Racing in Daytona Beach – my dad’s photo from 1950

| August 16, 2017

Another photo (above) from my an envelope containing a few of my dad’s trips before meeting my mom … interesting to think about the history of stock car racing in Daytona Beach Florida. Back in the early 1950s the beach and A-1-A were used at the straightaways and a grandstand at the corner. What I […]

New residents have moved next door in Florida

| July 14, 2017

This past week while in Florida to do a little boat work, as well as a repair item at the Delray Beach condo, I noticed several new residents – hm?  We have always had itty-bitty chameleons, but never the big lizards (or perhaps “medium” sized ones). This was a new surprise for me as I […]

Keep an eye on your CCW license expiration date

| July 13, 2017

Having a CCW license is just one more expiration to creep up on you if you are not paying attention. I’m not sure how I remembered, but glanced at my 35 day past expiration on my Ohio Concealed Carry license are realized it has already been 5 years. Wow, it seems like just the other […]

Good times and great family memories in Florida #TBT

| June 22, 2017

It is too easy to stumble across great memories and think, "that would make for a great Throw Back Thursday #TBT post!" If I were to do that, there would be no end to "blog fillers" on Thursdays (or really on Wednesday evenings). Here’s a favorite photo of Katelyn and Taylor on a trip to […]

A few more photos for the Encore archive

| February 12, 2017

Posting a few leftover photos from my last trip to the boat. One is a waterproof fitting to bring the solar cable thru Encore‘s deck (eventually a new project) … and a couple more of an early morning sunrise at the dock at Harbortown Marina in Fort Pierce. Really the trip was a quick getaway […]

Generator, Curtain, Solar and overheating diesel on Encore

| December 11, 2016

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What was Hurricame Matthew coming ashore like?

| October 8, 2016

Watching Hurricane Matthew and Cleveland Indians

| October 7, 2016

Hurricane Matthew is blasting up Florida’s Atlantic coast at this early morning moment. I’ve been back and forth between baseball and the Weather Channel which spent much of the night broadcasting from all places, Fort Pierce, FL. I exchanged text messages at midnight with our friends riding out the storm there and will stay up […]

Hurricane Matthew projections are not good for Encore

| October 5, 2016

Perhaps I’m being a bit to self-focused in worrying about “just a sailboat” when millions of lives are going to be impacted by Hurricane Matthew? I think it is time for the final preparation … pray for safety for those in the path of this storm (and Encore). EDIT: A buddy of mine was asking […]

Hurricanes Matthew prep a priority for Florida and Encore

| October 4, 2016

The Category 4 Hurricane Matthew is wreaking havoc on Haiti with 145 mph wind and up to 40 inches of rain, I’m keeping a close eye on new projections that put this powerful storm way too close to Encore.   Thankfully my good friend Mark called me last night and offered to add a couple of […]

Customer service, car covers, warranties and cheap wire

| October 2, 2016

This past week I’ve made a few frustrating online transactions and purchases. First, in dealing with NewEgg, I attempted to use a credit on my business account and decided to handled it on the phone with customer service rather than risk it online. I explained that I was using a "store credit" and wanted to […]

Keeping an eye on tropical disturbances

| August 22, 2016

Hot enough to put up the ShadeTree awning

| July 17, 2016

After buzzing down to Florida last week to show the condo in Delray Beach, I spent a couple days “hurricane prepping” Encore for the tropical weather likely to show up in a month or so (could happen any day now). My good friend Mark gave me a “sweaty” hand in getting the sails stowed away […]

A preview of Tropical Things to come?

| May 23, 2016

Some of us are paying attention to the beginning of Hurricane Season … as are the folks who live in Florida. It is suppose to be a bit more active this year, I’m just hoping the weather experts are wrong. The official start of the 2016 hurricane season is June 1, but the atmosphere is […]

March 30th is #ManateeAppreciationDay

| March 30, 2016

According to posts on Twitter and tweets and shares among friends … today is #ManateeAppreciationDay. My interest in learning about Manatees goes back to the the late 1970s when a small group of us college guys in Ohio  decided to join the "Save the Manatee" campaign. We selfishly used it as a rally to travel […]

Enjoying time aboard Encore with Katelyn and Drew

| March 28, 2016

A bit delayed in posting to the blog, but we’ve been a bit distracted. Brenda and I met my daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew for a few days on the boat to enjoy some time together. Way too much time goes by between visits for my taste. The weather was nice with a few […]

The 2016 Daytona 500 thrilled even this casual NASCAR fan

| February 22, 2016

Ah … the good ol’ days on Daytona Beach Florida (1958 above) … well before I was born BTW! Last week was SpeedWeeks culminating in the Daytona 500 on Sunday. The biggest NASCAR race was enjoyed by millions of viewers and did not disappoint. The restrictor plate race was tighter than ever and had the […]

Finding photos that stir good memories #TBT

| October 29, 2015

An old friend Charlie Matthews (Kamikaze) and I are closing in on a memorable December 1977 road trip we took together in his Volkswagen bug. We had a great time (minus the medical incident) and started a yearly trip for me with buddies that repeated for years. I ran across a couple more when my […]

Which beach will you swim at Volusia County, Florida?

| September 6, 2015

Volusia County, Florida According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), a database for reported shark attacks, more unprovoked shark attacks have taken place off the coast of Volusia County in Florida than in the whole of South Africa – 235 in total, since 1882. None, however, have been fatal. You’re also more likely to […]

What’s the probability of a little wind in Florida from Erika?

| August 27, 2015

Looks probable. Should have removed the Bimini on Encore this summer … thankfully the sails are down and stowed safely away. Lines are doubled, but no longer as new and stretchy as they once were. Hm … as my buddy Mark would say, “that why we pay for insurance.”

Tropical Storm Erika is poised to grow by this weekend

| August 26, 2015

It is the time of year when the tropical weather in the Atlantic tracks across the Caribbean Sea and Leeward Islands. These tropical storms can grow into hurricanes and blast the US east coast or continue on into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The previous tropical storm turn hurricane for a very […]

Noticing more Great White Sharks in Florida

| June 7, 2015

We're continuing to learn about the movement of Great White Sharks near the eastern U.S. and coasts since Ocerea has been tagging a few. It has been shocking to see the number of miles they travel and just how near these large sharks occasionall get to beaches and shallow waters. John Dickinson and his wife […]

Video: A 30 year old Westerly Corsair II sailing at 6.5 knots

| May 1, 2015

Sharing and archiving a little left over video from our recent trip sailing on Encore with our son Taylor last week. He stretch out a week using some of his vacation time (wisely … more later) while coaxing Brenda and me to do the same for a few days. We had great spring weather (80s) […]

Life is good …

| April 25, 2015

We are so fortunate to have great kids, steady employment and the flexibility to escape once in a while to enjoy the fruits of our labor … AND to recharge our batteries for a few days. Taylor flew down to Florida from North Dakota and met up with Miami University friend Paul for the weekend […]

SpaceX Dragon CRS-6 launch postponed due to weather

| April 13, 2015

It was interesting while it lasted … the launch of the SpaceX Dragon CRS-6 Falcon9 was scrubbed this afternoon and scheduled for tomorrow, April 14 at 4:10PM; weather could be a problem again. My daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew were at Kennedy Space Center (photo below) to watch it on their 2nd wedding anniversary […]

The Treasure Coast was a popular place this weekend

| March 30, 2015

After the rain on Friday (above), the weather improve for a weekend finishing up a long drawn out engine work (plus a few other repairs) to Encore at the marina in Florida. The weather improved and was high 70s on Saturday and Sunday but with the north wind felt cooler in the shade. I wasn't […]

Rain, leaks and cold showers

| March 2, 2015

Just as it was in the French Revolution, I’m back and forth telling A Tale of Two Cities and “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” so to speak. I spent the weekend taking care of a condo rental issue in Delray Beach, Florida and of course was staying on […]

Sailboats are a great place to relax, even when not sailing

| November 26, 2014

Took this photo while enjoying a warm and quiet evening relaxing in the cockpit before heading for home and back to less attractive weather, but it will soon be Thanksgiving and a time to be “thankful.”  I’ll need to keep reminding myself that when the snow starts to fly! On the positive side, having a […]

Sailing Encore with the one I love doesn’t get any better

| October 27, 2014

What a wonderful life. I’ll let our video speak for itself. "God is good, God is good all the time. All the time God is good."  from the movie God is NOT Dead. But it applies …

Vacationing, taking a walk and having lunch with friends

| October 25, 2014

  Brenda and I enjoy a lunch out at GoodFella’s for cheesesteaks with our friends Mark and Darlene Jones on Friday and walk along the new bike and pedestrian walk along the Fort Pierce inlet. The city did a great job of making it attractive and include cute features including mosaics of all the fish […]

My new cologne – Old Diesel

| October 23, 2014

After our 16 hour drive on Wednesday from Cincinnati to Florida, Brenda and I were welcomed by our liveaboard friends Mark and Dar with a cold drink. They had already turn on our refrigeration making it convenient to repack a few items from our cooler box into the galley. I sure appreciate them keeping an […]

So Lonesome – Dome homes in Cape Romano Florida

| October 12, 2014

Somewhat an excuse to slip in a Hank Williams song, but the Dome Homes article was intriguing because we explored this area with my college buddies in the late 1970s every Christmas break. I’d still like to get back there by sailboat and anchor for a few days …weeks … or maybe months … and […]

Who doesn’t love a good end of summer shark video?

| September 1, 2014

Here’s a “large, hungry” Hammerhead Shark feeding in the clear “shallow” waters in Destin Florida … as viewed from a balcony.

Sunrises and Encore projects in Florida this past week

| August 30, 2014

The past week had me on an enjoyable but quick trip to take care of a few sailboat maintenance items in Florida. The sails were re-stitched and needed to be picked up from South Sails as well as new halyards spliced and hoisted. Unfortunately the summer sun has been hard on every exposed part … […]

Replaced the old halyards and roller furling line

| August 28, 2014

I picked up the repaired sails from South Sails this week and had initial success after stitching in a nylon thimble multiple times (I’m learning) into Encore’s new jib halyard. I still have the main sail halyard to go, but hopefully it will go smoother after the practice? I noticed the old halyards were oversized […]

Kudos for Home Depot and their customer service

| May 20, 2014

While working on the boat this weekend, I also headed down to finally finish up the repairs on the cabinets after replacing a refrigerator last year. It wasn’t an expensive project, but did require a little wood putty, sanding and matching of paint. By the way, Home Depot deserves a plug for how they handled […]

Hauled Encore to do a little more work on her bottom

| May 19, 2014

  The title of this post sounds a little risqué when I say it that way, but since a boat is a “she” I’m not sure how else to word it (I’m sure I could find a way.) Anyway, I burned a cheap ticket before it expired in order to finally pull Encore and replace […]

Katharine is an immature Great White Shark, but she is still big

| May 13, 2014

The team at Ocearch tagged a Great White Shark they named Katharine off the Cape Cod coast of Massachusetts in August of 2013, but this 14+ foot 2,300 pound “immature” female has been checking out the Florida coastline and yesterday a beach near Sebastian. A few more miles south and we might see her poke […]

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. […]

Rental car vs my Honda Pilot: “What difference does it make”

| February 5, 2014

It is about time that I wrapped up the numbers for the recent Florida trip in order to work on the boat. One of the “high level” decisions that I had to make (snicker), was whether to drive my own car down and back with my 300 or so pounds of batteries and gear, or […]

Freedompop, a Skype connection and new boat batteries

| January 28, 2014

While using my Freedompop hotspot on the boat on Monday night for a Skype video call with my son on his XBox, I wondered just how much data I was burning through. I wasn’t too worried since I’ve been paying $3.99/month to accumulate some data, I still I knew video would chew through data pretty […]

Tracking Sharks with Ocearch.org iPhone app

| January 11, 2014

It’s been interesting watching the track of Katharine, (a GPS tagged 14’2” immature 2300 pound Great White Shark) this week along the north and central coast of Florida using the global shark tracker iPhone app from Ocearch.org. In previous posts watching Mary Lee (a 16 foot 3456 pound Great White) we saw her well south […]

Additional problems … looking forward to the normalcy of work

| November 12, 2013

The excuse I made for putting the boat in the water this week was that I would purchase a new refrigerator and have it installed in the Howard family condo before our snowbird tenants arrive in January. Sounds like a simple enough plan, right? Not so this week. The buying was easy enough as I […]

Encore is being put back in the water … finally!

| November 8, 2013

Our sailboat has been out of the water far too long considering the hurricane season was a bust this year. I think we would have been better in the water. The hurricane forecast models aside, it has been far too long since Encore had her keel wet even with all we’ve had going on. (Katelyn […]

Thoughts on the George Zimmerman trial

| July 11, 2013

As the trial of George Zimmerman in Florida nears deliberation this week as attorneys for the prosecution and defense wrap up their arguments regarding the use of a gun in the killing of 17 year old Trayvon Martin in February 2012. The media did a disservice to those paying attention to this case both before […]

Beaches, sunshine and the Superbowl

| February 3, 2013

Sunday afternoon was another lazy day at the beach relaxing in the beautiful Florida sunshine before heading back to my in-laws for wings, pizza and the Superbowl. Since we are from the east coast and the Ravens are in our division (Bengals, Browns), we’re pulling for them. So far, we haven’t been disappointed as they […]

Tagged Great White Shark visits Jacksonville Florida

| January 9, 2013

Jacksonville, Florida beachgoers (although it is a bit cold for swimming) have had a large visitor named Mary Lee the last few days. I seems a 16-1/2 foot 3500 pound great white shark has been wandering very close to shore. Ocearch, a shark research group, has tagged and is tracking “Mary Lee” on a website […]

A large blue mystery eye found on a south Florida beach

| October 12, 2012

  You know those scary campfire stories that we’ve all told or heard while growing up? Well here’s one that could be adapted for beachgoers along the Atlantic coast of Florida – Jaws was getting old anyway. I’m going to ask a good friend who’s daughter is a marine biologist … but until then, the […]

Left over photos from our recent trip to the boat

| May 22, 2012

I found this one on my phone, another one on Brenda’s Kodak Zx5 camcorder gizmo and the other couple that included yours truly from Katie’s huge album on Facebook (Taylor’s friend)… a really enjoyable memory seeing all of her photos.    

A long drive with rain off and on – I26 & I40 were beautiful

| May 15, 2012

  Headed home after a quick few days with Taylor and his friends on the boat. Project were minimal but we had a great time and had some interesting stories – the one about “Rick” would have any parent giving a lecture (ah … memories). Surprisingly I found the time comfortable on the boat even […]

The Loop Current again — once a concern for the BP oil spill

| March 13, 2012

Strange story about the Loop Current that runs around the southern tip of Florida and a three month voyage of the abandoned Lucky Dog (previous story).   PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – A boat that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in December has reappeared – on a beach on the east coast of Florida. […]

Trip to Florida wrap-up and the cost savings analysis of renting

| March 11, 2012

After the long overnight drive home here’s a wrap up post from my trip to Florida with my son Taylor over his college spring break.  We had a mostly great father-son time and I for one was glad he chose to spent the week with me rather than other friends or SigEp fraternity brothers – […]

Heading south for a couple days of warm weather and sun

| March 5, 2012

… and hopefully sailing. Since Taylor is on spring break and isn’t heading with is Fraternity buddies to a drinking location with half of Miami University (and that half may be an under-statement), I suggested he and I drive down to Encore and spend a few days on the boat. Cheap trip for him, worthwhile […]

Enjoying the day sailing and looking for sun on the beach

| February 9, 2012

Just archiving a few photos from our wind blown day on the beach Wednesday and rough day sailing on Thursday – winds were a bit strong from the NE and 4-6 foot waves not all that much fun. Cloudy mornings – sunny early afternoon turning back into overcast and clouds later. We had a good […]

Another day with Encore and unfortunately more rain

| February 8, 2012

As for sun and sailing, we did head out in the morning … but between the rain and the associated wind gusts with every batch of wet weather we gave up “the fun” and headed back to our home port. We did visit the fuel dock to both pump out and top of our fuel […]

Another rainy day in paradise on Encore

| February 7, 2012

All is good so far as some R & R goes, but the drizzle and rain has been with us for the past 48 hours. I’m looking at the forecast and current radar (Encore’s radar photo on the right) and it looks like less rain with isolated thunderstorms tomorrow. We’ll see. While the girls watched […]

Intrade and “let’s increase the U.S. State Department by 50%”

| January 31, 2012

Intrade.com is probably one of the more interesting ways to track/trade the election. The ups and downs of a campaign are pretty clear to see … from the Gingrich surge after South Carolina to the precipitous drop we’re watching in Florida. If I had to vote today, I’m not sure I would even go to […]

Archive: Vintage 1978 memories from “the good ol’ days”

| January 19, 2012

My college friend Dallas on Marco Island BEFORE it was developed – 12/1978  Who doesn’t enjoy reminiscing a little bit about “the good ol’ days” after looking through a couple of old photos? Here are a few from a trip to Florida over Christmas break back in 1978 … whoa, we were young.   This […]

Catch up post – Enjoying Encore, but the Love Bugs not so much

| May 18, 2011

  Brenda and I made a multipurpose trip to Florida to enjoy a little sailing with our soon graduate from medical school daughter Katelyn and two of her graduating friends Laura and Ashley; we also planned to do a little work on our boat Encore (projects and maintenance will never end). Besides the personal recreation, we […]

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