THE WEBPAGE OF CAL CLIFFORD

The average distance between stars in the Milky Way galaxy is about 6 light-years. If our sun were the size of an orange and placed in the center of the intersection of Main and Market in Akron, Ohio, the next nearest star would be about orange-sized, and located in Lincoln, Nebraska. In between there would be virtually nothing.
Anthropologists have estimated that at the time Columbus stumbled upon the New World, there were between 300,000 and 800,000 Native Americans living north of Mexico. By 1800, there were more than 4 million Europeans on the continent.(Recent information and subsequent theories raise the possibility that there were many more natives in North America prior to 1492, but their numbers were cataclysmically reduced by disease.)
In the United States about 9000 people die each day- worldwide, about 300,000.

If you hear the thunder, that means the lightning didn't strike you. It may also mean you are standing in the rain.

Can you think of any wars fought in the name of Buddha?

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The List of Presidents of the United States
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VERY BRIEF CURRICULUM VITAE
Here in Wadsworth, OH, time goes just exactly as fast as anywhere else. There is a great deal to commend life in a small town like this, but that is another story. For my part, I was born here in 1933 (the year of the bank failures), graduated from high school here in 1951, graduated from Ohio State University in 1956, was married in 1956, took a commission in the Air Force, spent 3 years in Japan, returned to Wadsworth, practiced Optometry, retired on disability in 1989, and have lived in the same house since 1964. I have been a scoutmaster, a ham radio operator (WA8AQH), a volunteer probation officer, an elected school board member, active in community theatre, and was briefly in the filmmaking business. Also played in several community bands and the OSU Marching Band alumni group TBDBITL. My besieged wife Winne and I raised three children, and have remained married in spite of it all for, lo, these many years. We now have three grandchildren, Abigail, Sean, and Alaina (since 31 May 2003).
My life in one easy-to-swallow capsule.
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A few of the names in my genealogy. If you are seeking data on any of these people, send me an email.
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I have been fascinated by the photographic process since I was a teenager. (Back then, the cameras were all made of stone :-) ). My first "good" camera was purchased second-hand- a pre-WW2 German-made camera called the Pilot Super, the first single-lens reflex I had ever seen. It took 120 roll film and, at $20, it seemed like a steal to me. I fashioned a darkroom in a 3rd floor closet, and learned how to develop and print photos. After high school, I didn't do any more processing until I was in my 50s. The first 35mm camera I owned was a Petri Automate which was purchased in Japan in 1957. A partial submersion in the Atlantic ruined it forever. I now have a small collection (about 100, give or take) of old cameras, none of any great value or historical significance. The "users" are 3 Canon SLRs, a Pentax Spotmatic, Retina lllc, and a Miniature Speed Graphic 2x3 (my favorite-uses 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" cut film) . My darkroom, now in the basement, lies idle, since I'm no longer able to maneuver the steps. Ah, Time is a cruel master! Anyway, it's all digital these days. Darkrooms will soon join the ranks of buggy-whip factories, milking stools, and physician's housecalls. Too bad.
Cal Clifford's Classic Camera Collection
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ORGAN RECITAL
I retired in 1989 on disability, due to the effects of multiple sclerosis and, to a lesser extent, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary demyelinating nerve disease mainly affecting the extremities. I've used a wheelchair since 1990. Since I was somewhat advanced in age when these things became noticeable, it's never made a serious dent in my lifestyle. My family was pretty much raised, and I was getting tired of working anyway. The government offered to pay me for not working, and I have bent over backward to keep my end of the bargain. I am a sedentary creature at best, far more content to read than to play basketball or run the 10k. I'm not given to cabin fever, and have quite happily spent the past several years at home, reading, writing an unpublished novel, messing with photography, electronics, computing, and in general entertaining myself. Because of the computer, I have access to libraries which would ordinarily be out of reach, and email communications with many people and institutions too remote to be considered previously. I heartily recommend retirement to anyone, at the very moment of first elegibility. I am blessed with very supportive family and friends, and a superwife who can do anything, and does. If I ever complain in your presence, just slap me 3 or 4 times, to bring me back to my senses. Thanks, I needed that.

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A new hobby
I recently decided to begin a new hobby, in addition to camera collecting and annoying my wife. Slide rule collecting! Slide rules fell into disfavor about 1973 or so, due to the appearance of affordable electronic calculators. The slide rule was invented by a guy named William Oughtred about 1630 give or take a few years, and became a powerful mathematical tool by the time of the Industrial Revolution. As my collection increases, I'll keep a listing on a separate page for perusal by those interested. In the meantime, send me your old, your frightened, your disenfranchised slide rules, your ragged specimens of this long-outmoded technology.....I'll add them to the collection.
Visit the Slide Rule page
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Pictures of our grandchildren!

Abbey was born 22 Dec 1997, and she has a little brother Sean, born 21 Sep 2000, and a sister Alaina, born 31 May 2003. How cute is she? How cute is he? How cute are they all? Words are inadequate. Here is a link to pictures.

Abby, Sean, and Alaina

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Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs are a source of almost endless fascination and speculation. These numerous and highly-varied beasts ranged over much of the world until about 65 million years ago. At these links you can find out more than you ever wanted to know about the "thunder lizards".

The Dinosauria

Dinosauricon

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Learn toilet repair

All admirers of Thomas Crapper and several other ingenious innovators will be intrigued by this site, which contains the history, lore, and repair techniques for the flush toilet, the device which singlehandedly separates us from the animals.

Toiletology 101 - More than you ever wanted to know about the toilet.

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Webpage Color Demonstrator

Web pages use a lot of color to gain attention and maybe just look nice. This page shows 90 plus colors that are available (there are many, many more) for background or type face enhancement along with the 6-character hexadecimal codes (also known as RGB for red, green, and blue) which tell the browser what to do. They range from 000000 (black) to FFFFFF (white) and everything in between. I picked these up somewhere on the web.

Lots of colors

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A Short Fictional Story

Here's a link to a fictionalized version of a memorable event in my childhood.

A story from years ago

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Disclaimer

No one has approved or disapproved this site. The opinions expressed are only opinions, and only those of the page author Cal Clifford. To my knowledge, there is nothing sinister herein.

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Email me at Cal Clifford, cclifford1@neo.rr.com
This page last revised on 27 Jul 2006
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