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head, and said, “I have all the engineering book learning, but not enough real world experience to know that. I’m glad to have your help, and your experience.”
     
    The next morning, they started loading the truck and a small trailer with everything that might be needed in their new home. David assured them that there was plenty of furniture to pick from. Elmer did have a good selection of tools, some fishing gear, and some heritage seeds. Alice had a kitchen full of stuff as well as bedding, an old sewing machine, knitting supplies, and family pictures. They also took the wood stove and the hand pump for the well.
     
    They were ready to leave by early afternoon of the next day. David turned to Alice and asked, “any regrets about leaving?”
     
    She shook her head and replied. “No, no, we were not safe there anymore. We have had a good run, but we need to move on. Elmer needs medical attention. His arm is not healing. I’ll miss my roses, but I took some cuttings.”
     
    They saw that most of the notices were gone, and David considered that a good sign. They arrived just before dark, and just pulled into the warehouse. Unloading would wait until the next day.
     
    Tiny had seafood stew and pan bread supper ready to prepare, and within an hour they were sharing a meal by battery lantern light.
     
    Tiny also had news of two different groups of visitors. The first was two men from the other side of El Dorado Hills. They promised to return for the fair.
     
    The second group of three heavily armed men arrived yesterday afternoon on bicycles. They had come down Highway 50 from the Placerville area. They were wary, but impressed, especially with the security and the shelter offered by the furniture store. They also said that a large group from their area would come down the hill for the fair.
     
    The next day, everyone worked to get the Frombachs settled in the big furniture store office.
     
    David finally was able to address the solar system problem. It was almost sundown when he connected a converter powered by the truck battery to a single panel and converter. The green LED indicator on the panel converter flashed on, and when he connected the AC output to a flood lamp, it illuminated. It went out a few minutes later as the sunlight faded. It was a major milestone on the road back.
     
    During the next few days, everyone but David worked to prepare for the weekend fair. David worked to disconnect the damaged panels from the rooftop grid. When that task was completed, two thirds of the panels were available for power generation. Using the single panel he had been able to use the forklift charger to charge an array of a dozen batteries salvaged from car on the eastbound Highway 50. He used three small converters supplied by the battery array to provide the startup power.
     
    Early Friday morning, a school bus pulling a trailer arrived with the first group from Placerville. After they had unloaded, it went back up the hill for another load. By the end of the day, 27 different family groups had arrived, some on motorized vehicles, a few on wagons, and several walking.
     
    The fair was a huge success, and the last of the visitors did not leave until Monday afternoon. David promised to hold another every other month, and everyone promised to return. David had set up a bulletin board with a place to list things they needed and things they had to swap. He decided to include the listing on the back of the next fair notice.
     
    When it became obvious that the listing was going to be more than one page, David was complaining that he might as well be trying to publish a newspaper. Alice overheard his comment and replied. “Why don’t you?” 
     
    That answer sparked the beginning of the Inland Sea Beacon, a three page, legal paper, sized document that included news, opinion, advertising, and a comic strip. The first issue was printed on an inkjet printer and then reproduced 100 times on a laser photocopier. Each paper