ABOUT Signal Hill Musings

What is — or are — Signal Hill Musings?

Signal Hill Musings is originally the creation of Richard Seifried — educator, writer, National Park Service ranger and firefighter, Korean War soldier, UFO researcher, and life-long learner — oh, and my father-in-law.

Before what-we-now-know-as-the-internet existed, Richard created a writer’s blog, based on his love of nature, history, and culture — and steeped in his own experiences.  Every month for several years, he would lovingly research, write, edit, print copies, and mail (yes, through the U.S. Postal Service) his Signal Hill Musings to friends, family, acquaintances, and fans all over the world from his home on Signal Hill near quirky Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  There were no subscriptions.  No money was exchanged.  Richard just loved to write and share his thoughts with anyone willing to read them.

He ultimately moved his Musings to the internet to reach a wider audience and continued to educate and amuse his followers until he fell into poor health in 2016.  That’s when I stepped in.  I started editing his work while family members helped him with research and translation of his nearly illegible handwriting — a longtime affliction.  Eventually, Richard decided that I should take over the Musings, so in 2017 I started with the reworking of an email journal I had transmitted to family while Richard and I were shadowing the Lewis and Clark trail in 2009.  As I edited and added pictures to the old journal, I kept thinking that this would be fun material for an actual blog.  And personally, I had been threatening to create my own blog for several years, but circumstances and indolence kept getting in the way.  Without a doubt, it was long overdue.  Though Richard passed away late in 2019, I had assured him that his legacy would be eternal — well, at least as eternal as I am/will be.

I am Tom Shafer, a retired educator (four years of junior high, twenty-six years of high school in the West Carrollton, Ohio, school district), coach (softball, track, golf), and leader of young and old humans (young: SADD, peer mediation, intramurals, AfterProm, class advisor; old: education foundation, teachers’ union, health care committee, calendar committee, faculty steering committee, athletic board of control).  Now living between Yellow Springs and Xenia, Ohio, I dabble with freelance writing (ask me sometime about medical marijuana or internal Democratic politics), travel a little (okay, a lot), and try to take care of family as best as I can.  I have also been known to enjoy golf, kayaking, biking, hiking, landscaping, and reading — and collecting coins, baseball cards, knives, rocks, antiques, Native American artifacts, and historical relics.  And being a former jock (or a current one if you count golf), I also love and suffer my Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, Ohio State Buckeyes (football), and Dayton Flyers (basketball). Oh yeah, I enjoy writing as well.  Can’t forget that.

Anyway, on these pages you will be reading my own thoughts and experiences — sprinkled with some of Richard’s.  Fortunately, he and I share similar loves: nature, history, culture, photography, and weird stuff. Additionally, I will supplement the writings with photographic images I have captured and music from my extensive catalogue that may (or may not!) complement those writings. So that’s what you’ll get.  Welcome to Signal Hill Musings!