Posted By RichC on May 11, 2015
The nearly 3,000-pound anchor was raised from the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the flagship of the notorious pirate that he intentionally grounded off the North Carolina coast in 1718. It is the largest artifact yet recovered from the wreck.
Source: Anchor from Blackbeard’s ship raised after 293 years off North Carolina coast
Posted By RichC on May 10, 2015
A great weekend after traveling this week. We enjoyed the first “ribs” of the season and celebrated Mother’s Day with Brenda and her mom by working in the yard. Spring clean-up and “finally” opening the pool — the latest we have ever opened her in Cincinnati (might have been later in Hudson, OH 20 years ago?)
On my way home from showing the Howard Farmhouse in Jamestown, NY, I did stop to see my dad and we made a trip to the cemetery for a Mother’s Day visit. Of course I forgot to pick up something to decorate the grave … something my mom would have always done.
Posted By RichC on May 9, 2015
Those who know my wife’s family heritage, KNOW she has the firebug in her DNA. Spring clean up around the yard this year is no exception. Once again … the bonfire is blazing (click for larger image).
While Brenda has her issues with fire, I have mine with coffee. I know I’m getting extreme when I “repurpose” the shampoo shelf in the shower to hold my morning cup of coffee! 
Posted By RichC on May 8, 2015
The bigger the federal government grows and the longer the tenticles reach into business and personal lives, the slower our country grows. What will it take for Americans to recognize that our country grows and lifts every citizen when the ambitious and innovative are not thwarted by Uncle Sam at every turn? Besides limiting the Federal government and reducing their size and ever growing tax needs, we need to prevent politicians from dividing citizens into adversarial groups — those who pay the taxes vs those who only reap benefits.
A couple centuries of exceptionalism did not happen because we tried to be more like Europe or socialist countries … it happened because we embraced the individual and protected an individuals rights. This freedom gave Americans in prior generations the ability to build, compete, innovate and better their lives and their family’s lives. This dream is now much more difficult to achieve, not because competition is more difficult, but because the hurdles and tax bite no longer make the risk worth the reward in many traditional entrepreneurial pursuits
And the bottom 20%? They get paid by Uncle Sam. We compare tax burdens as Tax Day approaches.
Posted By RichC on May 7, 2015
Another year older and hopefully wiser (birthdays seems to happen too often) and am still trying to live and love life to the fullest. On this ThrowBack Thursday (TBT) I’ll include a couple photos and even an Elton John YouTube song from “just” a few years ago (cough, cough).
The Brenich photos were from the early 1980s when we had our first boat (post) and the “two little tikes” are my nephews who are now in their 30s. In fact, the littlest one, Ben, in the above photo had a baby yesterday.
As a pretty smart guy once said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
Yes, the water is brown – early spring on the Huron River in Ohio with my aunt, mom,
dad and my good friend Charlie (on the boat).
Posted By RichC on May 6, 2015
Equity markets are struggling to make any positive headway this month as each time there is a sliver of optimism that the economy will improve, another round of negativity takes the wind out of sails. 
Wednesday, after what looked like a positive start to the trading day, a “triple whammy of a pullback in energy stocks, weak jobs data and Janet Yellen’s comment that equity valuations are ‘generally high’” sent stocks lower this afternoon. (LINK) With an hour left in U.S. trading, the markets sit near their day lows.
Posted By RichC on May 6, 2015
Congratulations to my nephew Benjamin Skinner and his wife Emily on the birth of their son (their first child).
Liev Frederick Skinner was born this morning, May 6, 2015 at 5:51AM in Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s a cute little guy at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 20.5 inches … so relays his proud grandma … my sister-in-law Chris.
Can’t wait to see him and the happy parents.
Posted By RichC on 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 in Miami. If a storm forms, it will likely be a subtropical system, a sort of hybrid between a regular storm and a true tropical one.
An area of low pressure is moving off North America into the warm ocean waters off Florida, and the combination of the two may provide the building blocks for what would be named Ana.
Source: Atlantic Hurricane Season Threatens Early Start as Storm Brews
Posted By RichC on May 6, 2015
Millions of people damage their knees. Scientists are testing implanting an artificial meniscus or inducing the body to grow a new one.
Source: New Fixes for Worn Knees
Posted By RichC on May 5, 2015
This is the kind of story that has has one appreciating the the focus on design and safety going into the cars and SUVs being built today. Amazing … the driver, David Grimes, walked away with only a slight burn from the SUV’s air bag.
A man’s SUV was pinned between two tractor-trailers, yet he miraculously walked away unharmed.
David Grimes was driving on Interstate 65 in Tennessee on Friday when he slowed down because of traffic. That’s when he said a tractor-trailer hit him. Seconds later, he was hanging by his seatbelt as his car was stuck vertically between the two trucks.
“I thought there was no way anybody could’ve walked away from that, but he did, and he’s OK,” his tearful wife, Melissa Grimes, said
