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They say old sailors never die… they just fade away.
As I sit here writing this, I can't shake the feeling that I’ve lost something irreplaceable. Something beyond value, something money can’t buy.
When I first posted Return to Sender, I received comments from many readers, but one stood out — a reader with the handle “Grumpyoldsquid.”
I always invite readers to reach out via email. Some do, and some don’t. Over time, I’ve been fortunate to build friendships with a few.
Grumpyoldsquid was one of them. He reached out, and what began as casual correspondence grew into a four-year friendship. Eventually, we moved past usernames, and I learned his real name, his passions, and even that he, too, was an author on SOL, writing under the pen name “Handyman.”
He told me about how he had taken up the torch to finish Oyster50’s OVERBOARD. That’s just the kind of person he was — someone who gave freely of his time and talent.
He was immensely proud of his service as a nuclear submariner in the US Navy, a role that defined much of his character — dedicated, resilient, and steadfast. Though I can’t share his name, I can tell you he was a man who lived with purpose and left a legacy that touched many.
But on August 8th, 2024, Grumpyoldsquid embarked on his final voyage — the eternal journey across the great ocean. I was glad I retired Grumpy Charley while he was still with us. He was so amused that I based Grumpy Charley on him. One reader asked me once: “What happened to Grumpy Charley?” And I replied: “He’s on vacation.” To which Grumpyoldsquid mailed me: “Where did I go on vacation. How did I get there, and who am I with? LOL!”
To say I am deeply saddened doesn’t begin to cover it. I’ve lost not just a reader, but a dear friend — someone whose voice I never heard, whose face I never saw, yet whose presence was always felt.
So, I’ll never get an email from Virginia Beach, USA. I’ll never see a Grumpyoldsquid comment on my stories, or read a Handyman story again…
Rest your oars now, my friend. May the wind be forever at your back, and the waters calm. Godspeed at your new Task Force.
One day, this pilot might land on a carrier near you…
Hi all!
Old man winter has returned! Icy weather and rain like a monsoon. I suppose La Niña has awoken – eventually. A few hot days and then, rain, beautiful rain. And of course – Yard Work commences...
I am feeling much better now after I had some emails regarding my comment about only one out of 900 replied to the video. LOL, yes I know most people don’t comment (or vote) on stories. One said that he only comments if it is terrible.
That said, now I have more motivation to bring you some more stories.
Here is chapter 15. Enjoy!
I wish you all the best! Until next week!
Bye 4 now!
Hi all!
AND this time around I don’t think anyone will see the grout lines in the floor tiles. Nope! I’m giving you four beauties to look at in the kitchen. LOL! I hope you will enjoy these. And there will be NO landing gear to distract your attention. (Evil laugh.)
While I am writing this blog entry, I am waiting for the picture to render. It is being going at the render for 46 minutes so far and only on iteration 545. Another 1000 to come. Sigh. Yes, it takes time.
As everyone is guessing, the end is still far over the horizon in the future. (I am busy with chapter 19 as I post this chapter.)
Now you will ask how I am rendering the picture and write this blog? Easy, it’s Saturday afternoon and 38 degrees Celsius outside. So let me get this out of the way. No chance you will catch me outside today. LOL!!! When the render of the last picture is done, I will put the lot in a zip file to upload on Monday. What is done, is done.
I only got one comment on the video I posted on my external blog. So, I take it of the 900 views it got, 899 thought it was no good. Well, I’m no Steven Spielberg. But I tried my best at making a video with fictional characters from the story. Oh, well – back to the drawing board. Or should I rather take up painting like I wanted to do instead of writing stories? LOL. (Don’t tell my editor what I just said. He will blow his top if I ever mention “painting” again.)
Here is chapter 14. Enjoy!
I wish you all the best! Until next week!
Bye 4 now!
Hi all!
LOL!!! After my last blog entry, I was reminded by a fellow author that I could upload all the chapters I have and then specify a date for publishing. Yes, I knew that. BUT I have another system, where I keep the chapters safe on my laptop and in the cloud. If I need to change something, then it is no problem.
And that happened. In chapter 13 Georgie visits Alex, and I have described her wheels as a BMW Z3. Well, DAZ 3D don’t have a model of a BMW Z3, but it does have a Z4. I just had to change the text to fit the picture, else someone would point it out… No names mentioned, just follow my eyes…
So, Georgie is now driving a double overhead camshaft, 2.5 liter naturally aspirated 6-cylinder Z4, with 4 valves per cylinder that produces power and torque figures of 174 bhp (176 PS/130 kW) at 5800 rpm and 230 Nm (170 lb·ft/23.5 kgm) at 3500-5000 rpm respectively.
No wonder her car’s registration plates read: “I AM LATE GP”. (I wonder if this is her way of telling other drivers that she drives fast!)
Now this also means that there will be an impact on chapter 14. So, I need to redo that picture in chapter 14, else someone will point out that between the hangar and the restaurant – she changed clothes! LOL!
Here is chapter 13. Enjoy!
I wish you all the best! Until next week!
Bye 4 now!
Hi all!
Monday again! (Well, actually it is Sunday as I prepare chapter 12 for publication.) I found that If I start all the prep for the posting early, I only need to upload the ZIP file to SOL in the morning and by lunchtime it will be available.
These days it takes a little longer to “moderate” the files, as I include ALT TEXT for my visually impaired readers.
So, I start on Saturday and finalise the pictures, then place the markers in the text of the chapter for the SOL Moderators to place the pictures at the point in the text that I want it in. After this I need to write my blog entry and SPELL CHECK it as my Editors has no input in my blog entry. LOL.
This week I also got to play with some AI video creator apps, and my word, what a learning curve. Okay, but it is so good to see Ally, Alex, and Georgie come to life and speak!
I will upload a video to my external blog this week. Just some finer tweaks in the flow of things and the transitions to be refined. Then to find a suitable resolution to compile it in. On this stage it is nearly 300 megabytes. But I want to downsize that a bit so that the upload runs smooth. It is only 4 minutes long.
Here is chapter 12. Enjoy!
I wish you all the best! Until next week!
Bye 4 now!
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