The Show

Chris sat out on the deck last evening as a thunder storm passed through the area. Fortunately, the center of the storm did not pass over us and we were spared the deuce and winds that others in the area had to deal with.

We both love a good storm and the lightening makes the sky come alive. 

Sadly, last evening I had some work to do on my laptop and rain, thunder and lightening do not mix with electronics. So I was inside and missed the height of the storm. 

Overall, it was a quiet evening at home. When I first arrived home, the weather was still very nice and I was able to enjoy time in the pool for a while. Chris and I actually enjoyed happy hour in the pool as we discussed the happenings of the day. Then the weather turned a bit wild. 

But the light show in the sky was something to see.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Changing Society

We are pausing this week to remember those who lost their lives in the twin tragedies of El Paso and Dayton.

The violence of our society continues to astound and amaze all of us. That someone would walk into a store and shoot and kill 22 people mystifies me. And then that someone would kill 9 people outside of a night club, including his sister that same evening is equally unfathomable.

When did society lose its moral rudder? And with it our sense of decency and of right and wrong? 

How can we continue to allow this carnage to continue? While there are many thoughts and ideas out there, the fundamental problem is not with guns--but with people. We have changed as a society. We are no longer kinder and gentler. Many among us are feeling threatened and some of the people who feel threatened are lashing out irrationally. 

Our society needs to change and return to a more gentler and respectful time. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 5, 2019

1. August has arrived and is already slipping away. It is the fifth day of the month and the first. Monday. In four all too short weeks, it will be Labor Day.

2. What could be better than visiting wineries and enjoying great wines with friends on a Sunday afternoon?

Butterflies on Flowers
Hiddencroft Vineyards
Lovettsville, VA
August 4, 2019 

3. Yesterday, while visiting a winery in Virginia, I happened upon a flower garden that was supporting a large number of butterflies. It was fun watching the butterflies flitter around the flowers. They seemed completely disinterested in my presence so close to them.

4. Spending time with friends and enjoying wine seem to go hand-in-hand. What a great way to enjoy life!

5. The Orioles have managed to split the first four games of August and are not 38-73, .342. Even more astounding, they are 6-4 for their last 10 games! They are on place to finish 56-106. 

6. The NFL football pre-season is underway and since the Orioles are a bust for the second year in a row, I am guessing that I will soon be watching the Ravens. 

7. The days are getting noticeably shorter. Dawn is later and sunset is earlier. Summer is too quickly beginning to slip into Autumn.

8. Today in History. On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide.”



Headlines

Iran Says It Has Seized Another Oil Tanker in Persian Gulf - The New York Times

S. Korea to reconsider military info-sharing deal with Japan: Cheong Wa Dae - Yonhap News Agency

Democrats aim their outrage at Trump after two mass shootings - Reuters

Turkey to launch offensive in Kurdish-controlled area in northern Syria: Erdogan - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Indeed, we gave birth to an entirely new concept in mans relation to man. We created government as our servant, beholden to us and possessing no powers except those voluntarily granted to it by us. Now a self-anointed elite in our nations capital would have us believe we are incapable of guiding our own destiny. They practice government by mystery, telling us its too complex for our understanding. Believing this, they assume we might panic if we were to be told the truth about our problems.

Why should we become frightened? No people who have ever lived on this earth have fought harder, paid a higher price for freedom, or done more to advance the dignity of man than the living Americans the Americans living in this land today. There isnt any problem we cant solve if government will give us the facts. Tell us what needs to be done. Then, get out of the way and let us have at it.

 -- To Restore America, Ronald Reagan's Campaign Address, March 31, 1976

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Welcoming Rain

It rained overnight. 

The Crepe Myrtle
August 3, 2019

That in itself is not a monumental occurrence, however, it has been a few weeks since we had measurable rain and things are getting very dry. It is hard to say if we received measurable rain, but at least there was evidence of rain this morning. 

The crepe myrtle at the corner of the pool near the covered porch is in full bloom adding its splash of color to the scene. This is the time of year that crepe myrtles take over the landscape and provide color to the scene. The crepe myrtles are everywhere along the streets and the yards. 

This first Sunday of August continues the heat of the summer and that is what I love. 

Enjoy the day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Patterns in the Night

Light on the Table
August 2, 2019

Last evening was Friday--and that meant happy hour with friends. Although it rained earlier in the day, the evening was clear and dry. I was very Ince to sit on the deck of one friend to talk, enjoy some fine wine, and eat a fantastic meal highlighted by ribs. 

The conversation, as usual, was lively and wide ranging. As the evening deepened into darkness we lit candles around the table to continue talking. One of the candles provided an especially interesting pattern of light. I decided to capture the candle lighting the darkness. With the lighting of the candles, though, the evening together began to end and it was all too soon time to leave.

Another great evening with friends came to an end as the candle burned, but the memories continue.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

August Arrives

Well, it has arrived. The last full month of summer has dawned and portends the rapid darkening of the days and loss of daylight. 

I am hard pressed to find much good about August. 

For instance, after posting their first non-losing month since August 2017, the Orioles got thumped by the Toronto Bluejays 11-2 last evening. 

The Sycamore trees near my pool think that it is September and are dropping their leaves. Into my pool!

The lawn is getting that brown summer look to it. I still have to mow, but I create. huge cloud of dust because we actually need rain!

The first Friday in August has arrived and with it the first weekend. At least we will be able to enjoy the weather and the pool. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Update - July

What an amazing month! 

Did I just say that about the Orioles? Perhaps. It was the first non-losing month since 2017. The Orioles finished July with a 12-12 record. Notice I carefully did not say a winning month, but they at least stopped the string of losing months. 


The Orioles, as of this morning, stand at 36-71 .336. An amazing turn around. They are no longer the worst team in baseball. At this rate, the Orioles could end the season at 55-107 .339.  A great improvement and back to near the 105 losses that I predicted at the beginning of the season. Of course the bottom could drop out of the season. 

Since the All Star Break the Orioles have managed to win or split four of six series!

This is not the Orioles team that began the season. They are beginning to play interesting baseball. On Tuesday, for instance, they managed to come from behind, scoring 5 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to win the game. 

Maybe they could salvage a winning month during August!

As they say in baseball, there is always next year.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tying the High

How hot was it yesterday in Baltimore? Record tying !

The official high temperature for July 30 in Baltimore was 98 degrees. It remains 98 degrees, but the high yesterday tied that record! It was incredibly hot. When I departed work to return home at the end of the workday, the thermometer in my car indicated between 99 and 100 degrees all the way home. The added degrees were likely due to the reflection of the heat off the road. I was very happy to have my truck and not be exposed to the sun and the heat in my convertible.

It was hot! 

But, the good news is that when it is hot, the pool feels even better and Chris and I were able to go swimming and enjoy the cooling effect of the evaporating water. It is very nice to have a pool right in the back yard! 

Today, however, is one of those sad days of the year. It is the last day of July and with it comes the end of my favorite month of the year. 

Well, August is coming. And the pool remains open. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Setting the Tone for Decency

It has been my experience that the President sets the tone for decency and inclusion in the United States. 

Well, people, the train carrying decency and inclusion has been derailed.

I touched upon it in yesterday's Monday Musings. 

What has been happening in the news the past few weeks represents a total break down in decency and inclusion. The insults being thrown about and the heavily slanted news being shown and created represents the greatest threat to democracy that we have faced in decades. 



Trump ramps up war of words with Elijah Cummings, calls congressman 'racist'


Gov. Larry Hogan Calls Trump Tweets On Baltimore, Rep Cummings ‘Outrageous And Inappropriate’

An article in the Korean Times states it best: Every Republican presidential candidate claims to be the heir to Ronald Reagan’s legacy. For years, Republican partisans have carried Reagan’s memory before them as the ancient Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant. Just invoking his name proved your ideological purity, and would smite the dreaded RINO (Republican in name only).

Problem is, those who most fervently claim to adhere to Ronald Reagan’s principles don’t seem to understand Reagan’s greatest principle: decency.

We need a return to Presidential decency!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - July 29, 2019

1. It is the last Monday of July. The month is fading and beginning the transition into August.

2. Busy weekends pass too fast. Why can't weekends be longer to accommodate everything that needs to be accomplished?

3. Monday Musings is back after a week off. 

4. There were some really scary articles in the Sunday New York Times yesterday. I highlighted two below.

5. In an essay on Ronald Reagan, by Peggy Noonan titled, Character Above All, the author makes the following comment about the Presidency. In a president, character is everything. A president doesn't have to be brilliant; Harry Truman wasn't brilliant, and he helped save Western Europe from Stalin. He doesn't have to be clever; you can hire clever. White Houses are always full of quick-witted people with ready advice on how to flip a senator or implement a strategy. You can hire pragmatic, and you can buy and bring in policy wonks.

But you can't buy courage and decency, you can't rent a strong moral sense. A president must bring those things with him. If he does, they will give meaning and animation to the great practical requirement of the presidency: He must know why he's there and what he wants to do. He has to have thought it through. He needs to have, in that much maligned word, but a good one nontheless, a vision of the future he wishes to create. This is a function of thinking, of the mind, the brain.

6. I spent the weekend alone working on numerous projects. It was nice to have full control of the weekend, but that written I did not manage to get a trip to the golf course included in the planned and unplanned activities. 

7. On a hot Sunday afternoon during July there is no better place to gather and enjoy the day than a pool!

8. Jeopardy finally is on a break for the summer. The last episode for the 2018-2019 season aired on Friday, July 26th. According to the best information that I can find right now, no tapings are yet scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. 

9. Today in History. On this day in 1958, the U.S. Congress passes legislation establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a civilian agency responsible for coordinating America’s activities in space. NASA has since sponsored space expeditions, both human and mechanical, that have yielded vital information about the solar system and universe. It has also launched numerous earth-orbiting satellites that have been instrumental in everything from weather forecasting to navigation to global communications. NASA was created in response to the Soviet Union’s October 4, 1957 launch of its first satellite, Sputnik I. The 183-pound, basketball-sized satellite orbited the earth in 98 minutes. The Sputnik launch caught Americans by surprise and sparked fears that the Soviets might also be capable of sending missiles with nuclear weapons from Europe to America. The United States prided itself on being at the forefront of technology, and, embarrassed, immediately began developing a response, signaling the start of the U.S.-Soviet space race.



Headlines

Under Brazil’s Far Right Leader, Amazon Protections Slashed and Forests Fall - The New York Times

The Roots of Boeing’s 737 Max Crisis: A Regulator Relaxes Its OversightThe Roots of Boeing’s 737 Max Crisis: A Regulator Relaxes Its Oversight - The New York Times

Ratcliffe tapped to replace Coats as spy chief - Reuters

Suspected Islamists kill at least 65 in northeast Nigeria: state TV - Reuters


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream -- the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order --or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. 


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD