Off to Big Cork

 

Big Cork Tasting Menu
Rhorersville, MD
March 28, 2026

It was a great day for a visit to our favorite Maryland winery, Big Cork Vineyards.  

We were treated to the 2025 vintage white wines as well as a solid line-up of reds. 

The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier were all tasting very nicely as were the 2023 Meritage and Cabernet Franc. The 2022 Nebbiolo remains one of my personal favorites.

The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc has a spectacular nose that is alive with lemongrass and lime. It was a bouquet for the nose. But, the 2025 Viognier was the king of the whites we tasted. Fresh crisp aromas of citrus blossom and peach with a stunning taste and feel in the mouth to match.

The excitement for the day, however, was tasting the as yet unreleased Tempranillo. It is a stunningly good wine with a full mouth feel and layers of complexity along with well integrated tannins! Wow! I hear the release date is rapidly approaching! I am not sure of the vintage as I did not get a good look at the bottle. It will be the first ever Tempranillo released by Big Cork!

After the tasting, we tarried on the covered and heated patio enjoying a bottle of Nebbiolo and munchies while listening to live music by Drew Adams. 

Definitely worth the drive for a few hours of tasting and wine enjoyment.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Rainy cool Friday

 

Dogwood in the Neighbor's Yard
Odenton, MD
March 28, 2026

The cold and rainy gray overcast weather returned Friday as the temperature plummeted through the 60s into the 50s during the day and bottomed at 33 degrees this morning. 

Call it, Springtime in Maryland. 

Chris and I have been enjoying the blooming trees and bushes of Spring in advance of leaves erupting on the trees. 

View from the Deck
Odenton, MD
March 28, 2026

The cold, however, is somewhat harder to deal with. We enjoyed the near 80 degree temperatures of the baseball game Thursday evening a little too much, I think. The actual temperature dropped 46 degrees in 36 hours. The "feels like" temperature was reported at 24 degrees this morning by the weather service.

On this clear and cold morning, the scene off the porch is stunning. Blue sky, vibrant green grass, some trees displaying the first green against the stark trunks of the trees still waiting to burst with leaves. It looks like springtime, but feels like Winter. There is not much temperature relief in sight as the high for the day is anticipated to be about 47 degrees. 

We are headed to our favorite winery, Big Cork, for some tasting and purchases. We have not been there since the Christmas wine pick-up party. It should be a fun day with Nicole and Mike.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Baseball in the Warm

 

Jax at the Plate
Odenton, MD
March 26, 2026

As a counterpoint to yesterday's blog, we went to a baseball game last evening that was perfect in terms of temperature. 

Arundel High met South River High in a tussel with the game time temperature at 78 degrees. Wow! What a difference a day and twenty degrees makes. Although Arundel ultimately lost, the game was far more enjoyable than the 58 degrees we experienced at the start of yesterday's game. And then it got colder!

Jax on the Bump
Odenton, MD
March 26, 2026

Jax was the starting pitcher and pitched the team to a 3-3 tie at the end of 4 innings. Ultimately the team lost 11-7. The team let him bat and he made solid contact with the ball, unfortunately he hit it right to an opposing player who threw to first to make the out. It was a fun game to watch however, because the team never stopped trying and it  ended with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate. Now that is some excitement.

In other baseball news, the Orioles began their season with a gritty 2-0 win over the Twins. I am excited about this version of the Orioles team and am expecting an 88 win season! With 1 in the books, they only need to win 87 of the next 161 games.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Baseball in the Cold

Jax Leading the Cheer
Odenton, MD
March 25, 2026

 Chris and I enjoyed two events yesterday. 

Baseball in the cold and dinner with Jeremy, Julie, and Lucas. 

I write baseball in the cold because after attending two Spring Training games in South Florida this season, yesterday's Arundel High baseball game against Severn Run High was just downright cold. 

Although Jax was not scheduled to start, we still wanted to go to the game to see, in person, the boys we have been following nearly every game so far this season on Game Changer. 

Arundel in the Dugout on Offense
Odenton, MD
March 25, 2026

The temperature at 4:45 PM, game time, was about 54 degrees, but as the game went on it got colder and the wind picked up. Nicole introduced me to some really nice electric hand warmers! Trust me, I learned they were lifesavers! As for the game, Arundel won 6-5 with some bottom of the 7th inning heroics to enjoy a walk-off win.

Jax is the scheduled starter for the tonights game! Already the temperature this morning is warmer that it was at game time last evening. Game time temperature is expected to be around 79 degrees! Yay!

We left the game during the 4th inning to enjoy dinner with Jeremy's family. We had a great meal together.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Travel Tuesday Report

Ships at Anchor
Chesapeake Bay, MD
March 24, 2026

 We were fortunate. Our travel day was mostly the same as any other travel day. It was a beautiful day for flying!

There were no lines for security screening  (TSA-pre) at PBI Concourse A/B. The line for regular screening was not as long as I have seen it in the past. The actual process for security screening was smoother than normal. We were relieved, but we cleared security almost two hours before our flight and were lucky to find space in a lounge to grab some drinks and lunch while waiting to board. 

It is important to note, that we arrived at security about 1:20 PM on a Tuesday for a 3:15 PM flight. We were not there during the morning rush, thankfully. But, the iFly app was accurate about the wait times. 

Gate B5 @ 2:54 PM
Palm Beach International, FL
March 24, 2026

Now about Southwest.

The airline has cheapened itself in an effort to adopt a new profitability standard to please ownership. That is sad. Losing "Bags fly Free" and choosing your own seat as you boarded were two things that made Southwest a preferred airline for many travelers. 

Check-in was smooth at PBI. Boarding was confused and people stood around like on so many other airlines with multiple numbered boarding groups. Although we chose our seats in advance, I still got to ride in the center seat for most of the flight. I am getting used to being in the center seat. The FA's were great, but apparently the new boarding approach takes longer and Southwest has not updated their ground stop times as we were 22 minutes late departing, mostly due to the slower boarding process. 

It should be noted that Chris and I checked two bags and I only had a backpack while Chris only had her purse. That meant we did not experience any shortage of overhead bin space, as has been reported by many people. 

Baggage remains a problem in Baltimore. It is incredibly slow and believe it or not confusing. We were originally told that bags would be on carousal 6, but at the last minute were moved to 8. We waited a good 20 minutes for our checked bags. 

And that was our travel day. We arrived safely--which is the most important thing, and the lines and waiting were mostly normal despite the partial government shutdown which has prevented TSA personnel from being paid.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Travel Tuesday

 Travel day has arrived. Ugh. 

Projected Wait Times
Palm Beach International
March 24, 2026

With everything being reported on the airport security front, Chris and I are more trepidatious than we have likely ever been before about flying. I suppose we are fortunate not to be traveling from one of the "big" airports, but PBI can still be a nightmare under the wrong conditions.

The security forecast looks good, until, of course, it doesn't. I am happy to be flying mid-day as usually there is less congestion than for the early morning flights trying to get out right after the TSA lines open. 

I have read that the Wait Times projections are woefully inaccurate. For example, BWI was showing a 20 minute wait time on Sunday which in actuality was over an hour as multiple checkpoints, including TSA-pre, were closed there. 

I suppose I need to write my senators again and implore them to do something for the good of all Americans and accept the Democratic deals rather than continue to blindly follow the urgings of our increasingly reckless president. TSA personnel are suffering because Republicans do not want to make ICE agents conform to accepted police standards. Funny part is, ICE is funded through the big bill passed last summer--they are getting paid while TSA personnel are not!

Well, and that's how it is this Tuesday morning. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - March 23, 2026

 1. Monday has arrived again and with it the start of the workweek. This is the fourth and penultimate Monday of March. There are 40 Mondays remaining in 2026. 

Railroad Drawbridge over Loxahatchee River
Jupiter, Florida
March 22, 2026

2. We were blessed with a couple gorgeous weather days for the weekend. Temperatures made it into the 80s for our enjoyment under clear skies with low humidity yesterday. I managed a 19-mile ride on yesterday over a modified route. Along the way, I took a great image of the railroad drawbridge over the Loxahatchee River from the Florida A1A bridge. I was out a bit earlier than normal and the traffic was light.

3. Chris and I are departing on a trip to Baltimore for Easter tomorrow. We are very concerned about the situation at the airports due to the Congressional standoff and now the threat of ICE deployments. We are going to be arriving almost an hour earlier than normal, I hope there is room in the lounge once we clear security. I am already checking projected TSA wait times. 

4. Today [Sunday, March 22] the administration announced ICE agents will take the place of some TSA agents, although as the former national security officials at The Steady State note, the legality of moving ICE agents into TSA positions isn’t clear. Tonight Trump admitted he is not interested in any deal with the Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless Democrats also agree to the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and to vote, and which is widely understood to be a measure designed to suppress voting. Trump also includes in the measure an end to mail-in voting, and an attack on transgender Americans. (Letters from an American)

5. ICE personnel, including agents from Homeland Security Investigations, are planning to be at 14 airports, according to a document obtained by The Times. The airports include Newark, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston and Phoenix, as well as Kennedy and LaGuardia in New York. (NY Times)

6. Today in History. On March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans.

During the late 1830s, it was a favorite practice among younger, educated circles to misspell words intentionally, then abbreviate them and use them as slang when talking to one another. Just as teenagers today have their own slang based on distortions of common words, such as “kewl” for “cool” or “DZ” for “these,” the “in crowd” of the 1830s had a whole host of slang terms they abbreviated. Popular abbreviations included “KY” for “No use” (“know yuse”), “KG” for “No go” (“Know go”), and “OW” for all right (“oll wright”).

Trump delays strikes on Iranian power plants after ‘very good’ talks with Tehran - CNN

LaGuardia closed after deadly collision - CNN

Oil plunges after Trump postpones strikes on Iranian power plants - Reuters

French far right fails to win in major cities in boost to mainstream rivals - Reuters

North Korea's Kim Jong Un reappointed as president of state affairs, KCNA says - Reuters

Ukraine has enough diesel for March, but April uncertain, says consultancy - Reuters

Trump has no one else to blame for surging gas prices. Polls show Americans know it - MS Now

Jeffries tells President Trump to 'keep his reckless mouth shut' after enemy comment - FoxNews

‘A Mass Disaster Nonstop’: Inside the Turmoil at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s C.D.C. - The New York Times

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Funding a war against ourselves

 So let me get this straight--

Because the administration botched the Iranian campaign and allowed Iran to choke the world by stopping the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz:

Trump lifted sanctions on Russian oil, and then

Trump lifted sanctions on Iranian oil at sea.

This will allow Russia to get more cash to fund the war against Ukraine and provide the Iranians with better intelligence to kill Americans.

And Iran will get money to fund its defense against the US and Israeli attacks. 

This makes sense, how?  

Or as one Iranian researcher wrote: "America is funding a war against itself." (Raw America)

Whatever genius came up with this blackhole of an idea ought to be removed from office. Just saying. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Springtime

Spring Arrived!

Happy first full day of Spring! The season arrived yesterday during the late-morning and is finally in place and hopefully will help us to shake off the Winter doldrums and darkness. 

Something I am concerned about shaking off is the Iran War. Yup, despite the lack of an official declaration from the Congress, we are at war. How do I know? Simple--the administration is telling us that we need to expect to suffer. 

Gas Prices
Juno Beach, FL
March 20, 2026

Wait, I have to suffer to support a war that I don't approve of? Do not misunderstand me, I support our military 100 percent, but the war is a needless drain of national treasure and focus. People are suffering right now in America because of affordability issues--and that includes food, medical care, and housing. These are things at the very bottom of Maslow's hierarchy. The war exacerbates the situation.

I am not amused by National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett suggested that Americans will feel economic pain during the Iran war. He stated on CNBC that the increased prices from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz were “the last of our concerns right now,” acknowledging the impact on consumers. (Independent)

In fact, this is the first war America has entered in modern times without majority in support. - The Guardian

Make no mistake about it, I am not a fan of the President, I believe that is fairly clear from my occasional rantings, but getting us involved in a war without a plan tops almost anything he has done to destroy America's position in the world. 

Why should I be happy about feeling pain to support a war that we should not be in? And I don't like being told to, effectively, suck it up, especially when the value of my retirement investments is dropping like a rock thrown from a rooftop.

Well, at least it is Springtime.


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Project Hail Mary - Movie

 While the big release for the movie is today, for some reason our local theater began showings yesterday. Chris and I were at the sparsely attended first showing at 2 PM yesterday. 

We both had read the book by Andy Weir and were concerned that the movie would have a difficult time with the subject. We were both pleased with the resultant movie. 

It is great!

David Rooney writing in The Hollywood Reporter describes the movie as follows:

‘Project Hail Mary’ Review: Ryan Gosling Proves He Can Have Chemistry With a Rock in Thrilling Space Odyssey Warmed by Humanity and Hope

Sandra Hüller also stars in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s sci-fi epic based on the Andy Weir novel about a science teacher who finds an unusual ally in a mission to save two worlds.

Gaerth, writing in Skewed & Reviewed, relates the following about the movie:

I could not say enough great things about this movie as it was an experience that was not only moving but stayed with me long after the film had ended and one that has made it one of the best films of the year and a genre classic in the making.

The movie was true to the book, about as well as can be expected. The film begins as abruptly as I remember the book beginning and the sense of disorientation adds to the realism of the movie with the intent of the mission becoming clearer as the main character remembers more of how he came to be on a spaceship headed into deep space light years away from Earth. It is science fiction, yes, but not the fantastical kind. It is believable, or at least the movie made me accept the situation and the solution. 

I laughed, I had tears, and I felt the danger. Similar to The Martian, another book by Andy Weir made into a great movie, Project Hail Mary is gritty and real. Ryan Gosling does a great job with the character.

Chris and I are making plans to see the movie again.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL