Pilots and Planes: Smithsonian on Capt. David McCampbell, World War II aviation and the Grumman Hellcat

| February 24, 2024

A few of the history oriented books I read in 2023 were about World War II Naval Aviation in the Pacific … after the previous years studying Navy and US Marine battles. As much as I enjoyed the books by several aviators who flew Corsairs (1, 2, 3, 4) … I really enjoyed reading last […]

Music Monday: “I’m No Angel” – Gregg Allman in 1987

| September 26, 2022

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A couple weekend family photos – spiders, movies and art

| July 20, 2021

Figured I would archive a couple leftover photos and an animated gif from a nice weekend working out in the yard. Since the concrete crew has not started the driveway project yet, I am continuing to clear brush and cut low branches (contemplating large concrete mixing trucks). Once again, the bonfire brush pile is starting […]

Happy Birthday “daddy” Drew … and very good one he is!

| December 13, 2020

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Our family is getting into the 2020 Christmas decorating spirit

| December 1, 2020

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Air Force One “like” replicate being moved by barge

| October 1, 2018

Air Force One is parked at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County. Want to board? Run for the highest office in the land or join the White House press corps. Or, for a slightly easier route, visit National Harbor as of Oct. 19, when what’s billed as an “identical model of the president’s aircraft” […]

Hemmings Tombstone talk: What caused Packard to fold?

| April 21, 2018

It is probably the 1958 Packard Hawk photo on this particular Hemmings Daily post that caught my eye, but the article (and follow-up comments) are interesting too. I’ve archived the PDF of this post just in case it disappears. Photograph by Thomas A. DeMauro No single factor ever sinks an automaker. The struggle between profits […]

For Sale: 1958 Packard Hawk Convertible-auction ends 12/15/17

| December 12, 2017

This 1958 Packard Hawk is a one-off convertible created by Stanley Pridachuk, the chief engineer at Studebaker/Packard in the 1950s. Pridachuk believed that a convertible version of the Hawk would help revive the failing Packard brand and pressured the board to build one, though he was ultimately unsuccessful. Some time after his retirement in 1963, […]

American Packard Museum visited by Mercedes Club of Cincinnati

| May 7, 2017

Taylor and I joined in with a group from the Mercedes Benz Club of Cincinnati on a visit to the American Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday. The tour group was lead by an informative lecture from a long time Packard historian and lasted most of the afternoon. Surprisingly I never visited the museum with my […]

Early Roman version of the Swiss Army multi-function tools

| June 18, 2015

For those who carry or admire those multi-folding tools like the Swiss Army knives and tools (like me), here’s something that pre-dates the popular red ones that many of us carry from the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK. This multi-function spoon, fork, knife and picks “eating implement” was made from iron and silver and was […]

Remembering 9/11 – The all important slurry wall

| September 11, 2014

While thinking about those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 in 2014, I thought about symbols of strength and endurance that are highlighted in displays at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. One such unseen design element was that of underground “slurry walls” built in 1964. Thanks to the engineers and architects who designed the […]

Pima Air and Space Museum and the ‘boneyard’ in Tucson AZ

| October 20, 2010

I got sidetracked yesterday while talking on the phone to a fellow aviation enthusiast as he shared with me his impressions of the Pima Air and Space Museum. He knew that the National Museum of the Air Force was in my backyard and remembering me talk about the Martin B-26 Marauder on display that had […]

World War II POW and B-17 Pilot Howard Claflin

| September 3, 2009

While talking with a long time client and friend Bruce Claflin about  the business climate, our conversation turned from that sour subject to our  families.  We both have close ties to living World War II USAF veterans and  have sons heading in a similar direction — AF ROTC. His son being older and finishing up […]

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