. Reggie & Nora have re-conceptualized & redesigned the waterfront bar & restaurant integrating the historic features which make it so beloved.

Please take a look at their blog to catch a glimpse of Nora's magnificent murals and the new menu!

Chimneys cleared, stairs scraped, floors found, and alliteration abounds!

So even though I posted that Ralph was about to begin demo in the blue room, now, just a couple hours later it's finished and he's in the attic tearing up the nasty floor of the bathroom to reveal large old boards beneath. I've never seen anyone work so fast.
**The room went from this:**

**To this:**

**To these:**



**Can you believe this guy?**
It's insane...you can look at the blue album below to see the before and after pictures of the demo. You won't believe this all happened in the small part of the afternoon in one day! And he didn't just do the demo and clean up in that time. He also neatly stacked hundreds of old bricks...crazy.

Blossom is lonely today. Reggie's not in the office, and I don't have time to play with her. I tried to have her sit quietly in my lap but she kept eating my sleeve.

Ralph found an old photo album in the attic wall. If you recognize any of these people, send an email to howardhall.farm@gmail.com to claim it.

Meanwhile, out in the yard, Harry's preparing the gigantic beams to be hoisted into the attic.

And Lorena is scraping years of accumulated lead paint from the Victorian staircase:

**Look at the lovely rose-colored wood under there! I can't believe people painted over it!**

The hero of the day is Ralph, who is now officially dubbed Speedy Gonzales:

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On his way out today, I was telling Ralph that it's scary how much work he got done, and his reply was,
"Well don't go into the attic then, because I also ripped out the bathroom floor..."