A little more music from Gregg Allman please …
Posted By RichC on October 14, 2016
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John Deere 330 Diesel 10K Generator project update
Posted By RichC on October 13, 2016
After doing a little maintenance and replacing the front tires on the John Deere 330 last month, I finally finished the simple 10K generator setup and wired 
up a new longer power-to-house cable. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to come up with a mount that makes it easy enough from my wife to connect the generator head to the John 
Deere and then to the house, but it is still relatively easy (she could probably do it … but wouldn’t like doing it).
Setting it up is a matter of a single tensioner "thumb screw" that I ground in order to align the generator head and the single heavy Kevlar 5/8" x 43" belt. So far in testing it for a few hours, it runs the house without a problem (minus AC, electric range, dryer, etc), … and uses 1/2 gallon of diesel per hour running at mid-throttle –required RPMs for 120 VAC and 240 VAC. I suspect my calculations on burn rate could be off slightly, but have erred on the conservative side (planning for 5 gallons of diesel every 10-12 hours).
For the political type who still has a sense of humor
Posted By RichC on October 12, 2016
Pick your poison … a very scary Hillary Witch or a very angry orange TrumKin.
The Trump phenomena has now turned to full fledge panic
Posted By RichC on October 11, 2016
The Republican establishment has moved a bit closer to full fledged panic after a video of their candidate for president was dug up from a "hot-mic" Donald Trump celebrity appearance 11 years ago. It offered an audio picture of what most 
knew about the man who swaggered his way through the Republican primaries. His vulgarity and juvenile delinquent (my term) locker room talk is no surprise and fits his "can’t touch me" Billionaire grandiose narcissism, but hearing it on audio is still disturbing. It is totally degrading to women and makes me uncomfortable as a Christian, a husband and father, who chooses not to swear or use vulgarity — it is therefore hard for me to stomach that he’s "MY" political party’s candidate for president. This is bottom of the barrel filth and doesn’t help the GOP which is already polling poorly with the female demographic (thanks to Trump).
To his credit (cough, cough), Donald Trump did apologize (something rare for him) … and makes most of his supporters squirm as they try to defend everything positive in the platform. At this point, the Trump campaign is starting to sink the entire GOP ship … House of Representatives and all (something not even imagined a few weeks ago).
I feel for the country and the direction we are headed and am thinking to myself: "How ironic, the one area conservatives always had over liberals was they stood up for values and morality — now it has been torched by this ego driven, unethical businessman who now has only one thing going for him … the fact that GOP policies are better for the country than those of Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. That said, I’m having an increasingly harder time of even convincing myself to support my party’s candidate."
Personally speaking (and assume I’m not alone), I wish Trump would drop off the ticket because I would be far more comfortably supporting and voting for Gov Mike Pence.
Loving postseason baseball – Indians sweep 3 games
Posted By RichC on October 10, 2016
Great to be a Cleveland Indians fan this postseason. They swept all 3 games (3-0) over Boston winning tonight’s game 4 -3. Go Tribe!
Sailing around the world for 8 years with 3 kids taught us to live without structure
Posted By RichC on October 10, 2016
The Giffords are part of a growing, but little-known community of people called cruisers. (A 2011 survey placed the global total number of cruising boats at 10,000.) “Cruising requires that you learn to live without structure. And some people are really afraid of that.”
While many cruisers are couples or individuals who have given up the rat race to live a life-long dream, some are families who spend months, even years at sea or living on a boat in distant lands. “It’s about the absolute sense of freedom. You get to explore the world and bring your home along with you,” says Lin Pardey, an author and 45-year veteran of the cruising lifestyle who, with her husband Larry, literally wrote the book on it. “But cruising requires that you learn to live without structure. And some people are really afraid of that.”
Full story: Sailing around the world for eight years with three kids taught us to live without structure
Renewable low cost hot water idea for a sailboat
Posted By RichC on October 9, 2016
Archiving another project idea for living on the hook (someday) yet still having hot water for dishes, cleaning and SHOWERS (a freshwater shower is a luxury for most sailboats).
What was Hurricame Matthew coming ashore like?
Posted By RichC on October 8, 2016
How does government best assist in job creation?
Posted By RichC on October 7, 2016
What is the goal?
More and better paying jobs, profits for companies and growing tax revenues to fund government services, entitlements and improved ability to pay down our nation’s debt.
How do we accomplish this?
There are two ways government helps to create jobs in the US. The current Democrats remain focused on #1, while the Republicans propose #2 — only one is sustainable enough to improve pay and benefits over time, so think before you vote.
- Democrats #1 — Government hires d
irectly or offers incentives to companies that hire employees … often adding employees they often don’t yet need in return for the tax benefit. This spending requires more from taxpayers and increased borrowing which elevates the debt. The result is what we have been seeing … a tepid recovery and a sluggish economy. The country seeing the slow rise in part-time and a minimum wage jobs, all with declining benefits. (visualize this as a single pie cut into increasingly smaller slices)
Republicans #2 — Government lowers corporate and individual taxes putting more money back in the hands of consumers and useful capital (often parked overseas) back in the coffers of business here in the U.S. As consumers spent, prices rise (supply and demand) and businesses uses their capital to expand production and hire additional workers. Competition for the best employees increases wages/benefits and as the economy grows, employees have more bargaining power. (visualized as the more pies and therefore larger slices for all willing to work)
Bonus:
If the economy grows, so do tax revenues and ability to pay for government services, save long term entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security AND if voters can keep our Federal Government from ballooning, we can even begin paying down our national debt.
So before you vote this November, weigh carefully, not just the personality of the candidates we see, but for the philosophy and ideas of each political party that gives us the best chance to grow our economy while keeping us safe.
Watching Hurricane Matthew and Cleveland Indians
Posted By RichC on October 7, 2016
Hurricane Matthew is blasting up Florida’s Atlantic coast at this early morning moment. I’ve been back and forth between baseball and the Weather Channel which spent much of the night broadcasting from all places, Fort Pierce, FL. I exchanged text messages at midnight with our friends riding out the storm there and will stay up a few more hours until the worst of the winds pass. Mark and Dar plan on checking on Encore tomorrow if the roads are clear … so I’ll know more if the marina and our sailboat survived.
Matthew’s track seems to be ever so slightly east of what was projected, but I also realize the surge and wind is still substantial … still hurricane force. We’ll find out tomorrow how our marina and Encore made out.
On a happier note, “my” Cleveland Indians won game one of the ALDS against Boston in an excellent 5 – 4 game … I’ll credit the win to the home crowd! Goodnight all.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.