Sad News About a Friend - Blair T. Hill

We just learned that a long-time friend and fellow Egghead died in a fire at his home in Fort Myers, Florida on 4-27-20. He was unable to get out and perished in the fire. A neighbor heard him call for help but the fire was too hot to get inside to help him.

Blair "Gator Bait" Hill was quite a character long before we met him through the Egghead Forum. Years later we finally got to meet him in person at one of the Florida Mini Eggfests held in Melbourne.

He was always cheerful and upbeat in spite of many life-long medical problems, the latest being the loss of his leg. Even so, he was determined to get back on his recumbent bike and kayak. Both were custom-built to his specifications. But the loss of the leg made that dream impossible. Even so, he kept the dream alive.

He was also an excellent photographer and enjoyed taking photos of the many species of birds in the area and on Sanibel Island. I even assembled a YouTube slide presentation of the photos he shared on the Egghead Forum. He was thrilled that others could then enjoy the birds as much as he did.

But it was the Big Green Egg that brought us together. He was obviously a great cook and frequently shared recipes with other Eggheads via the Egghead Forum. And even though his strict diet prevented him from eating the foods I cook, he enjoyed me telling him about them.

Needless to say, his death will leave a hole in our hearts.

Goodbye Blair... It has been a pleasure knowing you.

TV News: Man Dies in Fire

New Table Saw = New Woodworking Project

I've only owned two table saws during my 50 years of woodworking.  The first of the two was the cheapest Sears Craftsman tablesaw offered back in the early 1990s.  As cheap as it was it more than paid for itself time and time again as I made increasingly complex wooden projects.

The only reason I sold it in 2015 was to make room in my garage for both our vehicles, one of which was so large that I only had one-inch clearance between the rear bumper and the garage door. 

I immediately regretted the decision to sell it and started to look for another one that could fold up to fit in the only place it could go.  And it turned out the be the cheapest one I could find - a Ryobi from Home Depot.  It too served me well from 2015 until April 1, 2020.  Then it would never serve anyone again, except as landfill fodder.

That put me in the difficult position of purchasing another tablesaw, but hopefully, with features and quality, I had only dreamed of.  And yet, it still had to fit neatly into space I allocated for it in the garage.  That meant a folding frame for sure, and definitely cost more than I wanted to spend.

So I read the specs and reviews on every model I could, including watching woodworkers using their tablesaws in action.  The one that everyone rated highest was a $600 DeWalt that was specifically designed as a high-end job-site saw for professional carpenters.  I certainly was not a 'professional carpenter' but it sure would be nice to have a quality saw. 

I was ready to order another cheap tablesaw similar to the last two saws I had when I suddenly received notice that my Coronavirus stimulus money from Washington was on its way.  Ah ha... perfect timing.  I  promptly went to Lowes and bought the DeWalt tablesaw I wanted - Model # dwe7491rs

It didn't take me long to start assembling the folding frame.  I got totally lost in the instructions and finally switched to my instinct.  It took less than an hour and the saw was ready for use.

A few days later my first actual project was to build a ramp for a neighbor's little dog to use when she wanted on or off the sofa.  A few measurements and some lumber, along with some leftover carpet was all it took to make.

After a 'trail of treats' was laid out, Bella eagerly made her way to the top and back down.  She must have decided that this 'thing' was useful. 

Bella's owners sure did.

And I got to use my new tablesaw for a successful project.

Life is good, even when wearing masks and distancing ourselves from other humans.

Coronavirus / Pandemic / COVID-19

Coronavirus / Pandemic / COVID-19

Everyone on Earth now knows what it is and what it can do to their lives.

As of today, few places on Earth are COVED-19 free. People who do not yet have it are taking extreme measures to keep from getting it. Social Distancing and outright isolation are about the only effective methods of avoiding it. The number of people who have it, whether diagnosed or un-diagnosed, is in the millions. Deaths from it are 200,000 and are expected to continue, possibly into millions unless the stay-at-home and no-close-contact programs work.  It would help to have a vaccine to cure it and prevent people from getting it.  Scientists world over are working on it.

So, when did it start? "It's hard to say exactly," but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states in their Situation Summary that:

On March 11, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the WHO

Today's date is April 22nd - only 42 days after the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic, we are, to coin a phrase, treating it like 'The Plague.'

Remember that from your history lessons:

The Black Death, also known as the Pestilence and the Plague, was the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, resulting in the deaths of up to 75–200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351.

As we huddle in our homes, distance ourselves from others, even relatives in their final moments, we all know and accept the fact that we are not safe from this menace.

Even as I write this yet another bit of bad news associated with COVID-19. It has been reported in the Washington Post that

"A mysterious blood-clotting complication is killing coronavirus patients"

And even when it is finally controlled, the world we return to will be very different from the one we made for ourselves before the power of nature reminded us that we humans cannot control everything.

Social Distancing - An Odd Combination of Words

Until a few weeks ago, Social Connecting via a smorgasbord of recently introduced 'electronic communications' made interacting with others a phenomenon unlike anything else in human history.

Suddenly, we pretty much rely on that electronic communication to be our life-line to the rest of humanity.  The reason - Social Distancing.  As odd as that sounds in today's world, here we all are trying our best to keep a safe distance from everyone else, even our friends and family.

But what caused it?

Well, actually 'panic' started it, but only after word got out that a new killer virus had suddenly materialized in China.  People started dying at an alarming rate and others were being infected by this strange new threat - a Coronavirus.  It was eventually dubbed COVID-19.

Projections of multi-millions of people would get it, and thousands, even hundreds of thousands would die from it, we were told.

How to protect yourself???  Washing hands thoroughly was quickly advised and encouraged, but the numbers of people getting the disease continued to rise at an alarming rate. 

What other protection do we have???  Social Distancing - make people stay home and away from each other.  And even when people are together, limit the size of the group and the distance they should remain from each other...

Whoa!!!  Is that even possible?

Well yes.  And in fact it may be the only option.  Early reports indicate that the number of people getting the virus and dying from it seems to be ebbing slightly.  And with that little bit of encouragement, our president is pushing for dropping our guard and going back to work and to normal activities.

Idiot!!!