Charest Family on the Web Posts

Obnoxious Neighbors - stay over there!
Obnoxious Neighbors

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

While perusing my favorite social media – Quora – I stumbled upon a question that triggered an immediate flashback. The question was “Have you ever had a neighbor who believed they had free reign of your property?” The question brought back painful memories of a nasty feud with my first neighbors while living in Southern Mississippi.

That feud lasted five years. By the time it was over I had charged the neighbors with misdemeanor trespassing and made several calls to our local police. It was the ugliest neighbor conflict I’d ever had, up until then. But it turned out to be only a prequel to an even worse feud.

Family Stories Quora Re-Posts

two women paddling a sea eagle 370 inflatable kayak
Sea Eagle 370 At Play

Estimated reading time: 19 minutes

Sea Eagle brand inflatable kayaks are among the most popular recreational kayaks in America. I’ve owned a Sea Eagle model 370 sports kayak for ten years and decided it’s time I post a review.

The model 370 is essentially the same as the model 330. I have also owned a 330, and although this review is on the 370, most of what I write also applies to the 330.

Reviews

Young woman becoming all the machines. Image by Viktor from Pixabay
Machines Taking Over Our World

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

I started working in electronics way back in the previous millennium of 1974. That would be when I started Navy electronics technical training. Back then electronics technician life was simple; a vacuum tube went bad, I swapped it out, and life went on.

My life since then has consisted of using increasingly complex and sophisticated electronics-driven machinery. The Terminator movies notwithstanding, I’ve been watching the development of our brave new world with bemusement and concern.

Opinions & Commentary

row of starched white shirts on hangers. Photo by Pew Nguyen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-shirts-on-hangers-17315934/
Starched Shirts Ready For Rows of Lawyers

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Yesterday The Former Guy (TFG), former Pres*dent Donald Trump, was indicted on four felony charges for working to overturn the results of the 2020 election. With these latest charges, Trump now has three simultaneous criminal indictments against him. The first in New York City for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The second in Florida with 40 felony counts against him including charges of retaining classified information, obstructing justice, and making false statements. Another indictment from Georgia, also over Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is expected very soon.

All these indictments mean Trump will spend all his time going from one courtroom to another. And Trump has endless rows of lawyers lined up behind him, working to keep his sorry ass out of jail.

What a truly sad way to be living.

Opinions & Commentary

Democratic Donkey Kicking Trump's elephant
Goodbye to You!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Yesterday The Former Guy (TFG), former Pres*dent trump, seemed to have made a threat to everyone who doesn’t actually like him. He made this seeming threat through a video posted on his very own media outlet Truth Social. In his video the voiceover intonates “If you fuck around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before.”

So, I’d like to take a few moments and unpack this seeming threat.

Opinions & Commentary

Grace Slick, Software Album cover. Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15727474
Grace Slick, 1984 Album “Software”

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

I’ve posted before about my all-time favorite female singer, Grace Slick. However, I haven’t posted nearly enough of her music on this humble blog, so today seems like a good day to remedy this.

Just For Fun

The Oceangate-Owned Submersible "Titan"
The Oceangate-Owned Submersible “Titan”

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Unless you’re lucky enough to avoid news in general, you’re already aware of last month’s global-crisis-level unforced error, in which five people died on a rickety submersible that imploded while diving to visit the wreck of Titanic.

As a former submarine sailor this event strikes pretty close to home. This loss didn’t need to happen. It did happen as a result of unchecked arrogance on the part of the corporate owners and engineers who built the damn thing knowing full well it wasn’t safe. But they did it anyway, for reasons that had no relationship to sound engineering and concern for passenger safety.

Opinions & Commentary Quora Re-Posts

USS Scamp (SSN 588) Official Navy Photo
USS Scamp (SSN 588) Official Navy Photo

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Winnie and I are back from vacation and back to work this week. We had a short but relaxing vacation spent camping, and kayaking, and attending reunion dinners all last week. The big event was my second Navy reunion with former shipmates of the first submarine I served on, USS Scamp (SSN 588). We also springboarded off this event for some enjoyable extracurricular side adventures.

We ended up with a week of camping and kayaking and reunion dinners with friends and family.

Family Stories

On The Road Photo by Bob Ward: https://www.pexels.com/photo/asphalt-road-leading-to-a-mountain-3384231/
On The Road Again!

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

So tomorrow Winnie and I are headed out on another week-long adventure. This will be a combination camping/kayaking trip, Navy reunion, and family visit all strung together.

Family Stories

2010 Bayliner 175 “Sea Dragon

Estimated reading time: 22 minutes

Boats have a reputation for being expensive. However, this is not completely true. Boats are very inexpensive to maintain and operate, as long as you don’t put them into the water. Once a boat gets wet, all bets are off and “boat” does in fact become the acronym “Bust Out Another Thousand.”

A few years ago, I made a horrifying discovery that water was seeping inside the wood-cored transom of our family boat “Sea Dragon.” Water and wood do not mix, and this issue required some serious remediation work. So, I’ve spent the past several years drying and waterproofing “Sea Dragon.”

Family Stories On The Water