Category: <span>Blog Posting Topics</span>

Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head
Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

So tomorrow Winnie and I head out for the first real vacation since the start of the Zombie Apocalypse started back in January 2020. We’re breaking our vacation fast by going to one of the places in this world I truly love. We’re heading to the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, for a ten day visit.

Family Stories

Former One Term Twice Impeached Treasonous Pres*dent Trump
Former One Term Twice Impeached Treasonous Pres*dent Trump

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The more I read and learn about the documents found at trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort/home, the angrier I become. Honestly, words cannot express the depth of my anger and disgust and outrage and repressed fury as these emotions are all rolled into one giant ball of FUCK THIS.

Trump has committed treason on a scope this country has never before witnessed, and he’s still walking around a free man. The fact that he is is not in jail, along with his miscreant family and associates, is a black stain on America and makes a mockery of the life I’ve lived.

Opinions & Commentary

acid rock poster image
The Look of Acid Rock

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

As a news junkie who righteously follows current events, this week is already taking on a surrealistic feel. It’s only Wednesday, yet already information is swirling through massive shifts of multiple data streams coalescing into a tight vortex of infinite probabilities.

Which leads me to believe it’s break time for some serious acid rock music.

Just For Fun

Inflatable kayak with light mast, floating on a lake
Kayak With Light Mast

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

My latest kayaking hack is a simple mast made of PVC piping, used to hold a safety light for nighttime kayaking. This mast can be assembled in about one hour, once you’ve collected all the pieces, and costs less than $30. It mounts in a fishing rod holder, which are fairly common on many recreational and fishing kayaks. As added bonus, this mast can also be used to display a flag or pennant, which may be useful to increase your visibility if you paddle in open water around lots of power boats.

How-To On The Water

Thundering hooves of disapprobation approaching
Thundering Hooves of Disapprobation

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

As with many people, I’ve been following the January six hearings, and reading the spill of related news. I’m struck by the number of former (Republican) Trump staffers who have voluntarily shown up to testify against Trump. Staffer after staffer have all sat for hours with the committee, revealing grotesque details of his reign of error.

Too many news commentators seem to be claiming that these former staffers are heroes for coming forward now. I don’t see that. I see these former staffers have realized just how deep in the shit they are, and are now running from the thundering hooves of American disapprobation.

Opinions & Commentary

Sea Eagle 370 On A Beach
Sea Eagle 370 on a Beach

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

I tend to enjoy tinkering with things, designing and building small gadgets just for the fun and challenge. With my Sea Eagle 370 inflatable kayak, I’ve slowly been coming up with minor improvements for both paddling, and for storing it between paddles.

The Sea Eagle kayaks include permanently attached skegs which help with tracking, and they are very effective if they are straight down from the bottom of the boat. However, they tend to get folded over while in storage and the “skeg guards” that Sea Eagle provides doesn’t provide much protection. I’ve designed a much improved skeg guard that can be made out of corrugated cardboard in a couple of hours times.

How-To On The Water

Long Island, New York

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

I grew up in Farmingdale, on Long Island, New York, moving away to the Hudson Valley area of Pine Bush at age 15 way back in 1972. Since then, I’ve made occasional visits to Long Island over the years, but always to visit family still living there. Regrettably, over the years my family ties to Long Island gradually thinned out, and now are non-existent.

However, my heart has always been with Long Island as my childhood home. Over this past Juneteenth weekend, Winnie and I decided to make it a long weekend and pay a visit to Long Island as tourists. It turned out to be a very worthwhile trip.

Family Stories

Music Inside with a YouTube Video
Music Inside

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The news coming out of Washington these past two weeks has been truly horrifying. We have revelation after revelation from the January 6 committee on how close we came to a successful autocoup. Then we have numerous “legal decisions” handed down by our supreme court taking away our civil liberties and making America a more dangerous place to live.

I cannot be snarky about any of this. But I can be angry. I do believe I’ve found a song that expresses my true feelings.

Opinions & Commentary

baby birds in a nest, calling out to their parents for food
Birds in a Nest – Feed Me!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

So we’re in a new house, time for new adventures. This latest is having a family of birds build a nest in a potted plant located on our back porch. It was pretty cool watching these birds build their nest, lay eggs, then raise the youngsters.

Alas, it all happened too fast. But it was fun watching them while it lasted.

Family Stories

A Beautiful Mind - Eye with Rainbow
A Beautiful Mind

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I’ve been struggling for several weeks to write a snarky post on the latest right-wing horror show of attacking schools, teachers, and books. But I can’t. Quite honestly, I cannot find anything snarky or humourous in this latest attack on what should be the foundation of our American culture.

This latest outrage comes upon six continuous years of outrages driven by The Former Guy (TFG). I don’t know if I’ve become worn down by continuous right-wing obscenity, or just numbed. Reading the news about horrific laws being pushed in Republican-controlled state capitols has taken on a surrealistic feeling. And not in a good way.

Opinions & Commentary