Lunar Eclipse

Last night(or rather this morning), I had the chance to see a total lunar eclipse here in Ohio. I have always had a passing interest in Astronomy and the things you could see in the sky at night. Usually its too overcast to see the events here, or they require total darkness for optimal viewing, and living in Akron total darkness at night is hard to come by...plus if you are somewhere in total darkness in the AK-ROWDY, you should probably find some light with a quickness.

On my way home from work, I was impressed with how clear the sky was and the brilliance the moon was shining with. I was hopeful that the skies would stay nice until the eclipse started at about 4:50am with totality occurring about an hour later.

When my alarm went off at 4:30 I questioned my sanity, but reasoned if the sky wasn't cooperating, I'd be back in bed while my spot was still warm. When I looked out the window, the moon was just as clear as it was 5 hours previous, so I went downstairs to watch.

The eclipse was a slow-moving process, but it was great to watch. And when the earth passed completely between the sun and moon, there was a neat reddish glow the moon took on. I mounted my camera on a tripod to try and get some clear shots, and out of the 26 I took, a few were keepers. Eclipse pics. I don't have a fancy rig, and I'm sure I could have tweaked the settings to get some better shots, but I was happy with the point-and-shoot results I got.

Once totality occurred, the pre-dawn light was coming on the eastern sky and started to wash out any good viewing of post totality, but what I did see was well worth the sleep I lost.

One day I hope to be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse. That would be neat.

Portage County Randolph Fair

One of the things I look back fondly on from my youth was the annual county fair that came around each August. It was always fun to go to the fair each day and walk around looking at all the exhibits, seeing friends from school, riding the rides, and of course...fair food!!! For those who may read this that have never been to a county fair, or perhaps more accurately a count(r)y fair, you don't know what life is.

However, the fair was also a harbinger of summers eventual end, and the inevitable back-to-school grind. But those days could wait, the fair was in town!

I decided today to take my daughter to the fair and see what she would think about it. Maybe she would ride some of the rides and get a kick out of the animals. This would be a nice cover for me to sample some of the food I so fondly remember.

We went in the gate nearest the animal stalls and had to walk through them to get to where the rides and grub were. Walking through the livestock area was not for Katie who cared not in the least for the aroma permeating the air and didn't want to stop and look at said animals.

We completed a circuit of the rides and I asked if she would like to ride some herself. That was greeted with an enthusiastic "YES" so I ponied up the $10.00 for 10 tickets since each ride cost 2 tickets, I thought 5 was enough.

She rode the child's roller coaster, Ferris wheel, a ride called the "Crazy Bus", "Bat Flyer" and of course the venerable merry-go-round. Each one by herself and with no hysterics, which made me very happy. The Ferris wheel and Crazy Bus each went up in the air and I wasn't sure if Katie had my fear of heights, and so far she doesn't. Which is a good thing!

After the rides I asked if she was hungry, and again a rousing "YES"! So I was a little worried the food there wasn't really the best for her, but what the heck its the fair. I asked if she wanted a hamburger or hot dog or french fries, her usual "comfort" food, but surprisingly she didn't. I opted for my best memory, a hot sausage sandwich, fried on a open grill with onions and green peppers. Not a damn thing healthy or redeeming about it, but boy are they good!!! As I was trying to eat that without making a huge mess(did I mention greasy also), Katie asked "Whats that"? Rather than try and explain the wonder I held in my paw, I over-simplified it by saying "A hot dog". Well, since it was Daddy's she decided it was okay for her to eat too. So I broke off a bit of the sausage and bun, gave it to her and waited for her to spit it out. After a couple chews I got a "MMM delecable", which I assume is a cross between delicious and delectable.

Hmm, what to do now? Like I said, this food isn't the best for an adult, let alone a growing 3 year old...So I did what any Dad in my shoes would do...broke that thing in half and totally dug the fact that my baby girl liked another thing that her Dad does!!!

We left after we finished eating and on the drive back home as I looked in the mirror and saw my sweetheart fast asleep in her car seat, I couldn't help but think the next years fair will be even better.

I forgot to take my camera, so I used my phone for the pictures I took. Not bad for a 2mp LG enV phone camera. Fair pics.

August Birthdays

There are a lot of birthdays during this month that are marked on my kitchen calendar, and recently I added another one as my friend Mike welcomed the newest addition to his family with the arrival of his son Luke.

Before our water park trip last week, we had a party for Katie on her 3rd birthday. Its great to see her with each passing birthday and Christmas get more involved in her present opening. What started out as casual indifference, to wanting to play with just the box the toys came in, to present-day where each unwrapping of a gift is like a mini treasure hunt. Luckily the payoff is a bit quicker!!

While I lobbied for a selection of clothes and books for future presents, that plea seemed to fall on deaf ears with family and friends...Oh well, I'm sure the noises will keep me alert, and picking up all the pieces to the various toys is keeping my back in shape!!

Great Wolf Lodge

We took a little family vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, which is a combination water park/hotel. It was originally only going to be an overnight stay, but once we got settled in and enjoying the water park, we decided to stay another night. Katie had quite the time, despite her wanting to "Go Home" the first night. Jill and I had the most fun watching and chasing after Katie and trying to keep up with her. I even rode all the slides there, despite my last experience at a water park many years ago.

It was on a slide called "The Dropout" at Raging Waters in San Dimas California, which incidentally was where scenes from "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" was filmed, but I digress. Having climbed the 70-some feet to the top of this slide I took one look down and was certain the angle of decent and speed would have me going ass over teakettle all the way down! I promptly retreated the same way I came, much to the chiding and derision of my best friend Mike, who did take the plunge and managed to survive intact. I attributed that however to his clean living rather than simple physics.

This time around I wanted to enjoy all the park had to offer, and if you would like to see some of the pictures they are here... Water park pics.

The Soft Addictions

On Tuesday August 14th, myself along with about 100 other people were invited to the Cleveland House of Blues for the CD release party of Michael Stanley's newest disc titled "The Soft Addictions". Having never been to such an event, I wasn't sure what to expect, but a fun time was had by all. Basically what it involves is the CD being played over the sound system, and everyone in the room socializing talking about the music, or anything else that came up. The artists(s) work the room and in this case gave an introduction to the music and a farewell address when it was done. Michael was the gracious host, stopping for autographs or pictures whenever asked. For anyone not familiar with the music, check out Line Level Music for his catalog. Or iTunes for the digital folks.

Oh, and "The Soft Addicitons" by Michaels admission are songs about and inspired by the fairer sex. Feel free to find your own meaning.

Welcome to my blog.

Well, after much consideration as to whether or not I had anything really fascinating enough in my life to write about, I decided to take the plunge and try my hand at this. Hopefully you may find something here in the future worth reading.