My Desultory Blog

Posted By RichC on August 31, 2023

Brenda and I have transitioned from “mostly news” in the late evening to watching a half-hour of vintage comedy on TV … at least before bed. The repetitive drumbeat of depressing, anger-inducing news is not very conducive for a good night’s sleep.

One of the funny shows we enjoy is the late 1960’s sitcom “Get Smart.” Hilarious for those of us with an odd sense of humor; why can’t they make comedies like this anymore?

Anyway we seem to notice items in the show that today seem out of place, like the corded phones (and actor Don Adam’ s dial shoe phone), a VW Karmann Ghia and references/terms that are verböten these days.

Our discussion shifted to modern cars that are likely to get old quickly due to technological change rather than rusting or wearing out, much as do computers and cellphones. We concluded that perhaps we should go back to driving older mechanical cars rather than these computers on wheels. She decide a Herbie car (VW Beetle) was for her and I opted for a Willys … perhaps a 4WD Truck instead of a Jeep? 

Category: Automotive, Technology, Volkswagen | No Comments »
Tags: brenda, don adams, get smart, herbie, jeep, karmann ghia, richc, shoe phone, sitcom, TBT, television, volkswagen, willy's truck

Posted By RichC on August 30, 2023

The good news is that Hurricane Idalia waited until morning to come ashore and did it in a less populated area of Florida, know as the Florida’s Nature Coast. The bad news is that it is low and ill prepared compared when it comes to construction (more manufactured homes and less hardened hurricane capable buildings). It is too early to assess, but the storm surge and Cat 3 winds … along with heavy rain well into Georgia … will surely do a lot of damage.

Florida’s Big Bend is one of the last truly natural places in the state. It’s not Disney World. It’s not South Beach. This is where people go to hunt alligators, fish for tarpon and search for scallops in the shallow waters. On Wednesday, it became the bull’s-eye of a major hurricane.

The Big Bend is where the peninsula merges into the Panhandle, just southeast of the capital, Tallahassee, and well north of the Tampa metro area. Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning near Keaton Beach in the lightly populated region as a high-end Category 3 hurricane, becoming the first major storm to hit the Big Bend region since Hurricane Easy in 1950, according to the National Hurricane Center.

This is where people go to appreciate nature and be left alone.

LINK

Category: News, Weather | No Comments »
Tags: big bend, florida, hurricane, idalia

Posted By RichC on August 30, 2023

Jim Brown played for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 through 1965. Considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history. (Link)

Category: Sports, TBT | No Comments »
Tags: browns, cleveland, football, jim brown, mud, nfl, TBT, wikipedia

Posted By RichC on August 29, 2023

There is no plan to buy more stuff, but I’m collecting ideas for the wall behind my newly upgraded router table for the accessories. Previously I have either just hung the jigs, etc on the wall individually or put them in a drawer nearby with my table saw parts and jigs.

Now that I finally have a couple “nicer” featherboards, it would be handy to not just pile them on the back of the router table (which is currently what I do). The “hanging on the front of a shelf” idea from this Rockler shelf would be pretty handy as well having as a few slots for 1/2” bits and the collet wrench when I’m changing them. Perhaps this will be a fun wintertime weekend project? 

While collecting ideas for workshop woodworking jigs, I’ve been tempted a few time to build or buy a box joint jig for my router table rather than using the one I made that fits to my table saw miter gauge. Here is Rockler’s nicely made Small and XL versions for inspiration.

Category: Ideas, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: bits, featherboard, router, router table, shelf, workshop

Posted By RichC on August 28, 2023

While winding down the last of the lazy summer pool weekends (photo from 2016) this August 2023, there aren’t many better songs than those from the singer/songwriter Bertie Higgins.

A few years back his “Just Another Day in Paradise” was a Music Monday selection and probably a favorite … but equally enjoyable is “Key Largo.” Of course it triggers our “dinner and a classic movie” Covid19 stay-at-home routine and HelloFresh meals as both Brenda and I enjoyed watching “Bogey and Bacall” in the movie of same Key Largo name. 

Category: Memories, Movies, Music, Video | No Comments »
Tags: bertie higgins, classic movies, hellofresh.com, music monday, musicmonday, summer, youtube

Posted By RichC on August 27, 2023

One can be sure that I will always laugh at “toilet humor” … but this one is for Drew!

Category: Humor | No Comments »
Tags: clog, dutch, holland, Humor, toilet

Posted By RichC on August 26, 2023

Since I now have a few more featherboards to use with my table saw and router table, it seemed like a good idea to add a couple T-Tracks. Most modern woodworking workshops now seem to use these anodized aluminum tracks for a variety of purposes … they will be helpful for hold downs on my small sleds too.  I realized the short ones on my drill press table are “the wrong size” to fit my new clamp gadgets, so decided to buy a couple low-cost 400mm ones online and make a couple of my own setups. Nothing pressing at the moment, but I’m looking forward to tinkering with them. 

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Category: Ideas, Tidbits, Woodworking | No Comments »
Tags: fence post, router, router table, t-track, tablesaw, workshop

Posted By RichC on August 25, 2023

Our Wyze security cam detection continues to struggle with determining if birds are people. One would think that with artificial intelligence improving that software would be much better at detecting the difference between birds and people? But for years now (one, two, three), our friendly and curious cardinal regularly enjoys getting his photo uploaded to the cloud and triggering a “person-detection” alert. Actually I don’t really mind knowing that all is working on our bundle of cams around the house. Besides, he is a handsome cardinal!

Category: Nature, Technology, Video | No Comments »
Tags: birds, cardinal, mp4, security, wyze

Posted By RichC on August 24, 2023

While visiting with my extended family at my Uncle Sonny’s Celebration of Life earlier this month, a few of us exchanged phone numbers so we could better stay in touch. My cousin Dan forwarded a paper that highlighted my Grandfather Corbett’s Sinclair gas station and Earl’s Auto Service in South Toledo. It was interesting to see a photo of the corner that I mention on my blog before … but “looking so much nicer.” It is depressing to see our once great American cities crumbling without many residents taking pride in their homes and communities.

Thankfully there is a revival in some areas (proud of Taylor for doing his part in Walnut Hills / Cincinnati), but without getting too “left vs right” political, it is going to continue to be a tough go without a change in government, families, enforcement of law and order … and some traditional respect and moral values that were once common traits for being an American citizen. It’s not always about more taxes and and throwing money at problems.

Back to the ThrowBack Thursday #TBT part of this blog post. The paper did not have dates on them, but it did have a few hints from some of the photos and events included on the pages. This did make at least the year decipherable: 1937.

The clue that attracted my attention was aviation and nautically related … of course. The Pan American Clipper III was making test flights across the Atlantic with one of the stops at Foynes, Ireland on July 6, 1937 — and here’s a photo from that day (Vanderbilt Cup Races). 

This PanAm plane, a Sikorsky S-42B, eventually the Bermuda Clipper had an accident report and was removed from service on July 27, 1943.

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Category: AI, Archive, Automotive, Aviation, Business, History, Memories, Personal, Photos, TBT, Tidbits | No Comments »
Tags: 1937, auto service, boeing, chatgpt, clipper, earl corbett, family, ohio, pan am, prouty, sikorsky, spencer, toledo

Posted By RichC on August 23, 2023

Just filling up some space and using these photos as excuses to post a cicada “live photo” (saved as anigif) AND a cute “smiling dogs” photo from the social network “X” … formerly known as Twitter. I’m enjoying the nice warm weather as long as it lasts — August is disappearing fast.

Category: Misc, Photos, Social Media | No Comments »
Tags: anigif, cicada, filler post, smiling dogs