Baseball and History

LoanDepot Park
Miami, FL
July 25, 2024

 Chris and I along with friends made the journey to LoanDepot Park in Miami yesterday to see the Orioles defeat the Marlins, which they did in the 10th inning, 7-6, after blowing a 6-run lead. 

Memorial to the Orange Bowl
LoanDepot Park
July 25, 2024

It was not until Chris and I walked around LoanDepot Park that we realized the park was built upon the site of another stadium in which we attended pro and college football games in during the mid-70s. Yes, the park is built on the site of the Orange Bowl. While I attended the University of Miami, both the Miami Dolphins and the U of M Hurricanes called the Orange Bowl home. I remember attending two NFL games: Dolphins vs Jets and Dolphins vs Chiefs.  We saw Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and many other great players. We also attended Hurricanes football games there, although I do not remember any of the great players we saw. I remember, however, my first game in the Orange Bowl in September 1973. I saw the Hurricanes defeat then number 6 ranked Texas! The school went crazy because that was one of the biggest wins for Miami in years.

Loans Depot Park
Miami, FL
July 25, 2024

But back to LoanDepot and baseball. The park is beautiful and it is enclosed. The stadium has a moveable roof, which was closed, and we enjoyed a very cool 72 degree atmosphere for the game. That made it very pleasant because the outside temperature was 90 with a bright and hot sun. Parking was great and easy. There are parking garages which is nice because the car was not hot when we left the game. The stadium is among the smallest in MLB, but being enclosed amplifies the noise. There were just shy of 18,000 in attendance yesterday, but I took this image to show that Orioles fans represented the team very well--there was plenty of Orange and I almost believe that a good 40 percent of the attendees were wearing Orioles colors.

Traffic on a Hot Day
Miami, FL
July 25, 2024

The Orioles at made the day interesting. After jumping to a 6-0 lead, a few bad breaks allowed the home team to claw back into the game and saw them tie the score with 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th, fortunately stranding the winning run at 3rd base. The Orioles managed to get runners at 2nd and 3rd before scoring the eventual winning run in the top of the 10th--the Marlins executed a difficult double play throwing out a runner at the plate and then the batter who tried for 2nd to end the top half of the inning. Fortunately, the Marlins had no viable pinch hitters remaining on their bench and the Orioles sent a lefty, Perez, in to pitch and he set the Marlins down in order to secure the victory.

The Orioles faithful breathed a huge sigh of relief as the game ended with win.

It was a long day. First pitch was at 12:10 PM and we departed the house at 9:30 AM to arrive at the stadium at about 11:20 AM. The game lasted until about 3:00 PM and because of traffic we did not get back home until 5:40 PM. That made for a long, but fun, day of baseball. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

#orioles #loandepotpark 

Hot Beach Day

From Under the Umbrella
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
July 24, 2025

 The sand burned our feet, thankfully we wore sandals or flip-flops to protect us. The sun shone brightly and the Saharan dust seemed to have dissipated as the sky returned to a bright blue. We trudged through the sand with our chairs and umbrellas to find a nice spot from which to enjoy the late-morning and early-afternoon. 

Boys in the Water
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
July 24, 2025

The gray sand of our Florida beaches seems to soak in the Sun's rays. But, we were headed for an enjoyable day on the beach. To top it off, we had entertainment. A summer camp of kids was just down the beach and their antics kept us amused for most of our time under the umbrellas. I ventured into the water, but the waves were rough and standing waist deep was the deepest I decided to venture, not wanting to become fully immersed.

Even though the temperature soared into the low 90s, the ocean breeze kept us relatively cool and made the entire experience enjoyable. Well, except for the much too hot sand. 

A great beach day with friends!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Rainbow to the Moon

 I walked out the door this morning, headed to the store for breakfast supplies with my head spinning from the wild news of the past week.

As I walked out my door I looked up to the sky and I was greeted by this bright and exciting sight. There, in front of me, was a rainbow to the moon!

What a sight. The rainbow was rising out of the cloud and striving to reach the moon. For a moment it took me on a magical flight of possibilities.

I stood and admired this unusual sight. I pointed out the rainbow to a neighbor walking by who had not looked up to see the rainbow. 

Wow!

I guess I am ready for the day now.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Along the Path

Royal Poinicana
Tequesta, FL
July 21, 2024

Be it a bike path or along the beach, there always seems to be something interesting to enjoy.

The other morning, Chris and I biked through Tequesta and I spied this tree in full mid-summer bloom. Wow, was it impressive! I was biking but able to snap a quick image of the tree. There are many of these trees in the area, but this one has the nicest shape was in the most full bloom.

Juvenile Gray Heron
Stuart, FL
July 17, 2024

On Wednesday last week, as Chris and I were walking along the shore in Stuart, FL, we saw this water bird hunting in the shallows. It was low tide and the bird seemed to be having some success. 

The bird did not mind our presence and I was able to get a great image of it.

We keep our eyes open and our cameras ready for what may come our way in terms of interesting things to image. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Monday Musings - July 22, 2024

 

1. Welcome to the 4th Monday of July 2024. I am pretty sure the week past will be one of the most talked about in the history of the U.S. There are 23 Mondays remaining in the year. 

Wildcats Junior Legion Team Gambrills
Hanover, MD
July 21, 2024

2. In a follow-up to yesterday's post, my grandson's baseball team did face the team from Boonsboro that defeated them in the opening round of the tournament. It was a double elimination situation and so they had to beat the team twice twice to win the championship. The did just that coming from behind in both games to win 13-12 and 11-10. It was a thrilling evening of baseball.

3. As President Biden stepped off the reelection stage, I was filled with many emotions and concerns. As Chris will attest, I felt that it might happen this weekend. I respect his decision although in my heart I do not agree with it. I still believe that he has the best vision for America and its place in the world of any leader. I listened to his press conference after the NATO conference and his detailed, cogent answers to complicated questions were spectacular. No, at times he does not come off well and he pauses and stumbles, but do we want a smooth talking "snake-oil" salesperson as president or one who understands the issues facing the country and has already demonstrated that the ability to put together and effective team to deal with them? 

4. A couple more things about the our president. I keep hearing the republicans complain about immigration, energy, and runaway inflation. They are disingenuous on all three points. 

a. Trump had four years as president to solve the border problem. He didn't! The Obama and Biden administrations each deported more illegals than Trump did. Look it up. And the connection to crime they continue to spout? Immigrants commit crime at a much lower rate than citizens.  

b. In terms of energy production, the U.S. is second only to China AND is the world leader in oil production. I don't understand how the republicans can strive to "make America the dominant energy producer in the world" (Republican Party Platform) when we already are. America throws away energy, China doesn't have enough.

c. And then there is inflation. Biden ascended to the presidency in the middle of a complete disaster that his predecessor left to him and has forged the strongest economy in the world. There is no runaway inflation--it is about 3 percent and has been stable for over a year. Oh wait, and the consumer price index went down 0.1% during June. I do not know what runaway train the Republicans are on.

5. Today in History. On July 22, 2003, U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch, a prisoner-of-war who was rescued from an Iraqi hospital, receives a hero’s welcome when she returns to her hometown of Palestine, West Virginia. The story of the 19-year-old supply clerk, who was captured by Iraqi forces in March 2003, gripped America; however, it was later revealed that some details of Lynch’s dramatic capture and rescue might have been exaggerated.

Lynch, who was born April 26, 1983, was part of the 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company from Fort Bliss, Texas. On March 23, 2003, just days after the U.S. invaded Iraq, Lynch was riding in a supply convoy when her unit took a wrong turn and was ambushed by Iraqi forces near Nasiriya. Eleven American soldiers died and four others besides Lynch were captured.

Analysis If Biden’s gamble pays off, he may be one of the most successful one-term presidents - CNN

Navy aviator scores first air-to-air victory by a US female fighter pilot - CNN

Israel strikes Yemen for the first time following deadly Houthi drone attack. Here’s what we know - CNN

Netanyahu heads to Washington, says Israel will remain key US ally whoever replaces Biden - Reuters

China cuts several major interest rates to support fragile economy - Reuters

Nuclear wildcard reignites Australia's climate wars - Reuters

Ukraine's debt woes during wartime - Reuters

72-year-old fends off grizzly bear with handgun while picking huckleberries - The Washington Post 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Long-distance Baseball

Watching GameChanger
Tequesta, FL
July 19, 2024

 Our grandson Jackson is playing in a Maryland state-wide American Legion baseball tournament this weekend. Chris and I looked hard at flying to Maryland to be there in person, but the crazy pricing for last-minute airline seats made that financially irresponsible and it was too far to just drive up for the weekend.

The miracle of modern technology almost makes it as though we are there at the game, however, using an app called GameChanger. We can access the realtime video of the game on my laptop, or phone, and project it onto a larger TV. It is not the same as a big league game but we can follow the action in realtime almost like we are there. Of course Nicole, our daughter and mother of Jackson, gets peppered with questions about things happening that are not clear. She seems to take it all in stride, however, and I appreciate her timely responses. 

The team seems to be doing well. They are playing again today after two games on Friday and one game yesterday. I think that means they are likely in the semifinals, which is really cool. I hope they get to play the team from Boonsboro again who gave them their only loss so far. 

I wish we were there in person, but watching the game live is a close second.

Gotta love baseball!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Walking to the End of the Jetty

 

Jupiter Inlet Jetty
Jupiter, FL
July 16, 2024

A couple evenings ago Chris and I, accompanied by friends, did something we had not done before. We walked out to the end of the Jupiter Inlet Jetty located in DuBois Park. 

Although we have been coming to the Jupiter area for over 20 years and have lived here full time since 2022, this very close and convenient spot was one that we had not visited. Admittedly, we had walked to the jetty on beach walks from Carlin Park; even taking images of birds hunting along the rocky base of the jetty--but, we had never actually visited DuBois Park; got out and walked the jetty. I have boated out of the inlet more than a few times, however. 

It was a beautiful evening with the clouds in the sky and a unique dive support vessel anchored just off the jetty. We enjoyed great conversation while also appreciating the natural beauty of the scene. 

I thought the image represented the scene very well, even the trash can so conspicuously placed in the foreground. I need to do better with stuff like that. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It is Way Too Early

Home Goods
Stuart, FL
July 11, 2024

 Over the course of the past week, Chris and I have visited two stores that have already begun to display their Halloween offerings!

Sad, but true. 

It is still the middle of summer and retailers are beginning to push the next big retailer's dream holiday. 

Last week were in the Home Goods store in Stuart, where one wall was already adorned with Halloween items. Yesterday we were in Costco, North Palm Beach, where the Halloween decorations were on display. 

In my mind it is just too soon! We still need to see beachwear, shorts, and summertime shirt displays. Halloween will be here soon enough. 

I suppose Christmas decorations will be on the shelves in a couple weeks as well. 

Hold onto your wallets--someone is trying to get their hand in your pocket. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Boating the St Lucie River

 

Railroad Bridge Raising
St Lucie River near Stuart, FL
July 17, 2024

Heading out from Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno yesterday provided another fantastic day on the boat. While the weather continued to be almost uninhabitable, our high temperature go 90 degrees was well below that of places in Maryland which saw 98 degrees.

We had a nice breeze and of course we generated our own breeze as we pushed the speed up towards 30 mph once we were on the St Lucie River and out of Manatee Pocket where the marina is situated.  The plan was to explore the North Fork of the St Lucie River and then head to Stuart for lunch and some light shopping, but the railroad bridge across the river was down for an extended period when we arrived and so we backtracked to Stuart for shopping and lunch. 

Dolphin
Manatee Pocket, Port Salerno, FL
July 17, 2024

After lunch we headed up the river, passing under a couple of highway bridges and the raising railroad bridge. We enjoyed time on the river and headed north to look for manatees, but sadly saw none.

Returning down the river and heading for the marina, once we reentered Manatee Pocket we spied some dolphins working the area. As the marina was busy when we called in and were advised to take it slow to give them time to clear out a few boats, we stopped for a while and watched the dolphins. We were not the only boat which was enjoying watching the dolphins work the waters. 

It was an enjoyable day on the water and I am happy to report that our first attempt at mooring with just Chris and I aboard the boat was a success! Previously we had either others onboard to help or someone on the dock to manage the lines while I remained at the helm for the entire process, but yesterday we managed the mooring process and it went very well as we tied-up in Stuart. There is something cool about arriving at a place, be it a restaurant or a city, in a boat.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL   

Smarter not Better

Chris on the 11th Green
Jupiter Dunes, Jupiter, FL
July 16, 2024

Chris and I headed out onto the golf course yesterday for our Tuesday round. Given the oppressive heat, we decided to ride rather than walk the course. That was a really good idea as we enjoyed the round much more and I was still fresh enough to par the 18th hole. 

It was amazing how much better we felt as we completed the round having ridden in a cart. I much prefer walking, but we have to account for the conditions. We need to be smarter, even though we are not getting any better.

Playing a round also got us outside to confront the weather. We have felt trapped in our house by the oppressive heat, but then, when I compare our high of 89 degrees yesterday with that of Elkridge with its 101 degrees, I am reminded that often it is cooler in Florida during the summer than in Maryland. 

It is the Dog Days!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, Fl