June 23, 2014
Chris (my “hard working” sister-in-law) and I spent a few more days in Jamestown, New York and stretched out a weekend to work on my in-law’s beloved “Farmhouse.” It looks like we are finally making headway in getting it ready to show … ready or not it will be on the market. I hope whoever […]
Filed under: Archive, For Sale, Personal, Photos by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: dadh, family, farmhouse, jamestown, maps, momh, ny, real estate
October 11, 2010
My “greatest generation” father-in-law (Brenda’s dad) has been struggling medically for the past month and a half suffering with pain from his back and a fractured hip. After a valiant attempt at rehab and without significant success using drug and therapy, he opted for back surgery in hope to eliminating pain and to regaining functional […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: family, surgery
October 10, 2008
After reflecting on the doom and gloom of our economy and state of most investors, I thought I would go back a few days to a nice autumn weekend in western New York. We enjoyed pleasant weather and time with my mother and father-in-law at Letchworth State Park. If you’re looking for a great weekend […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos, Travel by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: hiking, new york, state park, Travel
June 25, 2007
We had an enjoyable trip to western New York (my wife’s home) to attend my niece’s graduation from Maple Grove High School in Bemus Point. The weather and drive was beautiful and the time with our family too short. The small rural high school graduation (79 students) did offer an interesting commencement speaker for such […]
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Tags: bemus, family, flickr, howard, jackie, jamestown, jax, new york
December 16, 2019
December is here … and the snow arrived last night (snow 9 years ago), although it isn’t anything drastic, just peaceful and quiet. Actually the heavy snow surprised me considering Sunday afternoon was relatively pleasant and I was in the home theater watching Sunday Night Football (Bill beat the Steelers). When the game was over, […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos, Sports, Tools, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: chisels, cincinnati, house, legacy, photo, snf, snow, tools, weather
November 19, 2019
I spent the weekend wasting time reorganizing, sorting and cleaning up my woodworking workshop this past weekend and realizing I have a few older “semi-collectable” tools that I really should comment on … or as Brenda says, write my notes down in a book while I can still remember things. Now as I mentioned to […]
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Tags: bluhm, family, heirloom, heritage, jack plane, old tools, planes, woodworking
October 16, 2018
While sharpening my chisels and practicing my hand-cut joinery last weekend, I remembered that I added a "new to me" wood chisel to my tool roll when sorting tools from my late father-in-law’s barn. It was too large for the current project, but looks as if the steel might hold an edge better than my […]
Filed under: History, Personal, Photos, Tools, Woodworking by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: chisel, craftsmanship, dovetails, furniture, grandfather, joinery, swedish, tools
November 6, 2014
After attempting to sell my mother-in-law’s western New York home by using a realtor this summer, the family has decided to forgo the continued “professional” listing and instead do a FSBO listing … handing it off to yours truly. What are they thinking??? I’ve taken on the project and will “learn as I go” (advice […]
Filed under: Archive, For Sale, Marketing, Personal, Shopping, Video by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: family, farmhouse, for sale, home, howard, jamestown, new york, property
December 29, 2013
My cousin Diane and I exchanged Christmas greetings and updated each other with the goings-on of our families on Friday night. While talking about gifts, I realized that I didn’t have a photo of the “Tool Stools” that I made for Taylor and Drew. Since one of them was still at home, I took a […]
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Tags: christmas, drew, gift, grandfather, howard, stool, taylor, tool
October 11, 2011
Interested in a 1983 Ford Mustang Convertible? My mother-in-law has finally and reluctantly decided to sell her car knowing that a second car isn’t needed anymore. She has unfortunately put too many maintenance dollars into keeping this car in good shape, but it has spent most of the past decade parked in the garage. All […]
Filed under: Automotive, For Sale by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: auto, car, convertible, for sale, ford, mustang
August 27, 2010
My father-in-law was taken to the hospital on Wednesday this week and since I was conveniently working in NE Ohio, I opted to head to Jamestown NY in order to lend a hand. Getting him to the hospital ended up being the right move and he is resting far more comfortably under doctor and nursing […]
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September 17, 2023
Oostra House getting paint early in September 2023 While babysitting at my daughter’s house last week, a conversation with Brenda shifted to an heirloom “nesting table” woodworking project idea. Katelyn inherited the small tables made by her Jamestown, NY furniture making great grandfather Holmstrom and treasures them as much as Brenda and MomH did (photo […]
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Tags: brenda, family, furniture, grandfather, holmstrom, momh, nesting tables, project, workshop
May 28, 2022
We are enjoying my late mother-in-law’s transplanted Buttercups (Ranunculus) that we brought home from the Jamestown, NY farmhouse (winter pics). Initially, Brenda’s sister Chris asked me to bring her some home for her since I was the one driving back and forth to western New York to clean out, take care of the property and […]
Filed under: Faith, Nature, News, Personal, Photos, Politics, Social Networking by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: buttercups, farmhouse, flowers, jack brewer, jamestown, momh, new york, Robb Elementary, texas, twitter, uvalde
November 18, 2021
Every once in a while a memory gets triggered … and it happened while looking in my closet for a fleece or sweater with the weather turning colder. The photo below is from Christmas in 1990 and it seemed apropos for today’s Throwback Thursday #TBT. For the record, it was taken in Jamestown, NY at […]
Filed under: Archive, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT, Weather by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: 1990, christmas, dadh, family, jamestown, new york, sweater, TBT, throwback, thursday
September 5, 2021
Last week I downloaded a new library app called Libby that is an Overdrive component for audiobooks for borrowing digitally from the library. I put it to use immediately after checking out the Bill O’Reilly book “Killing the SS.” So far it is very interesting considering I’m only in chapter 2, but love the storytelling […]
Filed under: Audio, Books, History, Tidbits by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: audiobook, bill o'reilly, frewsburg, jamestown, killing the ss, libby app, library, nazi, new york, nuremberg trials, overdrive, robert h. jackson, supreme court, tidbits
July 16, 2020
The publicity around Ford’s new “bucking” Bronco for 2021 had me thinking about cars this week … as well as seeing a post from 12 years ago highlighting 100,000 odometer reading on Katelyn’s first car. Bronco aside, a few of my favorite vehicles are running through my head, but have a special soft spot my […]
Filed under: Automotive, Biodiesel, Diesel, Environment, Hobby, Personal, Photos, TBT, Volkswagen by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: ani gif, anigif, biodiesel, biodzl, bronco, diesel, ford, jetta, TBT, tdi, throwback, volkswagen
April 15, 2020
Instead of spending time this past Easter weekend dressing,going to church and getting together with family, I spent a few more hours sanding … and sanding … and sanding. My goal is to get this old exterior black walnut door (super thick veneer over oak – see above photo) ready to take a traditional oil […]
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Tags: black walnut, brenda, dadh, decor, dental, dentist, door, easter, family, jamestown, lakeview, new york, office, sanding, veneer, woodworking
March 14, 2019
Throwback Thursday posts can be interesting, especially when archiving a couple of my old photos from the early 1990s and tidbit of information that is likely not saved any place else (the horse was named Gus). Here’s a little Howard family history (my wife’s side of the family): Brenda’s grandfather, Allen George Howard died young; […]
Filed under: Archive, History, Memories, Millitary, Personal, Photos, TBT by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: allen, ancestry, archive, brenda, brocton, dadh, family, History, howard, jamestown, katelyn, mabel, momh, new york, richc, taylor, TBT
January 31, 2019
In my workshop there is a spot on the wall behind dad’s small drill press and my router table for old tools. As mentioned before, I use Brenda’s dads’ dental tools regularly and have put a few of DadH’s woodworking tools on the wall – it is too bad I passed on the dental chair. […]
Filed under: Archive, History, Memories, Personal, Photos, Tools, Woodworking by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: ancestry, box, clamps, corbett, dadc, dadh, drillpress, grandfather, hirth, holmstrom, howard, legacy, shelf, toolbox, tools, wall, woodworking, workshop
December 20, 2017
Just in case there are a few men looking for last minute jewelry gifts to give to their sweetheart for Christmas, here’s a ring idea that will pretty much guarantee that you’ll never need to worry again – you’ll either be alone … or dead! And since I know there is sure to be a […]
Filed under: Advice, Holiday, Humor, Sailing by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: aba, awab, christmas, clamps, encore, friends, gifts, hose, Humor, men, rings, sailboat
December 14, 2017
Wow … is this really the 35th Christmas? With boxes all over the basement in search for Brenda‘s "special ornaments," I ran across the old photo albums of our first year of marriage and our first Christmas. We both remember it fondly since it was a relatively minimalist Christmas. The tree came from Brenda’s dad’s […]
Filed under: Archive, Holiday, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: aurora, brenda, charlie brown, christmas, dadc, hudson, jerry moody, momc, ohio, onu, pam, popcorn, richc, TBT, tree
January 25, 2017
Memorials, funerals and burials can be emotionally draining and it is hard to know just how they impact each of us … but “to the person,” those that knew mom – grandma – Frances Ann Louise Howard (Holmstrom), were without question happy and celebrating. Fran and Christians who have placed their faith in Jesus, and […]
Filed under: Obituary, Personal, Photos, Video by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: burial, dadh, family, funeral, howard, jamestown, momh, new york, obit, Obituary
January 19, 2017
Heating with wood is in my genes, since my parents started heating with wood back when we lived on Lake Erie and were constantly without heat either due to power outages in the rural area we lived, floods forcing the power company to turn off utilities or the old finicky oil burner furnace (think “Christmas […]
Filed under: Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: aurora, garage, house, hudson, jamestown, loafing, TBT, woodstove, workshop
January 17, 2017
My mother-in-law passed away last week … or as my good friend Pastor Keith Thomas (groupbiblestudy.com) said, "graduated." The word choice is very fitting for Mom Howard considering she has been a lifelong Christian and loved studying and memorizing the Bible. She has been looking forward to "graduating" from this temporary life on earth to […]
Filed under: Faith, Obituary, Personal by RichC | 4 Comments »
Tags: brenda, family, frances howard, momh, obit, Obituary
January 10, 2017
Brenda and I admire art, be it paintings, carvings, knick-knacks, sailboat models or a piece of old furniture. Over the years we have added several items to our home, be they purchased from an estate sale or hand-me-downs. While adding the new shelves to our laundry room and repainting, I stopped to admire the craftsmanship […]
Filed under: Archive, Memories, Photos, Tidbits, Woodworking by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: antiques, craftsmanship, dining, furniture, jamestown, momh, new york, table, wedges
July 18, 2015
By far, my favorite woodworking and sailing YouTube channel is Tips from a Shipwright. It is sponsored by Jamestown Distributors in Rhode Island a great source for boat paints, finishes and epoxy materials. I will go there before looking elsewhere because of their sponsorship. The filmmaker Halsey Fulton of Fish Hawk Films brings the impressive […]
Filed under: How-To, Sailing, Video, Woodworking by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: encore, jamestown distributor, sailboat, shipwright, varnish, youtube
July 6, 2015
I’m archiving a couple final (or nearly final) photos from my mother and father-in-law’s Farmhouse in Western New York. I spent the last few days as “busy as a beaver” finalizing a few things so that a home inspection would be as painless as possible … that is for a home built in the 1800s! […]
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Tags: dadh, farmhouse, jamestown, momh, new york
May 10, 2015
A great weekend after traveling this week. We enjoyed the first “ribs” of the season and celebrated Mother’s Day with Brenda and her mom by working in the yard. Spring clean-up and “finally” opening the pool — the latest we have ever opened her in Cincinnati (might have been later in Hudson, OH 20 years […]
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Tags: brenda, dadc, momc, mother's day
May 2, 2015
] It is pretty easy to tell that we had a little tree trimming done … but what is not as as easy to tell is how many dollars a few dead and dying trees cost to have cut down … $4000 plus tax! OUCH! I’m usually the ambitious sort when it comes to tree […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: cutting, expense, grinding, home, ownership, stump, tree, trimming
December 22, 2014
This past weekend was a very special one for my niece Jacquelyn as she married Benjamin Wickerham in beautiful wedding ceremony in Jamestown, NY. Besides the wedding with many personal touches and a 1920-40’s themed reception in an old train station, we were able to be with our family. Her father Mark would have loved […]
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Tags: ben wickerham, family, jackie, jamestown, new york, wedding
October 16, 2013
EDIT: I’ve added a small recording “app” to the iMac called eXtra Voice Recorder. In the old Mac days we would call these small apps “DAs”(Desk Accessories). If you’re a pre-X Mac user, do you remember them? Below is the audio test. Reading Cleaning out the family farmhouse and barn in New York […]
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Tags: brenda, dadh, family, farmhouse, jamestown, momh
September 16, 2013
We are in countdown mode on a couple of fronts: 1) Taylor is wrapping things up for his move to North Dakota in a few days and 2) our family is working to close out Brenda’s mom’s “life in Jamestown, New York.” I am sad on both counts, but know that both changes are for […]
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Tags: dadh, jamestown, new york, taylor
June 14, 2013
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Filed under: Music, Personal, Photos by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: chris, family, momh, mp3, skinner
June 7, 2013
Life returning to “normal” doesn’t feel right after being with family and friends for the funeral and burial of Dr. Frederick Howard, Brenda’s father – I’m not sure when I will realize that he is gone. We remembered dad’s life through stories and humor this past week and as Christians, knowing he is now truly […]
Filed under: Archive, Obituary, Personal, Photos, Video by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: dadh, fred howard, funeral
June 2, 2013
Some of us are fortunate to have wise men in our lives … someone that mentors and shapes us … someone who is an example for patterning our day to day lives. I was fortunate to have one of these wise men, that being my wife’s father, Dr. Frederick A. Howard – August 24, 1925 […]
Filed under: Archive, Music, Obituary, Personal by RichC | 1 Comment »
Tags: brenda, dadh, death, eastern gate, family, fred howard, funeral, Obituary
July 17, 2012
I enjoyed a little back and forth reminiscing this morning on Twitter with a friend of mine who shared a photo of his dad on his old 1951 Ford 8N. It brought back a few memories of my Ford 800 (searching for an old pre-digital photo) when we lived in Hudson, Ohio … and before […]
Filed under: Personal, Photos by RichC | 2 Comments »
Tags: bulldozer, dadh, ford 800, jamestown, john deere, new york, woods
June 12, 2010
I’ve been putting a few more miles on the Honda Pilot than usual, for both work and personal travel, which has me thinking about diesel cars and the soon to expire tax incentives on a few models. It would be nice to have a new Volkswagen Jetta TDI or Sportwagen TDI, but with the slowdown […]
Filed under: Automotive, Personal, Photos, Volkswagen by RichC | No Comments »
Tags: davidsons, family, howard, jamestown, new york
October 7, 2005
The excitement in SW Ohio is already starting for the Cincinnati Bengal faithful. After a stellar 4-0 start the fans are anticipating great things from this confident group of players. A huge credit has to go to the outstanding performance of the defense; they have never had an offensive killing defense capable of generating turnovers […]
Filed under: Automotive, Diesel, Sports, Volkswagen by RichC | 10 Comments »
Tags: bengals, football, golf, nfl, quadpit, ralph wirth, tdi, volkswagen