Merry Christmas to us!

A now for something totally different

I Don't Wanna Work from clbrown15 - Video

I Don"t Wanna Work - watch more funny videos

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Susan's tormentor

This morning Susan was trimming up some of the house plants in preparation for winter. She brings them in off the porch and trims the yellowing or dead leafs and stalks. All of a sudden she started screaming like she was being chased by the devil or some of his worst minions so I jumped up to see what was the matter and she was pointing (from about 10 feet away) at the plant that she had been trimming.

The beast that "attacked" is shown below....................

Thoughts from Dana

I walked past a mental hospital yesterday and all the patients were outside shouting "13...13!...13!"

The fence was too high to see over but I saw a little gap in the planks so I looked through to see what going on...

Somwbody poked me in the eye with a stick!

They all started shouting "14!...14!...14!"

The Real Ron Howard

Susan brought home this months' AARP magazine which featured Ron Howard (the director) on the cover. I knew right then and there that I had to produce my very own magazine (cover)....just for the fun of it!

Riverbend Festival Fireworks

Fireworks_5, originally uploaded by r_howard454.

This a picture of the fireworks marking the end of the 2009 Riverbend Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was my first time photographing fireworks and, while I was dissappointed in my shooting location, I was happy that most of my pictures turned out not too bad. We waited perhaps a bit too late to head downtown and there was no getting close by any means. I'd love to know what sort of pyrotechnical wizardry it takes to produce a heart of fireworks in the sky!
You can see more of my fireworks photos on my FlickR page

Bridges

Bridges, originally uploaded by r_howard454.

Another post directly from FlickR. This is a shot of the Market Street Bridge (background) framed by the Walnut Street bridge in downtown Chattanooga. This photo has actually been on my FlickR page since January but I thought that I would blog it (I'm really liking the ability to sending my FlickR photos directly to my blog).

The Watcher

The Watcher, originally uploaded by r_howard454.

I am playing around with Blogger, Facebook, and FlickR today. You're supposed to be able to link all these sites so that you can easily share pictures or posts from one site to another. So far the FlickR to Blogger is the only application that is working for me. I think that is kind of neat; I just click on the blog this button over my FlickR photo and it pops up a box where I can fill in a post on Blogger and then it uploads it for me.

Janet, Lisa, and Dana; ya'll all ought to be able to use this. Especially you, Janet. You could get your blog going again with all the great pictures you have on your FlickR page.

Cumberland River

Cumberland River, originally uploaded by r_howard454.

Looking toward downtown Nashville from the Two Rivers Bridge at the Shelby Bottoms Greenway. This is a great walking / bicycle track just off Briley Parkway, near the Gaylord Opryland. I went there three days in a row after work last week. I'm trying to get back into the habit of running and exercising more (I've been a slacker since January but vow to change my ways!)

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Doubly Special Day

Happy Birthday Janet.

Happy Mothers Day, Mom.

I love you both and hope that you're both having a special day!

Family Fun

Tiffiny and Braxton get in on the fun. Can you see the family resemblence?

More QuickCam Fun

Okay, I've had this Logitech QuickCam for over a year now and I just realized that it came with a lot of fun special effects filters. The picture above is a compilation of various pictures using just two of the effects. There's even a neat one that allows you to convert live video to what appears to be watercolor, similiar to a few financial advice commercials I've seen on television over the past year or so.

Goofy Stuff!

Just goofing off with the QuickCam. More proof that I just ain't right!

(I really do this stuff because it freaks out my sisters)

Art Classes

Art Classes.......on Rossville Boulevard about two blocks off Main Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

LEGENDARY

For the Illustration Friday subject: LEGENDARY. It's been a while since I posted any art work on the blog so I thought that I would take advantage of this last free day before starting my new job to create something new. This is a digital collage using a concert picture that I took in 1974 along with elements from the "Todd Rundgren's Utopia" album cover.

The legend finally comes to Chattanooga. Todd Rundgren at Rythym and Brews on Wednesday April 1, 2009.

Beantown

My entry for the February 27 Photo Friday subject City Life. I shot this from the Granary Burial Ground in Boston where Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine and Paul Revere are buried. Although this was taken back in November I immediately thought of it when I saw the Photo Friday subject.

Ron Howard Simple Musings: TR, Utopia, Mark M, Martin M, & other vague memories

Click the title above to be transported back to April 2006 when Myself, Mark Martin, Jeff Muzer, Kathy Muzer, and others (?) discuss that fated day in the past when Mark, Martin, and Myself set off in Martin's volkswagen beetle to see Todd Rundgren live ( and learn the origin of the now historic phrase "She's gonna blow!").

BUMMER

Well, I am really annoyed with the people who provided the HitCounter on my blog for the past few years. A days or so ago the hit counter stopped working. I thought that it was just something temporary but today I actually searched to find an answer. I found help on the Blogger Help boards where I learned that HitCounter is no longer working (and may never work again). This is a bummer because my blog had over 16,600 hits before the counter quit working. I never really expected even a mere fraction of that number. No that I have installed SiteMeter on the blog it has me down at just 3 hits as of today.

Blog Update

The blog is getting a bit dusty lately as I have not been very consistent about new postings. I have been spending much more time lately on FlickR. I got a new Nikon D80 at Thanksgiving and I been having loads of fun shooting pictures. I'll try to post some of my better photos here from time to time but until then please be sure to check out my FlickR page.

Just For Fun

I took this picture in Land O' Lakes, Florida back in 1993 when I was working for the Small Business Administration.....never could get anyone to go bowling with me!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just filled up my truck and paid $1.69 a gallon. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Morning on the Lake

Frugal, Cheap, or Stupid?

I continue to work on removing the large Oak tree in my back yard and this weekend I have it down to almost a bare trunk except for the one leafy limb at the very tip top. I will definitely leave that one for folks that bring down the trunk (which ain't gonna be me!). All the while I have been cutting Susan has kept urging me to go buy a chain saw. Why do I need to buy a chain saw?" I remarked; It'll go unused after I cut down one tree. Hardly worth the expense. I know most are not going to believe this but I have cut the majority of this tree down with a simple Craftsman hand saw. Hard to believe, huh? Yeah, I know that I'm cheap. I call it being thrifty. Just no need to spend money on a chain saw when a hand saw will do. I am sure it has been a source of amusement for my neighbors. Last Saturday while I was working in the very top I could hear my neighbor yelling to her husband "Get the camera, and hurry. Oh yeah, make sure that it's got fresh batteries!". I sure hope they just wanted to get a shot of the old guy up a tree and weren't hoping to cash in by getting a shot of me falling out on my head! Anyway, I now have a huge pile of debris to cut up and get off to the brush disposal center. I'm through climbing for while!

No Country For Old Men

The old oak tree in the back yard looks like it's leaning more toward the house these day. It's always leaned about 20 degrees and I have begun to worry that it might fall on the house one day. Given all of that I finally decided to bring it down. I'm not finished by any means but I do have a great deal of it done. I had to stop because I was absolutely exhausted and Susan had fidgeted herself into a panic state watching me climb about from limb to limb. I'm thinking that I'll probably just wait until next weekend to finish up. Man are my arms sore!!

Self Portrait 2008

I thought that I'd be a bit creative today since it's been a while since I did anything for Photo Friday or Illustration Friday. This is my piece created for the Photo Friday challenge: Self Portrait 2008.

Still Kickin'

The Triathlon that I have been preparing for the last 8 weeks is over and I finished 561 out 0f 612. Nothing to brag about but right about where I predicted I would be. I actually have to say that I surprised myself. I thought that I would finish about 11 minutes slower than I did. Here's the official numbers ( you can get the complete race results here)

Overall time 1:19:41

1/4 mile Swim......12:24

8.2 mile Bike Ride .....33:49

2 mile Run......24:06

I really didn't do too well in the transitions due to some bad planning on my part and by the time that I got to the run my legs felt like lead weights but I can still say that I am glad that I did this. I'll definitely be ready for it next year!

Susan walking me from the finish line back to my personal cheering section (probably wanted to make sure that I wasn't about to have a coronary right there in the middle of the road!)

I had an unexpected additions to my cheering section. My sisters Lisa and Dana came to town from Alabama to help cheer me on. It really was a good boost to see my daughter Tiffiny, son-in-law Jeff, grandson Braxton, and two of my sisters along with their families there at the finish line.

Countin' Down

The clock is ticking away the hours until my first Triathlon. I went downtown to pick up my race packet and do a walk through of the T2 transition area and the running course. Registering early definitely has its' advantages. My race number is 25 (out of about 500) and I've got a sweet T2 spot just inside the transition area. I'm getting psyched up ready to give it a shot. I figure by 8:30 tommorrow morning it'll all be over and I'll know if it was all worth it.

Wish me luck!

The PayOff

Earlier I posted a couple of pictures of my meager little garden spot. Everything is starting to come in now and it's time to start reaping the benefits of my labor. We've already gotten a few green beans, some little squash, chile peppers, jalapenos, and grape tomatoes. Now it's time for the big tomatoes to start ripening. I have three varieties of heirlooms....Red, purple, and Mr. Stripey. These are going to space out very nicely with the purple ones ripening now, the red ones will be next, followed with the Mr. Stripey tomatoes in about another month or so. This has been the best little garden that I've had since we bought this house seven years ago!

The Race Is On

I finally got the "unofficial" test report back from my nuclear heart scan yesterday. They say that my current physical condition places me in "minimal" risk for a coronary and that I can go about my usual activities as long as I recognize my limitations. They did tell me that I have some scarring of my heart muscle that would seem to indicate that I have actually had a Myocardial Ischemia at some point in my life.

Anyway, I've decided to go ahead with the Triathlon next Sunday (Aug 10). I've lost a week's worth of training but again, the goal is just to finish. I figure that I'l probably finish inthe lower 20% of the pack.

Bummer!

Today I had my 6 month follow up with my lung doctor. I told him about some trouble that I have been having lately. I am exercising a LOT but I don't seem to be developing any endurance. I swim, bike, and run often but any time that things get strenuous I get terribly winded. I get to the point that I feel like something is trying to claw it's way out of my chest. When I run I get so winded after a half mile that I have to slow down to a quick walk, then recover pretty quickly, then run some more. I do this a lot but the distance or endurance level never seems to increase. My doctor confirmed that my lungs are working great. He feels that I may possibly have some coronary blockage so he's ordered a nuclear stress test for Monday morning. This all seems just a bit odd considering that I have done the following this past week:

Sunday - 19 mile bike ride
Tuesday - 5.8 mile run (actually fartleks, (look it up!))
Wednesday - 1/2 mile swim
Thursday - 5.5 mile bike ride
Friday - 5.8 mile run (more fartleks)

All day today I have been totally drained of energy. Maybe we can get to the bottom of this so that I can finally get straightened out.
I still plan to participate in the Triathlon on August 10. My doctor said that he will tell me if I have his blessing for this by Wednesday. He did ask me to scratch the practice run that is schedule for this Sunday.

Time for a little training

Training for the Sports Barn Quintana Roo Sprint Triathlon has not been going quite as well as I had hoped. I hurt my right shoulder early on swimming and it hasn't gotten much better over the past few weeks. It is hurting so much that it wakes me up at night. Probably haven't ridden my bike as much as I should either. But I am running a lot more than I ever did. Still, I am determined to finish this challenge so it's off to the lake for some swimming.

Time's a wastin'

Simple Pleasures

I have always wanted have a nice spot to plant a nice garden but we didn't get quite so lucky when we bought our house. The back yard is steep and unlevel and there are so many trees around that plants can't get very much sunlight. I always try to grow a tomatoe or two and this year I thought that I would try to do a bit more with the limited space that I have available. This is actually turning out quite well. Everything that I planted has produced a little bit this year. In my tiny space I have three varieties of heirloom tomatoes, two kinds of cherry / grape tomatoes, carrots, chives, oregeno, thyme, squash, jalepenos, cayenne peppers, one plant each of red, green, and yellow bell peppers, some pole beans, and one okra plant. I'm inspired now and want to to see how much more that I can get out of this space next year!

Photoshop Fun

Here's a picture shot last week when we had most of my family on the back porch for a little visit. I couldn't resist doing little bit of Photoshop trickery with some of the pictures that we shot. Can you find the flaws (hint: there are actually quite a few)?

Ready Set GO!

Well, I've probably lost my mind but I've laid down a new challenge for myself. I am going to enter my first athletic event in well over thirty years.

Sports Barn/Quintana Roo Sprint Triathlon

.25 Mile Swim - 8.2 Mile Bike - 2 Mile Run

Sunday, August 10, 2008 7:00AM

I have tried to get myself in shape since having a third of my right lung removed just a little over a year ago. Believe me, it's been a really hard road. I was a two to three pack a day cigarette smoker for over thirty years. It's now been six years since I quit. I've battled emphysema and the partial lung removal on a long hard comeback to getting in shape. I still have a long way to go. I've lost 34 pounds since I started a new job 23 months ago. I try to work out at least four days a week and now I have taken up running outdoors and bicycling (see my post from Dec 16, 2007 for more on this). I still can't run much distance at all and that is the part of this triathlon that worries me the most. Now I've got a reason to work harder. I am certain that entry in a paid sporting competition just has to be a motivating factor. And now that I've made this public to the world I just have to go through with it.

The one thing that I keep telling my wife and myself is that I am NOT in this event to win it, just to FINISH it! Believe me, just finishing WILL be an accomplishment.

And The Name Is

Makaley Olivia

We Have Pictures

But still no name!!!!

My mother with her new Great-Granddaughter

Here she is..............

Big sister Micah shows how thrilled she is to have a new baby in the house......

a BIG thanks to my sister Dana for the pictures

Newest addition to our family

Today we got a new granddaughter. She weighed in at 8lbs, 6 ounces and is 21 inches long. At the moment she still doesn't have a name and I am sure that she is getting impatient with Michael and Kerry at not having given her one yet! I will definitely put a better picture on here as soon as it's available. Susan sent this one from her cell phone.

Chattanooga Riverfront

This is a shot of the Chattanooga riverfront with the Market Street Bridge and the Tennessee Aquarium. This is two seperate photographs "stitched" together. Photography buffs might want to know that I increased color saturation by 70%.

Another Great Day!

Today I broke out the mountain bike and took a ride on the Tennessee Riverwalk all the way from the Chicamauga Dam to Coolidge Park in Downtown Chattanooga. The weather was perfect today and Chattanooga has come alive once more. The Riverwalk was teeming with walkers, skaters, and bikers and Coolidge Park was bustling with activity today and there were a lot families taking advantage of the huge fountain there. I'm estimating my ride at about 18 or 19 miles round trip. Not too shabby for an old guy.

I stopped from time to take a few picture. I've put a couple here and more on my FlickR page.

Long Overdue

Yesterday Susan and I did something that was long, long overdue. We've lived in Chattanooga for 8 years and we had never ridden the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain. For anyone interested, the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (or "funicular" if you prefer the proper name) is the steepest incline railway in the world. When you first enter the cars you're actually sitting back in an inclined position. You gradually become more vertical as you ascend the track and close to the top you feel like you're hanging over the edge of a steep precipice. This was really neat although I am pretty sure that Susan kept her eyes closed for most of the trips up and down the mountain.

When we got to the top of Lookout Mountain we took a short (3 block) walk past the Giles House over to Point Park. From there you can see all of Chattanooga. There are also several Civil War monuments there and the lanscaping is beautiful.

Angst Ego Id

Some days the pieces just aren't held together quite as tightly as others.

Hmmmm

I'm pretty sure that I'm the only one that ever looks at this stuff anymore!

My Favorite Time Of Year

Winter is finally over, the trees and flowers are in full bloom, and the kids are playing in the fountain at Coolidge Park again. Today was absolutely clear and 71 degrees. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Braxton with Stephanie Culberson

Here's my grandson Braxton with Miss Tennessee 2004 Stephanie Culberson. Braxton had a part as an extra in the (as yet un-released) Bartlee Norton video Back On The Ground.
Braxton got to miss a little school and have a bit of fun. It was great getting to meet Stephanie, who was both very attractive and quite friendly. It was also interesting to watch Bartlee and crew work on the video. It is unbelievable the amount of different shots and camera angles that are required to get the finished product. I'll try to post more on this at a later date.

Surreal

Photo Friday for March 7, 2008: Surreal

Something's Coming!

This is the Tennessee River Railroad Bridge which crosses the Tennessee River just below the Chicamauga Dam. This is just slightly past the beginning of the Tennessee Riverwalk where I love to run/walk on the weekends. When I was there last Sunday I decided to get a shot of this train crossing but I just could not find a location that would let me get the shot that I really wanted. For better or worse I've posted this one anyway. This really awesome when you're standing under this bridge and a train is crossing. One of the really neat things about this bridge is that the center span (see the large tower in the distance) actually raises straight up when very large boats (such as the Mississippi Queen) must pass to get to the locks of the dam.

Live At The Bijou

Live At The Bijou????Actually, the title of this post has practically nothing (almost) to do with the subject of the post. Susan and I recently celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary and she got me an ION USB turntable. I have been slowly converting my vinyl LP's to digital media and todays' selection was Live At The Bijou by Grover Washington, Jr. So far I've recorded several of my older Todd Rundgren albums (mainly Runt, The Ballad of Todd Rundgren, A Wizard A True Star, and Something/Anything). I've also recorded two Gong albums, Shamal and Expresso.
This turntable is pretty great in that you just plug it into the USB port of your computer and then use the software which was included to record albums directly into iTunes.