My Life Above the Clouds

Book excerpt: Who hasn’t dreamed of escaping a humdrum existence, shredding unrelenting debts, thumbing a nose at ravenous utility behemoths, and fleeing to some remote mountain hideaway? Ben did! Pull up a chair, pour a pleasing beverage, and follow his journey as he strives to exist off the grid, on ten magnificent acres atop an Idaho mountain. In that isolated setting, as he labors to convert its tiny cabin into a self-sufficient abode, he began to imagine that he was evolving into a modern-day Henry David Thoreau. His story chronicles, with humor and wisdom, his first year with his struggles, trials, errors, lessons learned, blunders made, friends acquired, and curious encounters with neighborhood wildlife. It is informative, enlightening, funny, and inspirational. Military yarns, trucker’s tales, and anecdotes abound, and liberally laced with the wit and wisdom of Henry David.