Posted By RichC on August 5, 2021
In making this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post, it is interesting to look at a blog post from 2007 when we added our backporch and stamped concrete and as it is now while contemplating how to cut back our landscaping and trees.
At one point we were thinking it was taking so long to mature and grow … to now thinking it has overgrown (especially when cleaning pine needles off the roof)!
For the updated part of this post, here are a couple photos of Brenda’s Rose-of-Sharon transplants blooming and Lamb’s Ear ground cover now “browning” that the heat of July and August have arrived.
Category: Archive, Misc, Personal, Photos, TBT |
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Tags: backporch, blog, home, house, lambs ear, landscaping, rose of sharon, TBT, throwback, thursday, trees, yard
Posted By RichC on August 4, 2021
After a conversation with a friend regarding the several smartphones his family has with AT&T, I mentioned that our service with Mint Mobile has been flawless … as was our Sprint-based Virgin Mobile and even Boost Mobile. Besides excellent coverage nearly everywhere we’ve been (don’t know about 5G service yet (July 2021 map below), but the carrier is T-Mobile), the per month has saved us a lot. Maybe it is time to take a look … and yes there is a promo for me if you use this link! 
https://richc.us/MintMobile2021
(more…)
Category: Advice, Cellphone |
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Tags: carrier, Cellphone, mint, mint mobile, smartphone
Posted By RichC on August 4, 2021
TIDBIT: Although Jupiter and Saturn can look “relatively close” from our perspective, they are actually 456 million miles apart. Saturn is nearly twice as far away as Jupiter.
We have had a few unusually cool evenings for early August (50-60F degrees) and the clear skies have me looking up. For stargazers and amateur sky watchers, this makes for a perfect opportunity to check out the Perseid meteor showers, Saturn and Jupiter closer to the earth and the blue moon later in the month (dates below).
Jupiter and Saturn will be in opposition this month but their full brightness will be seen on the day of the full blue moon. It will be an easy view for skygazers, as they will not need to look too far to view Saturn, Jupiter, and the blue moon all on the same night.
(more…)
Category: Science, Space, Tidbits, Weather |
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Tags: astronomy, blue moon, jupiter, meteors, perseid, saturn, stargazing
Posted By RichC on August 3, 2021
Weather and years (and abuse) has pretty much destroyed the gate, hinges and latches that I took off of the gate. I disassembled it in anticipation of our driveway project (I’m still waiting – they were delayed). The final disassemble and hauling to the back was on my weekend list, but I did not anticipate getting sidetracked by trying to bend the hinges back to normal, taking them all apart, de-rusting, lubricating and putting the “frozen” pieces back together again. About the only thing I didn’t do was to put fresh black Rust-oleum paint on them again (priced heavy gate hinges, etc at Tractor Supply and salvaging seemed worthwhile).
The second weekend distraction happened when I was moving the old copier stand or office roller cabinet from my upstairs office to the workshop. 
I was thinking about tossing it, but with a little repair in reinforcing of the rollers and bottom, it is now sturdy again. I also noticed it fits nicely under my Delta cabinet saw (now Unisaw) Biesemeyer fence extension table and might eventually be used in combination with a dust collector system (I’m still thinking about it). For now, I could put a 8-1/2+ in deep box on top of it to store hand power tools or something … unfortunately my initial thought of putting my new DeWalt DW735 planer on top of it is not going to work unless I do some serious modification — it 14” high. All I need are more distractions from half started and higher priority projects.
EDIT 8/3/2020: (more…)
Category: Hobby, Ideas, Misc, Personal, Photos, To-Do, Woodworking |
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Tags: cabinet, copier, driveway, gate, hardware, project, repair, repurpose, table saw, tractor supply, workshop
Posted By RichC on August 2, 2021
This content is restricted.
Category: Music, Video |
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Tags: band, burton cummings, canadian, guess who, live, mp3, mp4, music monday, musicmonday, no time, randy bachman, rock and roll
Posted By RichC on August 1, 2021
Perhaps I’ve been asleep at the wheel, but when looking to buy another pair of Eddie Bauer shorts (liked the lightweight ones I ordered last month – below), I noticed that they are promoting a “Rent Your Adventure” outdoor camping gear program. 
It caught me off-guard to see them renting outdoor gear as well as selling it … although I did not delve into pricing.
I suppose it makes perfect sense … but has it really come to people choosing to rent outdoor gear instead of buying it … and do people really rent a pair of pants like a tux in order to go camping or hiking … on the other hand,they are only $4 bucks a day … I wonder if there is a minimum timeframe (and I hope their durable and easily to clean!)
Category: Business, Human Interest, Idioms, Marketing, Shopping, Tidbits |
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Tags: adventure, camping, clothing, eddie bauer, equipment, hiking, idiom, idioms, outdoor, random, renting, shorts
Posted By RichC on July 31, 2021
To salvage or toss: It is a quandary those of us who try to fix, salvage and repair things. My theory is that those of us who take thing apart as kids to see how they 
work, tend to be the ones doing it when they are older and collecting boxes of junk?
I often find myself “wasting time” trying to fix things, and when I can’t, I often revert to my youth and “take them apart” … for no other reason than to salvage and save the parts. These are items that I’ll likely will never need or use in the future, but seem too good to trash. It happened again last weekend when I was unable to repair a leak and recharge our leaking-refrigerant dehumidifier … and because there was refrigerant in it … I “took it apart” and dispose of some of it piece by piece.
As for the parts that are left over, I have a perfectly good and pretty efficient squirrel cage fan motor to rewire and use as a quiet air-mover … although I’m not sure where I’ll even use it? (photo above is figuring out the wiring of this capacitor start motor)
As for project ideas … (more…)
Category: Ideas, Misc, Personal, Photos, Tidbits |
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Tags: aaron howard, dehumidifier, emory, family, fan, idea, ideas, lauren howard, project
Posted By RichC on July 30, 2021
Professional surfer Billy Kemper — and his son Lion — surfing together.
Surfer Billy Kemper says he glimpsed at death after a wave broke his pelvis in half
(CNN) – It was a tiny error in judgement, but within seconds he realized that the consequences could be potentially life threatening.
“That wave sucked me up into the mouth of it and slammed me onto a rock and just absolutely destroyed me,” American surfer Billy Kemper tells CNN Sport.
“Knocked me out unconscious. Collapsed my lung. My pelvis was broken down the middle, I had to get my knee reconstructed, the injury-list goes on and on,” adds the 30-year-old surfer as he details the impact on his body. “It was straight up life or death.”
READ more …
Category: Recreation, Sports, Video |
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Tags: cnn, friday filler, kids, mp4, ocean, sports, surfing, video
Posted By RichC on July 29, 2021
While reviewing and purging a few backups to stay under one of my cloud storage service’s data caps, a favorite photo popped up that was backed up on OneDrive. It was a pre-children time for Drew and Katelyn visiting his parent’s place on Lake Michigan when there was free-time for self, hobbies, tech gadgets and flying his quadrotor. Thankfully he has shared a lot of his drone video which makes for excellent Throw Back Thursday #TBT memories.
While looking for July 2016 links for the photo above, I also came across a great Ohio River evening photo in Cincinnati by Taylor FIVE years ago too.
Category: Hobby, Memories, Personal, Photography, Photos, TBT |
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Tags: cincinnati, drew, drone, family, katelyn, memories, michigan, ohio, Photos, quadrotor, river, taylor, TBT, throwback, thursday
Posted By RichC on July 28, 2021
Perhaps it is my aging eyes, just worn out in the evening … or just too many distractions when the TV is on … but my book reading has slowed a bit. Of the several books sitting next to my chair, on my Kindle or iPad, 
most have been started, but sit unfinished.
So this past week I’ve stared an Age of Discovery audiobook called “In Search of a Kingdom” by historian and biographer Laurence Bergreen. Harper Collins published this book earlier this year and since I’ve always enjoyed the minutia when learning about voyaging history, this book holds my interest. It is difficult to imagine how different living in the 1500s was like in civilized society was … but hearing details from those exploring, plundering and trying to stay alive on board ships at sea.
In “In Search of a Kingdom,” Queen Elizabeth I and Francis Drake from 1600 century England challenged Spain’s dominance at sea and exploration. These two “helped set chart the course for the future British Empire,” and Bergreen tells account of Drake’s remarkable circumnavigation with intriguing details … which are enough to keep me reading/listening.
If you enjoy reading history, voyages of exploration, pirating and seafaring stories, then “In Search of a Kingdom” (Amazon Link) might just be for you (Link to add-on PDF audio enhancement file).
Category: Audio, Books, History, Sailing |
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Tags: audiobook, book, circumnavigation, discovery, exploration, francis drake, in search of a kingdom, laurence bergreen, maps, queen elizabeth, seafaring, voyaging
In making this a Throwback Thursday #TBT post, it is interesting to look at a blog post from 2007 when we added our backporch and stamped concrete and as it is now while contemplating how to cut back our landscaping and trees. 
At one point we were thinking it was taking so long to mature and grow … to now thinking it has overgrown (especially when cleaning pine needles off the roof)!
