March 10, 2007
Living off the grid
Cape Cod Times: Lost in the woods:
Joel Connolly ... The semi-hermit and part-time philosopher who lived off the grid, lost his 1700s-era farmhouse to fire Tuesday, thrusting him into the 21st century with a thud. Now, the self-sufficient Connolly, 75, a guy who rarely spends money and lives off the land to the point of eating roadkill, is faced with depending on others to help rebuild his peculiar, but admired, way of life. ... ''He's the real deal,'' said Brewster neighbor Jim Maples. ''You've got all these pseudo-wannabee dropout green people, and he dropped out 50 years ago.''
The roadkill thing fascinates me... here's a guy who was doing it as a choice, not necessity. ...you've probably seen Connolly, the bewhiskered bicyclist, zipping through town, perhaps on the lookout for squished squirrel... I have to say, sometimes I see this abundance of squirrels we seem to have and wonder what kind of eatin' they are... ''Skunk liver is one of the best-tasting livers I've ever had. Raccoons and skunks have nice fat underneath and it melts out and you get nice grease for shortening.''
I love how among his eccentricities it is mentioned: "He is also a frequent caller to local and National Public Radio talk shows." Damn NPR crazies.
It's a sad story, but, no matter how far off the grid you are it's a travesty not to have insurance, especially on an historic home. Nonetheless, I hope the town can work something out for him.
Posted by David at March 10, 2007 10:07 AM | EditWasn't there another person on the Cape who was living underground on someone else's property; and had been doing this for years? They dug out a series of rooms and just lived there unnoticed. It might have been some conservation land. I remember this story from a few years ago
Joel Connelly is an old family friend. He used to bring grapefruit and oranges up from Florida during the winters. We still have a picture of him on the fridge with my brother and I working on his VW bus. I'm going to see if I can help him build a new place. Thanks for blogging on this issue. Chris