RichC | January 10, 2018
Bits and pieces are still arriving from my Christmas shopping. Sometimes I forget that not every company/individual doing business online is shipping with the efficiency we become accustom to with Amazon and other big online retail sites. In any case, one of the gifts I assembled was an emergency kit that included survival items we […]
RichC | January 7, 2018
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RichC | December 28, 2017
My daughter and son-in-law, who moved back to Ohio in 2017, send me occasional updates from my "birth" city and the surrounding area. This past week the Toledo Blade reflected on 2017 in the "glass city" with its Finding Nellie illustration and included the Promedica Promenade Park revitalization … with Drew’s dad dancing in the […]
RichC | December 27, 2017
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RichC | December 24, 2017
My wife Brenda shows a lot of attention to decorating with memories and detail to our house each December (and my mother did too). I wish I would be more thankful, but am usually a bit Grinchy when ask to do just a few things that seem to much such a waste of time … […]
RichC | December 23, 2017
Just a beautiful sky (photos doesn’t do it justice) as the new LED Christmas spots and candle lights pop on as I head up the driveway. Good for the blog archive. After a cold start, having sunny but cool weather right before Christmas is welcomed … but should be thinking about getting the blower put […]
RichC | December 21, 2017
Although my memory is a little bit foggy, Brenda and I probably saw each other a couple of Christmas’s prior our first Christmas? We were dating in 1980 and engaged in 1981 and likely celebrated with each other close to the day, but were home with our families for Christmas Day. Anyway, when scanning the […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | December 12, 2017
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RichC | December 3, 2017
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RichC | November 26, 2017
Better late than never in posting a few photos from our Thanksgiving day dinner and family time over this extended weekend. My brother Ron and his family were all able to get together at our house this year with our two new additions: Annalyn (Katelyn and Drew) and Teagan (Keira and Ben). Thankfully all of […]
RichC | November 25, 2017
A reader wrote me a long email last week after noticing my chainsaw post and had a couple questions regarding how I sharpen the chain/blade on my chainsaws. I really had not giving it that much though since my sharpening technique is probably not expert or appropriate advice. So reader be warned. Over the years […]
RichC | November 18, 2017
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RichC | November 16, 2017
A few of the late fall repairs to go along with splitting wood for winter is to keep my “collection” of old chainsaws running. Although I gave away my small old tiny McCulloch trimming saw from the 1980s, I still reluctantly use my bigger (translate = heavier) 20″ McCulloch Pro Mac 610 (PDF manual) with […]
RichC | November 9, 2017
So this looks like a nondescript photo of an older brick building (click for larger photo)… which it WAS, before being turned into Armstrong Student Center. Back in 1981-82, I was a replacement instructor at Miami University in the college town of Oxford, Ohio for a professor on sabbatical. I moved into his office in […]
RichC | November 2, 2017
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RichC | October 25, 2017
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RichC | October 25, 2017
My daughter Katelyn and I exchanged a few messages over the past couple of days that had me reminiscing and trying to remember names of a few kids when I was in grade school. It started visiting in Perrysburg last week watching Annalyn when Katelyn mentioned that a co-worker of hers and father went to […]
RichC | October 12, 2017
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RichC | September 28, 2017
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RichC | September 12, 2017
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RichC | August 31, 2017
As I reflect on this past weekend with family and as summer comes to a close, a Throwback Thursday #TBT mental image and old photo reminds me of just how idyllic my own childhood was. Brenda and I hope we replicated that for our own children and are now doing our best to be the […]
RichC | August 29, 2017
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RichC | August 24, 2017
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RichC | August 22, 2017
For the good photos check in with NASA (above) or a professional photographer who travels to the optimal locations and spends more than 5 minutes taping a welding filter to his camera … for a less than perfect “time-lapse” solar eclipse attempt, check my photos below. It was at least fun to mark the occasion; […]
RichC | August 20, 2017
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RichC | August 20, 2017
Snipped parts and archived a TDAmeritrade educational article … Americans used to count on a pension plus Social Security to get them through those “golden years.” These days, people change jobs more often, rely on dual incomes, and manage their own retirement funds through defined contribution plans. By most estimates, you’ll need between 60% and […]
RichC | August 18, 2017
Archiving the New York Times article that offers an explanation for those who are still wondering what Volkswagen DieselGate was all about. The software sensed when the car was being tested and then activated equipment that reduced emissions, United States officials said. But the software turned the equipment down during regular driving, increasing emissions far […]
RichC | August 15, 2017
A couple of days ago I mentioned the passing of my father two short years ago. A day later my brother reminded me that it had been two years and sense it surprised him too. The thought of my dad had me move a pile of papers I’ve had in my office; we cleared them […]
RichC | August 12, 2017
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RichC | August 11, 2017
Tomorrow will be two years since my dad passed away, where does the time go? His interest in cars was handed down to me and although we both approached it from different angles, we BOTH held a respect for how each enjoyed automobiles. I did not have had the same "spit and polish" love for […]
RichC | August 9, 2017
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RichC | August 8, 2017
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RichC | August 5, 2017
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RichC | August 4, 2017
It has been a slow process and a while in coming, but the beveled glass and shelves finally came in last week in order to finish the kitchen cabinets. These items are part of the "improved" corner cabinet for Brenda. She wanted a more attractive beveled glass door (larger window) and glass shelves so that […]
RichC | July 27, 2017
Hagerty (the classic car company) posted an article talking about essential tools to keep in your car that I wanted to archive. I’ve always kept tools in my car along with odds and ends and even fluids like antifreeze, oil and brake fluid. The problem I face is keeping the correct tool in the right […]
RichC | July 19, 2017
A bit of a catch-up and thank you post to a sailing friend and loyal blog reader Mark Jones for giving me an overnight rest stop outside of Savannah, Georgia last weekend on my drive home from Florida; your hospitality and friendship is very much appreciated. Actually I have been looking forward to seeing Dar […]
RichC | July 6, 2017
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RichC | July 5, 2017
Just wanted to archive some Practical Sailor “Waypoints” advice excerpted from Renee D. Petrillo’s A Sail of Two Idiots … good to remember about powerwashing. … we had a narrow canal to squeeze through to reach the Travelift. Then we were strapped into it and hoisted out of the water. We then made one of the most expensive […]
RichC | July 3, 2017
As is all to frequent … the YouTube video has been removed. When it comes to music, I’ve always been a James Taylor fan and have posted a few times about him. This past weekend I ran across a YouTube clip from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from a year or so ago that […]
RichC | July 2, 2017
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RichC | July 1, 2017
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RichC | June 28, 2017
Did you ever find yourself spending way too much time on something where it makes no logical sense? Well this is the case for a set of my wife Brenda’s salt and pepper shakers … of which she has many. Her grandmother had a collection that was split between her grandchildren and daughter-in-law (Brenda’s mom), […]
RichC | June 24, 2017
After pelting my eyes with metal chips while grinding as a teenager, I’m overly careful when using tools nowadays. The nighttime of agony and picking out metal chips from my eyes was enough to teach me a lesson … and I’m so thankful to still have my eyesight. Be warned if you are reading this […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | June 18, 2017
It is good day when projects get accomplished. Saturday was a sunny and dry for the painting of my GREAT grandparents’ two wicker chairs (unsure, but think they were from my Grandmother Ruth “Walker” Bluhm side). My Grandmother and Grandfather Bluhm used them for years on their Wright Avenue front porch in Toledo Ohio, then […]
RichC | June 15, 2017
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RichC | June 11, 2017
Not too many photos, but Taylor’s friends all seemed to have a great time celebrating his birthday this weekend in the backyard. The Knockerballs were a hit … and Taylor even showed his love for his mom Ha! (video below).
RichC | June 8, 2017
A lot of people struggle with seasonal allergies, but for me it seems to be something I’m noticing later in life? As with most minor health issues, we deal with it and move on when it goes away. This past month or so the runny-nose and watery eyes symptoms have bothered me enough to take […]
RichC | May 30, 2017
Not that I have a Yanmar diesel on our sailboat, but love the kit from Balmar to convert an auxilary diesel from V-belt to Serpentine belt and pulleys.
RichC | May 18, 2017
Great tips from tech writer Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal on dealing with a few Gmail nits most of us using Google’s free services have. See her article at WSJ.com. 1. Priorities, Priorities You may not know it, but Google’s email bots have not one but two ways of automatically organizing your messages: […]
RichC | May 14, 2017
My take after reading the informative Volkswagen Diesel Scandal timeline article published in the New York Times a couple months ago was that the stricter diesel engine emission standards imposed by the U.S. EPA forced Volkswagen in a corner. With the prospect of losing business, they opted to "cheat" in order to continue selling their […]
RichC | May 11, 2017
The previous later evening blog update when the contractor left was a bit of a blurry photo, so I wanted to include a better photo and opted to give the Lumix GX8 pano-mode a try (above). Since I was not sure exactly how it would turn out, opted for a normal wide angle image as […]
RichC | May 6, 2017
Our kitchen update is nearly finished and we only have a few touch up items, the correct under the counter LED lights and a freezer door replacement to go. The mounted TV is now working with everything self contained on the sliding mount and everything works off of a single power plug. I’m still having […]
RichC | May 4, 2017
The contractor that dented our Samsung refrigerator ask me to get a replacement freezer door so I called J & J International at 800-627-4368 and had to log a case #149782 and give them our model and serial number before they could research and price the part. Hopefully if I order it they will continue […]
RichC | April 28, 2017
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RichC | April 25, 2017
The granite countertops were installed last week, still putting us a couple of weeks from having a usable kitchen as the construction continues to crawl along (no plumbing, cooktop, backsplash, trim, electrical or paint). It is tough being without a functioning kitchen and washing up dishes in the laundry room is getting old … but […]
RichC | April 23, 2017
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RichC | April 21, 2017
Here’s a quick slideshow of photos updating the granite countertops to our kitchen remodel after they were installed this past week. Thankfully every measurement was “spot on” and the install went without a hitch (the photos make them look a lot darker than they really are). A couple photos show a sample of the new […]
RichC | April 13, 2017
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