tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114792332024-03-13T02:45:14.129-04:00The ThomasThe Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-23483698826310768582016-10-24T21:15:00.000-04:002016-10-24T21:15:22.663-04:00RIP Steven DenBeste 1953-2016I found out about this through <a href="https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/247202/">InstaPundit</a> who links to a <a href="http://brickmuppet.mee.nu/steven_denbeste_1952-2016">friend of Steven's</a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7PQtuFPWWyRTUCSA8TD5gXNOteImUjiu-ILx0OgTlATByXeIdx8og2zoNsRVhZnQTV0d4e-SM2JGOCyhQRMo4Rhw19gkPCzgdsOy9ouqZqj-liHLADGqMCeMSXc2y-NjUnzQ/s1600/stevendenbeste01b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7PQtuFPWWyRTUCSA8TD5gXNOteImUjiu-ILx0OgTlATByXeIdx8og2zoNsRVhZnQTV0d4e-SM2JGOCyhQRMo4Rhw19gkPCzgdsOy9ouqZqj-liHLADGqMCeMSXc2y-NjUnzQ/s200/stevendenbeste01b.jpg" width="160" height="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYXT8HA6QRhP5XfFPo8f3cOb56WOWpRoncfBFMqzjVKXzN0ZVsMNIkPGQvrid6VY8oIczvd9AlBg9Gvr_oLbH3W4Bg1Nvsqelf_LYyOn7FgrZoYLphBEstNPihz3kYstnl6tg/s1600/Steven+DenBeste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYXT8HA6QRhP5XfFPo8f3cOb56WOWpRoncfBFMqzjVKXzN0ZVsMNIkPGQvrid6VY8oIczvd9AlBg9Gvr_oLbH3W4Bg1Nvsqelf_LYyOn7FgrZoYLphBEstNPihz3kYstnl6tg/s200/Steven+DenBeste.jpg" width="149" height="200" /></a></div>
Younger and more recent pictures.</p>
Steven describes how he got here from there in the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130412222600/http://denbeste.nu/common/biograph.shtml">biography</a> on his old blog site.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-77237189052360366772016-04-09T11:00:00.000-04:002016-04-09T21:35:35.247-04:00The Robins are still not happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyirecZ3Wj9B5bPgCSmmfTf8OQdjxjN-QafsnHIm-F4m9z1JGRUJBIg6bd9G0w7B3AfoUHt3_ZJrU9vypr-vPbh77lyaAj61GQV1BxcQn4wCovyTCOKarB6tMksuhAWdLAcBCs/s1600/P4092138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyirecZ3Wj9B5bPgCSmmfTf8OQdjxjN-QafsnHIm-F4m9z1JGRUJBIg6bd9G0w7B3AfoUHt3_ZJrU9vypr-vPbh77lyaAj61GQV1BxcQn4wCovyTCOKarB6tMksuhAWdLAcBCs/s400/P4092138.JPG" /></a></div>
We got another 5½ inches of snow yesterday and last night ... and its April.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-32637723361300600842016-04-02T20:00:00.000-04:002016-04-02T21:48:08.039-04:00The Robins are REALLY annoyed now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZfdoAC8chtAOJT2rtPPK-Nhxl4I_lF1g2ot-WgfIOClaZ5cBn11Quh7admHR66cPX3weA9K_I1WKLaIY8G5eU2yYaKSvWlPt49gX05jo7BdgHFgt2nciopDfMCo0rtkXKOk7/s1600/P4022133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZfdoAC8chtAOJT2rtPPK-Nhxl4I_lF1g2ot-WgfIOClaZ5cBn11Quh7admHR66cPX3weA9K_I1WKLaIY8G5eU2yYaKSvWlPt49gX05jo7BdgHFgt2nciopDfMCo0rtkXKOk7/s400/P4022133.JPG" /></a></div>
<br><br>
It is April 2nd and (after this morning) we have 2-4 inches of snow on the ground. The sidewalks and streets held enough heat that they melted.
<br><br>
The robins have been here for two weeks and the red-winged black birds have been here for three.
They are not amused.
<br><br>
The last time they were this annoyed was back in <a href="http://fkastrider.blogspot.com/2007/04/robins-are-not-amused.html">2007</a>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-62118792227442267432013-08-14T13:30:00.000-04:002014-01-03T23:35:50.320-05:00More camping<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKisGZNR8WBOEjpwe3uLqfljv2AyIrLbw96D38ggvZ-aMzQiEXhElotpM55aTfw2f3QWG7iOnpl-276DmSPRbUNQ8xhnlBFOtM_6kE0fgxa8I4yvpytFbCg0zeVgkxxak2rzSX/s1600/130814+1330+Camping+P8141085.JPG"><br>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhIAAFh1eEJS0BcNOZOmjOEeo9_1UlkdF9CVf1yihmomlO3tKQyypGdc4F8gYXpyanzhc2rr46PhVITFtFUnKFHLDAfUrF15P5QJshGqYn75m7gFgY1iDnTgP6Uq6Md3q1-2T/s1600/130814+1330+Camping+P8141086.JPG" width=400><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSyxUZEDbLyETjWz6O6hvQE0ekSkPZ1UBFTJmOEvTUZlTutFC4mOSB7Kiwc6uGlm9NH7xR4sws-WfP6b1Q2YP1jw6DBreY3CB95EH4G584ln366Jvev2HMai_T1A44pAovC5ul/s1600/130814+1330+Camping+P8141087.JPG" width=400></center>
Sun, blankets, fresh air, and taking naps.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-18805377291988621022013-08-14T11:44:00.000-04:002014-01-03T23:28:46.341-05:00Simon and Samuel camping<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNM_CI74OS6V-CUsV-NOpgFp1LYIBVBPTebLlYonrkL74wSDIHVrFCk0BmGSXf_JaU4S71i9XJ3JXSfwnLHXopGacUOpMAFy7YWu2Qux8j1UiJdioOxjoCWokJhy3tl1hwUXSX/s1600/130814+1144+Camping+P8141078.JPG"></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-30190878868623173932013-07-21T15:37:00.000-04:002014-01-03T23:16:39.967-05:00Samuel in the pool<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvR56lJ1aoJUEE-Y-tMwxKeDv8lZSyRAgd5oQEUIIFiYvDQ3mbk1ouwTe2pRJ3cHHmNNLRb9D7HMHRoaWi8F7XxptORQtv1Dti70Mx_WcMmUdztMIpWuC6Qqdgy0tzPAwJ8yh/s1600/130721+Samuel+in+Pool+P7211040.JPG" ></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-44752991813011099522013-02-17T17:53:00.000-05:002014-01-03T23:09:41.257-05:00Samuel, home at last<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWWDutw5wMPruQyPtq4t8a0ZkpE7Cp3hV6JkD9RFFV5RvCdezQ3lvPTq81FfZjQqSva52aRIsWb9v8YvdWTX3gntWYQTd1RPl4q_4CrH6M0TKbDAumeEaHTiufbjVEE97frxi/s320/130217+1753+P2170658.JPG"></center>
The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-87716135197426168992013-02-17T13:56:00.000-05:002014-01-03T22:59:09.474-05:00Samuel riding home<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7sGbWCEEZNeovKh6Qn7d_Nk7Ns0DOgI9TxO4SPSVIGNQyGLSvxyJ0M59YVa-WxJU6ejZmQSlTC7hhNqLVsi03qnW2bUOfZeVpsCJVoib-VzRa80YCBysbixUr9-HG_r0hYFH/s320/130217+1356+samuel.jpg" /></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-68338716854264759592013-02-17T13:11:00.000-05:002014-01-03T22:53:16.797-05:00Simon meets his new brother Samuel<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKl56BDE9Hln0YNbmCfCDEU05_JJYtnR1jI3MarexgckhLTDvzl2WmY4vI5C3BtPl33b9S1-xTYptD6Z7LXZu0Oc54VtX7wMq-nbaMB58KuYIine5u_8xiBBtaFtt3FUaT3Mpu/s320/130217+1311+P2170646.JPG"></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-49718474535770683782011-11-10T21:00:00.003-05:002011-11-11T21:19:42.064-05:00First Snow<center><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYThMhDMIhh4p6AizvDFRgN7UKkJDv6ISr6MrimOUztjv6piRL38KPHf-E1eGJxpb3YhSqbZq5p42fG0Ie6WycipulpPue-ylbGVx5mz3qoUXRQeNZi_TZSSnpyhGefcETKkv/s400/11-10-11_1813+640.jpg" border="0"></center><br /><br />So how was your drive home last night?The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-43273238937858571562011-05-31T22:30:00.001-04:002011-05-31T22:35:28.352-04:00Today's Frazz<center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-OjkxDsO4PGUiWCs7qFqZ_QUKDA4peVWTJtuOGrBkNtNs_ERAc_X98TpPHYNZjFZrXm0YE5pnuzNqPhzfnNsz-5tqT0clQ2QjkWLNDUDzI-YQeecnMZr9A-HLcmeXV2qvgIh/s400/frazz_110531.gif" border="0" alt="Frazz from 31 May 2011" /></center><br /><br />Note the reference to two department stores that no longer exist: J.L.Hudsons and Jacobsons.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson%27s">Hudson's</a> was originally out of Detroit, got bought by Daytons, who got bought by Marshall Fields, who got bought by Macy's.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobson%27s">Jacobson's</a> had a big stores in East Lansing, East Grand Rapids, and other parts of the Mid West. After bankruptcy, someone bought the name and recreated a store in Winter Park FL.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantos">Ganto's</a> was another Michigan based woman's clothing store that has since gone out of business.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-15624632210532182342011-04-20T20:38:00.001-04:002011-04-20T21:40:18.539-04:00Last night's hailWe had the following hail last night during the thunderstorm.<br /><br /><center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHOd7TRScph2YGgL9r8zxUUvH5XnrJIeR0wEoYbfaaME1Ut0DQ7Kf7jR3FSiPhbExH6-Y_06V7oMODCQYgdbkg4Y-8RTh7HK8i-Y2Lifg9GrmQGyGkvuIa3f09p9DNV7Bknrj/s320/110419+hail+DSCN5460.JPG" width=320 border="0" alt="Hail from 04/19/2011" /></center><br /><br />Monday we got 2 inches of snow, which melted by when I got out from work. The NWS announcement is <u><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=grr&storyid=66840&source=0">here</a></u>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/StormTotalSnow20110418_0600.png" width=320></center><br /><br />This doesn't look like April.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-53056740984271381002011-04-06T07:42:00.002-04:002011-04-06T07:42:00.264-04:00Tartan Day<center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6E31ZVtOqHtKKu5qQErXOsayfnCsxTwELvzVnf0ZT1xwAxyQwhc5WHACqVkPk0o7se-sDcE3B2abLGDisb_0YeDI9BnPk6WkUz261T3ZXyu8veKsKII1DYl3D_mmflmTEL8Lh/s200/04-05-11_2212.jpg" border="0"></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-78668753424133397942011-01-29T22:15:00.000-05:002014-01-03T22:49:59.414-05:00Simon at 6 months old, right after we got him<center><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC0xBktlgvkwCv84qq4czHJ22k7HiMw4waE42CozINP1sw6L3mR5LALgez5TDKE55Rzt9ymsLXghnzbeDAuck-Rt5mNDopgYNdMG1P1uPErxNwHqc0kZCERKpacX22uHjkSU4/s320/110129+simon+IMG_0961.JPG" /></center>
The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-20087966873297243262011-01-23T16:54:00.001-05:002011-01-23T16:56:00.905-05:00Local Snow ReportHere's the snow from this last week:<center><table border=0><tr><td><center><!-- 01/17 --></center></td><td><center>01/22</center></td><td><center>01/20</center></td></tr><tr><td><!-- <a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110117_1600.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110117_1600.png" width=120></a> --></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grr/snowmap/?image=SnowMap20110122_0600.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110122_0600.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grr/snowmap/?image=SnowMap20110120_2200.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110120_2200.png" width=120></a></td></tr></table></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-41586063031782851612011-01-18T22:00:00.000-05:002011-01-23T16:50:03.255-05:00Local Snow ReportHere's the snow from this last week:<center><table border=0><tr><td><center>01/17</center></td><td><center>01/15</center></td><td><center>01/13</center></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110117_1600.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110117_1600.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110115_0300.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110115_0300.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110113_0600.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110113_0600.png" width=120></a></td></tr></table></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-89418405690334320002011-01-15T00:05:00.000-05:002011-01-15T00:13:14.440-05:00Local Snow ReportHere's the snow from this last week:<center><table border=0><tr><td><center>01/11</center></td><td><center>01/05</center></td><td><center>01/03</center></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110111_1200.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110111_1200.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110106_1200.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110106_1200.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110103_2100.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20110103_2100.png" width=120></a></td></tr></table></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-77972038750856481662011-01-14T23:14:00.001-05:002011-07-26T19:15:17.789-04:00Current Archaeology 2011<a href="http://www.currentpublishing.com/2011/research-project/index.html?pageNumber=2" target="_blank">Neolithic Temples of the Orkney Islands</a><br /><br />You can get to the table of contents on the bottom bar to read the other articles.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-90305659174516399612011-01-11T23:11:00.000-05:002011-01-12T01:01:00.743-05:00Interactive National Weather Map<a href="http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVvq89j9DYplvHwnnVfxyQB4IgarHuyuLrMmViKrR08s5-hPPnllsDu0kY6LMdLjoRza4ebFdWrqHNAvjnkrncU_EK6PaDCUURBdJxHAb4AgEpzbHljG7HCwUuMRYnrNy3L75/s320/symmap3.jpg" width="320" border='0'/></a><br /><br />This is neat. Click through the picture to get to the National Weather Service active page. Then mouse over the pluses and dots to see the current weather.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-22661461030830723742010-12-19T21:30:00.000-05:002010-12-19T21:34:42.548-05:00Local Snow ReportHere's the snow from just over a week ago:<center><table border=0><tr><td><center>12/12</center></td><td><center>12/05</center></td><td><center>12/01</center></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101212_0000.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101212_0000.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101205_1200.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101205_1200.png" width=120></a></td><td><a href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101201_0700.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/grr/snowmap/SnowMap20101201_0700.png" width=120></a></td></tr></table></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-73218168658143908472010-11-05T17:34:00.002-04:002010-12-19T21:43:33.058-05:00First Snow<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0h5cCx7zDbVivBSAJ1lZf3Jkb1GhszXwE_7d_10hVixGJIzcLbtCisiKGkip2wdw0y3zJl1E0Oxvsn5cx2L6hAAmhI_haHxRNjgE8qgCcaKi8Yj-ZYtTENtZgzT0v-CDOfbD/s320/101105+11-05-10_1734.jpg" border="0"> <br /><br />So what do I see when I leave work this evening?The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-29338057202109494602010-05-04T23:51:00.001-04:002010-05-04T23:53:08.918-04:00Ernie Harwell, RIPIt may not mean a lot to the rest of you, but this man was a major part of my youth.<br /><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20100504/SPORTS02/100504087/Ernie-Harwell-dies-at-92">Ernie Harwell, Detroit Tigers broadcaster, dies at 92</a>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-36052322237208395882010-01-16T13:30:00.002-05:002010-01-23T11:52:08.251-05:00Farewell Old Friend<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgdfXCv9ZzuhfX89SuMPqz7NbkSFFLZumqTERMdLKCX27l8ee5QIfjCS7oblwycNjhb1OD40oS4ILASBzUuNE8Zajiq0JSpAAjUjWfo_zNBOM8XuqubRaiTKLxfnKFBUs2nXP/s1600-h/100110+bill+carrington.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgdfXCv9ZzuhfX89SuMPqz7NbkSFFLZumqTERMdLKCX27l8ee5QIfjCS7oblwycNjhb1OD40oS4ILASBzUuNE8Zajiq0JSpAAjUjWfo_zNBOM8XuqubRaiTKLxfnKFBUs2nXP/s320/100110+bill+carrington.jpg" border="0" alt="WilberA Bill Carrington" /></a>CARRINGTON - Wilbur "Bill" A. Carrington, age 84, of Grand Rapids, died peacefully at home on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2009. <br /><br />Born March 2, 1925 in Detroit, MI, Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Vera C. Hunter and Foster Carrington; stepfather, Archie Hunter; and wife of 52 years, Joan (Burnham) Carrington. <br /><br />Bill's lifelong fascination for radios, electronics, and all things scientific was sparked early by his interest in his father's short-lived Carrington Radio Company and other electronic repair ventures. Graduating from Detroit's Eastern High School in 1942, Bill attended the then Wayne University for a year before being drafted into WWII. He served in the Army Signal Corps on the Japanese island of Okinawa as a High Speed Radio Operator until the war's end. <br /><br />Back on U.S. soil, he immediately put his advanced radio and Morse code skills to work and became licensed in 1946 as an amateur radio operator. He proudly displayed his call sign, W8YCI, each year on his automobile license plate and remained an active "ham" throughout his life. He operated his mostly self-built gear while attending the University of Michigan, graduating in 1950 with both a BSE degree in Electrical Engineering and a fianceé, soon-to-be wife, Joan.<br /><br />Married in 1950, Bill moved to Grand Rapids with his new wife and began his long electrical engineering career in aerospace product design and development at Lear Inc., later Lear-Siegler and, at the time of his retirement in 1987, Smiths Industries. He served in various positions and his contributions included work on aeronautics and missile navigational instruments including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and fiber optic applications. He is named on two U.S. patents. <br /><br />Bill was a 60-year member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), proudly becoming a Life Senior Member in 2001. He was also a member of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and a 20-year member of the Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio Station (MARS) program, facilitating communications between members of the Armed Forces and authorized U.S. government civilian personnel stationed in Antarctica and their families and loved ones back in the States. In later years, he spent most of his time on the Internet and tinkering with his Macintosh desktop computer. Photography was a secondary hobby, along with a steady diet of reading everything possible in all fields of science and history. A stickler for accuracy and proper punctuation, grammar, and syntax, he was a frequent contributor to the Grand Rapids Press editorial page. As a selective sports fan, he restricted his following to the Detroit Tigers, U-M football, and surprisingly in his later years, Tiger Woods's golf tournaments. He enjoyed classical music, jazz, and old cowboy songs-songs that were sung in the car on many a family vacation. <br /><br />Bill was a devoted brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. <br /><br />Surviving are daughters, Beverly (Daniel) Wesche of Big Rapids, MI, Janis (Gary Michel) Carrington of Olympia, WA, and Linda (Gregory Krupp) Carrington of Grand Rapids, MI; granddaughters, Amber (Christopher) Jenson and Erin Wesche; great-grandson, Derek Jenson; sister, Shirley (Robert) Miller; brother, Ian (Carol) Hunter; and nieces and nephews. He fostered in his family and others around him a keen sense of curiosity about the world, pride in knowledge, achievement and higher education, resourcefulness and creative problem solving, and a spirited sense of humor that carried him through to the very end. He felt satisfied and content with his life, grateful for the gifts and passions he was able to use in his work, and proud of his daughters and their families. <br /><br />A Memorial Service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at the Raybrook Manor Chapel, 2121 Raybrook SE in Grand Rapids, with reception following in Raybrook's Friendship Room. Private inurnment at Graceland Memorial Park & Mausoleum, 4341 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids Township. A special thank you to the patient and caring staff at Holland Home's Raybrook Manor whose quality care enabled us to have an unexpected bonus year with Bill. Memorial contributions may be made to <a href="http://www.somi.org/page.php?contentID=1571">Special Olympics Michigan</a>, <a href="https://secure.publicbroadcasting.net/wgvu/default/form.pledgemain">WGVU Public Broadcasting</a>, or to the charitable organization of one's choice. <br /><br />"This is Bill Carrington, W8YCI, signing clear for the last time after a very enjoyable 84-year eyeball QSO with all my friends and loved ones. 73 es 88 de W8YCI SK". <br /><br />The Pederson Funeral Home Rockford www.pedersonfuneralhome.com<br /><br />Published in Grand Rapids Press on January 3 and January 10, 2010<br /><br /><i>To my recollection, Bill not only handled communications with the Station at Antarctica via MARS, but also wintered over there once (either shortly before or right after he retired).</i>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-69145473958287794362009-11-16T20:55:00.000-05:002009-11-16T20:55:22.901-05:00Ha-Low ... Is This The Soady Deer Camp?<center><a href="http://www.escanabathemovie.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDve_H9yH7O3AnUWTVbJmn-2hqNc4kFQFsee1I1_dxAi3xxjloaRHmoewH-rDBVcfxjC68xTv0_A2On1p3L96YhHH3eeBkYYV3BsjQt_BhtyVoJUOWIj1WyIjCxzZsxW6D8yMu/s320/091116+eidm.JPG" width=160></a></center><br /><br />Its that time of year again. Yesterday, to mark the opening of deer season, we watched the classic big buck story, <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0180679/"><i>Escanaba in da Moonlight</i></a>. This is the tale of how The Buckless Yooper got his buck. Yooper as in a person from Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.).<br /><br />The principals in this story are the Soady family along with their friend Jimmer Negamanee from Menominee, and a lost Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officer recently exiled from Detroit to Escanaba. The actors include Jeff Daniels, Harve Presnell, Joey Albright, Wayne David Parker, Randall Godwin, and Kimberly Guerrero.<br /><br />We have both the regular DVD which is available from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Escanaba-da-Moonlight-Joey-Albright/dp/B00006HAX7">Amazon</a> as well as the "making of" DVD, <a href="http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0948460/"><i>A Picture from Home: The Journey Through 'Escanaba in da Moonlight'</i></a> which is available from Jeff Daniel's Purple Rose Films <a href="http://www.escanabathemovie.com/">web site</a>. <br /><br />While watching this, my wife asked how old is Harve Presnell? So I looked him up on <a href="http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0696193/">iMDB</a> and found that he died this last summer at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer.<br /><br />This movie came out in the Spring of 2001 and played mostly in the Mid-West. It was released on VHS and DVD on 15 October 2002, at which time I ordered copies shipped to family all over the United States.<br /><br />Looking back though my email archives, I note that Jimmer Negamanee looks quite a bit like one of the members of my Grandfather's survey crew from back when they laid out so many of the highways across the U.P. back in the late teens, early twenties.The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11479233.post-27163084580546915802009-11-12T14:46:00.002-05:002009-11-13T09:12:16.853-05:00Project Valour-IT Current Standings<div style="text-align: center"><img border="0" alt="" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNTY2NTM4ODQ5MTEmcHQ9MTI1NjY1ODA5OTU4NSZwPTg5NTg*MSZkPSZnPTEmbz*4OGE4YTg*MjI2ZWY*MWZmOTczMGFiN2I5NTk2NWRlZiZvZj*w.gif" /> <object id="gauge" width="400" height="300" align="" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"><param value="http://soldiersangels.org/gauge.swf?stage_width=400&stage_height=300&xml_source=http://soldiersangels.org/all4gauge.php&time=1256653883" name="movie" /><param value="high" name="quality" /><param value="" name="bgcolor" /><embed width="400" height="400" name="gauge" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://soldiersangels.org/gauge.swf?stage_width=400&stage_height=300&xml_source=http://soldiersangels.org/all4gauge.php&time=1256653883" align="" bgcolor="" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="gig_lt=1256653884911&gig_pt=1256658099585&gig_g=1"></embed><param value="gig_lt=1256653884911&gig_pt=1256658099585&gig_g=1" name="FlashVars" /></object></div><br /><br /><b>Update:</b> 13 Nov 2009 - Veteran's Day Finish Line<br /><center><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMwd2zSuOUBYu9yNBNWtwTJ1y_5ASxqi5Q8qrRE72JJQZ1T7GDDF1WKAVg0v_B-9piHaIEd9mmuO1Uy2wl22OIfAEG6k08gkuixFNjlOYGwwmn4123wgsidrlLXjF4rAPnLnzL/s400/vit+finish.JPG"></center>The Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12202296711518444493noreply@blogger.com0