Contemplating and already missing our winter beach days

| March 10, 2024

I wish I could say that our winter Florida vacation was long enough, but to be honest, it flew by way too fast. Nevertheless, being “snowbirds” … as our son Taylor called us … suited us just fine. We thought our daily walks on the beach (10,000+ steps each day) and eating less were surely […]

Archive: KDAE February 2024 vacation to Florida Wrap-Up Part 2

| March 6, 2024

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Archive: KDAE February 2024 vacation to Florida Wrap-Up Part 1

| March 3, 2024

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Filler: Admiring a Lucid Air while driving in Florida

| February 25, 2024

Just a filler photo of a Lucid Air from Massachusetts that I was admiring while driving in Delray Beach, Florida last week.

Sloothing a college friend, a shoe throwing incident and a seagull

| February 11, 2024

While on vacation and walking the beach, Brenda threatened a bird with her sandal who was boldly getting a little to close to her while we were snacking on a granola bar. I laughed at her as the thought about ONE of the Christmas break trips to Florida with my college and a memory came […]

What doesn’t belong here? Very Waldo-ellian! #DDJ #humor

| February 10, 2024

Ok … so the title of this post is questionable.  The twisting of the “Where’s Waldo” picture game with the Orwellian like doublespeak obviously shows that I was too tired in preparing to add this photo to the blog. My plan in putting this “snail shell” in a palm tree was to See if it […]

Who doesn’t enjoy looking up and seeing the Goodyear Blimp?

| February 4, 2024

Years ago while regularly making my weekly drive to and from NE Ohio and through Akron, I often saw Goodyear blimps like the “Spirit of Akron” hanging over the interstate and city. Most of us know the blimp either for their aerial coverage of sporting events or watching them leisurely pass along beachfronts — often […]

Better weather, eating less and more walking last month

| February 3, 2024

While Brenda and I apprecated the warmer weather while in Florida last month, we really focused on walking more each day after working half days from the condo. Our steady daily beach walks and healthier eating will hopefully pay-off with the shedding of a few pounds and improving our long term health (Brenda’s hip replacement […]

Walking the beach in Florida and a “Big Eye” #TBT moment

| January 25, 2024

A post from over a decade ago highlighted a beach find that was rather unique for the east coast of Florida … a BIG eye … so figure for this ThrowBack Thursday #TBT it would be a way to then comment on a Portuguese Man O’ War spawn this week along Delray Beach. Although there […]

Escape: It is not perfect weather, but better than Ohio

| January 20, 2024

The weather up north is … well wintery and cold … so we are not complaining this year in our escape to Delray Beach, FL. We are disappointed as usual to see the substantial amount of plastic washing up on the beach during our walks. It reminds me of growing up in the 1960s and […]

Archive: A shark on the beach and a toothless granddaughter

| November 29, 2023

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Archive: Rain showers and our growing granddaughters

| November 26, 2023

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Archive: “The Sea Was Angry That Day My Friends …”

| November 18, 2023

Just saving a couple photos after walking the debris covered walkway at Atlantic Dunes in Delray Beach, Florida after the “monsoon” of a November 2023 storm. The heavy surf wash away A LOT of sand beach and left a mess of branches and leaves on the trails we normally walk on. Thankfully the heavy wind, […]

Archive: Memories from our October 2023 beachy vacation

| October 29, 2023

Before the photos from our October 2023 vacation to Florida are buried too deep on my phone, I’ll use this weekend post as is an excuse to archive them. Brenda and I had great weather for most of our vacation and enjoy many days walking on Delray Beach. She has recovered from hip surgery impressively […]

The US financial markets finally take (start?) their October slide

| October 19, 2023

Those who are elected (or strong-armed their way to power) are failing miserably at keeping peace in our world as we teeter on the edge of yet another war. No matter how advance we think we are, human beings are unable to get along with each other.  Stock Market Indices market close 10/18/2023 Stock market […]

Beach vacations are restful and a necessary recharge for me

| October 18, 2023

Although a new iPhone14 or 15 would make the quality of photos a little better, my old iPhone7plus is still chugging along. I haven’t taken a panoramic for a while, so rather than go the selfie route (Brenda veto-ed the photo we took) for today’s vacation blog post. So I’ll post a Delray Beach pano […]

Who else has tried to “pinch-to-zoom” a paper map? #humor

| September 23, 2023

I had to laugh at myself the while reading one of the World War II Pacific Island campaign history books then looking up at my cork wall and trying to “pinch-to-zoom” the paper map for more details. Oh, the tech habits we adopt! And since this is a random kind of filler humor post, below […]

Nothing to see: Sewing my cap and Beach Bub umbrella bag

| September 2, 2023

Really, there’s isn’t anything to see … just a little sewing. Last weekend I got out the Sailrite Ultrafeed in order to salvage a pair of shorts that had frayed … but I failed, so they are now in the trash (I miss my mom).  But since I hauled home the BeachBub.com beach umbrella bag […]

Hurricane Idalia slams ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida

| 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). […]

Florida homeowners hit hard by insurance premiums

| August 8, 2023

Archiving an article from last week’s Barron Magazine which highlighted what I’ve been noticing with homeowner insurance rates on our condo in Florida. When I called the agent about the increase last year, she commented that I should be thankful for the increase as it was on the lower side compared to most. Yikes .. […]

Learning more about the Everglades via audio field trip

| July 12, 2023

Enjoyed a long-ish audio field trip shared in the Washington Post last week by Lillian Cunningham. It was educational and a relaxing evening listen while “trying” to read a book (but I could not focus on both). 😉  The Everglades have always been interesting to me. My brother and I dreamt of living on Key […]

What’s next and where do you want to retire? #TBT

| May 18, 2023

Most people spend their lives going to school, focused on work and career, raising their family and after 6 decades or so can plan for the day they shift gears and retire. The question arises, what do you want to do and where do you want to live when you aren’t restricted by school and […]

Books: “The Courage to Be Free” (2023) – Ron DeSantis

| May 10, 2023

My library borrowing and Kindle game caught up with me this week as the book I borrowed, “Metathreats,”  (and was in the middle of reading) expired … but because I have been keeping my Kindle in “Airplane Mode,” I continued reading. Generally I can’t finish a book without renewing so will often put my Kindle […]

Leftover Florida rain, condo window & banana trees photos

| April 26, 2023

It was impressive to watch weather moving across the ocean and while wrapping up our “new condo windows” trip, we saw a bit of impressive rain and “interesting” spring weather in Florida. The photo above captured nature’s impressive power and the 40 knots winds if caught out in this squall on a small boat would […]

Archive: Catch-up photos from April 2023 trip to Florida

| April 23, 2023

A trip to Florida would not be compete without at least one timeline marking photo of us … so this catch-up post with a few leftover photos from our “condo window installation” trip will start with a Brenda and Rich beach photo.  Between a few rain and heavy wind days, we had some sunny and […]

Archive: The new condo windows have finally been installed

| April 22, 2023

We have had our share of rain in Florida this April while in Delray Beach, but have finally finished the upgrade of new windows in the condo. I should have done it back in 2018 as I would have save a few thousand dollars, but as the saying goes … “better late than never” (they […]

Katelyn and Drew celebrated their 10th Anniversary in Miami, FL

| April 16, 2023

Has it really been TEN years? My daughter Katelyn and her husband Drew (now a family of FOUR), have been married for 10 years! Wow!!! They are celebrating their anniversary by taking a quick getaway trip to Miami, Florida. Congratulations to the both of them … and may they have many more years of health […]

Archive: Leftover family and condo photos from the past week

| February 26, 2023

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A bit more on the Portuguese Man O’ Wars this past week

| February 18, 2023

Brenda commented that I didn’t link any information on the the large numbers of Portuguese Man O’ Wars earlier this week, so figured I would share a beach photo of a bourgeoning Portuguese Man O’ War spawn that were washing up all over the beach this past week (click above). The interesting colored spot on […]

Our shrinking kitchen counter space in the Florida condo

| February 16, 2023

Nothing like a big game, a bag of frozen Costco chicken wings and a desire to make them crispier than in a normal oven to talk us into a splurge buy! At home in Cincinnati, we enjoy our Breville convection toaster oven at home so much that really wanted one down at the Delray Beach […]

A few more family homebuilding photos and using rehab as an excuse to take a winter trip to Florida

| February 15, 2023

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Music Monday: Same Old Lang Syne by the late Dan Fogelberg

| January 2, 2023

There are songs that when you hear them trigger memories of times, people and places in life. Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne” does that for me … although thankfully not as depressing as the lyrics. (I’m thinking about the “bigger than life trips” during my college Christmas/New Year breaks). Over the Christmas and New […]

For the record, we joined Costco with the rest of America

| December 4, 2022

With a new Costco store opening close to home in Liberty Township, Ohio (and one in Delray or actually in Boca Raton, FL), Brenda and I have finally decided to join. My buddy Jeff has been a Costco shopper for eons … and Katelyn and Drew are always telling us about their weekend trips to […]

Tech Friday: A big screen TV deal and Christmas light flashback

| December 2, 2022

It is hard to believe that watching sports and movies on a 37" television just isn’t satisfactory enough these days? So when I saw a Walmart pre-Black Friday deal on a 65" TCL Roku TV for $228, I could not pass up the deal. It is very impressive for the money and a perfect upgrade […]

Archive: Some family time with our granddaughters

| November 30, 2022

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Thanksgiving 2022: “Out of the mouth of babes …”

| November 24, 2022

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Our Chick-fil-A order was securely delivered with a smile

| November 19, 2022

Our Chick-fil-A order last week was “securely” delivered to our car by a law enforcement officer … and with a smile (wish I could have tipped him)! My kind of city and state. Community outreach does not get much better than this! #lawenforcement & @ChickfilA working together to keep the line moving. 😉 pic.twitter.com/oisMROLqLz — […]

Nice night in SW Ohio, but not in South Florida

| November 9, 2022

It was a clear, still night to take a walk around the neighborhood, but not so much on the east coast of Florida. I can’t help but pay attention to the wind, rain and surge associated with Hurricane Nicole as it comes ashore tonight. Tomorrow will tell the tale.

Weather watching as SubTropical Storm Nicole approaches

| November 8, 2022

The hurricane tracking cone is a little squirrelly, but SubTropical Storm Nicole does look at if it will hit the Bahamas as a hurricane and likely from our recent experience of enjoying the “WARM” water on South Florida’s Atlantic beaches (a couple of photos below the break from earlier this month). As of Tuesday afternoon […]

Obituary: Alton Gwynn Pitts (1926-2022) and finding the right words to comfort a friend on the passing of his father

| November 3, 2022

Although it was not unexpected, my long time friend Jeff‘s father passed away last week. It was the way we all would want to die … "peacefully in our sleep at home."  My memories of Alton Pitts are few since he lived in Florida, but the few I have are of kindness. I first met […]

With the first freeze in SW Ohio … I’d rather be on the beach

| October 19, 2022

There was a leftover beach flyover video on my phone from our late September – early October Florida vacation so with a private family post creating registered only viewing and the first real cold weather of the season, this makes for an envious filler. I’m looking forward to warm weather and the beach again. Why […]

Red Baron Brick Oven Pizza and beach pigeons …

| October 11, 2022

With a lot of football watching in the evening last week while on vacation in Delray Beach, our appetite was for pizza. Normally we might have ordered it from a pizza shop, but since Target had Red Baron pizzas on sale for $3.99, we opted for their Brick Oven medium pizza. Shockingly, neither Brenda or […]

What would October be without our fall trip to Florida?

| October 9, 2022

Brenda and I have been fortunate to almost always taken an autumn trip to Florida. Years ago it was often to visit my parents who would go to Panama City Beach or take a trip with the kids. After Katelyn and Taylor were in college, it was often to visit Brenda’s parents and then to […]

Brace for Impact, Floridians. Hurricane Ian is here – 9/28/2022

| September 28, 2022

From way up high, Hurricane Ian is a much more attractive (ani-gif above) … but suspect those Ian left under water and in its storm ravaged path in western Cuba … AND has nearly everyone in Florida chewing their nails while they brace for impact. (residents need a “Miracle on the Hudson” moment) Governor DeSantis […]

Keeping an eye on Hurricane Ian this week

| September 26, 2022

If you live in the southeastern US, you are likely watching Hurricane Ian this week. The likely path of this strengthening storm will bring it ashore somewhere on the western coast or panhandle of Florida, but the heavy rain and wind will be felt well inland.

Enjoyed a Mother’s Day beach week of R & R in Florida

| May 10, 2022

Depressing as it may be, our vacation in Delray Beach is over, but it was a perfect and needed rest and relaxation trip. Our old 2002 Honda Odyssey is still surviving … although I did pondering a new Florida vehicle after having to jumpstart and fidget with the flakey AC. Yet it still didn’t convince […]

Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of wonderful moms

| May 8, 2022

It is difficult not to recognize what great moms both MomC and MomH were to me … but since they are no longer here, I want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to a couple of great moms — my wife Brenda and daughter Katelyn. They both have risen to the most important role of […]

Bummer, we didn’t plan a winter or spring break this year

| March 20, 2022

Photo from February 2013 in Delray Beach while visiting Brenda’s parents For years … well decades really … we have been fortunate enough to escape winter in February or sometimes March or April and head to sunny or warmer climates for a week. Often it was to visit either Brenda’s or my parents who would […]

Archive: Enjoyable condo cleaning and NFL playoff football

| January 26, 2022

Brenda and I stretched out a cooler than expected weekend in Florida to get the condo ready for our Canadian renters. It worked out nicely since we had enough sun to start in order to go to the beach and plenty of time over the weekend to clean things up AND watch some excellent NFL […]

A quick trip to Florida so as not to waste an expiring ticket

| November 20, 2021

Brenda and I flew to Florida with a “use it or lose it” expiring Southwest Airline ticket …and hopefully as a way to earn a future companion-pass ticket (we’ll see how that goes). We were there for a long weekend and to enjoy a couple days at the condo and the beach. Unfortunately I wasted […]

Our October 2021 vacation with KDAE to Delray Beach, Florida

| October 30, 2021

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Halloween gremlins creep in to finish off our Florida vacation

| October 26, 2021

Let’s start with "we had a great time in Florida" this past week" (more to come) … but the cleanup weekend ended with a couple gremlins. I blame it on the "uncarved" pumpkins left by the granddaughters. HA! Actually there were no unexpected problem while they were in Delray Beach with us, but after they […]

Archive: Weekend catch-up with a few family photos

| September 23, 2021

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The Wyze cam sound detector picked up a strong thunderstorm

| July 13, 2021

The downside of having self-monitored smarthome security cams, sound sensors, door triggers and motion detection at the Florida condo in Delray Beach is that one never knows what will set it off. Usually it has been a flash of light or in a couple cases a slightly weakened battery on a sensor. Yesterday though, even […]

Jimmy Buffett in Delray Beach & automotive pandemic insanity

| June 3, 2021

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Prepping for summer and admiring a porch view from a friend

| June 2, 2021

Although I’ve enjoyed summertime on the beach ever since I was a little boy (we live on a beach), there is something relaxing about seeing the photo above that a friend sent me from his families rented beach house in North Carolina … it look very relaxing. The older I get, the more I enjoy […]

It was good to get away to sunny Florida for a restful beach week

| May 2, 2021

Although I know much of the country has lived locked down for much of the year, Brenda and I have probably done a little more than most. She has worked in the pharmacy without much of a break and since the COVID19 vaccinations have started, has been very busy. We had planned a trip to […]

Archive: Granddaughter catch-up photos from this past week

| April 3, 2021

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Encore diesel repair and last minute haul out in February 2021

| February 27, 2021

This past week was a semi-rushed haul out week for Encore in Florida. I headed south for 3 days of work on the “running hot” Volvo diesel auxiliary, as my assumption was that the heat exchanger was plugged up/calcified and needed to be taken off and cleaned (something I’ve never done). I met a friend […]

Archive: The Howards and the Woodcocks in Florida #TBT

| February 18, 2021

A couple of weeks ago I shared a 1990s photo of Brenda’s dad with a close friend Hugh Woodcock and saw another one from 1997 to archive for a Throwback Thursday #TBT. Both MomH (2017) and DadH (2013) have passed away, but since Mrs. Woodcock (Ann) commented on my “snowy February stay-at-home” post, I figured […]

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