All My Stories in One Place
My archives offer a quick index of the most popular posts on this humble website, and an index to all my posts and articles organized by the year-month published. You can also use the search box in the sidebar to find stories and photos using key words. Please take your time and browse through my library of stories.
I also have an extensive collection of photos in the Photo Collections, which include travel photos from around the United States and around the world, still life and experimental work, boats and ships, bridges, and family photos. Because no photo collection is complete without photos of the people most important to the photographer.
If all this isn’t enough, you can also visit my companion genealogy site at “Genealogy of the Charest Family“. This is a separate but related website project with collected genealogy artifacts of the Charest Family. I’ve also built another companion website for my more complex webpages at “Charest Family Portfolios.”
Ron Charest
Webmaster
Popular Posts
My Encounter with Robert Garwood, Part I (42,171)- My Encounter with Robert Garwood, Part II (29,396)
The Traditions Behind U.S. Navy Uniforms (17,909)
The Cars (8,302)
The Smell of a Submarine (5,674)
Boating Hacks: Sea Eagle Inflatable Kayaks (2,914)
Wandering the United Kingdom (2,657)- An Account By Debbie on Robert Garwood (2,493)
Pandora’s Box (2,278)
COVID-19 Timeline Project (2,145)
Chief of the Boat vs Command Master Chief? A Quora Question (2,087)
Sweet Pumpkin Korean Pancakes (2,001)
Review: HO Sports Beacon Inflatable Kayak (1,961)
The Lower Forty-Eight (1,942)
Paddling The Bashakill (1,878)
An Index of Posts – Sorted By Year/Month
Blogroll (Homepage) Posts
2025...
- July 17 : Coming To America
- July 11 : Alternate Commuting for This Modern Age
- June 14 : Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?
- June 5 : The Lack of Empathy
- May 26 : There And Back Again to Peru
- April 15 : Heading South on Vacation
- April 13 : This and That, Mad King Edition
- February 24 : Musk Demands All Federal Workers Report to Him
- February 17 : Profiles in Courage
- February 5 : Review: Pelican Clipper 100X Kayak
- February 3 : Senator, Why Do You Come To Work?
- January 20 : Our American Day of Shame
- January 18 : When Karma Really Bites
- January 11 : Making A Navy to Civilian Life Transition
- January 7 : When Nothing Is Good Enough
- December 24 : Jamming Christmas Eve
- December 17 : Living in Fear: Authoritarianism vs Democracy
- December 10 : Who Inspires Me
- November 25 : An Open Letter To My Senators on Trump’s Nominees
- November 8 : So What Will It Take?
- November 7 : We’re Losing The Messaging Wars
- November 5 : Judgement Day
- October 29 : Your Institutions Will Not Save You
- October 17 : A Reunion in Seattle
- October 2 : Review: Native Watercraft Slayer Max 10
- August 20 : A Musical Interlude with Blondie
- July 22 : A Dog Catching The Car
- July 12 : Moving To Charlotte
- June 2 : The Party of Law and Order
- May 21 : Moving On and Letting Go
- May 1 : Moving Time Blues
- March 24 : When Inflatable Kayaks Deflate
- March 20 : Take My Number…A Tribute
- March 18 : And With What Army?
- February 5 : The Mail Buoy Run
- January 28 : Why Navy Chiefs Are Different: A Quora Question
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2024
- December 31 : The Monsters Living Among Us
- December 15 : A Bit Of Christmas Canon Rock
- November 11 : Thoughts on Veterans Day 2023
- November 10 : Cruising Back From Vacation
- September 20 : A Heavily-Armed Fishing Boat
- September 18 : A Modest Proposal…On Guns
- August 28 : Boating Hacks: A Kayak Work Stand
- August 20 : Obnoxious Neighbors – A Quora Induced Flashback
- August 14 : Review: Sea Eagle 370 Inflatable Kayak
- August 11 : All The Machines
- August 2 : Lawyers All In A Row
- July 21 : Things That Have Never Been Done Before
- July 9 : And Now For Some Cultural Music
- June 9 : On The Road Again!
- May 29 : Waterproofing Sea Dragon
- May 14 : On Making Other People Look Bad
- April 23 : Hunting the Wild Bamboo
- April 10 : Springtime Doldrums
- March 13 : The Libertarian House Cat
- March 11 : This and That, Not-Spring Edition
- March 8 : Woke is the New Black
- February 8 : Putting Themselves Out of Business
- February 5 : Home Improvement: Kitchen Countertops
- January 24 : You’ve Been Hacked!
- January 21 : Welcoming The Year of The Rabbit
- January 8 : The ABCs of Democracy
- January 6 : The Incredible Melting Republicans
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2023
- December 26 : When The Boss Appears At The Front Door
- December 12 : A Quora Question: Annoying Movie Scenes
- December 1 : Social Media as a Public Option
- November 24 : The Great Turkey Drop
- November 14 : Home Improvement: Concrete Work
- November 6 : What Time Is It?
- October 24 : It’s All About Fear
- October 17 : Review: HO Sports Beacon Inflatable Kayak
- October 4 : Back From Hawaii, Back To Reality
- September 23 : Hawaii or Bust!
- August 27 : Trump’s Treason Mocks My Life
- August 10 : Music for a Surrealistic Week
- July 27 : Boating Hacks: A Kayak Light Mast
- July 25 : Running From The Thundering Hooves
- July 14 : Boating Hacks: Sea Eagle Skeg Guard
- July 2 : A Long Weekend On Long Island
- July 2 : A Song for These Times
- June 6 : The Birds – A New Adventure
- May 25 : The Cruelty Is The Point
- April 24 : Thoughts On The Humble Olive
- April 10 : Being Set-Up For Failure
- March 28 : This Old House
- March 13 : Two Years of Living With Covid
- February 10 : The Banning Of Books
- February 7 : Back In The Trenches – A New LTE
- January 27 : Let It Go
- January 21 : A Tribute to Meatloaf
- January 6 : The Snowpocalypse of 2022, Part I
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2022
- December 29 : On Shutting Off The Electric
- December 28 : The Tao of Moving
- December 11 : One Trailer Load At A Time
- November 26 : A Family Outing In New England
- October 20 : Accepting a Counter-offer; A Quora Question
- October 15 : This and That, Almost Autumn Edition
- September 20 : Don’t Take Those Wooden Nickels
- September 14 : Auto Mechanics Breaking Bad
- September 12 : My Remembrance of 9/11
- August 15 : Twenty-Four Hours in Facebook Jail
- August 14 : Kayaking for Two
- July 28 : A Garden Rhapsody in Bamboo
- July 5 : A July Fourth on the Water
- June 20 : Building A Backyard Chicken Coop
- June 14 : A New Experiment: Backyard Chickens
- May 27 : Small Boat Hacks: Anchoring
- May 10 : Cleaning Up My Email Inbox
- April 25 : An Exercise with Exercise Machinery
- April 21 : Comfortably Numb
- April 12 : Springing Back to Life
- March 26 : Now I’m A Movie Critic
- March 23 : One Year of Pandemic
- March 8 : The Paperwork is Finished!
- March 6 : On Teen Jobs and Minimum Wage
- February 24 : Rescuing Sunken Submarines
- February 17 : Republicans in Flames
- February 13 : Welcoming in the Year of The Ox
- February 1 : Pandemic Day Three Hundred Twenty-Five and Counting
- January 18 : The End of An Error
- January 15 : Friday Night Music to Celebrate
- January 13 : We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties
- January 9 : A Painful Week Behind Us
- January 1 : Welcoming In The New Year 2021!
- December 26 : On Restoring An Old Toy
- December 25 : Merry Christmas 2020
- December 20 : Pandemic Day Two Hundred Eighty-Two.
- December 13 : A Bold New Look!
- December 5 : Conservative’s Respect For President-Elect Joe Biden
- November 26 : Happy Thanksgiving Pandemic Style
- November 13 : Another Pandemic Friday the Thirteenth
- November 11 : Remembering My Family Veterans
- November 3 : An Election Day Deep Thought
- November 1 : About Respect in the Ranks. A Quora Question.
- October 31 : They’ve Already Lost
- October 16 : On Submarines and Helicopters
- October 15 : Seventeen Years Together!
- October 3 : Trump and the Coronavirus
- September 12 : My Remembrance of September Eleven
- August 27 : What’s Going On?
- August 25 : Pandemic Shopping Through the Internet
- August 15 : A Fine-Dining Restaurant Experience
- August 3 : The Secret of Showing Up
- July 31 : A Great Man Praising A Great man
- July 21 : Careful What You Wish For
- July 5 : Post July Fourth Pandemic Blues
- June 22 : The Approaching Storm
- June 2 : A Very Small Man
- June 1 : Stay-At-Home Day Eighty; Opening Up
- May 20 : My New COVID-19 Timeline Project
- April 21 : We Are One World
- April 18 : Could Trump Be Misunderstood?
- April 17 : Suicide Is Painless
- April 12 : Stay-At-Home Day Thirty and Counting
- April 4 : A Modest Coronavirus Timeline
- March 16 : Music For These Times
- March 15 : Living In Interesting Times
- February 18 : In Requiem: A Scouts Honor
- October 9 : Who Eats Best? Another Quora Question
- October 5 : A Little Saturday Morning Pick-Me-Up
- September 24 : This and That, German Holiday Edition
- April 14 : A Bittersweet Family Gathering
- March 30 : The Traditions Behind U.S. Navy Uniforms
- March 25 : A Man Died Today
- January 20 : A Sense of Entitlement
- January 20 : Back To School – Again
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2019!
- December 30 : The Smell of a Submarine
- November 16 : This and That, Snow Day Edition
- September 18 : Adventures in Home-Owning; Falling Ceilings Edition
- August 14 : Home Improvement: Toilet Day
- August 10 : Chinese Cyberpunk Transilluminated Breasts Rock!
- March 11 : Improving Our Site
- March 2 : This and That, Windy Day Edition
- February 25 : So Who Is On First?
- February 24 : The Death of Compassion
- February 18 : Another False Alarm, Again
- February 16 : Welcoming in the Year of the Dog
- February 8 : Something Good Happened this Week.
- January 13 : Trump’s Shithole Country
- January 3 : Dad’s Yosegaki Hinomaru
- January 1 : Bringing In The New Year of 2018
- December 25 : Merry Christmas, Now With Music
- December 22 : This and That, Christmas 2017 Edition
- April 11 : Are We A Police State Yet?
- April 5 : This and That, Busy Spring Edition
- January 29 : We Are All Immigrants
- January 21 : A Day To Stand Up
- January 16 : The Last Week of Obama’s Presidency
- January 7 : Snow Falls In Virginia
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2017
- December 25 : The Trauma of Jingle Bells
- December 25 : A Christmas-Time Vacation
- December 11 : What Happens Next?
- October 1 : Home Improvement 2016 And Beyond
- July 28 : A Bang-Up Kind Of Day
- June 16 : A Reasonable Price?
- April 9 : About Those Heroes
- March 14 : This and That, Springing Ahead Edition
- March 1 : Expanding Our On-Line Footprint
- February 15 : The Presidents Song
- February 8 : Welcoming in the Year of the Monkey
- February 2 : Back to School
- January 27 : A Song For This Winter
- January 23 : Watching The Snow
- January 18 : In Honor of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2016!
- December 6 : When Technologies Collide
- November 26 : Happy Thanksgiving 2015!
- October 31 : Home Improvement: How Not-To
- October 20 : On Rescuing a Bee
- August 29 : Katrina – Ten Years After
- August 20 : This and That: A Mid-Summer’s Madness
- July 3 : False Alarm, This Time
- June 29 : Sweet Pumpkin Korean Pancakes
- June 27 : A Deeply Personal Decision
- June 26 : Taking The Plunge
- May 25 : A Lifetime Of War
- May 21 : Mallows Bay Photo Essay
- May 17 : He’s Got The Look
- May 6 : Desert Kayaking
- April 27 : Trading Places
- March 24 : Winnie Gone To China
- March 10 : March Madness
- February 28 : This and That, Deep Freeze Edition
- February 19 : Ringing In The Year Of The Goat
- February 12 : A Nice Little Scam
- January 1 : Welcoming In The New Year
- December 31 : Cops On Strike?
- December 28 : A Very Charest Christmas
- November 30 : It Could Have Been Anybody
- November 27 : Having A White Thanksgiving
- November 23 : Some Thoughts On Immigration
- November 13 : Where Are The Good Samaritans?
- November 4 : An Ode To The Apple
- October 31 : Witches Of Halloween Past
- October 29 : A Forty-Year High School Reunion
- October 24 : The Competitive Foursome
- October 13 : Outward Bound
- September 25 : A Shout-out To The TSA
- September 17 : Big Box Store Wins By Default
- August 27 : Days of Hurricane Ivan
- August 19 : Paddling The Bashakill
- August 6 : A Weekend Family Visit
- July 20 : The End Is Here
- July 19 : The Passing of A Family Idol
- June 14 : A Week On The Road
- June 2 : Home Again
- May 16 : And Gone!
- May 10 : Getting Set
- April 28 : Getting Ready
- April 18 : No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
- April 10 : Advertising Emotions
- April 6 : Family Values and Graham Crackers
- April 3 : A Visit to a Chinese Doctor
- March 30 : For a Dark and Stormy Night
- March 23 : How Many Ships Do We Need?
- March 21 : Weekly Roundup – Autumn Equinox Edition
- March 13 : Navy Leads the Way in EVs
- March 3 : Snow Day
- March 1 : California or Bust
- February 18 : A Wedding Trip
- February 13 : Now Where is Matt?
- February 7 : Tech Talk on Migrating Data Files
- January 30 : Bringing In The Year Of The Horse
- January 29 : The 2014 State of The Union
- January 25 : This and That, Deep Freeze Edition
- January 21 : Hello World!
- September 17 : Washington Navy Yard – I Was There
- January 23 : Enter the Year of the Dragon
- December 31 : Out With One Year, In With the Next
- December 22 : Bowie and Cosby Sing a Christmas Song
- November 24 : Lets Talk Turkey
- November 23 : My Open Letter to UCSC chancellor Blumenthal
- November 11 : In Honor of Veterans Day 2011
- November 6 : Important Disaster Planning Information
- November 6 : My Letter to the City of Oakland
- October 2 : The End of Summer 2011
- September 17 : Let Him Die – Really?
- March 6 : This and That End of Winter Edition
- January 1 : Find Your Dreams in 2011
- December 31 : This and That, 2010 Wrap-Up
- December 26 : The Hammer
- December 22 : So About Your Complaint
- December 19 : The Never-Ending War on Christmas
- December 14 : The Corner Office
- December 4 : Letters to the Airlines
- December 1 : This and That, Belated Turkey Edition
- November 26 : A Paper Tiger
- November 25 : A Day to Give Thanks
- November 3 : Dear Mr. President
- October 31 : A Halloween Lovecraft Fright Night
- October 31 : This and That, Halloween Edition
- October 13 : A New American!
- September 2 : This and That, Summer 2010
- July 10 : A Different Kind of Boating
- July 6 : Oregon or Bust!
- May 23 : Come Sail Away!
- April 18 : Boatless!
- March 7 : Walking the Golden Gate Bridge
- February 8 : A Weekend of Snow
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2010!
- December 19 : A Snowed-in Saturday Morning Multi-cultural Music Fun
- December 13 : A Few of My Favorite…Christmas Songs
- November 28 : About Taxes
- November 26 : A Happy Thanksgiving to All – 2009
- November 25 : Eighty Percent OK With Discrimination
- November 21 : Home Improvement, 2009 Catching Up Edition
- November 21 : The Birds
- February 8 : A Bittersweet Homecoming
- February 8 : Changing the Tone of Discussion
- January 1 : Charest Answers James Simpson
- January 1 : Happy New Year 2009!
- September 30 : This and That, September Edition
- September 6 : This and That, Summer Edition
- July 14 : Rescue on the Potomac
- July 11 : My July LTE – Backing Up Obama
- July 11 : McCain’s Experience Is Not What We Want
- July 5 : Winnie’s Gardens
- July 4 : Happy 4th of July!
- July 2 : The New Age of Mom and Pops
- June 30 : Journeying Through Journey To The West
- June 29 : A well-Earned Reward
- June 17 : Winnie Returns!
- May 27 : This and That, May Edition
- May 25 : It’s The Cows
- May 14 : Winnie Goes to China
- May 12 : A Shaman Spirit Watches Over Me
- May 11 : On Living in UFO Hotspots
- May 11 : Happy Mothers Day!
- May 9 : Who Really Supports Our Troops?
- May 6 : Rest in Peace Mildred Loving
- April 28 : Hiding in Plain Sight
- April 28 : And You’ve Got Problems?
- April 28 : This and That April Edition
- April 25 : The Joys of Exercise
- April 23 : Another Letter To Andy Sullivan
- April 19 : The hypocrisy of Illegal is Illegal
- April 17 : Shape-Shifters Among Us
- April 13 : Yo Hablo Espanol
- April 11 : Look Into The Mirror
- April 10 : On Being Inspired
- April 10 : Indian Arrowhead Spirit
- April 8 : What’s In a Name Anyway?
- April 5 : Welcoming Our New Guest Writer!
- April 1 : Today in the News April 1 Edition
- March 31 : This and That, March Edition
- March 28 : Musing About Telephones
- March 27 : No Sympathy for Racists
- March 22 : A Week Without Shaving
- March 20 : A Song For The Times
- March 14 : In Transit
- March 8 : Vote Republican or the Democrats Win!
- March 1 : How To Simulate Life In The Navy
- March 1 : Moving On After Starting Fresh
- February 14 : Happy Valentines Day!
- February 14 : My LTE – Shaping the Discussion
- February 10 : This and That, February Edition
- January 27 : The Cars
- January 20 : A View From Afar
- January 20 : Taking On the Hacks
- January 20 : Starting Fresh All Over Again
- January 20 : So Long…To All The Fish*
- January 10 : Not How Winnie and I Argue
- January 1 : Welcoming in the Year of the Rat!
- December 5 : My LTE Wherein I Crunch the Numbers
- December 5 : Winter Sets In
- November 23 : Letter to The Editor Turkey Day Special
- November 23 : My LTE Good Samaritan Edition
- November 23 : Post-Thanksgiving Catching Up
- November 22 : A Happy Thanksgiving to All!
- November 1 : A Happy Halloween Indeed
- October 14 : Four Years Today!
- October 10 : Home Improvement Part – Never ending
- October 8 : Telling the Truth – Another Letter to the Editor
- September 20 : My Encounter with Robert Garwood, Part II
- September 20 : My Encounter with Robert Garwood, Part I
- September 17 : A Two Car Family
- September 14 : My LTE – The Politics of Name-Calling
- September 13 : A Letter to CBS Evening News
- September 9 : So Much For An Experiment…
- September 5 : This and That…
- August 29 : Katrina Two Years After
- August 12 : Our New Wheels
- July 18 : The DMV Wars are Over!
- July 17 : My Letter To the Editor – Published!
- July 2 : On Vacation!
- June 26 : DMV Wars Part Duex
- June 14 : A Mind is a Terrible Thing
- June 11 : An Unpleasant Sunday Morning
- June 5 : Fresh Catch of the Day
- May 25 : A Weekend on the Water
- May 16 : Choking Off the Conversation
- April 17 : The April Nor’easter
- April 8 : Happy Easter To All!
- April 8 : A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
- March 28 : Its Official – We’re Moved!
- March 23 : A Walmart Story
- March 20 : Moving In – Past the Point of No Return
- March 11 : My Letters To Andy Sullivan
- March 11 : Home Improvement – The Virginia Edition
- March 2 : We Have A House!
- March 1 : New Oleans Rebukes the President
- February 27 : Winnie Gets Her Welcome!
- February 17 : Welcoming in The Chinese Year of The Pig
- February 16 : A White Valentines Kind of Week
- February 11 : What’s Wrong With This Picture?
- February 8 : A Letter to Columist David Broder
- January 31 : The Long Wait
- January 20 : A Little Bit of Perspective
- January 20 : We Found A House!
- January 14 : A Story of House Hunting and the Urban Pioneer
- January 11 : DHS Immigration Takes Us to the Next Step
- January 10 : Our Internet Romance
- January 4 : The Virginia Governor’s Office Replies
- December 31 : Happy 2007!
- December 30 : Virginia DMV backs Down!
- December 28 : Jonah Goldberg Saves the Polar Bears!
- December 27 : Christmas At Mom’s House
- December 24 : And A Very Merry Christmas to All!
- December 19 : Going Nuclear on the Virginia DMV
- December 9 : Dealing with the Virginia DMV
- November 23 : A Happy Thanksgiving To All!
- November 19 : Moving to Virginia
- November 19 : Moving To Virginia – Our Story is Out!
- November 7 : Settling Down in Virginia
- September 20 : Winnie Has Her Drivers License!
- September 16 : The Year of Hurricane Katrina
- September 14 : Moving On…A New Job
- September 11 : To Washington and Back in a Daze
- September 5 : Driving Back From New Orleans
- August 29 : Aunt Rita Visits Mississippi
- August 29 : One Year After Katrina
- August 16 : On Visiting The Doctor
- August 13 : The Vending Business
- February 19 : Katrina Aftermath – PTSD and Welfare Queens
- February 16 : Katrina Aftermath – The Mississippi Numbers
- October 31 : Katrina Aftermath Day 63 – Life in Chaos
- October 6 : Katrina Report – Democrats Screw Up Again
- September 30 : Katrina’s Financial Impact
- September 24 : Life after Katrina… Day 26
- September 23 : Katrina Aftermath Report – Commentary on Disaster Relief
- September 22 : Katrina Aftermath from the Front Lines – How To Help
- September 20 : Katrina Aftermath Report – Why I Stayed
- September 18 : Storm Day…Hurricane Katrina Report Part III – B
- September 17 : Storm Day…Hurricane Katrina Report Part III – A
- September 16 : Storm Day…Hurricane Katrina Report Part II
- August 28 : Before The Storm…Hurricane Katrina Report Part I
- June 6 : Winnie’s Interview Soon To Happen!
- March 2 : Howard Dean Comes to Mississippi
Posts Not Appearing on the Blogroll
2023...
- September 25 : Black Storm Over the Caspian
- June 9 : An Incident in India
- February 18 : A Gala Affair
- February 18 : Three Stories
- January 31 : The Most Unfortunate Mouse
- January 4 : Dream of Cockayne
- January 1 : The Legend of Castle Surami
- October 9 : Commentaries on the Poems
- October 9 : Aj-Jinnia of Bewitching Poesis
- October 6 : Thorn~in~the~Heart~Girl
- October 1 : Ruminations on Dreams & the Modern Age as Myth
- October 1 : Saj‛ for My Alien Girlfriend
- October 1 : If This is Madness
- October 1 : Will it Always be This Way?
- September 30 : Tree of Birds
- September 30 : On the Arabic Saj’ as a Vehicle for English-Language Poetry
- September 30 : The Last Hunt
- March 1 : Eyewitness to 1984, Part Two
- September 4 : The Memoirs of Armand Charest Part III
- September 4 : The Memoirs of Armand Charest Part II
- September 4 : The Memoirs of Armand Charest Part I
- September 4 : Eyewitness To 1984
Related Pages
Our Photo Collection: Our landing page to all photo albums.
About This Website: Tech talk about this website.
The Charest Family: An overview of the Charest Family; Ilphonse (Alphonse) Charest and Emilie Frechette of Manville, Rhode Island.
Updated: May 2, 2020, Rebuilt this archives page due to problems with outdated code controlling the archives index. Also made format changes in support of the Yoast Search Engine Optimization function.
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