Brenda and I are enjoying time on Encore for some R & R

| March 31, 2014

Just a quick filler post after watching the sunset at the marina in Florida after a cold front passed and left a slim sunset photo opportunity looking over the boom. The cool air felt good and will make for great sleeping tonight … and was also an excellent opportunity for chili … which is always […]

Archiving a family photo my late mother would appreciate

| March 30, 2014

Mom would approve of the “handsome” (cough, cough) photo of “her three boys” as she called us. Ron (left) gave this photo to me last weekend when we were at dad’s house for dinner. It’s old school film to paper and from his daughter’s wedding last summer, but still worth scanning and archiving; I don’t […]

A final goodbye to Katelyn’s VW Jetta TDI

| March 29, 2014

Good news … but sad news today. My daughter sold her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and it left with the new owner in Columbus today; hopefully it will mean as much to him as it did to her. The little diesel TDI is the only car Katelyn has ever known and it took her from […]

TechFriday: Camtraptions and African Wildlife Photography

| March 28, 2014

Will Burrard-Lucas has been at the cutting edge of African wildlife photography using his BeetleCam and now BeetleCopter Camtraptions. The above video is from a GoPro Hero 3+ … but there are some excellent stills from the BeetleCam using a DSLR after the launch of his company in January 2014. Some great innovations. Click image […]

The iPad2: One of the best tech purchases I’ve ever made

| March 27, 2014

Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of my purchasing a second-hand iPad 2, shortly after playing with my friend’s new iPad 3 (that device has been out over 2 years, not sure about my iPad2 … 4 years?). I can’t believe how much I use this tech gadget — everything from email to web surfing […]

Freedompop LTE connects – Sprint carrier iPhone 5 does not

| March 26, 2014

This morning in a discussion with a friend about the new Sprint HD Voice being rolled out, I mentioned that my LTE capable iPhone5 was not connecting to the 4G Sprint towers in the area that did service my Freedompop4G LTE data access device. I’ve yet to figure out why some areas are servicing Sprint […]

As the song goes: It’s beginning to look a lot like Easter …

| March 26, 2014

Ok … so I have the holidays confused, but then so does Mother Nature. While driving around on Tuesday afternoon the squalls started and figured it was a perfect opportunity for an animated GIF. We can’t seem to shake off winter.   I expect to see a few flurries when I’m in northeast Ohio (had […]

Another boat project in the works: Air Conditioning on the cheap

| March 25, 2014

While I should be spending a few more evening hours working on taxes, I’ve instead been tinkering around on another boat improvement. This time I’m working to re-shelve one of the hanging lockers in order to install a removable 10,000 BTU Air Conditioner/Heat pump on the cheap. After reviewing all the more robust and expensive […]

Family weekend and visited a “first house” project

| March 24, 2014

It was a whirlwind week ending visit for Taylor as he was home from North Dakota for a visit with his friends in Cincinnati, Oxford (Miami University) and Cleveland. He also found time for family and picked up sister Katelyn in Columbus on his return from Cleveland. He drove her home for the weekend as […]

If you hate paying taxes, move to Wyoming or Alaska

| March 23, 2014

Wallethub compared how average families from each state when it comes to paying taxes … how does your state look? According to their color coded map, the brighter red your state, the more you pay; conversely, the greener your state, the lower your taxes, and brown puts you somewhere in the middle. If you hate […]

Spring weather and “I’ve got the music in me”

| March 22, 2014

With the improved weather (70 degrees in Cincinnati on Friday) and spring smell in the air, its feels like it is past due for some music on the blog. Here’s a mystery tune for the day, which of course from the 1970s, but this is one hit that I’m sure everyone has heard. The first […]

TechFriday: Use a VPN on Internet wifi hotspots

| March 21, 2014

Before I renew my current VPN service it is time to keep them honest when it comes to their subscription pricing. I’m testing the lower cost AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield Elite using their trial program before renewing my more expensive, but easy to use VPN service just to see if there is any difference. So far […]

Spring Break? Taylor must still think he is in college

| March 20, 2014

My son Taylor is back for a few days from North Dakota to visit friends (and mom and dad) and do a little shopping. That last part about shopping is my theory since I don’t think they have many JCrew stores or the like in Williston, although I could be wrong? Anyway it is nice […]

Paying attention to Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen

| March 19, 2014

It’s a big day for Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen as she took the stage and continued a third wave of tapering of the Federal Reserve’s bond buying program. Not that any of this was unexpected, but it an indication that the Fed sees the economy improving and is slowly removing the nation’s fiscal training wheels […]

Wrapping up the long weekend in Florida

| March 18, 2014

In wrapping up the “work trip” (cough, cough) down to Florida … I figured the trip would not be complete without at least a walk on the beach. Sunday afternoon sunshine made a good excuse to see how the sand felt on my feet – nice (panorama with the iPhone 5 above – click for […]

Panos, fender cleaning and that new rental car smell

| March 17, 2014

Above is an iPhone panorama photo of the aft of Encore but it was so distorted that I had to try and tweak it in Photoshop. Better than it was, but still a quirky perspective. The fenders used to keep boats from bumping together or into docks and pilings take abuse and get pretty weathered. […]

Trident LPG gas control switch, solenoid valve and detector

| March 16, 2014

  The to-do list for today listed the 12 volt LNG Propane gas switch, detector and solenoid diagnosis for the stove and oven aboard Encore. I almost ordered a new solenoid before the trip, but am glad I held off. Seems the weak link in the circuit is the detector/horn (top right) and has unfortunately […]

There’s a long term solution to every problem

| March 16, 2014

Saw this cute story about a problem and laughed at the creative solution. According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently was faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they […]

The local Osprey has targeted Encore today

| March 15, 2014

One would think that with me aboard working on a variety of projects this weekend that the fish eating Osprey would leave me alone? Unfortunately he or she has decided that a clean boat is a target (just finished washing down). Besides the bird bombing mess, my instrument upgrade did not go as planned. Unfortunately […]

Freedompop LTE hotspot is better than Time Warner at home

| March 14, 2014

Just another plug for Freedompop’s LTE wireless access; it is  providing better wifi access than public hotspots and even Time Warner Cable at home.

Hanging out with Encore and messing with electrical projects

| March 14, 2014

Although I know spring is around the corner, the Florida sunshine is nice, although I can’t say I felt much of it today as the temps were mid-60s and I spend the afternoon with my head buried below decks working on electrical gremlins – with some success I might add. Tomorrow the plan is to […]

The Keystone Pipeline and the Political Theater of the Absurd

| March 12, 2014

I keep thinking that something has got to give in Washington DC when it comes to the how the Obama administration and many in congress bog down the greatness of our country. The  lack of an economic recovery is hurting the middle class and there isn’t a commonsense reason for it. Take the debate over […]

Mother Nature has turned up the thermostat this afternoon

| March 11, 2014

With today’s temperatures in the 70’s, I can help but start thinking about longer days and warmer evening. Ah … it will be nice to put this winter behind us. Tuesday afternoon is sunny and down right warm. Unfortunately the weatherman says not so fast Ke-mo sah-bee (remembering The Lone Ranger). Maybe it is spelled […]

What is the best way to keep a load secure on top of your car?

| March 11, 2014

While I was uploading a short knot tying video for a blog post the last week, it occurred to me that very few people know how to tie a proper Trucker’s Hitch as a way to secure a load to the top of their car or in a trailer (great for securing a tent to […]

Jobs for America: Ideas that made America great

| March 10, 2014

For a country that should have a robust economy, we’re not showing it when looking at the employment numbers or the average family’s purchasing power (link Gallup). The U.S. Payroll to Population employment rate (P2P), as measured by Gallup, continued its recent decline in January, dropping to 42.0% from 42.9% in December. This is the […]

Unmanned school project sails the Atlantic … sort of

| March 10, 2014

   I love these kinds of  school projects … An English fisherman got an unexpected greeting from a Morristown [New Jersey] school this week, when a five-foot unmanned sailboat — at sea for a year and a half — made its way down the English Channel and caught his eye. The Crimson Tide, a sailboat […]

Teaching and spreading the Gospel — GroupBibleStudy.com

| March 9, 2014

Keith Thomas, writer, pastor and good friend of mine, has been using his “small group” expertise to help teach others how to lead Bible studies and to be more effective disciples of Christ. His writings and excellent Bible teaching materials are available at groupbiblestudy.com for all who are interested … share the Good News! I’ve […]

Don’t forget to “spring forward” for DST this weekend

| March 8, 2014

We’ve changed the Federal DST law quite a few time (surprised me) and I learned a few more things about Daylight Saving time this week … starting with that there isn’t an “s” on the end of “Saving” … duh! Daylight Saving time, or its abbreviation "DST" was an idea first proposed by Benjamin Franklin […]

Spending more time looking for things that doing things

| March 7, 2014

It seems as if I’m spending more time looking for parts and pieces that actually getting repairs done these last few days. Besides testing Raymarine components for Encore, I’m spinning my wheels looking for a shut-off solenoid for the propane locker, liquid silicone and port visors to seal a couple challenging water leaks (hatches and […]

What’s the difference between Jury Rig and Jerry Rig?

| March 6, 2014

Earlier this week I used a term in the title of a post, “Jury rigging SeaTalk connections on marine electronics,” and was sent an email questioning me about using the term Jury-Rig instead of Jerry Rig. Jury-Rig is the term used in my nautical books and magazines and I’ve adopted that, but  I like the […]

More on replacing sailboat electronics and instruments

| March 5, 2014

Another one of my Ebay winnings came in yesterday so I plugged it in on the workbench to make sure it would work. I think both Raymarine ST60+ instruments are in good shape and will be great replacements for the older defective Navman displays. I’m still hoping the depth transducer works with the new display, […]

Jury rigging SeaTalk connectors on marine electronics

| March 4, 2014

Another electrical project for Encore on the top of my list is trying to convert a couple of my defective Navman instruments to older used Raymarine ST60+ series instruments (made an Ebay purchase). After talking with a pretty sharp supplier to the marine industry, he convinced me that if I wire them correctly the ST60 […]

SOLD: Katelyn’s 2001 VW Jetta TDI and a family weekend

| March 3, 2014

The snow has returned again to stretch out this already long and cold winter. March has always been one of those questionable months, but one I generally associate with “spring” … so far not this year. Katelyn and Drew were home for the weekend and we had a great time together as usual. Besides talking […]

Roll Global Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin’ ad campaign

| March 1, 2014

I’m intrigued with marketing and advertising when it comes to what makes people tick. We see something and then decide to buy it. My education is not in marketing per se, but I know that I respond just as the advertising agency intended once in a while. Sometimes it is a newspaper or magazine ad […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog