Finn vs Dolphin

Small dogs can be very territorial. The other evening as Chris and I were sitting around the pool enjoying Happy Hour and chatting about the happenings of the day, Finnegan began barking incessantly at the automated pool cleaner as it started cleaning the stairs. 

Our pool cleaner is a Dolphin pool cleaner, hence we call it the dolphin. So it was funny to watch Finnegan bark at the pool cleaner which, undeterred, went about its business. 

This, however, went on for far too long!

So in the cage match between Finn and the Dolphin, the Dolphin was the victor. We had to put Finn inside.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sixteen in a Row - and Counting

Thankfully, the Orioles do not face the Yankees again during this season. The Yankees are probably unhappy about that since they have owned the Orioles since the first series of the season that the Orioles won 2-1. 

Since then it has been all Yankees--sixteen straight wins. The season series between the teams ended 17-2. The Orioles only wins being during the first series of the season. 

The Yankees set a new all-time season record for homers against one team. The old record was 48 held by the 1956 Yankees against the Kansas City Royals. The new record is 61 held by the 2019 New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles. Ugh.

But at least the Orioles have no more games against the Yankees during 2019. Unfortunately, the 2020 Orioles season opener is against Yankees on March 26th in Baltimore! Hopefully they will not make it 17 in a row.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

That's Not a Sale Price

Weird things some times happen in stores when it comes to pricing items for sale.

Chris had told me about a sale that wasn't the other day in our local Target store. The posted sale price for an item was higher than the regular price and no one seemed to notice or care.  

Last evening we happened to be in the vicinity of that Target store and she reminded me that I wanted a picture of the "not" sale and so we stopped went into the store to see if the item was still advertised as she had seen it the day before. I fully expected that they would have corrected the pricing mistake, but no! There it was, still on the counter. And here is the proof.  

We looked at the labels and the sale price for some time and could not reconcile it except that the sale price was 52 cents higher than the regular price for a 32 ounce container of Chobani Greek yogurt. And I have the video proof. I'm not sure how this is a sale, but at Target, it seems that the regardless of the original marked price the item is "on-sale."

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Doctor's Visit

I had a doctors appointment yesterday down in the metropolis of Baltimore. 

It was a 35 minute drive that took closer to 45 because of traffic and road construction. I arrived at my appointment the obligatory 15 minutes early to complete paperwork, except then they told me that I had already completed all of the extra nonsensical forms that such places require. So I sat for 15 minutes waiting for my appointment time to arrive.

And then I sat for 15 more minutes. I was busy on my phone so I hardly noticed the time.

And then I sat for 15 more minutes. I was beginning to be a bit frustrated because I had now been sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes. 

And then I waited about 5 more minutes before being called to the back to have my vitals taken. After that I was then shown into the exam room. To wait.

And then I sat there for 15 more minutes. 

And then then, finally, the nurse practitioner arrived to begin the process of my visit. 

All-in-all I waited a lot, but it was worth it. I was pleased that I had one of the most thorough appointments that I have ever had and that we came up with a good plan.

But why all of the waiting? I don't think I'll take the last appointment of the day again.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer Around the Pool

Pool in the Pre-Dawn Light
Elkridge, MD
August 13, 2019

This summer has been the summer of the pool! The weather has been fantastic and I have been able to enjoy my pool almost every day. Last year it was cold and rainy most of the summer and I felt at the end of the season that the pool had been underused. Not so this year.

The only downside to owning a pool is that they require constant care. I believe that owning a swimming pool is similar to owning a boat. They are a constant source of expense! But they are both a source or relaxation and enjoyment.

I spent quality time with my pool nearly every day tending to its needs. This week I and doing some late-summer preventive maintenance to ensure that the algae does not get out of control. The plaster on my pool is old and in need of replacing. It is full of places for algae to gain a foothold if I am not diligent--and so I ham hopeful that my late season work will help ensure that the final month of pool season is fun and algae free.

But I truly do enjoy my pool and being in my backyard, I can enjoy it more often than a boat--although I can't travel as far in it as I can in a boat. But it does take me away from the trials of the day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 12, 2019

Dragonfly
Elkridge, MD
August 10, 2019

1. It is the second Monday of August. The Dog Days ended yesterday and now the slide into September and Autumn has begun.

Louis Napping
Elkridge, MD
August 11, 2019

2. This dragonfly decided to land on a hose extension I was carrying on Saturday. It landed not once, but three times as I walked across the yard. 

3. I spent a few hours in the pool yesterday fixing the light in the deep end. It is not a lot of fun to try to hang in the water and use tools. 

4. Cat napping. I caught this image of Louis napping in a chair out by the pool. Louis loves to go outside and sleep. He spends the day outside and comes in for the evening. 

5. The Orioles had a miserable week of baseball--while they managed a rare come-from-behind victory in the 9th inning over the Houston Astros yesterday, that was the only win of the week which included a 23-2 blow-out on Saturday.  During the week, the O's went 1-5 and were outscored 65-24 by the Yankees and the Astros. Their record has fallen to 39-79 .333 and worse, they are 18-43 at home. They are now on pace to lose 108 games this season.

Leaves on the Lawn
Elkridge, MD
August 10, 2019

6. The leaves are beginning to fall from the trees around my house. It almost looks as if Autumn is arriving early. It is too early for so many leaves to be on the ground.

7. Pre-season NFL family team results: 

  Ravens defeated Jaguars 29-0
  Steelers defeated Buccaneers 30-28
  Redskins lost to Browns 10-30
  Cowboys lost to 49ers 9-17

8. Autumn is too close. I am beginning to report NFL scores. The end of the summer is approaching too rapidly. 

9. Today in History. On this day in 1990, fossil hunter Susan Hendrickson discovers three huge bones jutting out of a cliff near Faith, South Dakota. They turn out to be part of the largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered, a 65 million-year-old specimen dubbed Sue, after its discoverer.

Amazingly, Sue’s skeleton was over 90 percent complete, and the bones were extremely well-preserved. Hendrickson’s employer, the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, paid $5,000 to the land owner, Maurice Williams, for the right to excavate the dinosaur skeleton, which was cleaned and transported to the company headquarters in Hill City. The institute’s president, Peter Larson, announced plans to build a non-profit museum to display Sue along with other fossils of the Cretaceous period.

Headlines

Colonel Killed in Vietnam War Finally Came Home. His Son Flew the Plane. - The New York Times

Inside Kashmir, Cut Off From the World: ‘A Living Hell’ of Anger and Fear - The New York Times

Hong Kong airport authority cancels all flights for Monday - Reuters

New York coroner 'confident' Epstein's death was suicide: New York Times - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


"I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience,"

October 21, 1984: In the second presidential debate with candidate Walter Mondale

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Night Out

From our Table at Yellowfin Steak and Fish House
Edgewater, Maryland
August 10, 2019

Since I was traveling on Friday, Chris and I celebrated our anniversary with a nice dinner last evening. We went to Yellowfin Steak and Fish House in Edgewater, Maryland and enjoyed a beautiful dinner looking out on the water and the setting sun. 

Yellowfin Tuna in a Beautiful Presentation
August 10, 2019

The evening was devoted to us and reminiscing about the years that we have spent together. I think it is healthy for couples to take a timeout and consider how they have arrived at the point in their lives where they are. And we did that last evening surrounded by a fantastic view across the water. 

I like Yellowfin because it is not stuffy formal, but people generally put on their church clothes to come to dinner. The valet parking does make it easier because parking is a premium in the area and I did not have to worry about finding a space for the car. We drove Cat, the convertible, to the restaurant and it was a fantastic evening for a ride with the top down! Sometimes it is too hot or humid to enjoy a convertible, but last evening it was perfect.

It was an evening for just the two of us and we were given a corner table in the restaurant so we felt we were in a more private place as we enjoyed the dinner and devoted ourselves to conversation. I have to admit--neither of us looked at our cell phones once during the dinner. 

Once the dining was complete, we returned home for a special dessert and a nice dessert wine and to enjoy more time together as darkness fell to end the day. 

It was a special evening. A time of remembrance and planning for the future.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - Construction Site Huntsville

Pre-Sunrise View of Huntsville from Hotel Window
August 9, 2019

After I decided not to take the image of the construction site out the hotel window, I looked out the window yesterday morning during the dawn of the day and noticed that the scene was complex and interesting to observe. 

The lights of the site were still illuminated and the light of the scene was building. I also caught the fo on the hill in the background. It was an interesting view just on the cusp of day scene. The day was a busy day with meetings followed by travel which saw me arriving home right at midnight to begin today as home and put the travel behind me.

And now for the weekend! Bring it on. Today has dawned clear, bright, and cool. Cool being 63 degrees! I can tell that mid-August has arrived and with it, tomorrow, the Dog Days come to an end. 

It is almost as if Autumn is struggling to begin a month early.

And all of this from an image I snapped yesterday in Huntsville, Alabama.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - August in Huntsville

Huntsville from the Hotel
August 8, 2019

I am traveling and this morning I awakened in Huntsville, Alabama.

The hotel is a relatively new structure and very modern. I have a corner room, which is different and have views of the parking lot, as shown, and a construction site--which was too mundane to photograph. 

My room, while nice, lacks some warmth and creature comforts like coffee cups. It has a coffee machine--but no cups. That is frustrating because I will have to walk down to the lobby to retrieve my morning coffee.

Charlotte Airport E Terminal
August 8, 2019

The city of Huntsville is as I remember it and the walk to and from dinner last evening was enjoyable because it allowed me to stretch my legs after being crammed into small airline seats for much of the day. 

I did get to experience the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport yesterday. It remains one of the worst airports that I traverse. I snapped an image of the area where I waited for my connecting flight, which of course was delayed. Each of the monitors in the scene represents a flight that is scheduled to depart within minutes of each other. The people are attempting to get on one of those flights, hopefully, the correct flight. Some of the gates have letters associated with their names, for instance there was gate E33A, E33B, and (you guessed it) E33C. At least the gate people had enough sense not to try to talk over each other when announcing which of the nine boarding groups for each flight was allowed to board at that moment. 

To say that confusion was the word of the day is an understatement. I was very glad to get to my hotel and head out to find dinner. 

-- Bob Doan, writing from Huntsville, Alabama

Frustration at the Yards

Sixteen in a row.

That is how many home games in a row the Orioles have lost to the Yankees. 

Camden Yards could be called Yankee Stadium south. The Orioles have now lost sixteen home games in a row to the Yankees. 

That is terrible. It is unfathomable, well unless the team is one of the worst teams in the history of baseball--which the Orioles are. 

The Orioles are now 2-5 for the month of August. After coming off a 12-12 July with the hopes of the franchise lookin up--the Yankees came to town and demonstrated with big bats why they are one of the best teams in all of baseball. The Orioles were outscored  32-12.  Last event's 14-2 blowout was embarrassing and demoralizing. 

Well, at least pre-season football returns tonight. Maybe I can get my mind off the train wreck that is the Orioles.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD