Dangerous Traffic Patterns

Walk at your own risk!

I have become aware of very dangerous traffic patterns--dangerous for pedestrians in parking lots.

I noticed the dangerous intermingling of traffic and pedestrians at the local Chik-fil-A where I dined (or ate) last evening.

The drive through line circles through the parking area twice meaning that people walking from their cars need to be extra vigilant to ensure they, or their kids, don't become a hood ornament. I visited the establishment at the height of the evening diner hour and was appalled at hour many drivers apparently did not recognize the dangers in the area--they sped through the lots as quickly as possible.

Let the pedestrian beware!

I believe that the designers of parking and traffic patterns need to become more aware of the dangerous conditions faced by pedestrians--more dangerous because of the dense traffic patterns and lots of moving vehicles and people.

More importantly, we drivers and walkers need to be aware of the dangers in many parking areas and not become distracted while walking or driving. 

It is dangerous out there.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Storms Across the City

Last evening, the entertainment consisted of watching and listening as the thunder storms rolled across the area.

Sitting on the covered porch with Chris and a glass of wine watching the lightening approach and the thunder grow louder is a spectacular reminder of the power contained in these storms.

It was especially exciting at one point when there were about five bolts of lightening followed by thirty seconds of thunder.

The temperatures were very moderate, near 70 degrees and the cool air actually felt refreshing in advance of the storm. 

I love the clean smell in the air after the rains have cleansed the pollutants and refreshed the day.

Makayla, my faithful Keeshond, doesn't really enjoy the storms the way that I do, but she faithfully took up her position next to me to watch and listen to the building storm. 

Another evening at home. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 8, 2015

Mom's 80th

1. Happy Birthday, Mom!  Today is the day.

2. I'm looking forward to a weekend at home--next weekend!

3. Family. It's the one to which you belong, own it!

4. Ever notice how every family has a drama that no one really wants to admit?

5. The Orioles won a series! They took two out of three from Cleveland!

6. And we have a Triple Crown winner! For the first time since 1978, and for the 12th time ever, a horse has won the Triple Crown! Way to go American Pharoah.

7. June's first week has been cold! Let's hope the weeks will continue to get warmer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Birthdays

Chris and Mom
June 6, 2015

They happen every year whether we want them to or not, that would be birthdays.

Yesterday we celebrated a significant milestone birthday for my mom. The family gathered from across the country to be there for the matriarch of the family. It was good to see members of the family that we gather with only infrequently.

Milestone birthdays, like Mom's, remind me of the incredible ways in which I have been blessed.

And my mom is one of those rich blessings that I too often take for granted.

Thanks mom. You are awesome.

The picture is the two women in my life.

-- Bob Doan, on the road in PA

Dunkin Donut Morning

Dunkin Donut
Williamsport, PA
June 5, 2015

Driving to New York yesterday was a pleasant experience because we departed the house at about 5am. Early enough to beat traffic.

The only mistake was stopping for coffee in Williamsport, PA, about 8am at a local Dunkin Donut. Wow. Traffic was backed up into the highway in both directions to get in the drive through line and inside, the line was long and slow.

Deciding that coffee was worth the stop, we stayed and had a great conversation with the man and his grandson in front of us in line. Noticing all of the children, we inquired and discovered that it was the first day of summer vacation. Awesome.

Bring on the summer even if it is only 57 degrees. I probably looked funny in my shorts and sandals while they were in coats. But hey, I'm not going to give into the cold.

Did someone say picnic?

-- Bob Doan, writing from Danby, NY

Overcast and Rainy

View up the Driveway on a
Gloomy and Overcast Day

It was another June day and another example of high temperatures in the 60's with overcast and rain. 

And so another June day is in the books--gone and hopefully forgotten. The temperatures need to start climbing into the 70's and then 80's to get us back onto track.

In the good news department, the Orioles managed to stop their losing streak at 5 with a 3-2 win over the Astros in Houston yesterday. The bats are still mostly missing. The season is going to get real long if the team doesn't heat up soon. They are on to Cleveland today. It is time to start winning consistently.

Back to the weather--the 10 day forecast is for more gloom but some moderation in temperatures.

I hope that is true.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Cool June Evening

Warming up the Fire Table

The promise of a warm June is waning as the temperatures have been significantly below normal for the pas couple of days, with the expectation of remaining cool for the immediate future.

Continuing the trend of running 15-18 degrees below the normal highs, today's expected high temperature of 65 degrees will be 15 degrees below normal.

In english that means, it's gonna be too cold!

I have made up my mind, I am not going back to long pants and have remained true to the promise of June by wearing shorts in the evening when I get home! 

Chris Around the Fire Table

What is there to do on a cool, wet June evening? Fortunately, nothing except slow down (which is something that I have needed to do for a while) and reconnect.

I did get the pool cleaned up and ready for the weekend, however, the cool temperatures are gradually lowering its temperature back into the "kids only" zone.

A nice bottle of wine, some time together around the fire table and watching a movie for the evening. Last evening represented a huge change from the recent activity pattern and a calm prelude to what promises to be a high energy and activity weekend.

Looking to the future, the temperatures begin a rebound during the weekend!

Bring on the sun and heat.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Presidential Circus

What else could it be called, but a circus? An electoral circus. That so many people have declared themselves to be  candidates for President and also because there is no clear heir apparent, it is clear evidence that there is a vacuum of leadership in the United States. 

I chuckle each time another candidate declares that they are running for the nation's highest office. By some counts, there will be 6 Democrats and potentially 15-20 Republicans running for the leadership of the nation.

The problem? No one seems to have the complete package of what we need to lead this nation .

Some are louder than others. Some funnier--but still serious. More than a couple have lost miserably before in the primaries and it makes me wonder what they have to offer now that wasn't obvious before?


And then there are some new voices out there. But there are so many voices crying out for attention that they are drowning each other out. 

A couple of the new voices have experience being governors of states--generally, history shows they make better Presidents than senators.

It all bears close watching. I do admit there are a few that I definitely do not support and two or three than I am listening to very closely and beginning to check their credentials. 

It is going to be a wild 17 months until the 2016 general election.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Adventure of the Ring

I was born from fire and shipped to a jeweler named Schooley's in an upstate New York city called Ithaca, some 40 years ago. 

Gleaming and gold, sitting in the display case I thought I was home. A few couples looked at me, but I was plain in comparison to some of my neighbors. I enjoyed basking in the bright lights of the display case during the day and then being safely locked up in the safe at night. Life was good.

One day, a young couple in their teens, barely out of high school, checked me out. And they found a mate from nearby that looked very similar to me, only smaller. They talked about a wedding, and tried us onto their fingers. But it was clear they had not nearly enough money to buy us both, but the nice man, named David, who ran the store made some size adjustments and inscribed initials and a date on us. Clearly, an important change was coming. The initials were RJD-CLM and the date was 8-9-75. Then he locked both of us away together in the safe. 

It was quiet and dark and I knew that something important had happened, but I was happy. A short while later, the couple returned and we were placed in a plush boxes and departed the store, forever.

A few days later, at a big ceremony, I was reintroduced to the finger that I had met a few months before. The finger belonged to Bob, and although I didn't know it at the time, we were going to be inseparable. My mate was placed on Chris's finger and we began our new lives as wedding rings.

Bob had some adjustment issues the first couple of days we were together. He was constantly taking me off his finger and putting me back on. It was weird. But over time, we settled in together and I am sure Bob didn't give me much thought. 

As a few years went by I was with Bob and Chris as the moved to different cities including Miami, Syracuse, and Denver. Life was busy and exciting. Small children arrived and we eventually found ourselves in Rome, NY. Bob was busy with his career and Chris was tending the children. 

One day, Bob was called out to do an important function and he had to take me off his finger for safety reasons. I was upset and so when the opportunity arose, I found a way out of his pocket and onto the active flight line at Griffiss AFB, NY. Bob didn't even notice me as I rolled away from him. I was free!

When I stopped rolling along the concrete I came to rest under a fire extinguisher near a B-52.  I realized that I was alone, cold, and had no ability to move.

I was afraid. Bob, it turns out noticed that I was missing and commenced a search for me. A big, burly Master Sergeant found me and we were reunited. I was happy to be back on Bob's finger where I remained, happy for another almost 36 years. 

During that time, we saw the world. We were never apart. He went to Japan, Korea, across America, all over Europe, and finally to his current home. He learned to dive, played racquetball, and learned most recently golf. I became covered with grease and muck when he worked on cars or in the garden, but we were always together and life developed a sense of normalcy. He has this weird habit of twisting me when he is thinking or playing games. It reminds him of how close we are and what I mean to him.

About a month ago, I felt the need to sample freedom again. Life, I guess, had been too good. 

I waited for my chance to head out on my own and it came one evening in Denver. Bob had a long day and didn't drink enough water. The combination of the cold and the elevation created a condition where Bob was very dehydrated--I saw my opportunity to  explore the world. While he was fueling the rental car, I slipped off his finger and he never noticed.

I was free! I had now wheels and could explore the world on my own. But I was on the floor and really couldn't see out the windows. 

I don't know when Bob noticed that I was missing, but I was in a car and driving around Denver without him.

Freedom came with a high price. I thought I would be happy, but I was cold. I had forgotten the cold of being alone. Bob's finger is warm. I missed Bob's finger, but was convinced that I would never see it again and so I began the prepare for my new life--whatever that would be. 

Would I be found and melted down into some other piece of jewelry? I hadn't thought of that before. Would I be discarded?  That would be terrible. 

Bob, it turns out, realized that I was missing the very next morning as he was preparing to board his flight at Denver's airport. He immediately called the hotel and the rental car company to report my loss and initiate a search.

Home, on Bob's Finger!

I can't recall exactly what happened while I was free for a couple of weeks in the car,  but after a while I was processed through an official looking place and placed into a dark package. The Fedex people over the course of about a week returned me to Bob, where I was happily reunited onto his finger. 

My traveling days are over. It was terrible being away from Bob. Although I was free, I missed my special place on his finger. When he slipped me back over his knuckle last evening, I knew I was home. I was back in the place where I belong representing 40 years of marriage and family. I'm glad he had not replaced me and never gave up hope that I would be recovered. 

It turns out that I am a bit thinner than when I first was united with Bob, as is my mate who is on Chris's finger, but I am happy to be back. One of Bob's favorite movies is the Wizard of Oz--and I remember at the end of the movie that Dorothy says that the next time I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard; because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.

And now, for the next 40 or more years!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 1, 2015

1. May departed and June arrived overnight. 2015 is into its sixth month already.

2. Rain is forecast for most of the day and into tomorrow. It could put a damper on the GORC Pirates final game.

3. I am still amazed at the complexity of golf--it is far more than hitting a small white ball as far as you can. There is a lot of strategy in how each hole is played.

4. The Orioles managed to secure another loss with some uncharacteristically poor pitching yesterday. Even with the loss, they remain only 2 game out of first in the "up for grabs" AL East.

5. I am beginning to move into vacation mode. The final plans for the summer are almost completely in place. It is going be exciting.

6. There is something refreshing and reviving about jumping into the swimming pool at the end of a hot afternoon and then sipping a glass of cool white New York table wine around a table with some health conscious munchies.

7. I have been enjoying the dawn breaking earlier each day. The light is gathering by 5AM with local sunrise at 5:42AM this morning.

American Pharoah at the Kentucky Derby

8. The third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, will be run on Saturday. Will American Pharoah become the first Triple Crown winner since 1978?

9. Get outside and enjoy the day. Each one is new and different.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD