Sign-In
Cart
Goats Ate Our Wires: Stories of Travel for Business and Pleasure
Paperback
HumorTravel GeneralTravel Writing
ISBN13: 9781948792066
Publisher: Strelitzia Ventures
Published: Aug 28 2020
Pages: 462
Weight: 1.48
Height: 1.03 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
How do you start a solar business from nothing, and make it one of the world's largest?
Can you really see hundreds of thousands of birds in the middle of winter in Nebraska and will you freeze to death in the process?
Is there any limit to how much pasta can you eat in two weeks, if you really concentrate?
In this collection of stories, written as letters to his father and then to his aunt, Bob Hemphill recounts the challenges, the missteps, and the accomplishments of the solar business he started from scratch. How to find the panels the business needed, how to negotiate with governments about supporting subsidies, and how to find the enormous amounts of money that big solar projects require are all subjects discussed in detail,
frequently in humorous detail.
And then there are the visits to exotic locales, places with amazing architectural monuments, challenging and or delightful gastronomy, good weather and bad, and language not always clear or easy to understand. There are also the occasional sightings of birds large and small, or the unsuccessful attempts to sight them. Birds have a way of cooperating when you least expect it, or hiding when they're supposed
to be easy to see.
Hemphill's style is accessible and clear, frequently self-deprecating and always informative. You will learn a lot about wherever he finds himself and whatever he experiences. That experience will be honestly reported. This is not a how to make a million dollars self-important, look how smart I am kind of business book, it's more of a look how odd and interesting all this is approach to the vagaries of business and
life, with a humorous slant.
Also in
Travel Writing
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance [50th Anniversary Edition]: An Inquiry Into Values
Pirsig, Robert M.
Paperback
Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America
McCarthy, Andrew
Hardcover
Cuisine to Kill for (New 2026 Cookbook): Over 50 Recipes and True Crime Stories from the World's Most Haunted Places
Bruni, Amy
Hardcover
Travels with Charley in Search of America: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
Steinbeck, John
Paperback
Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive
Stein, Eliot
Hardcover
Pacific Coasting: A Guide to the Ultimate Road Trip, from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest
Kroll, Danielle
Hardcover
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Rosolie, Paul
Paperback
East Coasting: The Ultimate Roadtripper's Guide to New England
Chitnis, Christine
Dorazewski, Monica
Hardcover
One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey
Proenneke, Richard Louis
Keith, Sam
Paperback
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Moore, Harold G.
Galloway, Joseph L.
Paperback
The Scenic Route: Following My Inner Compass Across 12 Countries in 12 Months
Aviram, Sarah
Paperback
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback
Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond
McCoy, Cha
Hardcover
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-To-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Knighton, Conor
Paperback
Cheese Trekking: How Microbes, Landscapes, Livestock, and Human Cultures Shape Terroir
Warmedahl, Trevor
Hardcover
Counting Penguins: How a Penguin Colony Stole My Heart and Changed My Life
Watson, Peter John
Paperback
House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest
Childs, Craig
Paperback
Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World
Doerr, Anthony
Paperback
Lonely Planet Women Travel Solo: 30 Inspiring Stories of Adventure, Curiosity and the Power of Self-Discovery
Planet, Lonely
Hardcover
Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life
Schoenmaker, Noraly
Hardcover
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Hardcover
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance American Classics Edition: An Inquiry Into Values
Pirsig, Robert M.
Paperback
Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey That Changed My Life
Schoenmaker, Noraly
Paperback
Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America (Large Print Edition)
McCarthy, Andrew
Paperback
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
Weiner, Eric
Paperback
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro: A Tale of Passion and Folly in the Heart of Italy
McGinniss, Joe
Paperback
The Secret Knowledge of Water: Discovering the Essence of the American Desert
Childs, Craig
Paperback
Street Cats & Where to Find Them: The Most Feline-Friendly Cities and Attractions Around the World
Bogle, Jeff
Hardcover
Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth
Hoffner, Barry
Hardcover
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
Russell, Helen
Paperback
All You Need Is Flights: How Kintsugi, Moai, and Volcano Pizza Helped Me Make More Solo Travel Magic
Ruiz, Jen
Paperback
Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier
Adams, Mark
Paperback
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West
Wickenden, Dorothy
Paperback
Belonging to the World: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth
Hoffner, Barry
Paperback
Lost on Planet China: One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation
Troost, J. Maarten
Paperback
The Brendan Voyage: Sailing to America in a Leather Boat to Prove the Legend of the Irish Sailor Saints
Severin, Tim
Paperback
Long Lost: Three Trails, 8,000 Miles, One Unexpected Journey Across America's Triple Crown
Asars, Tami
Paperback
Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth
Finn, Adharanand
Paperback
A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee
Coyne, Tom
Paperback
Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan
Fatland, Erika
Paperback
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country: Traveling Through the Land of My Ancestors
Erdrich, Louise
Paperback
Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
Gyoza: The Ultimate Dumpling Cookbook: 50 Recipes from Tokyo's Gyoza King - Pot Stickers, Dumplings, Spring Rolls and More!
Yamamoto, Paradise
Hardcover
Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Not Visited and Never Will
Schalansky, Judith
Hardcover
Walking the High Desert: Encounters with Rural America Along the Oregon Desert Trail
Waterston, Ellen
Paperback
Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu
Troost, J. Maarten
Paperback
The Tristan Gooley Collection: How to Read Nature, How to Read Water, and the Natural Navigator
Gooley, Tristan
Hardcover