RichC | September 1, 2014
The big news this Labor Day 2014 weekend was that my niece Jackie’s boyfriend Ben proposed her while on military leave. The announcement made for big excitement and the thought of another family wedding. Long time My Desultory Blog followers (those who follow the personal and family posts) might remember Jax from events like her […]
RichC | August 11, 2014
A plane flies in front of a supermoon above Westminster in central London en route to Heathrow airport on August 10, 2014. The full moon is positioned closest to the earth on its orbit in over 20 years. It is 50,000 kilometers closer than normal and 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. The scientific […]
RichC | August 11, 2014
One of the small projects this past weekend was to replace the plastic disposable fuel filter on my John Deere 330 a new inexpensive diesel fuel filter (less than $10). The new filter has a glass site tube and fits my modified fuel lines. The element inside this small filter is replaceable (3 for […]
RichC | August 6, 2014
I recently chimed on a forum question regarding dogs for sailboats and a member wanting input on an Australian Cattle Dog. Since we’ve had Tootsie for 16 years now (below), I felt qualified to offer an opinion … besides I wanted an excuse to archive her recent photo. Our “beast” has been a wonderful addition […]
RichC | August 4, 2014
Net fishing can indiscriminately harvest the wrong kind of fish as 48 year old Cai Chengzhu found out in Xianghzhi, China. Although whale sharks are a protected species, the fisherman says it accidently got caught in his fishing net. He then loaded it up on his truck and drove 10 miles to Shishi to […]
RichC | August 3, 2014
What a beautiful weekend to work out in the garage and yard. There are plenty of chores that “should” be done and a few that I “want” to do … so Saturday I focused on the “want.” Before mowing, I pulled the blades off the Kubota and put an edge back on them (try […]
RichC | August 2, 2014
There aren’t many things that makes parents happier than to “see” their children with big smiles enjoying life (thanks for the photos). Katelyn and Drew sent me this summer photo from Lake Minnetonka this past week and the two of them look pretty relaxed in their new surroundings. They found an ice cream shop in […]
RichC | July 20, 2014
After our visit with Katelyn and Drew in Minneapolis ( 7/18 & 7/19), we flew up to Williston, North Dakota to see Taylor. Flight and weather were great and after dinner our first night we stopped at Taylor’s Williams County Zoning and Planning office (below) and took an evening hike along the levy east of […]
RichC | July 19, 2014
Katelyn forwarded a few of her photos from our visit to Minneapolis. We really did have a great time visiting and KNOW that they will “enjoy” at least the next three years while in Minnesota for Drew’s hematology fellowship; at this point I can see them staying far longer … but then again, it’s […]
RichC | July 18, 2014
We’ve been having a wonderful time enjoying what Minneapolis, Minnesota has to offer “in the summertime” with Katelyn and Drew. Our couple of days has been filled with activities from picture hanging and yardwork to bike riding and fine dining (photos above from 6Smith in Wayzata). Another evening we we were off to […]
RichC | July 12, 2014
In planning our upcoming trip visiting the kids, a quick search of the weather indicated that we are in for a cooling spell which will feel good in mid-July IF it happens. I also ran across the National Weather Service predictions for a weak-to-moderate El Niño. According to the NOAA site, “typical El Niño impacts in […]
RichC | July 7, 2014
First … my son Taylor took a few days away from work in Williston, North Dakota to going backpacking with a few guys in Glacier National Park – Montana. His weather was picture perfect and besides being out of shape for the long an challenging hikes, he had a fantastic time. I’m so glad he […]
RichC | June 29, 2014
Drew sent me some photos from a festival in Wayzata in Minnesota after getting a few chores like expensive auto registration done ($60 in Ohio vs. $300 in MN … based on the value of a car). He said he is already enjoying himself, but looking forward to Katelyn being up there (she is […]
RichC | June 28, 2014
Bob Evans with my dad has been almost weekly routine for over two years now – we started going when my mom moved to Dorothy Love, for what at the time was planned rehab. After visiting mom, I’d take dad out to eat — and and if he didn’t have other coupons, it was often […]
RichC | June 25, 2014
click for short OneDrive slideshow or a video interview below As someone who loves the ocean and has enjoyed photography since I set up my first darkroom in 7th grade, Surf Photographer Clark Little has the greatest job in the world … or maybe the "surf is just bluer on the other side of the […]
RichC | June 24, 2014
Our dog Tootsie is content to sleep most of her day away on the cement floor rather than patrolling the property as she did years ago. I suppose having failing eyes, being deaf and nearly 16 earns her the perquisite of spending hot summer days lazing on the cool garage floor? (she didn’t even wake […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | June 18, 2014
Lots of odds and ends in the news this Wednesday afternoon. First the Fed is not talking inflation and will be continuing with the expected $10 billion taper. Second, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezo introduced Amazon’s newest device called the Fire Phone … looks nice, but time will tell. It’s a 4.7” screen device with a […]
RichC | June 15, 2014
This first year and a half after my mom’s death has been a new chapter for my father and our family, but thankfully dad has been quick to adapt and has adjusted to living alone. Just saying “alone” is depressing, but his positive attitude makes it just a little bit easy on his kids (note […]
RichC | June 12, 2014
I’ve got to admit, at first glimpse these banana peel Wet Floor Cones are a pretty innovative idea. It gets your attention, at least the first few time you see them. I also needed a filler photo for the rest of the post and figured who doesn’t love a cute baby bunny photo … or […]
RichC | June 10, 2014
Happy Birthday to my son Taylor … and since we can’t be with him this year, I did a little reminiscing after receiving DVDs from our Corbett Chronicles home videos (#Throwback Thursday Tuesday). In the past we’ve made an effort to celebrate “in person,” but Williston, North Dakota is just a little bit too far […]
RichC | June 9, 2014
Originally, Sunday afternoon was going to be spent outside power washing the the pool deck and patio furniture, but that had to change due a slow drizzling rain that lingered most of the day. It became a perfect day to tackle a long overdue project … the pool house changing room now that Pumpy […]
RichC | June 3, 2014
Sometimes it good to have a place to archive odds and ends items before they are lost and in this case a slide from a Powerpoint presentation (click on photo for a larger image). From what I can tell, each resident at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has a slide announcing where they will be going and […]
RichC | May 27, 2014
Brenda and I spent a few days with our niece (Brenda’s younger sister) and family in Atlanta, Georgia. What a great time to be with our family and celebrate Jessica’s high school graduation and time checking out the Georgia Tech and ducking cover from the heavy rains. What a great time with a great niece. […]
RichC | May 4, 2014
There was a day when Tootsie (now 15 years old) would not have approved of ducks in the swimming pool … but nowadays she doesn’t even put in the effort to bark, let alone give chase. How times have changed.
RichC | May 1, 2014
It’s that time of year … time for eggs to hatch and baby Mourning Doves to start growing their feathers. Our pair does a fine job of leaving their “pigeon-like” mess everywhere too. Each year I wonder where their chicks go? Short MP3 audio clip — Mourning Dove calls
RichC | April 21, 2014
While sorting through a few iPhone photos from the past couple of weeks, I realized that I didn’t update my “Air Conditioning on the cheap” post for Encore. The installation went as planned with both the new 4 inch deck plate mounted in the cabin side and adding the new higher shelf and strap setup […]
RichC | April 16, 2014
It is official … my daughter Katelyn is no longer driving a Volkswagen, let alone a TDI. She made the decision to go with a Nissan Juke which has her really excited. So far she loves this little cute CUV, although definitely will miss her little diesel. The new Juke has all the features she […]
RichC | April 15, 2014
From weekend spring brush clearing to snow. It doesn’t look as if the 2013-1024 winter wants to leave? I was out feeding Tootsie this Tuesday morning in just a sweatshirt, and although it wasn’t necessarily springtime warm, it wasn’t really “wintery cold” either. The fresh overnight snow was wet enough for packing so it gave […]
RichC | April 14, 2014
I found some dinosaur bones while clearing brush on Saturday … as I joked on Facebook (photo above left). Actually it is probably a raccoon or possum and it is much better finding the fully decayed bones rather than gagging while having to bury the dead carcass! It is amazing at just how invasive […]
RichC | April 10, 2014
AN HOUR! Who likes sitting 60 minutes at the DMV just to renew a driver’s license … there must be a better way? Waiting aside, I must be recognizing I’m no longer young, because when the clerk asked me, “how many years have you lived in Ohio?” … I decided to answer with “my whole […]
RichC | April 8, 2014
I’m not a fan of snakes, but if I was, sleeping with a LARGE python doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do … even if “the snake’s cold body is a natural air conditioner on a hot summer night.” Thirteen-year-old Bingzhe from Dongguan, Guangdong Province, has been living and sleeping together with a gigantic […]
RichC | April 1, 2014
We had almost perfect weather to enjoy a mini-vacation on Encore these past few days, unfortunately all good things come to an end. Beside doing to much needed cleaning (Brenda does a better job than me), we took our niece Sarah and her friends out for a day of sailing. Our goal was to head […]
RichC | March 31, 2014
Just a quick filler post after watching the sunset at the marina in Florida after a cold front passed and left a slim sunset photo opportunity looking over the boom. The cool air felt good and will make for great sleeping tonight … and was also an excellent opportunity for chili … which is always […]
RichC | March 30, 2014
Mom would approve of the “handsome” (cough, cough) photo of “her three boys” as she called us. Ron (left) gave this photo to me last weekend when we were at dad’s house for dinner. It’s old school film to paper and from his daughter’s wedding last summer, but still worth scanning and archiving; I don’t […]
RichC | March 29, 2014
Good news … but sad news today. My daughter sold her 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI and it left with the new owner in Columbus today; hopefully it will mean as much to him as it did to her. The little diesel TDI is the only car Katelyn has ever known and it took her from […]
RichC | March 26, 2014
Ok … so I have the holidays confused, but then so does Mother Nature. While driving around on Tuesday afternoon the squalls started and figured it was a perfect opportunity for an animated GIF. We can’t seem to shake off winter. I expect to see a few flurries when I’m in northeast Ohio (had […]
RichC | March 24, 2014
It was a whirlwind week ending visit for Taylor as he was home from North Dakota for a visit with his friends in Cincinnati, Oxford (Miami University) and Cleveland. He also found time for family and picked up sister Katelyn in Columbus on his return from Cleveland. He drove her home for the weekend as […]
RichC | March 20, 2014
My son Taylor is back for a few days from North Dakota to visit friends (and mom and dad) and do a little shopping. That last part about shopping is my theory since I don’t think they have many JCrew stores or the like in Williston, although I could be wrong? Anyway it is nice […]
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | March 14, 2014
Although I know spring is around the corner, the Florida sunshine is nice, although I can’t say I felt much of it today as the temps were mid-60s and I spend the afternoon with my head buried below decks working on electrical gremlins – with some success I might add. Tomorrow the plan is to […]
RichC | March 3, 2014
The snow has returned again to stretch out this already long and cold winter. March has always been one of those questionable months, but one I generally associate with “spring” … so far not this year. Katelyn and Drew were home for the weekend and we had a great time together as usual. Besides talking […]
RichC | February 20, 2014
Those who are regular readers of My Desultory Blog realize that besides posting commentary on newsy items, be it tech, cars, aviation, politics or whatever, that I also include personal entries and photos relating to my family. This blog, now 4000 posts, is a continuation of a journal that I started in 1977 as a […]
RichC | February 15, 2014
OK … enough already! Winter continues to blast most of us in the east and has been particularly brutal for those in the SE generally immune to heavyt ice and snow. Here in Cincinnati we’ve had our share of cold weather and a lot more snow than usual … and it has even been […]
RichC | February 13, 2014
Winter seems to be dragging on this year perhaps because it started earlier and has not let up. The “daze” have been colder and snowier than usual without the usual intermission of warmth and melt. It is notable that even in Cincinnati snow plow companies have adopted the practice of piling the snow in parking […]
RichC | February 5, 2014
The winter of 2014 has been one of the colder and snowier in southwestern Ohio that I can remember (although we had some snow in 2010). In previous years, putting the snow blower on the old John Deere 330 was almost optional, but this year it has been used and abused more that any since […]
RichC | February 3, 2014
My apologies to Peyton Manning … probably the most complete football quarterback to ever play in the NFL … but you and your team stunk. The fine performance by the Seattle Seahawks aside, Super Bowl XLVIII was a dud of a game to watch. The festivities that now are part of the entire Super Bowl […]
RichC | January 30, 2014
So much for my Postie WordPress plugin … “no postie” would be more appropriate. Anyway just wanted to include a photo of my liveaboard boating friends Mark and Dar in front of their sailboat Zola. The news is that after Dar’s surgery and stroke that left her vision impaired, they will have to put their […]
RichC | January 5, 2014
Amazingly 28 in our family were able to make it back to Western NY for a late holiday family get together at the Howard farmhouse and dinner at Peak n Peek. Some stayed at the house and some of us in the resort or hotels and all of us realized that this could be the […]
RichC | December 31, 2013
Just a filler post to keep the Postie WordPress plugin alive. Happy New Year!
RichC | 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 […]
RichC | December 25, 2013
What a wonderful time we had over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year. We were happy to have Taylor, Katelyn and Drew home together with us for a couple days holidays (photo above) … and thankful some in the Corbett side of our family with us for dinner. It was a great to be […]
RichC | December 16, 2013
Merry Christmas to those who regularly read my “desultory” daily posts or may have just stumbled onto my blog. It has been a busy year and although my Google Analytics stats are no longer growing (they are actually down), the AdSense revenue is up? That aside, I am including more archival information “for me” than […]
RichC | December 15, 2013
We’re closing in on Christmas and it is beginning to look a little more festive around our house. I still have a few things to do, but at least the tree is up and decorated. It is a bit smaller this year but I didn’t have someone twisting my arm! This is the first year […]
RichC | December 6, 2013
Thought this photo would make an interesting animated GIF, so I tweaked it as a filler for today’s blog post. And in order to make this a “Tech Friday” post I’ll share a tweet that I haven’t confirmed works just yet: @LifeProAdvices: When you’re at an airport simply add ‘?.jpg’ at the end of any […]
RichC | November 27, 2013
It’s almost time to call it a day and begin the long Thanksgiving weekend … well at least for some of us. I’m taking both Thursday and Friday off in order to stretch out the weekend even though Brenda will be working (such is life in medical and retail). We will both be enjoying time […]
RichC | November 24, 2013
It has been a semi-busy and semi-cold weekend for yard chores, but I’m tackling them just the same since waiting for a dry “warm” Saturday and Sunday doesn’t look promising. I started Saturday early and started to tick off the simple indoor items on my chores list thinking that it might warm up, but I […]
RichC | November 3, 2013
RichC | November 2, 2013
RichC | October 27, 2013
After teasing my sister-in-law about her wanting “just one” of the clamps her dad willed to me so she could hang it on her wall … I ended up hanging the rest on the wall too (although in my workshop).😉