RichC | June 11, 2017
It was one short year ago (6/11/2016) that the the news shocked me that one of my college roommates collapsed and died while cycling near Columbus Ohio. My college orientation roommate and one of three 4th year roommates, Bill Gordon was an avid cyclist and was probably in far better physical shape than most, but […]
RichC | June 10, 2017
Happy Birthday Taylor … I don’t think I could be prouder of the man you have become. Last year was a great one and the plans you have for this year are exciting as well. I always look forward to our time together. One of the things my son and I share is our interest […]
RichC | June 7, 2017
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RichC | June 1, 2017
After searching through directories of a couple older computers looking for a document unrelated to the photo above, I ran across this picture of our family on our sailboat Tulla from the miid-1990s. I may have posted something (???) in a sailing related post years ago, but don’t think so? Anyway ia #TBT (ThrowBackThursday) post […]
RichC | May 31, 2017
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RichC | May 27, 2017
We’re not their yet … but we’ve been doing a little more thinking about retirement and how many more years of work it is going to be at a comfortable level when we no long punch the proverbial time clock. Brenda and I are not in harmony quite yet, as one of us would prefer […]
RichC | May 25, 2017
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RichC | May 17, 2017
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RichC | May 15, 2017
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RichC | May 14, 2017
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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 8, 2017
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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 | May 2, 2017
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RichC | April 29, 2017
Just as I was beginning to “once again” ponder the wisdom of keeping our sailboat in Florida while still working, taking care of a home and being pulled in different directions … an early morning walk back to Encore reminded me that it is healthy to slow down, de-stress and appreciate the daily paintings He makes for […]
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 16, 2017
With the buds and flowers popping this Easter weekend around Cincinnati, a sunny morning was a great opportunity to put the lesser used prime lens on my new Four Thirds Lumix GX8 camera. The 14-140 stabilized zoom is usually on my camera for convenience, but today I suspect the slightly faster f1.7 prime lens might be sharper […]
RichC | April 13, 2017
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RichC | April 12, 2017
It’s not exactly pristine landscaping this year at the Corbett abode, but seeing the rapidly growing grass and spring flowers popping out feels good. This is the first year that I recall actually missing winter.
RichC | April 11, 2017
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RichC | April 8, 2017
As happens every year, a "not so bright" woodpecker decides to wake us up by pecking on our chimney cap. The noise resonates down the flue and can be pretty loud in the house. Crazy Woody! But since I’ve been wanting to experiment with my relatively new Lumix GX8 and long lens (a 100-300mm zoom), […]
RichC | April 4, 2017
Although Pinterest isn’t my thing, it is a good place for "lookers" to collect ideas. One of the items yet to order for the kitchen upgrade will be counter height stools and my daughter, who is on maternity leave, said she would do some looking on Pinterest (whew, I don’t have to look there!). The […]
RichC | March 30, 2017
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RichC | March 28, 2017
The kitchen remodeling hit a snag today as the custom cabinet that was suppose to fit the new Bosch double-oven was way off. I’m not sure why it was off because the specifications sheet for the oven was sent to the manufacture, but it wasn’t even close. The "fix" is that the installer will butcher […]
RichC | March 27, 2017
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RichC | March 25, 2017
Just a few photos from Thursday and Friday after the first week of kitchen demolition and construction. A few more prior to the cabinets below to archive the project. Dent in our new refrigerator
RichC | March 23, 2017
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RichC | March 21, 2017
Finally, our long awaited kitchen project begins in earnest. Monday was what Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines call "Demo Day." Our long and drawn out updates and upgrades are finally starting and have grown in both design changes and cost as the weeks have grown into months … if not years! We really started […]
RichC | March 19, 2017
My son Taylor is geography and map kind of guy so I gave him a mag-lift spinning globe for his desk for Christmas 2016. His interests and innate sense of direction is probably why he pursued “Urban Planning and now coordinates development for Clermont County Ohio as a county planner. Anyway, I had forgotten that […]
RichC | March 18, 2017
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RichC | March 16, 2017
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RichC | March 15, 2017
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RichC | March 12, 2017
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RichC | March 11, 2017
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RichC | March 8, 2017
While waiting for the new kitchen cabinets to be built and delivered, the final decisions need to be made on the under counter lighting, faucets and backsplash tiles. The latter has become quite the struggle. The kitchen designer who is helping has picked a glass tile with a tint of green, but the opinions from […]
RichC | March 5, 2017
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RichC | February 25, 2017
Last night while posting about the shockingly mild February 2017 and “hinting” at the front rolling in, the change came. Nothing major, but definitely not 77 degree! After the sunrise, the gray sky move from west to east brought a late morning snow shower just to remind me that it is still winter — put […]
RichC | February 23, 2017
Likely I am not the only one who gets distracted when researching something on the Internet. This past weekend it was the Ballard Locks in Washington State that caught my eye and stole about an hour of my attention and time. Once upon a time, we contemplated a move to Seattle during the late 1990s […]
RichC | February 18, 2017
We have high ceilings in a couple areas of our house and one of the challenging chores is dusting or "de-webbing" the corners and edges some 20 feet up. Oh you would think it would be easy with a ladder, but you would be wrong. First, I don’t have an indoor ladder capable of reaching […]
RichC | January 28, 2017
Designer rendition Last summer we started to plan for a kitchen remodel as our "builder grade" cabinets and mishmash of appliances were in serious need of replacement. We updated our dishwasher and refrigerator already, but need to finish off the final stages once and for all. I’m currently working with a designer and close to […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | January 24, 2017
Having just returned from my mother-in-law’s funeral in western New York has me thinking of my late mother and now on January 24th … particularly my father. Today would have been his 88th birthday if he were still alive … although I’m not so sure many of us want all that many more years as […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | January 18, 2017
It was a Baby Shower weekend, and what a wonderful one at that. Terrrific family and friends … and a beautiful mother to be and a “Babygirl” shower a few notches above (well my opinion). My wife Brenda and two of Katelyn’s friends from medical school put on a classy baby shower and turned our […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | January 11, 2017
The long drawn out "laundry room upgrade" is finally finished as mentioned yesterday, but at least it improves and modernizes what we had. The old GE top-load washing machine was regularly being fixed and the dryer was long past it’s prime … but still working after the "bearing kit repair." The newer graphite color […]
RichC | January 8, 2017
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RichC | January 2, 2017
This Time.com post isn’t brand new, but since my daughter is due in March, “we” have an interest in baby names. Have you ever wondered how popular your or your child’s name was when named “back in the day?” We you a “Trendsetter” or named “after its time?”
RichC | December 28, 2016
With the intent to capture the end of the year 2016 tax credit and take advantage of a slow work week, I scheduled the replacement of our 21 year old Bryant HVAC equipment. The installers from Logan-Inc worked one full day to replace our two furnaces with higher efficiency Trane models (XR95 + S9V2) and […]
RichC | December 27, 2016
After a bit of a delay in maintaining daily blog posts, Brenda, Taylor and I returned from our family Christmas with Katelyn and Drew in Wayzata, MN on Monday night. It was a whirlwind trip and thankfully without incident. First thing first … our growing granddaughter is definitely noticeable as a “babybump” (an overused word). […]
RichC | December 26, 2016
Adding a couple catch-up photos to the mix after driving the BMW X5 35d (26.1 mpg) up for a busy Christmas weekend with Katelyn, Drew and Taylor in Wayzata, Minnesota. We took Drew’s Acura RX out for a nice Christmas Eve dinner and am starting to realize Brenda and I are definitely looking older (and […]
RichC | December 19, 2016
Admittedly I’m proud of my kids and enjoy seeing them living their lives … especially when a few of my interests rise to the top. In Taylor’s case, he has expand on our mutual interest in backpacking and photography on his trip to Hawaii last month. Memory Road: In 7th grade I had an […]
RichC | December 17, 2016
The cold weather is upon us (it is in the single digits today) and with a little snow on the ground in Cincinnati, it is beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas. We are in the "prepare mode" and in the middle our checking the list twice festive shopping and wrapping routine, but […]
RichC | December 14, 2016
I finally finished up a long overdue project for Taylor … a headboard for his bed. He had giving me a couple magazine images as to what he wanted, but I just haven’t found the time or put together the materials I needed to build it (let alone been ambitious enough to start the project). […]
RichC | December 13, 2016
Katelyn and Drew are back home in Minnesota after a great time in Europe. Drew’s lung cancer presentation went well in Vienna and they enjoyed the extra couple of days traveling by train and transit back to Paris before flying home. We are looking forward to a few more photos but they sent enough photos […]
RichC | December 12, 2016
One of the pleasures of winter and colder weather for me is hanging out and monkeying around in my garage shop with a fire in the woodstove. It has worked out perfectly for those weekends that I know it is going to be "just me" at home …or when I need a man cave (really […]