Dave LeVasseur's Home Page

Last updated: 14-Jan-12

PDA Links   National Radar Loop  Full-size National Loop  Upper Mississippi Valley Radar Loop
Accuweather Local Radar Loop Watertown Odyssey 5 Theater Track The International Space Station (ISS) & Shuttle ISS Viewing Schedule for Watertown, SD

Newest nifty recipe: Beef Goulash Soup (PDF viewer required)

The Rendering Truck, warts and all.

Blues For Leo, with drums -  my second attempt.  Maybe the last, at least for now.

My Photo Gallery, a work in progress, has some of our photos on display for public viewing.  No userID or password needed as of now.

New as of July 11th, my grandson, Dexter's website. (He was actually born on July 5th)

Here's a shortcut to Dexter's photos on my Gallery site.

My YouTube account, RockItScienceGuy, holds most of my videos.

And because I can't find it anywhere else on the 'net, the 1994 EIA Source and Date Code Book listing transformer and capacitor makers as of that year.  Here is a scanned version if you find that my OCR version doesn't line up well.

As of 31-Jan-10 You can listen to K-Dave streamed via the Internet, but if you use Windows Media Player you'll need to download and install this plug-in to hear it:  OpenPlsInWmp2Setup.exe  Running this will allow your version of Windows Media Player to open the ".pls" file that starts the streaming audio.
Then you can listen to K-Dave, if it is "on the air" at the time you try to connect.  If you get an error and Windows Media Player won't run, consider trying VLC, an open-source (free) video/audio player that works very well and handles the .pls file properly.  Just for fun, the "K-Dave" Identifier

Here's a link to a Java-based player with a "now playing" banner (click the "PL" button to see the "what's playing" list):

Here's where it gets a little tricky.  Once you install the above player right-click on "Metrix" and copy this text into the Play | Location text box: http://24.220.77.15:8034/ Then click the Play button.  You should see it buffer for a few seconds, then starting playing the K-Dave stream and also display the "Now Playing" data.  This should be a one-time operation.  The next time you click on the player it should remember to play K-Dave (as long as it is on the same computer).  I will try to make this easier in the future.

Or try this Flash-based player, but be aware that you'll lose the sound if you navigate away from this page:

 

If you want K-Dave to play in the background you can either open any new links or addresses from a new window or try the "K-Dave" link above to open the stream in Windows Media Player, VLC or other streaming player.  Yeah, I know.  A little complicated.  It'll get easier as time goes on.  I promise.

Julia and I set up a website for our new venture:  www.GypsyFusionArtistry.com.  We'll post our video clips, photos, upcoming performances and general links as time permits.  (I really need to revamp this page since it is getting messy...) 

My Subsonic server: kdave.subsonic.org or http://24.220.77.12 if you don't have a userID and password for this, well, I guess you'll have to ask for one.

Instructions on the installation of a Lace Sensor pickup on a resonator ("Dobro") guitar!

How to repair a neck pickup for a Fender Jazz Bass I lucked out and didn't have to rewind it.

The "Minnesota Project" slideshow, started 2-Jun-07 at Staples, MN.

The "Minnesota Project" was spawned perhaps 20 years ago when my parents, Grace and Ken, started collecting rocks from counties that they traveled through.  To begin, we started the project consisting of a concrete map of Minnesota with the counties outlined by placing galvanized nails head-by-head at the county lines.  My brother-in-law, Bob, made the plans and printed the map so we could place the nails in the right places.  My dad built the frame earlier in the week and on Saturday, June 2nd we poured the cement, and in an hour of concentrated effort by us kids, grandkids and extended families, placed each nail to form the county lines.  My mom placed the first nail, indicated by the red ribbon, at the southwest corner of the state.  The frame is 7'x7' and we used approximately 10 lbs of nails to complete the job.  The next phase will include the formation of rivers and the epoxying of rocks collected from each county, to be place in their respective county locations on the map.  Click on the photos below to see larger versions of these images.

Stuff about me: I am married to DeAnna whose recipes grace this page below.  We have a son, Dan who returned to Watertown in 2006 to start a family and help his dad.  I work at Minntronix, a company that manufactures magnetic components located in Watertown, SD USA, and also at Data Truck, a wireless Internet provider in Watertown.  I played in RockIt Science, a band in the Watertown area that disbanded in Dec, 2007, but I'm now with a group that plays mostly original compositions, Bluez'll Do.  I also administrate the web site for an event that is also Watertown residents' best reason to clean out their attics, the annual Sunrise Drive Rummage Sale.  Need to find our house (15 Sunrise Dr.)?  Here's a list of South Dakota counties and their respective license plate prefix numbers.

The Monarch Butterflies came through a few years ago..  Turns out we're evidently in their annual migration path, although this year was particularly spectacular.  I have a photo and YouTube video clip for those devoted to this.  We're newbies to this, but the activity in our backyard may eventually prove to be our learning ground.  There were many more Monarchs than those shown in the small-screen images.  My photographic skills don't do them justice.  UPDATE: They came back in 2010, this time on or around August 28th for a stopover.  Here's a video clip.

We recently purchased a new Dell Dimension 3000 for DeAnna for a very reasonable price, but the cooling system cowling covering the fan isn't secured to anything and makes a lot of noise.  A wadded up paper towel served to fix the noisy fan problem.

A favorite comic strip of mine by Peter Kuper.  But here's another one, relevant to people who play music in public.

I am a ham radio operator, call letters: N0DL, and have been active in that hobby since 1973.

Amateur Radio Operators: download the Microsoft PowerPoint (Office97) Telephone Interference Seminar here. I gave this seminar at the 1999 Dakota Division Convention here in Watertown, SD. If you don't have Microsoft Office97 you'll need to download the PowerPoint viewer from the Microsoft web site.

Information on Camper's Paradise near Nevis, MN (where we have vacationed for many years).  Last year (2008) we saw a Toga Party!  This year (2010) featured "Politically Incorrect Cowboys and Indians".

You may reach me via e-mail at: me@davelevasseur.com.

Audio Tech Types: JVC Compulink files viewed using a soundcard.

Dave's Package Tracking Page (links to many carriers' tracking pages - to save on mouse clicks)

Attention pinochle players:

Click here for the rules for Six-Card "Racehorse" Pinochle.

Click here for the rules for Eight-Card six-player "Racehorse" Pinochle.

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