When you think of driftwood you probably think of a beach. When you think of a beach you probably think of summer breezes and sunscreen. I live in Ohio and near Lake Erie. I know that summer is fleeting and that the beach is actually there in all four seasons. A couple of years ago I captured this image on my cell phone. Enjoy!
It was Jeff Foxworthy’s birthday yesterday. Those who consider themselves superior to rednecks will sneer. The joke is on them. Mr. Foxworthy is one smart dude and an author of one of my favorite children’s books “Dirt On My Shirt“.
In homáge to the concept and in recognition of the Fall migration I offer “You Might Be A Birder If…”
hen you get back home and have had the opportunity to cross check your reference materialsIn all honesty I do not consider myself a birder. I’m not that committed. I don’t see my lists as a competitive pursuit. I simply enjoy observing the endless variety, beauty and complexity of nature. I hope if you do see yourself in any of the items on my list you will see we are kindred spirits and allow a smile.
Happy birding!
Driving home from the Great Geauga County Fair my wife said “I think we have a new family tradition.” and I agree. If your conception of a county fair is dominated by carnies and corn dogs you need to go to Geauga County and see what a real fair is all about.
I admit I am biased. My brother is a volunteer at the natural resources area so it has a very comfortable atmosphere and we feel like VIPs. But I sincerely think we didn’t have a unique experience compared to anyone else.
They boys got to fish for free, shoot bow and arrows courtesy of the Geauga Bowmen Archery Club, eat fresh fried catfish and sample (several times) carp salad on a cracker. We saw a demonstration of retrievers from the Inside the Great Outdoors Retrieving Team. We also picked up freebies from the Geauga County Sheriff’s department, Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, Ohio State Parks, Geauga Park District, Lake Farmpark, and any other organizations. Plus, we didn’t even scratch the surface. Corn dogs are to be had.
The fair is every Labor Day weekend. If you have an opportunity to attend it is highly recommended.
I’m not even close to being a science geek, but I just could not resist dropping $99 on the DNA testing service at www.23andme.com. My primary interest is for ancestry information. The testing gives customers a peek at what percentage they are likely to have of European, African, Asian, Native American heritage and will also allow subscribers to connect with people who share common genetics. Fun!
The testing also provides information about your likelihood for drug reactions, your predisposition to some diseases, your likely health risks.
Coolest of all, this test will tell you how much Neanderthal blood is in your veins. Like, I could be Encino Man. (I’d rather be the dude in Blast From The Past, but that is another Brendan Fraser movie. I do love Mr. Perry Como.) 
I’ll have to wait a little longer to see how much Neanderthal I am because the ancestry results take longer than the health and physical attributes tests.
So far:
I’ve straighter hair than average
I have blue eyes
I’m not likely a sprinter
Spooky accurate.
Today is St. Valentine’s Day, or as it is more commonly called Valentines Day. Being a Catholic who likes to stay in the loop for feast days I must note that St. Valentine was demoted so this isn’t even his feast day officially. On the liturgical calendar it is now the Feast if Sts. Cyril & Methodious. They were brother priests who, among other accomplishments, are credited with inventing the Cyrillic alphabet. That is pretty impressive.
Back to Valentines Day. As the tradition has outlived the feast day, we are still expected to woo and pamper our romantic partners today. While I rarely succumb to the totally invented Sweetest Day I can’t totally in good conscience let Joyce think I don’t still feel totally head-over-heels in love with her on Valentines Day. Which means I occasionally buy her a present.
I love Joyce for too many reasons to mention. Sounds like a cop out, right? But it is true. She is a great mom, fantastic wife, terrific baker, dedicated Cleveland sports fan, good cook, has a laugh that is so infectious you find yourself crying along with her at the most stupid things. She’s everything and more I ever could have hoped for in a wife.
She is also frugal. Because she is frugal she thinks baubles and beads and such are not a good use of money. Have you ever noticed that the florist raises the price of flowers in early February? I won’t risk spending too much hard-earned cash because “society tells me” I should buy Joyce flowers. So what is a hopeless romantic like me to do today? I bought Joyce flours.
Pretty brilliant, right?
My only concern is that I may not be able to top this gift next year, having set the bar so high.
UPDATE: Through an odd twist, Joyce did get flowers on Valentines Day. From a baseball team. I’m not making this stuff up. Joyce was selected as one of the Lake County Captains favorite fans.
Thank you @lccaptains for the beautiful flowers!! instagr.am/p/VwBZr4v0mT/
— Joyce Keough (@joycekeo) February 15, 2013
It can’t be very fun to be a squirrel. That thought struck me as I pulled in my driveway this evening. Somehow the garage door was accidentally open and there was a squirrel hanging out in our garage.
I tried to shoo the little fellow but he looked like he was in no hurry to leave. Think about it. If the best home you ever lived in was a bunch of leaves stuck high in a bare tree, a crappy suburban garage built in 1959 would seem like a mansion.
Like I said, I tried to get the furry rodent to skedaddle, but he just hid somewhere. I tried to put myself in his shoes (I know, squirrels rarely wear shoes) for a minute. The poor think probably spent half the fall running around collecting and hiding nuts only to forget where they were or have some screeching blue jay steal them. In contrast, I can have Nutella any time I please and I never have to fight Cyanocitta cristata for it.
As far as I know he is still somewhere in the garage. As long as he doesn’t pull a Kato to my Inspector Clouseau and drop out of the rafters on me, I’m willing to let him live the high life for a bit.
Have you noticed I’ve not posted here in some time? Twitter is partially to blame, of course. Micro-blogging is more expedient than writing paragraphs and editing and such.
More so, however, is the fact that I can’t decide what the theme of the the blog should be. Whatever I’m thinking about? Just the things that irritate me? Living as a Catholic in a society that seems to disdain Catholic values? A daddy blog? A birding blog? A Catholic daddy birder blog?
Your suggestions in the comments are welcome, unless they link to a blog about male enhancement or Russian brides.
President Barack Obama visited Bowling Green in Ohio today. This caused a BGSU graduate to lament on Twitter that she never got to see a President of the United States of America while she was a Falcon. I replied that I saw Ronald Reagan there in 1988 on the campaign trail for George HW Bush. Which got me thinking. I’ve seen four Presidents in person.
I saw Ronald Reagan at the Wood County Courthouse in the fall of 1988. I was a reporter with the Bowling Green Radio News and has a press pass. Great front and center view. I remember he was still very popular except with a few malcontents perennially protesting whatever. I was not nearly as conservative politically then as I am now but I still appreciated being that close to someone who was clearly an important historical figure.
I saw George HW Bush the same year, I think, at the Ohio Association of Broadcasters convention in Columbus. This was a small crowd and again I had a great view. I recall that I was included in a crowd reaction shot on the local news that night. I may have had a bad mustache. He was not nearly as charismatic as Reagan, but who is?
I saw George W Bush at a campaign stop at Lake Farmpark in Kirtland on 2004. It was a hot day. My son John was a toddler. Someday I hope he tells his grand-kids that he saw a President. You could just see a small little figure from where we stood. The crowd was up for a rally.
The only POTUS I’ve ever spoken to was Jimmy Carter. He is not my favorite, but my mother was a big fan. He was on a book tour and stopped at a Barnes & Noble in Mayfield Ohio. Since my mother was starting to get infirm, I offered to stand in line in order to get her book signed. I stood in a line for quite some time with people who were pleasant enough, but not being a big Jimmy Carter fan I had to stick to small talk.
Eventually I got to the front of the line and shook his hand because when you are face-to-face with a former President that is what you do. We exchanged courtesies and I was on my way. I was a little sad for my mom because she would have liked to meet him. When I met back up with her, she was grinning. She happened to sit in the coffee shop area adjacent to where the Secret Service had escorted him in. He stopped and said hello so she got her signed book and also met her favorite former President.
Even though I am just an average guy, I feel lucky to have been a witness to history.
I never wanted my blog to be a fan blog just posting links to music or musicians I happen to like at the moment. I also never intended to abandon my blog, so I guess a fan boy post is better than no posts at all.
I cannot listen to Five for Fighting‘s “The Riddle” without getting verklempt. It talks about father/son love. It reminds us of our mortality. (We’re talking meaning of life stuff here.) There are subtle baseball references. It has emotive vocals with great guitar and a beautiful piano accompaniment. The young boy in the lyrics is both serious and playful. The video even has a cool muscle car.
I’ve a house full of intelligent and rambunctious boys. My own wonderful father passed away last year. I’d have to be a robot to not get a little weepy, right?
Well done, John Ondrasik.
The Miami Heat won the NBA Championship last night. This means all the true blue Heat fans are ecstatic. I hear they are having a big party in a phone booth with lots of room to spare.
Back in Cleveland all sorts of wailing and gnashing of teeth have occurred, first at the prospect that LeBron would get a ring and then that he did. In one respect I am pleased that this chapter is closed. Many of my Facebook friends and Twitter pals have really had a tough time with it. I get it. He was disloyal and left us in the lurch. It was their fondest desire his Decision would never produce joy in South Beach.
I never really had a problem with his decision. I feel that it is a free market and all of us should be free to take our talents to South Beach, South America or the South Pole if it meets our goals. I still think the ESPN very special after school special Decision was a product of a self absorbed immature and unwise man. But nobody cares about Jim Gray anymore.
Cavs fans, not to mention Dan Gilbert, have held on to the hope that the Heat would somehow blow it every year and LeBron would be made a fool. Deep in our hearts we must have known that was unlikely. All the suspense is over now.
Real joy can never be found in another person’s sorrow. Now we can hope for the real joy of our Cavs doing well.