RichC | January 4, 2020
Our family’s 2019 Christmas celebration this year was over New Year’s eve and day, as is our rotation (currently we rotate every other year, but who knows what the future holds?) We were all able to schedule the time off together and enjoyed getting together to exchange presents. Brenda and I had a special treat […]
RichC | December 26, 2019
While sifting through a few old .MP4 files, I found one of my first iPhone 5 test video clips from 2012 and it had a bit of footage of my Sonex airplane project (posted a few photos back then) that I was working on a year before selling it. It was shortly before I sold […]
RichC | July 26, 2019
The race for quantum computing superiority has been on my mind and in my discussions lately. State actors like China, North Korea and Russia are all running projects sponsored by their governments to be the first to harness such computing power that will make today’s encryption nearly worthless. Here in the US, our biggest tech […]
RichC | May 28, 2019
Just a little bit of wasted time this weekend after realizing I need a better way to hold my iPhone when using it for video conferencing and FaceTime calls. In the past I’ve used a little rubberized tape on the edge of ceramic plate that sits under my iMac … … but it was never […]
RichC | March 23, 2019
Although I’m fond of shopping online for convenience, selection and to compare prices … I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with accuracy in fulfillment of merchandise being shipped by “prime” but from an third party vendor. In a recent order, I not only received the wrong product, but also an obvious opened and returned product (the correct […]
RichC | March 19, 2019
Nothing like getting bogged down in wasting a weekend trying to repair a quartz clock that should just be replaced! I had the best of intentions on Saturday morning as I was up early and had my weekend project list ready to start. Initially I started to organize my workbench after ordering new bearings and […]
RichC | March 5, 2019
Where has this year, and the past TWO YEARS, gone? It seems like my granddaughter Annalyn just turned ONE, and now she is TWO already! We will be celebrating with the family in a few days, but sang her Happy Birthday with Alexa’s help on their Amazon Echo Monday morning (March 4th). She is indeed […]
RichC | January 27, 2019
After finally removing my built-in radial arm saw from my workbench, I was able to rework the area attached to my workbench in order to fit my “somewhat new” 12” Hitachi Miter Saw. With this new sliding miter saw, I no longer have a need for bulky power tool duplication, and as a workshop accumulates […]
RichC | December 24, 2018
Slideshow of photos below [masterslider id=”17″]
RichC | October 9, 2018
One would think that will all the years that I’ve been tinkering with tools and woodworking that surely I would have made a few "hand-cut" dovetails? Nope, I’ve always used a simpler joint for hand made projects or for bigger "repeat" projects opted for a router and dovetail jig — which was handmade by me […]
RichC | September 4, 2018
Since it was a hot 3-day holiday weekend (nearly 90 each day) and was both a work weekend and work holiday on Monday for Brenda, I opted to spend a little time in the basement workshop. Besides being cooler during the heat of the day, we want to have a little vanity/toothbrushing stool finished for […]
RichC | July 22, 2018
I had fun digging out Katelyn and Taylor‘s old Little Tikes swing that is both made in and was used in Hudson, Ohio when we lived there … but the frustration part was having bought, then lost, a stainless steel nut for the cable clamp used in my set-up to attach the extension to the […]
RichC | April 15, 2018
Now that our granddaughter Annalyn is walking, our THREE (ugh!) hardwood staircases are serious safety hazards. We thought about the normal commercial gates, but Brenda mentioned she really liked the nautical sailing ones that I made for our kids when they were little tykes in Hudson, Ohio (a lame attempt at a reference to the […]
RichC | March 15, 2018
In preparation for an upcoming project that I would usually rent a wet saw for tile cutting (Home Depot’s price is $26/day), but this time I decided to buy a cheap one on sale for $49 at Harbor Freight. I’ve never been impressed with the well used ones I’ve rented in the past, nor am […]
RichC | February 16, 2018
This might be one of the greatest SUP, Longboard, Kayak, Dinghy "mashup" ideas around … I could see myself working on this kind of project! (thanks Dane)
RichC | August 24, 2017
With a quickly growing granddaughter and new kitchen “cabinet height” eating area, the plan was to build a high chair to match the maple cabinets. I already purchased the paint for the corner cabinet modifications, so figured it wouldn’t take much to whip up an appropriate sized chair for Annalyn – WRONG. The original plans […]
RichC | August 5, 2017
It is hard to believe, but this will be the first time our granddaughter Annalyn comes to visit in Cincinnati. Shocking … 5 months and a first visit??? It will have to change. Since I’ll likely be preoccupied, here’s a Thursday night post for a Sunday filler after using the extra material from my Wicker […]
RichC | August 4, 2017
It has been a slow process and a while in coming, but the beveled glass and shelves finally came in last week in order to finish the kitchen cabinets. These items are part of the "improved" corner cabinet for Brenda. She wanted a more attractive beveled glass door (larger window) and glass shelves so that […]
RichC | June 6, 2017
One of the fun areas of IT that has been growing in recent years is the “maker community” of products for do-it-yourselfers. These devices range from the Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, Photon, Arduino, etc. The movement is bringing electronics to those of us that have that tinkerer mindset, but it also extends the opportunity to […]
RichC | May 11, 2017
The previous later evening blog update when the contractor left was a bit of a blurry photo, so I wanted to include a better photo and opted to give the Lumix GX8 pano-mode a try (above). Since I was not sure exactly how it would turn out, opted for a normal wide angle image as […]
RichC | May 6, 2017
Our kitchen update is nearly finished and we only have a few touch up items, the correct under the counter LED lights and a freezer door replacement to go. The mounted TV is now working with everything self contained on the sliding mount and everything works off of a single power plug. I’m still having […]
RichC | April 25, 2017
The granite countertops were installed last week, still putting us a couple of weeks from having a usable kitchen as the construction continues to crawl along (no plumbing, cooktop, backsplash, trim, electrical or paint). It is tough being without a functioning kitchen and washing up dishes in the laundry room is getting old … but […]
RichC | April 4, 2017
Although Pinterest isn’t my thing, it is a good place for "lookers" to collect ideas. One of the items yet to order for the kitchen upgrade will be counter height stools and my daughter, who is on maternity leave, said she would do some looking on Pinterest (whew, I don’t have to look there!). The […]
RichC | March 30, 2017
If you are thinking déjà vu when stopping in to check MyDesultoryBlog, you would be right. Life is revolving around the kitchen project and waiting for the next photo, text message or FaceTime call with Annalyn (oh, Katelyn and Drew too). The kitchen is s-l-o-w-l-y coming along and I say slowly because the granite company […]
RichC | March 28, 2017
The kitchen remodeling hit a snag today as the custom cabinet that was suppose to fit the new Bosch double-oven was way off. I’m not sure why it was off because the specifications sheet for the oven was sent to the manufacture, but it wasn’t even close. The "fix" is that the installer will butcher […]
RichC | March 25, 2017
Just a few photos from Thursday and Friday after the first week of kitchen demolition and construction. A few more prior to the cabinets below to archive the project. Dent in our new refrigerator
RichC | March 23, 2017
It is difficult for me to go too many days without sharing a photo of my two-plus week old granddaughter Annalyn, so today is another photo from my daughter of our little “sleeping beauty.” It would sure be nice to be a little closer to her … hint, hint, hint. Who knows, maybe there is […]
RichC | March 21, 2017
Finally, our long awaited kitchen project begins in earnest. Monday was what Fixer Upper’s Chip and Joanna Gaines call "Demo Day." Our long and drawn out updates and upgrades are finally starting and have grown in both design changes and cost as the weeks have grown into months … if not years! We really started […]
RichC | March 8, 2017
While waiting for the new kitchen cabinets to be built and delivered, the final decisions need to be made on the under counter lighting, faucets and backsplash tiles. The latter has become quite the struggle. The kitchen designer who is helping has picked a glass tile with a tint of green, but the opinions from […]
RichC | January 29, 2017
Snipping an idea. Perhaps make the board with inset magnets to hold the pieces? Perhaps laminate over a peg board to more easily space Neodymium Magnets that fit in each hole?
RichC | December 14, 2016
I finally finished up a long overdue project for Taylor … a headboard for his bed. He had giving me a couple magazine images as to what he wanted, but I just haven’t found the time or put together the materials I needed to build it (let alone been ambitious enough to start the project). […]
RichC | December 10, 2016
In continuing the quest to be able to bring along our fully inflated Zodiac dinghy when gunkholing aboard Encore, I am still pondering an inexpensive davit option. The dilemma has been trying to keep the Capehorn Steering gear (hopefully functional) while still "safely" toting along a dinghy. The foredeck space is limited since the baby […]
RichC | October 6, 2016
Let’s hope this “curtain call” (cough, cough) isn’t a precursor for Hurricane Matthew bearing down on Encore in Fort Pierce Florida? The subject line was more of a slip of the tongue regarding “curtains” when I really intended a twisted “Suzy Homemaker” innuendo — Sailor Homemaker (my attempts at sewing curtains). Failed joke aside, I […]
RichC | October 3, 2016
The generator "security cage" project for our sailboat Encore is ready to be installed. I’m not fond of making a few more holes in the deck, but it needs to be done. The final touches (minus adding Velcro) were taken care of this past weekend. That included softening the aluminum edges, adding shrink tubing to […]
RichC | September 18, 2016
After sitting quietly most of the summer, my friend Jeff needed to borrow a set of wheels for a week. He has intimately name the 1982 MB diesel the "old girl" and seems to appreciate her many quirks. Since it isn’t covered, there was a little dust, but she still looks pretty good to me. […]
RichC | August 25, 2016
After we “cooked” our generator (my fault for not telling Brenda to prop open the enclosure door), I’ve been tinkering to get parts in order to fix it as mentioned before … but my best attempt as scrounging parts has failed. I could only come up with a possible match for the windings and the […]
RichC | April 10, 2016
It is pretty easy for me to get distracted when I’m suppose to be working on taxes … especially when my Raspberry Pi2 has given up webserver duties to the Raspberry Pi3. There were a couple glitches in imaging the new 64GB micro SD card but all is as it should be now. With the […]
RichC | January 15, 2016
We’ve had a professional security system in the house for years, but I’ve always thought it would be nice to make a homemade version for the detached garage/pool house – might be a perfect Raspberry Pi project? The first step was to see just what kind of wifi signal was there, considering the tiny $10 […]
RichC | December 15, 2015
One of the issues we found when replacing our roof last month was a wobbly chimney chase for the fireplace in the house. The original fireplace has a stainless steel chimney that extends from the first floor through the second floor, the trusses and then the “chimney chase” on the roof. The builder must not […]
RichC | July 26, 2015
One of the projects coming together this past weekend was the disassembly, wire-brushing the rust (a lot), and painting of my late father-in-law’s old red Jackson lawn trailer. As mentioned previously, it was about 40 years old, well used, and had quite a bit of rust. Nevertheless, it was well made with quality steel – […]
RichC | July 25, 2015
After spending a lifetime working on cars and 30 years dealing with printing press wash-up chemicals and hand scrubs, one would think I would know a little bit about cleaning my hands? Well I do know a “little bit” but still haven’t figured out how to clean dried paint off my hands (in particular Miracle […]
RichC | July 21, 2015
The weekend project is coming together in the back of the “new to me” low-mile 2002 Honda Odyssey minivan I bought for $3700 from my dad. I wanted a shelf/workbench that can serve a couple of purposes. It doubles the storage use of the area behind the rear seat and enables me to fold all […]
RichC | July 16, 2014
Our sailboat Encore is in need of a better hatch screen system, so in my search for roll-able, but sloppy looking velcro stick-up screens to replace our ill-fitting fix framed screens, I came across this simple European idea. The stiff wire frame (stainless steel?) is covered by a stitched on polyester “no-see-um” type mesh screen […]
RichC | March 25, 2014
While I should be spending a few more evening hours working on taxes, I’ve instead been tinkering around on another boat improvement. This time I’m working to re-shelve one of the hanging lockers in order to install a removable 10,000 BTU Air Conditioner/Heat pump on the cheap. After reviewing all the more robust and expensive […]
RichC | March 24, 2014
It was a whirlwind week ending visit for Taylor as he was home from North Dakota for a visit with his friends in Cincinnati, Oxford (Miami University) and Cleveland. He also found time for family and picked up sister Katelyn in Columbus on his return from Cleveland. He drove her home for the weekend as […]
RichC | November 14, 2013
Nice Jeep project with a Volkswagen TDI diesel for someone with the time and money. It’s not cheap, but well designed and something most VW TDI advocates have thought about. Check out COTYbuilt and their step 1,2,3 components … I particularly like their 2010 SEMA project (video). —
RichC | August 17, 2013
It is not time to start another sailboat project, but I wanted to archive a site from Marshall Design while I’m thinking about it. The site has some great looking fiberglass and aluminum hard enclosures which could be used on Encore (1/8/2011). The original design on our Encore is still functional, but I can […]
RichC | January 20, 2013
Selling a long term project like building an airplane leaves me with mixed feelings. In part, I’m glad to be lessening my hobby load of “things to do,” but sad to part with a project that has consumed so much of my time and been a focus this past decade. As family we took trips […]
RichC | September 22, 2012
The Apple iPhone 5 camera makes for a substantial improvement over my previous smartphone’s camera and so I was anxious to experiment with image quality and play with a few of the hyped features. Since I’m upgrading from the nearly “extinct” Palm Pre, running a rooted webOS install, any modern smartphone camera would have been an […]
RichC | April 24, 2012
I finished wire brushing, sanding and painting the black iron railing last night and greeted the masons over lunch to see how the progress of the thin pavers is coming along. Sort of glad I hired them and am not tackling this project myself. (I was actually was up on the roof yesterday – birds […]
RichC | June 30, 2008
Too lazy to post from in the house tonight as the cool quiet evening out on the backporch is far more desirable. I did get a second primer coat of paint o new repair, but that was about the extent of the evening. It has been an exceeding nice couple of days temperature wise for […]
RichC | April 28, 2008
My back is sore and my muscles ach as this past weekend was spent working in the yard … well really in just part of the yard. I’ve been reworking the landscaping as the ‘new porch’ is slowly coming together — this past weekend was the small pond and opening up the pool. (too many […]
RichC | December 22, 2007
Our backporch project is S-L-O-W-L-Y progressing; about the only thing slower is the airplane project! 😀 The slightly warmer weather this week permitted our contractor a window to pour and stamp concrete although we are in for a change come tonight. Nevertheless, I’m glad to at least get the concrete poured! — Click photos for […]
RichC | December 14, 2007
I’ve spend the last several years on and ‘more’ off building parts for my ‘scratch’ built Sonex experimental airplane. (note masthead) Recently a retired friend is lending a hand and is encouraging me to move a bit more aggressively on my project. (thanks John) His experience has been really appreciated, as has the influx of […]
RichC | November 17, 2007
The stone masons (stone artists) continue to make slow progress on our new back porch fireplace. I’m finally giving up on having an evening fire before winter.
RichC | November 4, 2007
Our back porch project continues to slowly progress as the fireplace begins to take shape. I’m hoping the stone masons will show up this week and that the weather continues to remain dry. —
RichC | October 30, 2007
(New Palm Centro smartphone photo test – click photo for larger) The weather is starting to turn a bit nippy and our back porch project is still without an outdoor fireplace, not that you’ll catch me sitting out there at 32 degrees. (temperature this morning) According to the the builders, waiting on the stone masons […]
RichC | October 12, 2007
The framing crew has been moving along quickly as the back porch project starts to take shape. Like most building projects, framing is an exciting part as one get a feel for the size and feel of the space. I’m looking forward to getting the stone in place and the artist/stone layer working on the […]
RichC | September 30, 2007
The final construction project that will complete the original plans for our home is underway as the masonry crew finished the foundation. We are adding a back porch and outdoor fireplace (left elevation) that replaces an existing deck which houses our hot tub. The new stamped concrete is in place of the 12 year old […]
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