Ron Beatty Home

Ron Beatty's

 The appearance of this page is due to Google's New Sites, which creates black-and-white  caricatures of previously interesting pages.

Last updated 4 May 2024 from conversion by Google to their "New Sites" paradigm, obviously intended to drive loyal customers away to other web service providers,  

New pages: about coronavirus, about making black lives matter

previously in March 2020 with 2020 March annual letter.

on 11 Apr 2018 with 2018_April_annual_letter

This Ron Beatty is an MIT graduate,  BMW motorcycle rider,  genealogist,  traveler,  computer programmer, hiker; and a former basketball player, former resident of Burton 3rd, and a recovering icecreamaholic.  

I am neither a rap musician, carpet cleaner or an undesirable character (three other Ron Beattys on the web).

MERRY CHRISTMAS

My friend Richard has a big problem after a debilitating stroke, and I want to help, so

Here is a page about Richard including his photos from Fresh Pond and his newest revelation that Mozart has remedied his restless leg syndrome.  Here is a link to his gofundme site.

Imagine, the sidebar (left) has been SO WRONG for SO LONG, but now it is fixed with the most important (to da girlies) item at the very top, Wedding Photos. The photos in "Where Is Ron Now" are rightfully second, both thanks to my lovely, talented wife, Cynthia ... and "Photo Albums" ... and my rsbeatty@gmail.com e-mail address;  I strive to to answer ASAP or within the year.. 

Googling couldn't be easier: where is ron   ... works to show you the latest pictures and location, thanks to Cynthia who is MUCH more reliable about communication than I have been for years now.

Thanks to Google for giving me lots of web space for pictures, Google documents on the web, and most recently a blog or two. 

3 April 2015:  We are endeavoring to hike the Appalachian Trail this year.  We started about March 26th and have now completed the trail through the state of Maryland.  You can follow our progress on Where is Ron Now, or as Shakedown Cruise on TrailJournals.com (more hiker details on TrailJournals).  So far northern Maryland rocks have been hard on Cynthia's feet; Rocksylvania looms ahead.

1 August 2014:  The newest page on this site is Mari Annes Norwegian Lovers, about our Brekke Tour of Norway July to August, 2014.  As our trip was memorable and our memories remind us, the Mari Annes page will be updated with details.  Pictures are already on the blog (Cynthia always gets things done yesterday.)

1 Aug 2013: Pagosa Springs Colorado; return to Texas scheduled for 1 January, 2014.  Only change is this sentence.  Maybe I'll change a few more things since I get to use the computer until Cynthia's hurted hand heals.

SOLD: TRS-80 computers & software collection - already SOLD to a collector of such

SOLD: Dale's Strategy and Tactical Game Collection - already SOLD to a happy recipient

21 Dec: Walking the beach every day at Atlantic Beach, NC.

10 Dec 2012:  At Kill Devil Hills we enjoyed almost daily walks on the beach and historical portraiture in the Wright Brothers National Monument.

12 Nov 2012:  Busy, busy, busy.  Nothing new there.  Cynthia and I have resumed hiking on the AT near Waynesboro again.  Cynthia is over her "bug" and hiked quickly our 3.6 miles today (2 hours).  Maybe tomorrow we can hike longer and stronger.  This weekend we are looking forward to seeing Dean & Janina & family at Lake Anna near Charlottesville.

27 Jul 2012:  Cynthia and I have enjoyed our daily hikes on the Appalachian Trail both in Virginia in April and now in May, June, and July in Vermont from the Inn at Long Trail.  If no one cancels a reservation by August 8th we will make a trip to Nova Scotia planning to hike daily en route there and back to Iowa for her 20th class reunion in September.

As part of our daily hikes, I've been busy with Stream Bed Maintenance and have now posted a web page with lotsa advice about that variety of trail maintenance under my Appalachian Trail Name of Shakedown Cruise.

I've stopped working on much of anything else and seldom turn the computer on at all.  Obviously that means that genealogy and correspondence have been severely neglected.

9 Apr 2012:  I haven't changed much beyond adding a sidebar link to this year's TrailJournals as Cynthia and I hike daily on the Appalachian Trail.

19 Nov 2011:  Now in Raleigh, NC heading soon to Philadelphia.

Lots has happened since last update here on Ron Beatty Home, so look at the blog, which is updated nearly every day.  The wedding was marvelous and a link to the pictures is added to the sidebar.  The company on the Honeymoon was delightful, Ireland was beautiful and interesting, but we had limited success with ancestor hunting and caught colds soon after boarding the Princess cruise ship.  After returning and spending a few additional days in Philadelphia (THANKS to Nagle and Sally for the plaque "Smartest thing a man ever said: Yes Dear"), we removed to the Inn at Long Trail to hike every day and soon supplemented hiking exercise with trail maintenance exercise.  All that fun came to an end in July when Cynthia received a diagnosis of breast cancer.  Long story short, she is now a cancer survivor with just a tiny bit of tissue missing.  Once again the trusty Lexus is taking us to visit old friends and new places (our tattered and worn road atlas with highlighted routes taken is VERY colorful).  Philadelphia next to stay at the Thomas Bond house then to Atlantic Beach, NC to use up timeshare points.

The Holiday Inn here in Ft. Washington is comfortable and convenient.  The GM, Al, is fun & funny, Angel & Andrew & Megan & Melissa at the front desk are unfailingly cheerful besides being extremely helpful.  We are just 5 miles from the Mt. Airy Lutheran Archives where the Craig Collection of Swedish Colonial genealogical materials is housed.  Cynthia finished the unbelievable job of paging through 26 boxes of loose papers to create a more accurate inventory of contents. (Aside: Smooch, smooch, smooch, Thank God for Cynthia.)  I organized 70+ feet of books, by catalog entry, onto movable shelving.

I (Ron) drove the Lexus from TX into the Florida panhandle where I met cousins Martha L. and her son, Dave.  Wonderful visit.  Then an evening with Tom & Dot at Crystal River (maybe I saw a Manatee).  Arrival in Big Pine Key was just minutes prior to Greg's birthday party where everyone came including Dean & Patti, Mitch & Vicky, Bruce & Este, & .  Next day at Key West a drivers license clerk astounded me by being extremely helpful guiding me through the maze of requirements to get a new Florida driver license - on my first attempt;  I even passed the eye test !!  Then Cynthia arrived at the Key West airport to help me visit my friends Greg & Cindy, Dean, Pat & Alan, Sheri ... Other directions soon lead to water, so we followed US 1 onto the mainland, stopped in at the Fairchild Gardens (in southern Miami) and crossed to Naples & Ft. Meyers where we spent an afternoon at the Dali museum, a wonderful exhibit.  We visited a HS friend of Cynthia's mid-state near Lake Wales and saw cousin Sharon & Hugh B. in Hilton Head for an afternoon - more delightful people despite their remodeling distress.  The trip to Irmo went smoothly, and after much visiting, Cynthia left me for her Houston doctors.  Wonderful fun & conversation with Dick & Jim on our usual morning walks.  Comfortable visits with Greg & Donna, Clark & Liz, Mary Lou, Vince & Mary (in their "remodeled" back yard), Tom & Roger at Palmento Gems in Chapin.  We even visited Liz's "Mamaw."  Rather than work on the Rambo CDs, I decided to organize my junks left there.  I even purchased several used hard drives from eBay to create another clone of my old, failing laptop.

6 Feb 2011: Where is Ron now. .. still in Montgomery, Texas at the lake house, still flat on my back in bed, still listening to the sloop, sloop of drywall mudding and sanding.  Cholesterol results are back and good.  Toe is healing nicely (pictures on Where Is Ron Now).  With luck we will be heading to Florida in a little over a week.

20 Jan 2011: with hammertoe fixed just yesterday.  The Best Western was convenient to the IHOP, but otherwise uninspiring, so we moved into the house under renovation and are now entertained by the buzz of power tools and the sloop sloop of drywall mud application, and of course, we are still waiting for paint to dry.

?? Jan: Today is my date with the doctor, to find out if I'm still alive and if my arteries are less clogged.  Wish me luck.  The Dr. Gould's professional opinion is that I am indeed still alive.  (He thumped my chest twice and stethoscope'd my breathing (or heart) from several angles.)  I'll put the cholesterol results here: LP(a) still elevated at 35 (genetic culprit), total cholesterol 116 (wonderful), (bad) LDL ?? (wonderfully low), (good cholesterol) HDL great at 48, triglycerides great at

4 Jan 2011: The Koa Kea resort at Poipu on Kauai was very nice, and desk clerk Cindy was especially fun with banter & laughter.  Our visit with Eric and Jean at Honolua Bay was absolutely delightful; Cynthia and I both got in the water for the first time in 4 Hawaiian trips, and we got pasted by a cresting wave higher than I am tall.  Cynthia has posted pictures in a new Hawaii10 album on Picasa.  This album includes pictures of the art & artifacts at the Hilton Waikoloa, the marvelous ocean view from our fifth floor balcony, and sunsets at the Kamuela Provision Company.  Imagine spending an entire Hawaiian vacation absorbed with computer "work" and genealogy.  On the 28th Cynthia lined up a waterfalls hike with lunch, mosquitoes, and the whole nine yards.  Hike Maui drove us around the island and the volcano and then led us to a 400' waterfall.  return trip was via the infamous road to Hana.

26 Dec 2010:  Mele Kalikimaka.  We are in Hawaii, on Maui at the marvelous Makena Beach and Golf Resort w/ waterfall in courtyard.  We enjoyed our previous weeks on the leeward side of the Big Island, both in the Wyndom time share in Kailua-Kona (thanks to Greg & Donna) and at the Waikoloa & Hilton time share.  We are no longer near Huggo's, Jackie Rey's, or Bongo Ben's, but enjoyed a fabulous view and a great breakfast this morning at the breakfast restaurant in this hotel.  Dinner here isn't good - no view and the waitress didn't "hear" our dietary restrictions, so Nichole (at the desk with wonderful personality & smile) recommended Nick's Seafood at the Fairmont with great food and wonderful sunset views from the patio overlooking the swimming pool.  Spago's at the Four Seasons next door became our favorite. I've posted another choice philosophical view on-line: affirmations - Click HERE. Cynthia and I have both been busy with genealogy projects but have just taken time to write our respective annual Christmas letters - Click HERE to see mine.  Previous annual letters are now collected in one spot as are my verbose travelogues and main web pages (to insure Mary's continuing amusement). Cynthia is very excited about DNA results & cousins revealed by the new "family finder" analysis that matches male & female lines with greater resolution.

E-mail me at rsbeatty@gmail.com

Please be patient as I often "reside" where there are no phone lines.

31 Jul 2010: Yes, we are actually touring the Rockies now.  Cynthia is loving the motorcycling, and the 2 brief rainstorms have not fazed her.  Yesterday we rode over Independence Pass & into a blinding downpour high on the western slope for a very long mile or so downhill.  Thankfully the rain ended before we got to the narrowest, twistiest parts of the road.  The trip is wonderful although not exactly what I had envisioned from previous rides.  We don't get on the road as early as I did alone.  (We're lucky to be riding by 10 am.)  We typically ride for a couple of hours then find a hotel.  The longest we've ridden was about 4 hours from Grand Lake to Steamboat Springs via Colorado 125 & 14.  So far we've stayed in hotels at Estes Park, Grand Lake, Steamboat Springs, Vail, Aspen, and Glenwood Springs.  We have not yet camped out although we are carrying camping equipment, and Cynthia is beginning to want to know when we will camp out.  (Soon my dear.) Cynthia is also loving the hiking.  We hiked three out of four days in Vail including a trip up the Mad Creek Trail, seven miles round trip with 1200' elevation gain.  My knee is holding up well; my weight is down, probably too low; my cholesterol is way down too; I exercise nearly every day.  Life is good.  Thank God for Cynthia.

21 Mar 2010:  Cynthia is back from Texas; laughter once again fills this house near the end of Amick's Ferry Road near Chapin, SC.  Birdie watching is fascinating with the new binoculars and Lake Murray in the background; high water: the lake is up a foot or two and drowned the campfire ashes.  Transcribing the voice recorder of my 2008 Appalachian Trail hike is proving motivating & interesting.  My trail name is "Shakedown Cruise" on TrailJournals.com  I'm making good progress on projects, but our departure date of 1 April is approaching like a locomotive.

24 Feb 2010: The day after our anniversary; I love Cynthia aka Smooch Smooch. The address book is up-to-date; the annual Christmas letter is sent (click picture at right).  If you did NOT get the letter, Please send your e-address to rsbeatty@gmail.com. Our adventures and location are updated daily at http://WhereIsRonNow.blogspot.com), thanks to Cynthia & Google; Cynthia takes notes, Google listens.  You can click on the picture (above left) to see the sights of Sedona.  There are also pictures of Hawaii, helicopter rides, & lots of other pictures in various albums at https://get.google.com/albumarchive/113780268026608859160, also updated frequently, thanks to Cynthia & Google. 

The terazosin seems to be doing some good, but there is a drawback - less productivity.  Starting to work at 4am was productive & satisfying, but I no longer awaken every two hours so I'm missing that satisfaction. Cynthia continues to be an amazing blessing. Life is good; may God bless you all.

Eureka!  Previous lipid results: LDL 51, HDL 72, triglycerides 41 for total cholesterol 131.  [Newer results are even better but the actual numbers are back at the lake house in Texas.]

Dick, Jim, Steve and I walk an hour every morning at 8:40 am, but the 25-mile motorcycle ride to get there has been frigid too often.  Cynthia & I usually hit the fitness center in Chapin for an hour a day; Cynthia does treadmill, I do elliptical.  Correspondence will resurge soon.

Rambo Family Reunion: Lodge at Lacy Keosauqua reserved for July 4th, 2010.

Wedding plans for May 12th, 2011.  Save the Date postcards have been sent.  If you didn't receive yours, e-mail me.  I took a break to do 100 "genius" sudokus.

Nov 5 2009.  Cynthia and I are leaving Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas.  Justice Payne graciously remembered me and read all the old news.  Embarrassment forced me to move several links, to put the most interesting items first. Ron Beatty Bachelor's Guide to Life will be my next book.

The old web site is unchanged below; that will improve soon - Hmm, Soon still hasn't arrived.

Amazing to me that the web is now a visual medium - and this site needs to become more in tune with more pictures than text.

Text needs to be relegated to the boondocks as attachments; what a culture shock for a wordsmythe.

Ron Beatty's Web Page

Last updated 19 November 2008. My e-mail address is also on another page now..

I am an MIT graduate, BMW motorcycle rider, genealogist, traveler, computer programmer, hiker;

and a former basketball player, resident of Burton 3rd, and a recovering icecreamaholic.

My e-mail address is rsbeatty@gmail.com. I strive to to answer ASAP or within the year.

12 Jun: Google has given me lots of web space for pictures, Google documents on the web, and most recently a blog or two.

12 Jun 2007: I give a HUGE THANKS to Google for free pictures on the web, for several free, collaborative genealogy documents on the web, and for amusing blogs of Ron's activities, Ron's travelogue, RideLikeRon motorcycling news, and Ron's genealogy. (The latter three coming "soon.") 6 May 2007: Wowwie, zowwie, lookie this - pictures, thanks to Google. The verbage below has been moved to a "new" previous page (2008), but this (below) was kept as reminders for more improvements later.Glucosamine Sulfate with MSM is still my "drug" of choice to ward off joint problems.

My diet/ lifestyle (no meat fat, no milk fat, no sugar, and no white flour)

Following advice from Hugh (a retired cardiologist), I had another cholesterol test which showed HDL of 65; LDL of 92; triglycerides of 47; and total cholesterol of 166 ... i.e. terrific.

The answer was Google Earth on a 60 inch flat screen monitor. My motorcycle won't carry it comfortably.

I always stick to a plan, so do indeed plan to see all these people, but I don't stick to schedules at all, so the plan stays the same and the dates change ... speaking of which it is time to post a plan on the website to see whether the future will unfold as planned this time (HA).

Does anyone remember who said something like, "A happy man is not someone in a pleasant circumstance, but rather someone who enjoys a cheerful philosophy?" No answers yet. Please write, call or send money. My particular spin on that is that I always smile unless I have a compelling reason to be unhappy. Another phrasing is that every morning you can decide whether to start the day in a good mood or not.

It seems to me that the road to happiness is the discovery and pursuit of your individual passions. Just the other day I finally put it all together and realized that the advice to "know yourself" is better phrased as "discover your passions and pursue them." Another puzzle is that as we age "our selves" change.

My inconsideration diatribe is a pithy analysis of one of the major problems in modern society.

One of my genealogical "finds" years ago was a letter from a great-great-great Uncle to his nieces. In it he lamented that his "dear sainted mother" was gone and that they would never again in this life hear her beloved voice. My mother died on July 3, 2001. Now I understand his sentiments. Time may be helping, but I still miss her greatly and often. I've found that letter recently and will transcribe it here soon. I'm no longer sure that "time is helping" because some of my attitudes and enthusiasms towards other people seem to be permanently scarred.

Conch Computer Systems is defunct with Bill's death (in 2005 ??), but I have faith that Mary will find our business mission statement hilarious. Florida Keys scenery is outstanding and the Conch site links to lots of pretty pictures.

I need to add more to the travelogue about the trip to Hawaii that Mom and I made before her heart attack in Feb 2001. It has been emotionally difficult to write that one, but I'm making progress. Several other good travelogues are still languishing and I cannot forget the 2001 motorcycling trip in West Virgiinia with those same 9 guys concerning the dangers of Cuervo Gold.

The recent Texas trip with nine motorcycling buddies is progressing nicely ... as is another page, RideLikeRon.

The Burton Third website is up.  I still need model railroading; (It continues to be a mild disappointment that my HO train layout is packed up instead of running) and my genealogy families of Argo, Briney, Mechem, and Venus - plus a dozen more common names including the new Schenck/Hegeman website I promised cousin Jean.

12 Jul 2007, Thursday: I'm again in South Carolina at the Gowdys', heartbroken that my bike has a rod knock (my guess).

I should be adding a web page describing the "on-demand" publishing process soon.

Words for Google to index: BTB; Zelmo (a basketball nickname from my days at MIT where I majored in hoops); Ronald S. Beatty (ten cents to anyone who knows what the S. stands for); 1973 BMW R75/5, my trusty motorcycle with 112,000 miles to date - finally worn out after realizing its heritage;

TO DO:

attach fayetteCo.txt on 512 attache

trip05jh -> traveloguejuly2005 duplicated as trip05ju

photos (missing 3 computers; plans page missing "other pages" link; bauer page missing)

main page 2000 ("travel plans" link fails, web page instructions missing)

RecentNews1

argobook 

Click here to return to Ron Beatty's home page, 

Pages of personal interest: 

Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas

Rambo family genealogy,  Bankston & Bankson family genealogy,  the Camblin family genealogy,  the Dorsey Overturff family,  cousin Jean's Schenck and Hageman genealogy, and 

Eric's RPM coins Mattthew Borner's UniMod internal combustion engine