Cincinnati is not going to see a White Christmas for 2015

| December 20, 2015

The warm weather has fooled this Lilac branch

| December 12, 2015

As I was getting the paper this morning … in a tee-shirt in December … I noticed one branch of our struggling Lilac was confused as to the season. Hard to believe we’re getting ready for Christmas when temperatures are in the 60s.

Are you looking forward to a 2016 winter?

| December 9, 2015

For the most part this is really all about testing the latest updates to the new Digital Ocean micro cloud server while attempting to run WordPress 4.4. I’m also using an alternate server for image hosting so that I can continue to post with the long in the tooth and no longer updated Microsoft LiveWriter […]

Sorting through old business files this autumn evening

| October 27, 2015

Great memories of busy days logging the register cash deposits from the walk-in trade back in my Cuyahoga Falls office. It seems like a lifetime ago … and yes, I do kind of miss it. Keeping the business growing was challenging as the digital age matured, but those early days gave me a sense of […]

Hurricane Patricia at category 5 will be devastating

| October 23, 2015

Hurricane Patricia is well above the category 5 level on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale with maximum winds of 185 MPH. It cannot be overstated how much danger this storm poses to communities on Mexico’s west coast, including Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and the numerous small towns between the two. At its current speed, it is not only […]

The U.S. eastern seaboard keeps a leery eye on Joaquin

| October 2, 2015

Projection are currently up and down the east coast of the United States (and offshore) for Hurricane Joaquin’s path, but most models have it turning north and gaining speed. As of posting this on October 1st, the storm is a category 4 and pounding the Bahamas with rain. It is moving slow and expected to […]

A day with doctors and shoulder surgery follow-up

| September 29, 2015

It was the first day of rain and ugly weather that we’ve had here in Cincinnati for a while as we have had a near perfect end to summer and beginning of fall … so, it was not all that bad of a day for doctor appointments. First, I had my annual physical knowing that […]

The weather in Cincinnati this past weekend was spectacular

| September 21, 2015

It was a beautiful late summer (barely) weekend to hang out around home. Brenda continued her rehab exercises while planning a mid-October return to work, while I enjoyed working around the yard. We both took one more swim in the pool for 2015, watched the Bengals win and enjoyed a gorgeous Sunday evening with a […]

What are the odds of my boat getting hit by lightning?

| August 31, 2015

Archiving an educational post on lightning and boating. Although there may not be one perfect way to protect yourself or your boat when thunderstorms appear, putting the odds in your favor does make sense. According to Boat U.S. “The feature reports that in any one year the odds of your boat being struck by lightning […]

Cautious mariners use the Danger Rule when watching Erika

| August 28, 2015

Most people watching tropical weather are focused on the eye of the storm … for good reason, but as a sail enthusiast, I tend to refer to the Mariner 1-2-3 rule when watching storm. This Danger Rule or Area applies the 34-knots of wind criteria as a way to keep boaters out of the worst […]

What’s the probability of a little wind in Florida from Erika?

| August 27, 2015

Looks probable. Should have removed the Bimini on Encore this summer … thankfully the sails are down and stowed safely away. Lines are doubled, but no longer as new and stretchy as they once were. Hm … as my buddy Mark would say, “that why we pay for insurance.”

This Delta plane gets struck by lightning

| August 26, 2015

A passenger who was waiting for a storm to pass to board his flight caught the exact moment when a lightning bolt struck a Delta airliner. Source: Watch this Delta airliner get struck by a lightning bolt!

Tropical Storm Erika is poised to grow by this weekend

| August 26, 2015

It is the time of year when the tropical weather in the Atlantic tracks across the Caribbean Sea and Leeward Islands. These tropical storms can grow into hurricanes and blast the US east coast or continue on into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The previous tropical storm turn hurricane for a very […]

Tropical Storm Danny is in no hurry to head west

| August 20, 2015

Those watching the Atlantic and Caribbean this time of year are keeping their eye on Tropical Storm Danny as it slowly spins towards the Leeward Islands. So far the hurricane season in the Atlantic has been gentle … but that’s not necessarily true for those in the Pacific. I’ll be keeping my eye on tropical […]

A pre official hurricane season storm would be named Ana

| May 6, 2015

I usually don’t start monitoring the Atlantic hurricane season until it “officially begins June 1,” but this year there is a early “sub-tropical” depression ignoring the calendar. There’s a 40 percent chance the Atlantic may churn out the season’s first storm along the U.S. East Coast by May 10, according to the National Hurricane Center […]

SpaceX Dragon CRS-6 launch postponed due to weather

| April 13, 2015

It was interesting while it lasted … the launch of the SpaceX Dragon CRS-6 Falcon9 was scrubbed this afternoon and scheduled for tomorrow, April 14 at 4:10PM; weather could be a problem again. My daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew were at Kennedy Space Center (photo below) to watch it on their 2nd wedding anniversary […]

Impressive sky after the thunderstorms passes tonight

| April 8, 2015

The spring thunderstorms are right on time now that we’re into April and decided to give the new LIVE broadcasting app called Periscope a try. Unfortunately capturing lightning on an iPhone is not as easy as one would think. Below is a file save from the short live broadcast stream.

No swimming in the pool yet as there is still snow in the forecast

| March 20, 2015

One of our resident and noisy Mallard ducks woke me up early this morning. He thinks it is time for us to uncover the pool so he can take his partner for a swim as in years past (Link one and two). It’s still early since snow is still being seen across our latitude.

Tropical Cyclone Pam devastates the Vanuatu

| March 14, 2015

The official death toll for Cyclone Pam stands at eight – but up to 44 are thought to be dead after the super storm ripped through several South Pacific island nations. The category 5 storm struck Vanuatu and has caused damage in Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Caledonia. Aid officials say the storm is […]

March marched in like a lion with weather and health concerns

| March 7, 2015

A catch up post since hear in Cincinnati we have had a much snowier February and early March than usual … although a change is coming, so I hear? Sharing a few medical concerns: Activities this first week of March have revolved around medical care for a few in my family. Most pressing concerns are […]

Clearing snow again and again this February weekend

| February 22, 2015

  As predicted, we pick up our share of snow in the Cincinnati area on Saturday. I was hoping to make it through the winter without having to put the chains and snowblower on the old John Deere, but realized Friday night that it was not to be. Thankfully all operated as it was suppose […]

Music and weather: Dave Loggins 1974 – Please Come to Boston

| February 20, 2015

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An update on my dad and checking the weather

| February 16, 2015

On a personal update, my Dad is doing a better with a bit of supervision and improved eating and sleeping habits … thanks to my brother Ron and his wife Claire. The last couple weeks instead of living alone at home, they have moved him in with them temporarily (we’ll see?) in order to get […]

Sailboats are a great place to relax, even when not sailing

| November 26, 2014

Took this photo while enjoying a warm and quiet evening relaxing in the cockpit before heading for home and back to less attractive weather, but it will soon be Thanksgiving and a time to be “thankful.”  I’ll need to keep reminding myself that when the snow starts to fly! On the positive side, having a […]

Encore weekend, LED Navigation lights and Solar Nicro Vents

| November 24, 2014

A little damp where I’m at, but at least it was far warmer than points north this past weekend. I’m sure glad not to still be closing up my mother-in-laws farmhouse in western New York … whew, just missed traveling in the “Snowvember.” One of the projects I worked on was installing new LED navigation […]

So much for cheering on global warming. Winter has arrived.

| November 17, 2014

I was hoping the global warming climate change gurus were right … and that at least those of use living in the midwest would have a little longer autumns and milder winters. Just joking, if you are planning to remind me just how serious an issue climate change is. Nevertheless, winter weather has arrived in […]

The cold weather is going to continue for mid- November 2014

| November 16, 2014

Checking the cold forecast for the week as I watch our fluffy snow coming down this afternoon deciding to either lazily settle back to watch some Sunday afternoon football … or get ambitious an go cut down the final dead tree? This one has  fallen and is precariously leaning on another tree. What to do, […]

Most of the country is feeling an early autumn deep freeze

| November 14, 2014

It’s official … the weather has turned cold in much of the country… Taylor in Williston, ND is below zero already; Katelyn and Drew in Minnesota are near the single digits (photo from Katelyn’s Juke) and here in Cincinnati I’m showing about about 19 degrees early Friday morning. I know it happens every year (2010), […]

Snow and cold in the upper midwest, but still mild in Cincinnati

| November 10, 2014

One of the highlights for parents who have “some” technological prowess is that we can stay in touch with our children no matter where they are living and working. Between instant cellphone, emails and text messages with our kids, Taylor, Katelyn and Drew, we also enjoy sharing photos and Facetime calls even for small things. […]

TechFriday: MeteoEarth website, mobile app and weather

| October 10, 2014

Sort of a timely website find if you are an amateur meteorologist or just enjoy watching and learning about weather. Check out MeteoEarth.com or their MeteroEarth smartphone app for $2.99. (explainer video) There are some pretty powerful features and the real time software offers stunning visual views of weather happenings — like the current Typhoon […]

Keeping my eye on Tropical Storm Cristobal

| August 24, 2014

It looks like all the weather models are keeping tropical storm Cristobal offshore which is both good for Encore as well as my travel plans … although those in, or going to, Bermuda may want to be prepared for some wind and rain. Testing the updated WordPress iPhone app for this post.

Highways can only handle so much rain … be careful

| August 13, 2014

Unbelievable rainfall causing flooding this morning in Long Island NY (photo above – Southern State Parkway near Exit 37 – Belmont Ave) this morning a day after watching the same thing happen in southeastern Michigan yesterday (photos below).   It is shocking to see these kinds of “highway” photos, but one can only imagine how […]

Are you prepared for a Coronal Mass Ejection – CME?

| July 25, 2014

Did you know that in July of 2012 that the earth was nearly hit by a CME (video)? According to the Nation Academy of Sciences, the cost of a large CME similar to the July 20, 2012 “storm” could cost $2 Trillion. On July 23, 2012, the sun unleashed two massive clouds of plasma that barely […]

Fires in Canada spread smoke south of the border

| July 23, 2014

Last weekend while traveling in North Dakota, we ran into the smoke from the many boreal forest fires burning in the Northwest Territories in Canada on Sunday. At first I wasn’t sure why the normally crisp clear skies were so hazy, but then Taylor told us about the smoke blowing south from the 156 currently […]

A cooler mid-July followed by a weak to moderate El Niño

| 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 […]

Looks like Encore and I will be wet for a bit

| July 2, 2014

Arrived at the boat Tuesday evening after a long day of traveling … flight delays and rain squalls driving I-95 south from Orlando. All was well but wet as expected. Hopefully Tropical Storm Arthur will track a little faster and as expected taking the current 50 mph wind and rain with it. I’d like to […]

Weather watching as INVEST91L decides what it is going to do

| July 1, 2014

Packing list for this week: Repaired autopilot: ck Tool bag: ck Hurricane prep list: ck Clothes bag: ck Computer bag: ck Weather forecast – pack RAIN GEAR … Well that last one might not be going quite like I planned. So much for scheduling my trip for Encore’s hurricane prep for the first of July. […]

Tech Friday: Blitzortung.org real-time lightning detection

| June 27, 2014

Memorizing project that group-sources data from around the world and records lightning strikes. Incredibly ambitious it would seem until one realizes that much of the data is already being recorded and all that is needed is for “big data” to collect and create an interface on the web. Very interesting to watch the world and […]

The winter that will not end adds another inch of snow

| 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 […]

As the song goes: It’s beginning to look a lot like Easter …

| 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 […]

Spring weather and “I’ve got the music in me”

| March 22, 2014

With the improved weather (70 degrees in Cincinnati on Friday) and spring smell in the air, its feels like it is past due for some music on the blog. Here’s a mystery tune for the day, which of course from the 1970s, but this is one hit that I’m sure everyone has heard. The first […]

Mother Nature has turned up the thermostat this afternoon

| March 11, 2014

With today’s temperatures in the 70’s, I can help but start thinking about longer days and warmer evening. Ah … it will be nice to put this winter behind us. Tuesday afternoon is sunny and down right warm. Unfortunately the weatherman says not so fast Ke-mo sah-bee (remembering The Lone Ranger). Maybe it is spelled […]

Valentine’s Day and winter in the eastern half of the U.S.

| 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 […]

Winter daze and contemplating more Encore projects

| 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 […]

More snow and more ice. When will this winter end?

| 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 […]

A frozen Lake Erie from space and rising water temps

| January 13, 2014

Here’s a beautiful satellite photo from NASA showing the ice formation on Lake Erie from  January 9, 2014 and a link to an interesting Discovery Magazine blog post discussing ice on the Great Lakes. Since I grew up on the south shore of Lake Erie and a lot of time “recreating” in all seasons on several […]

The worst of our record cold has passed … at least for now

| January 8, 2014

According to Ohio River watchers, the “formation of river ice is rare” and has happened in only 14 winters of the last 140 years of record keeping in Cincinnati. For some the recent cold temperatures has triggered memories from 1977 and 1978. Photos from the past and stories of the river freezing over due to […]

Where did autumn 2013 go? I still have fall chores to do.

| December 12, 2013

Winter arrived and autumn lasted only a week or two  this year — at least that’s the way it seems to me. I’m generally slow to give up on warm weather, but this year the switch was literally overnight. Thankfully I took advantage of one nice weekend to close the pool (barely) … but the […]

The big chill … thankfully not in Cincinnati

| December 10, 2013

And I thought my son Taylor’s stretch of below zero temperatures in North Dakota were cold? Brrr, Antarctica has been putting up some cold “Mars polar region” numbers of its own. Maybe we should be “pro” global warming and add some more CO2 to the atmosphere? Newly analysed Nasa satellite data from east Antarctica shows […]

Winter has arrived. The rain turned to ice and is now snow.

| December 6, 2013

Tried posting a photo to the blog on my way home from Cleveland on Thursday night, but the WordPress Postie plug-in failed to cooperate. The thursday night rain (left) gave way to ice and now snow (below the break).  Forecast: A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 1 am EST Saturday for SW Ohio. […]

Quite the weather wallop this Sunday afternoon/evening

| November 17, 2013

My schedule had me driving back and forth from Mercy Anderson Hospital late this afternoon and evening. The drive south earlier was so-so, but the drive home at 6:30 was a little more tedious — mostly wind and rain although heard tornadoes were spotted earlier in Indiana? My mother-in-law (reason for hospital visit) is doing […]

Sailing south for the hurricane season, but cutting it close

| July 8, 2013

It’s the perfect time to share a short shared video from Brittany, Scott and Isla, a couple Internet sailing friends, on their way south in order to be out of the track of most hurricanes this time of year. They are without a doubt one of the most envied young sailing families with a strong […]

Cleaned my gutters this morning

| July 6, 2013

Whoa! Lots of summer rain this morning and used the excuse to try a couple more panorama photos with the iPhone 5. I’m not sure how much came down or how fast, but from the water shedding off our back acreage (and neighbors) was significant, at least in Liberty Twp. Ohio. The morning was spend […]

A couple bolts and a couple volts

| June 27, 2013

Impressive super cell photo from Nebraska (www.tonightssky.com) about a week ago. The photo is a sandwich of 2 shots about 9 seconds apart at f/22, 2.5 sec and ISO 100 according to the tech info shared on G+.

Major tornado damage in southern Oklahoma City

| May 20, 2013

I’m not looking forward to watching the news tonight … my thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of these deadly storms. USAToday LINK

Hard to beat photos of aircraft landing in St. Maartin

| May 19, 2013

Great series of 13 photos from St. Maartin’s Princess Juliana International Airport on Weather.com this month where Maho Beach-goers get up close and personal with landing aircraft (one of many posted short videos below).

Rain or Snow, what will it be?

| March 24, 2013

Come on in, the water is fine! Can you say “feeding frenzy?”

| February 11, 2013

It’s nice sun filled and warm day in Cincinnati today … although I don’t think it is pool time just yet. Would you like to go swimming with these “fishies?” (Click for larger) Photo credit: Photographer unknown

Archive: Hurricane Sandy: a collection of photos

| October 30, 2012

If you are in the northeastern U.S. – Brace, brace, brace

| October 29, 2012

An animation of satellite observations from Oct. 26-29, 2012 (below), shows Hurricane Sandy move along the U.S. East coast and into the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern U.S. Sandy had still not made landfall by the end of this animation. This visualization was created by the NASA GOES Project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., […]

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