I started a thread about going solar for some accent lighting and got a lot of good ideas.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/307299-help-low-voltage-lighing-ideas.html
Running power down to the gazebo isn't practical right now. I'm clearing trees and moving dirt in that area and will be for some time into the future. I would like to have it lit up at night, and think that a solar cell charging a 12 volt battery with a timer on some low voltage lights might work. I also want the battery to power a 12 volt pump that will pull water out of the pond and water the flowers that I plan on planting around the gazebo.
My current thinking is a LED rope light around the eves and some LED spotlights on the beams and the cupola. The timer on the lights will probably be the same one I have on my deer feeder and the lights will remain on for about two hours after dark. Then the pump will turn on and run for a few minutes or whatever it takes to water the plants. This seems like the simplest way to keep from discharging the battery too much. I'm also looking into going with two 6 volt golf cart batteries.
The wedding is at 10AM, so lighting isn't a concern. I have a small Honda generator for power during the ceremony, though I'm not sure why we'll need it. Then it will be moved over to where the party will be at, but again, I'm not sure why. After it gets dark I'll probably run a string of lights for those who last all day and camp out. There seems to be some interest in that, so we'll see.
One of the things we want to offer for those sticking around for the party after the wedding is a zip line. Karen and I enjoyed it a lot on our last cruise when we stopped in Roatan Honduras. While the pond is still low, I put in two 20ft treated poles at the edge of the water. My next step will be to run the cable from a big oak tree 50 feet behind the poles and then over the deep end of the pond. The actual run of the zip line will be 400 feet and I'm going to buy a 500 ft roll of 3/8 galvanized cable.
I wont know where to mount the end of the cable until I get it run and see how it looks. The same applies to the platform on the poles. Once I see where the cable height is at the poles, I'll know where to build the platform. The platform will have stairs that go up to it to make it easy to get up there and feel safe. Then it will extend 8 feet out over the pond. This is also for safety. The trolley will be a handle style that you can attach a seat to. If you fall off or can't hold on, the fall will be into the pond.
One thing that we haven't been able to figure out is how to get the trolley back to the platform after going down it. Probably have to have a light rope or heavy string attached to it and then just pull it back by hand, but that might be an issue keeping it from getting tangled. I also thought about a fishing real type set up. If I used a heavy test line and a surf type reel, that might work. Any other, better ideas? The trolley that I'm looking at is bolted together over the cable, so unhooking it and carrying it back isn't a good option. Maybe I'll find another style of trolley?
Eddie