Tech Friday: Photo manipulation is disturbing and creepy #faceapp

| July 19, 2019

Disturbing and “creepy” (as Katelyn messaged) … although I don’t mind looking a bit younger. 😉   Photoshop in the old days was fun to play around with, but nowadays, video and photo manipulation is beginning to frighten me. Taylor sent me this age-changing photo from our weekend at Put-In-Bay using FaceApp. Although there is […]

Catch up post after our 2019 Fourth of July Family weekend

| July 9, 2019

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One week late, but finally archiving our Put In Bay family weekend

| June 29, 2019

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The challenges of pursing the American Dream – a discussion

| June 21, 2019

Taylor is my millennial antagonist when it comes to discussing politics, investing and both government and personal finances. We both enjoy debating, so it’s cool most of the time. He is also a product of his generation just as I am of mine. We view the role and expanse of government differently when it comes […]

Premium Rapeseed Cooking Oil for Taylor from Duchess Farms

| June 19, 2019

My son Taylor has a friend who runs a farm in the UK that he visited with back in 2015. Besides the bachelor pad in a barn with collectable British and Italian sports cars, he also grows and processes rapeseed oil for cooks and unique restaurants.  The Duchess Oil brand is not available in the […]

Archiving Taylor’s 30th birthday party with photos and video

| June 11, 2019

We had a great 30th birthday party for Taylor and his friends on Saturday in the backyard … just as we have many times before. As a parent it is nice to know he has always enjoyed bringing friends to our house rather than going someplace else … and seemingly his friends are okay with […]

Happy Birthday to our son Taylor. He is 30th this year.

| June 10, 2019

From 3 years old (photo) to 30 years old this year in 2019 … the years of watching Taylor grow up have zipped way too fast. I suspect every parent and grandparent has said that at one time or another? Birthday “year” celebrations, become “decade” celebrations, and we no long even contemplate the candles on […]

Catch up photos from Mother’s Day with the kids

| May 18, 2019

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Very funny – Annalyn thinks Taylor looks like Rutledge Wood

| May 8, 2019

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Archive: Photos from Katelyn, Drew & Annalyn’s trip to Yosemite

| April 20, 2019

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Archive: Taylor Corbett – Meeting Clermont County’s Planner

| April 9, 2019

There aren’t many things that makes a mom and dad prouder than realizing their parenting efforts have paid off. We are now regularly seeing our children as productive professional adults and realizing that our being positive examples, and prioritizing school and providing a college education, has paid off. Besides Katelyn and husband Drew being accomplished […]

Keeping up with Taylor, Megan, Annalyn, Katelyn and Drew

| April 3, 2019

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Ancestry: Allen George Howard’s horse was named Gus #TBT

| March 14, 2019

Throwback Thursday posts can be interesting, especially when archiving a couple of my old photos from the early 1990s and tidbit of information that is likely not saved any place else (the horse was named Gus). Here’s a little Howard family history (my wife’s side of the family): Brenda’s grandfather, Allen George Howard died young; […]

Joking with my son who is pondering his career options

| February 4, 2019

While chatting with my son Taylor over the weekend about the terrible news regarding the killing of a law enforcement officer in the county where he works (depressing), we discussed his career options again. His job is currently to his liking, but the challenge and opportunity for advancement and salary improvement is dependent on seniority […]

My mom’s Jenny Lind bed will be Annalyn’s BIG bed someday

| February 1, 2019

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Time mellows the moment – The Great Christmas Tree Disaster

| January 30, 2019

In an old spinnaker (sail) from our Thistle, I finally hauled out our larger than usual Christmas tree this past week. It was then that I realized I had neglected to archive the “Great Christmas Tree Disaster of 2018” story from December. Hm, how could I have forgotten … likely for the same embarrassing reason […]

Appreciating a heated garage after the first big winter snow

| January 15, 2019

With a “heavy snowfall” that amounted to about 10 inches before melting a bit, I was thankful to have put the snow blower on the tractor last week.  It was about the wettest snow I’ve ever tried to blow and that’s saying something since I’ve been removing snow with the John Deere 330 since the […]

You too can restore a cast iron skillet like Jon Peters

| December 27, 2018

When Brenda and I were first married, we started off cooking with a cast iron skillet. It was “old school” even 36 years ago to be using our old Wagner cast iron (were made in Sidney, Ohio), but there was something great about using those big heavy “somewhat” greasy skillets in our little two bedroom […]

A limited Corbett-Oostra family Christmas photo recap for 2018

| December 26, 2018

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Merry Christmas 2018 – May you have peace, hope, joy and love.

| December 21, 2018

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BMW 528i Rear Window Seal and Variable Timing Solenoid

| December 5, 2018

My son Taylor has been putting off replacing the rear window seal on his 2008 BMW 528i for too long but before the snow starts again decided to come over after work to put it in. It was surprising that this task was easier than expected, considering just how much I dislike fiddling around with […]

Make it a good day and be sure to exercise your right to VOTE

| November 6, 2018

This year Brenda and I voted absentee …  or by mail. I knew it was an important mid-term and wanted to be sure our votes counted, but do miss the feeling of standing in line with others and waiting my turn at the polls. That said, minus the hiccup with our verification system (missing digits […]

Catching up with archiving several family weekend photos

| September 12, 2018

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Liberty Township Ohio is planning for a new closer fire station

| August 23, 2018

Brenda and I had a back and forth text messaging conversation with our son Taylor, who is the Clermont County planner, regarding a new fire station in and around a developed residential area not too far from us. Although this improvement will be great for us, it does get us concerned over the impact to […]

We all surprised Brenda to celebrate her 60th birthday

| August 13, 2018

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Delicious food, great conversation and a new side-hustle

| August 1, 2018

Brenda and I had a good time talking to our millennial son Taylor and his girlfriend Megan last weekend. In contrast to our usually politically deteriorating topics of conversation (like his dad, Taylor loves to debate), it was a very enjoyable time. He picked up some shrimp and brought over the ingredients to make us […]

Taylor and his friends are pretty creative for July 4, 2018

| July 4, 2018

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A great Father’s Day weekend at our house

| June 17, 2018

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Happy Birthday Taylor – What a difference 4 years can make

| June 10, 2018

It is hard to believe that my son Taylor is 29 years old today!?!?!? It doesn’t seem possible that he has been pretty much living on his own now for third of his life? He has certainly made us proud at the way he has grown up and handled a difficult decade that faced him […]

Archiving a few shared photos from mid-May 2018

| May 20, 2018

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Congratulations to Taylor’s friend Alicia and Laureano

| April 18, 2018

I have teased my “good humored” son far too long about his “girlfriend” from Wayzata Minnesota a few years ago (click here for old photo). So with that “old joke” aside, I think it is about time to officially include his friend Megan on the blog and mention we are excited to see them spending a […]

A great breakfast deal – the Taco Bell Mini Skillet Bowl

| March 28, 2018

Q: What is the best breakfast deal? A: Taco Bell’s Mini Skillet Bowl My son Taylor and I in agreement that the best deal around for a tasty, quick and inexpensive fast food breakfast is the Taco Bell Mini Skillet Bowl. Where else can you jump start your day for $1.00 … and get as […]

When it comes to kiddos, ours were the cutest … until now!

| March 10, 2018

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Archiving a couple Red River Gorge photos from Taylor

| February 27, 2018

  As mentioned before, it is great to see my son Taylor enjoying a couple of my interests or hobbies like hiking and photography when I was younger (actually I still enjoy them). Ignoring the lousy weather (we had a lot of rain and flooding), he ended up hiking with "a friend" (?) at a […]

A beautiful sunset looking west towards downtown Cincinnati

| January 17, 2018

Taylor continues to impress me with his enjoying photography. Above is a recent photo (click for larger) he sent me overlooking Cincinnati along the Ohio River – another beautiful sunset photo. I told him that I was going to start encoding them with a digital watermark they are so nice. I’d like to think of […]

Archive: Corbetts and Oostras had a wonderful family Christmas

| December 27, 2017

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Merry Christmas 2017 from our family to your family

| December 12, 2017

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Together with family – Time flies when you are having fun #TBT

| November 2, 2017

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Love seeing my son enjoying photography

| October 22, 2017

Taylor went camping and hiking down at Red River Gorge this weekend and continues to impress me with enjoying photography, which was a hobby of mine since 7th grade. So much has changed since “souping” film and spending hours in the darkroom fretting over exhausted chemicals and  expired paper … but the capturing of something […]

Hidden photos of my kids in a frame that sits on my desk #TBT

| October 19, 2017

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Family weekend, a new Volkswagen and the prodigal son returns

| August 29, 2017

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Family Fun Weekend with Annalyn in Cincinnati – part 2

| August 9, 2017

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Family Fun Weekend with Annalyn in Cincinnati – part 1

| August 8, 2017

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Beautiful Cincinnati skyline photo by my son Taylor

| August 1, 2017

Although "I" am suppose to be the photographer of the family, I think it might be time to hand over the duties to my son Taylor. He enjoys capturing beautiful photos and definitely has the eye for natural beauty – some impressive ones in Hawaii last year too! While on the subject of appreciating photos […]

Sailing Brenich out of Vermilion Ohio in the 1980s #TBT

| July 20, 2017

My son Taylor posted a few photos of his weekend with friends in Vermilion, Ohio and the background canals and homes triggered a Throwback Thursday #TBT memory for me. Before kids, Brenda and I owned a beautiful sailboat we named Brenich and kept it in Vermilion for the first year (subsequent in Huron) and haul […]

Our family settling into a new city with a house of their own

| July 2, 2017

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Good times and great family memories in Florida #TBT

| June 22, 2017

It is too easy to stumble across great memories and think, "that would make for a great Throw Back Thursday #TBT post!" If I were to do that, there would be no end to "blog fillers" on Thursdays (or really on Wednesday evenings). Here’s a favorite photo of Katelyn and Taylor on a trip to […]

Painted heirloom wicker chairs on this Father’s Day weekend

| June 18, 2017

It is good day when projects get accomplished. Saturday was a sunny and dry for the painting of my GREAT grandparents’ two wicker chairs (unsure, but think they were from my Grandmother Ruth “Walker” Bluhm side). My Grandmother and Grandfather Bluhm used them for years on their Wright Avenue front porch in Toledo Ohio, then […]

Excellent weather, great fun and good food

| June 11, 2017

Not too many photos, but Taylor‘s friends all seemed to have a great time celebrating his birthday this weekend in the backyard. The Knockerballs were a hit … and Taylor even showed his love for his mom  Ha! (video below).

Happy Birthday to my son and memories from the past

| June 10, 2017

Happy Birthday Taylor … I don’t think I could be prouder of the man you have become. Last year was a great one and the plans you have for this year are exciting as well.  I always look forward to our time together. One of the things my son and I share is our interest […]

American Packard Museum visited by Mercedes Club of Cincinnati

| May 7, 2017

Taylor and I joined in with a group from the Mercedes Benz Club of Cincinnati on a visit to the American Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday. The tour group was lead by an informative lecture from a long time Packard historian and lasted most of the afternoon. Surprisingly I never visited the museum with my […]

Forgotten and leftover from Christmas 2016

| March 19, 2017

My son Taylor is geography and map kind of guy so I gave him a mag-lift spinning globe for his desk for Christmas 2016. His interests and innate sense of direction is probably why he pursued “Urban Planning and now coordinates development for Clermont County Ohio as a county planner. Anyway, I had forgotten that […]

Time.com – How Hot Was Your Baby Name?

| January 2, 2017

This Time.com post isn’t brand new, but since my daughter is due in March, “we” have an interest in baby names. Have you ever wondered how popular your or your child’s name was when named “back in the day?” We you a “Trendsetter” or named “after its time?”

Christmas in Minnesota as a family

| December 27, 2016

After a bit of a delay in maintaining daily blog posts, Brenda, Taylor and I returned from our family Christmas with  Katelyn and Drew  in Wayzata, MN on Monday night. It was a whirlwind trip and thankfully without incident. First thing first … our growing granddaughter is definitely noticeable as a “babybump” (an overused word). […]

The eye of a good photographer and interest to apply the science

| December 19, 2016

Admittedly I’m proud of my kids and enjoy seeing them living their lives … especially when a few of my interests rise to the top. In Taylor‘s case, he has expand on our mutual interest in backpacking and photography on his trip to Hawaii last month.   Memory Road: In 7th grade I had an […]

Tis the season … for our annual Corbett Christmas Letter 2016

| December 17, 2016

The cold weather is upon us (it is in the single digits today) and with a little snow on the ground in Cincinnati, it is beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas. We are in the "prepare mode" and in the middle our checking the list twice festive shopping and wrapping routine, but […]

Project: Rustic Cedar Headboard for Taylor

| 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). […]

A sense of accomplishment after the climb

| November 30, 2016

For those who backpack or have planned challenging hiking trips, few offer the impressive views and strenuous  climbs that the trails along the Na Pali Coast of Kauai, Hawaii. My son Taylor has sent back and posted a couple photo from his trip this week. Amazing trip.

My kids taking a walk on the same day in two different places

| November 28, 2016

  Chuckling at the difference between how relaxed Taylor‘s “walk” on Kauai looks (while on his backpacking trip to Hawaii) compared to the walk Katelyn and Drew took this weekend in Wayzata, MN (our September trip). Taylor’s message to me after a few days “offline” — “We made it!”     A photo of the Three Amigos […]

Shortened work week … or none at all for Taylor in Hawaii

| November 22, 2016

I couldn’t resist sharing one of my son’s photos from his Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii. The first few days have been spent at a friends house on Oahu not to far from Marine Corps Base Hawaii on Kaneohe Bay, but they are not sitting still. Each day after the morning rain, at least the two […]

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