Richard Rathe's Reflections

Welcome!

Remain calm, be kind, and carry on regardless!

id photo You've reached the online journal of Richard Rathe — online since 2004! In this iteration I'm trying a few new ideas: minimal markup, working with mostly plain text, and moving beyond the timeline. Some refer to this as a Digital Garden. I call it BLIS (BLog It Simple). Find me online…

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Food for Thought

A pinch of probability is worth a pound of perhaps.

James Thurber

Featured Photo

Panorama, Sunrise, Lake_Santa_Fe, Florida

Panhandle Pitcher Plant Expedition

Galleries Nature Photography Plants Travel 2020

The last time I went hunting for Pitcher Plants was 2017. This year I went about two weeks earlier and learned more about their distribution and lifecycles. I visited six sites in all, moving from Florida into Alabama. I saw mostly pitcher plant flowers as I moved west, apparently the flowers emerge days to weeks before the funnel-shaped leaves.

Galápagos Islands

Birds Galleries History Nature Travel Video 2013

We arrived about noon and proceeded to nearby Black Turtle Bay where we saw Sea Turtles, Sharks, and Golden Rays amongst the mangroves. If you have enough bandwidth you should also view the 12 Minute Video I’ve prepared to see them in motion!

Everglades Kayak Trip 2026 (Solo)

Birds Camping Everglades Galleries Nature Travel 2026

This was my 30th trip to the Everglades—different from all the others in several respects. First I was trying out new equipment (a sit-inside folding kayak). Second, I planned to just camp on a desert island, read, and take it easy. Third, I left from the Smallwood Store on Chokoloskee Island because the actual Ranger Station was closed for long-awaited hurricane repairs. I was also alone as there were no takers to join me this year.

Baking Good Bread On Demand

Books How_To Projects Reviews 2026

I've been a novice bread baker over the years, specifically breads leavened with yeast. I've made bagels and pizza crusts from scratch. I have a pizza stone in my oven and a wooden peel for that purpose. My last big endeavor was using my bread machine to make no knead bread (based on the famous NY Times recipe) with some success. All of this pales by comparison with the Five Minute approach outlined in the book discussed here.

Sailing Kayak Mods & Camping

Boats Camping Everglades How_To Projects 2024

Adventure Island with Hakas & Quarterdeck (v2)

In 2018 I acquired a used Hobie Adventure Island sailing kayak. It came with trampolines that fit between the outriggers. As I learned the particulars of the craft it became obvious that getting out of the cockpit and sitting in/on the tramps wasn’t going to work for me. They also make it impossible to paddle the craft in any meaningful way.

Santa Fe River Day Trip

Critters Galleries Nature Travel 2016

I was itching to go kayaking somewhere new, so I headed over to the Santa Fe River. There was a little park and boat launch near the highway 47 bridge. While getting ready to go I spotted what looked like green leaves stuck on the sides of two trees. They turned out to be Luna Moths, which I think were newly emerged. Beautiful!

Lake Powell 2020

Birds Galleries History Travel Video 2020

Our Houseboat Anchored in Iceberg Canyon

It had been ten years since I last visited Lake Powell. This year I went with my college friend Al and his partner Marian. Not having our own boat, we decided to rent a houseboat from the Bullfrog Marina. This turned out to be a great idea! With a few exceptions it was clean and well maintained (certain lights and the gas grill did not work).

Review of Pandemic (The Game)

Medicine Reviews Science 2020

I bought this award-winning board game about three years ago not guessing how relevant it would become. Now that many of us are sheltering in place from COVID19, what could be better than a science-based game where the goal is to cooperate in order to defeat life-threatening viruses!

Duluth Panoramic Postcards (1914)

Bookhouse History Panoramas
L. P. Gallagher (1914)

Downtown (Note Train Station Roof 1/3 from Right)

I came across these rolled-up postcards (yes, they have a place for a stamp and address on the back!) in an old collection of regular postcards that had nothing to do with Duluth or Minnesota. After some research by friends and family we came up with approximate dates. Based on the early automobiles and horse-carts we dated the downtown view before 1920 (Full-Res Image).

Edward Tufte Short Course

Books Reviews Technology 2007

Just back from attending this short course by the master of intelligent design himself Edward Tufte. It was well worth the time and effort! I'd recommend it to anyone who prepares or presents information with a computer (ie, just about everyone!). His insights are numerous and often challenge conventional wisdom. His bottom line is to enhance communication by increasing the dimensionality and resolution of data. The course included copies of all four of his major books, highlighting the most recent, Beautiful Evidence. The photo shows his discussion of Powerpoint's role in the Columbia disaster, which I reviewed in 2005 and is included in Beautiful Evidence.

Patent Medicines in the Age Before Scientific Pharmaceuticals

Galleries History Medicine 1930

The Tilden Company circa 1930 [source:NLHS]

My Wife's Grandfather worked as a chemist for The Tilden Company in Upstate New York during the early 1900s. As a result we came into possession of his Recipe Book for the plethora of nostrums and remedies he helped create. Some of the ingredients are still sold today under various brand names. Some are humorous, others are forgotten, while still others are downright dangerous. The following installments are my exploration of this unique window into the medical past. [Note: We donated the actual book to the historical section of the National Library of Medicine.]

Arizona & Utah Rock Art

Galleries Photography Southwest_2024 Travel 2024

Photos of Petroglyphs (pecked into the rock) and Pictographs (painted onto the rock) from my most recent trip to Arizona and Utah. In some cases the panels are Palimpsests (newer inscriptions covering older, faded work).

KIST to eBook Conversion Notes

Kist Projects 2024

There is one caveat when creating the final zip archive. The mimetype file must be uncompressed and positioned first in the archive. This is so reader and other software can confirm the format (application/epub+zip).

The Wave & Coyote Buttes North

Galleries Photography Southwest_2024 Travel Video 2024

The entrance to The Wave is a long curved corridor of twisted stone stripes with no real floor. The stripes vary in both color and indentation. It’s a remarkable visual/tactile surface! The actual Wave is tulip-shaped, looking a bit like a skateboard park designed by Dr. Seuss. There was an ephemeral pool at the lowest point.

No Kings 2 Anti-Trump Protest

Commentary 2025

This was my fourth protest against Trump—and the second nationwide No Kings! day! This time we rallied in a shady city park and it was even bigger. I estimate at least one thousand participants.

Rebuilding the Food Pyramid

History Medicine Science
Willett & Stampfer (2003)

For more than ten years the U.S. Department of Agriculture has promoted its food pyramid as a guide to proper nutrition. The only problem is that it isn't very good advice! The authors of this January 2003 article in Scientific American provide much better guidance. But first a little history…

Lake Superior Sea Caves

Apostle_Islands Galleries Hdr History Panoramas Photography Travel Video 2022

Over the past eight years I’ve walked along the Lakeshore Trail to admire the Cliffs and Sea Caves from above.

Red & White Toadstools

Galleries Photography Southwest_2024 Travel 2024

Fantastic Rock Formations in Utah

Headlamp Thoughts

Camping Commentary Reviews Technology 2025

I hadn't used a headlamp in five years until this one caught my eye. Mostly because of configurability and the price ($9.99). (The price suddenly jumped to $24.99 after I bought mine. (Tariffs kicking in perhaps? It's Nov 2025)

Cedar Key & Hall Creek 2021

Birds Camping Galleries History Travel 2021

I went for a quick solo kayak trip to Hall Creek near Cedar Key (putting in at the #4 Bridge off of Highway 24). I last visited this area in 2012 with a friend. The first mile or so is very shallow and I made a few mistakes on my way to Live Oak Key, where there is a narrow channel through the oyster beds. Surprisingly the old oak tree on the point is still alive! [compare with 2012]

The Brimson Forest Fire

History 2025

In the late 1970s two friends and I invested in a three room cabin on thirty acres embedded in Superior National Forest in Northern Minnesota. That cabin and other buildings are no more after the Camp House Road forest fire swept through.

Deception, Obfuscation & Misdirection

Commentary Video 2016

Most are familiar with the concept of FUD—short for Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt. It summarizes a strategy often used in marketing and political propaganda. Its effects are pernicious, divisive and lead to exploitation. Examples abound. Fear is a strong motivator! To resist FUD one must understand how it is practiced using the principles of Deception, Obfuscation and Misdirection.

Good Morning Doctor!

Books History Medicine
W.A. Rohlf (1938)

This little book was conceived neither as a medical history nor as a technical discussion of surgery. It is instead a story of people, of friends with whom I have shared joy and sorrow, in short, bits of the day-to-day drama which is the life of a country doctor. Many of the incidents are trivial, in one sense of the word, yet each has had in it something which appealed to me enough to make me remember it as a highlight in my forty-five years as a country doctor.