Monday Musings - June 15, 2026

 

1. It is the Ides of June. Et tu Brute? Oh wait that was March. It is the 3rd Monday on June. The year is creeping closer to the halfway point and there are only 28 Mondays remaining.

Worn Back Bike Tire
Tequesta, FL
June 12, 2026

2. I finally changed my very worn back bike tire. It was one of the best tire changes that I have recently undertaken. Chris provided the necessary 3rd hand to keep the bead from popping out as I set it around the rim. We worked together remarkably well and the new tire was successfully installed. I did my first ride with it on Saturday morning. 

3. Finn, our Yorkie, reminded us that he is afraid of thunder. Last evening, the storms rolled through and there were a few loud bangs as the lightening came closer. That is going to be a problem for the 4th of July as our area is incredibly loud with celebratory fireworks. 

4. Every time I think the Orioles are playing better, they take steps to prove me wrong. During the week, they dropped 2.5 games down in the standings. 

5. The announcement of the end of the Iran war is typically void of details. But, the news is at least hopeful since both the US and the Iranians made the announcement and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports seem to be in agreement by both sides. Nothing yet on the Iranian nuclear program, however. It will be tough to claim victory when the principle reason for beginning the conflict remains unresolved. 

6. Today in History. Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on Magna Carta, or “the Great Charter,” on June 15, 1215. The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws. Although more a reactionary than a progressive document in its day, Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.

John was enthroned as king of England following the death of his brother, King Richard the Lion-Hearted, in 1199. King John’s reign was characterized by failure. He lost the duchy of Normandy to the French king and taxed the English nobility heavily to pay for his foreign misadventures. He quarreled with Pope Innocent III and sold church offices to build up the depleted royal coffers. Following the defeat of a campaign to regain Normandy in 1214, Stephen Langton, the archbishop of Canterbury, called on the disgruntled barons to demand a charter of liberties from the king.

Iran, US agree to halt war and reopen Hormuz, sending oil prices tumbling - Reuters

Historic Kyiv monastery damaged, 10 people killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine - Reuters

SpaceX set to extend rally after record Wall Street debut - Reuters

Trump's support in rural America slips, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows - Reuters

Twelve people killed in Missouri plane crash, skydiving company says - Reuters

China didn’t qualify for the World Cup. But its fans still have a star: a card-wielding referee - CNN

Kennedy Center exterior remains covered after Trump’s name is removed - CNN

Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized, his office says - MS Now

Americans’ surveillance crisis is far bigger than Bill Pulte - MS Now

Ukraine Is About to Take a Big Step Toward the European Union - The New York Times

Mysterious remains found in national park sleeping bag identified after 26 years - Fox News

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Flag Day 2026

 Normally, Flag Day passes without too much notice or fanfare. It is a day to celebrate the symbol of our nation, our unique flag, our colors, something to which we stand at attention and salute when it passes.

Flag Day was first proposed in 1861 to rally support for the Union side of the American Civil War. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation that designated June 14 as Flag Day.^[4] On August 3, 1949, National Flag Day was officially established by an Act of Congress.^[5] On June 14, 1937, Pennsylvania became the first state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday, beginning in the town of Rennerdale.^[1] New York Consolidated Laws designate the second Sunday in June as Flag Day, a state holiday.^[6] (Wikipedia)

This year, however, Flag Day has been overcome by a pompous, pretentious, and self-aggrandizing birthday celebration that will occur on the White House Lawn. It has become clear that the president's view of America is one where charlatans and snake oil salesmen are able to grift "We the People" and rob the treasury.

But I guess that is just me.

Happy Flag Day!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Bob Effect

 Traffic lights. 

Intersection of A1A and Indiantown Rd
Jupiter, FL
June 11, 2026

My superpower is getting stopped by more than my share of traffic lights. 

Traffic lights apparently become aware of my approach and turn red. Ugh! Driving often becomes a painful slog. I approach empty intersections and wait for no one until the light turns green. It is frustrating. 

It is the Bob Effect. Green lights turn red.

Green lights turn to yellow and then red as I approach. 

There is a stretch of 5 lights from the corner of South Dixie Highway and Village Blvd to Toney Penna and ALt A1A that I regularly drive. I have begun to make it a game as to how many of the 5 intersections I be waiting. Most days it id 3 or 4 of the 5. On good days it is only 2. I have never made it through all intersections 5 without being stopped by red.

Having my progress halted by red lights is, therefore, obviously, my superpower. Chris and I laugh about it all of the time and I usually add about 5 minutes to a projected driving time to compensate for my proclivity to be stopped at red lights. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Back to the Beach for Happy Hour

Yellow Flag on the Beach
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
June 11, 2026

Atlantic Ocean
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
June 11, 2026

 The weather finally decided to provide us with a clear afternoon and that was the signal to go down to the beach and celebrate a Friday-eve Happy Hour. 

There were yellow flags flying, to advise of the dangerous surf conditions, but we were safely on the beach above the high tide which occurred during our stay. I was the only member of our group that wandered into the pleasantly warm water up to just above my knees.

It had been over a month since the four of us gathered on the ocean beach for Happy Hour. It was good be be together on the beach again celebrating the life and blessings that we have. 

There were not so many birds on the beach as we are used to. One osprey was hunting and a few crows were scavenging, but other than those, not much was happening with respect to animal life. No matter, we filled the time catching up on each couple's recent trips and planning for future activities. 

Friends on the Beach at Happy Hour
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
June 11, 2026

I took my usual empty chair image, the three of them and my empty beach chair, but a nice beachgoer came by and offered to take a couple images of us all, and so here that image. She was on vacation from Montauk, Long Island staying in a community where many years ago we used to rent to enjoy life in Jupiter, before we owned our condo. She asked if I knew of Montauk and I responded that I only knew of it from the song. I don't think she connected it to the Billy Joel song, The Downeaster Alexa. 

All-in-all, it was a solid Friday-eve. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Preparing to Go

The Sphere
Las Vegas, NV
October 29, 2024

 Chris and I are excited about our upcoming trip to Vegas. The original purpose of the trip was to see Kenny Chesney at the Sphere. I bought tickets to the the show a long time ago. In addition, we are going to visit a couple National Parks and the Hoover Dam. 

We had seen the Sphere during our visit to Vegas during October 2024 and I never thought we would actually attend a concert within it. But, it is going to happen!

We are making the final preparations. It is gonna be HOT! The weather forecast is for temperatures in the mid- to upper-100s the entire time we are there. Ugh! We are gonna need a lot of water! And writing of water, I am hoping that the winds are not too strong and we can see the dancing water show at the Bellagio. 

We depart next week and so I am still doing some planning for the excursions. But excitement is mounting. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Early on the Street

View from Tequesta Bridge
Tequesta, FL
June 10, 2026

 I headed out on my first ride of June this morning, a bit earlier than normal. It was also my first ride since school ended and it was weird not to be dodging kids and school busses. It was a quiet overcast morning. 

Given the high humidity, I was happy the sun was not beating down on me making me even hotter than I was. 

BIke Radar on Back with Light
Tequesta, FL
June 10, 2026

There was a relatively cool breeze when my ride began. That made the ride all the nicer.

I modified the attachment of my rear-facing radar to the bike. I have determined that I need to carry a saddle bag on the back with some of my repair gear in it. That meant that the recommended attachment for the rear-facing radar to the seat stem will no longer work. I managed a workable solution using cable ties. It isn't perfect, but it is functional. 

New Bike Seat
Tequesta, FL
June 10, 2026

Yes, I need a new back tire. I am procrastinating until it strands me somewhere so that I can swear at myself for procrastinating.  

This was also the first ride with my new bike seat. Wow! What a difference. I can actually sit straight on the seat and enjoy the ride. I don't think I realized that I wasn't sitting straight before. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

A Flamboyance

 

A Flamboyance of Flamingos
National Zoo, D.C.
June 4, 2026

What is a group of Flamingos called? A flamboyance. 

I observed a flamboyance during our trip to the National Zoo last week. They were stunning. Even more interesting is that the birds were nesting--on fake eggs. We talked to one of the keepers and learned that after the Flamingos lay eggs, the eggs are harvested and put into incubators to ensure they make it to hatching. It seems that Flamingos in captivity are clumsy and many eggs are lost during the roughly one month incubation period. Fake eggs are placed in the nest and the birds continue nesting. About a week before hatching the real eggs are redeployed into the nests so that the hatchlings hear and see their own kind when they break free from the eggs. I thought that was really interesting. 

As the keeper said, "we don't want the birds to think they are human."

Whooping Crane
National Zoo, D.C.
June 4, 2026

Among other birds that we saw during the trip, I was able to capture good images of a Whooping Crane and a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Odenton, MD
June 3, 2026

The Whooping Crane is a sad, but interesting story. The species declined to about 20 birds during the 1940s, but today numbers around 600 due to conservation efforts. I learned that the Sandhill Cranes, which I see around Tequesta, are related to the Whooping Crane.

And then there was the Red-shouldered Hawk. I captured this image in the wild. Well, maybe not wild, but suburbia. The hawk flew into sight and landed on the fence as I was on Nicole's back deck chatting with her after Jax's graduation. He sat there for a while before flying off to find a better hunting ground.

I enjoyed the birds and of course we saw many more at the National Zoo aviaries, but the ones here are those that I most enjoyed watching. Of course, I could have remained at the Flamingo enclosure for a lot longer than we did--but I like Flamingos. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - June 8, 2026

 

1. Happy Monday. It is the second Monday of June. Summer begins in 13 days! There are 29 Mondays remaining in the year. 

InstaCrate
Tequesta, FL
June 7, 2026

2. It is good to be home. Chris and I took yesterday and just got back into the house. That included doing laundry and making a trek to Costco for supplies. Patrick introduced me to some really nice collapsable crates that make unloading items from a Costco run much easier.

3. Was anyone else embarrassed by our Secretary of Defense at the June 6 remembrance in France? One writer summed it up as follows: 

On the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, Pete Hegseth stood on a bluff above Omaha Beach, among the graves of thousands of Americans who never came home, and turned a solemn remembrance into a political rally. He took the vocabulary of June 6, 1944, and turned it into a far-right anti-immigrant speech. He placed migrants in the rhetorical role the Nazis occupied in actual history. And he did it as a guest in France, standing in a cemetery that exists because France chose to preserve the memory of American sacrifice. (Heather Delaney Reese)

4. The Orioles let one get away yesterday and fell to 4th in the division, 8 games out of first. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games, but for the most part are playing better. I am encouraged. They seem competitive for a Wild Card port in the post-season. 

5. While shopping at Costco yesterday, I made a concerning observation. I noted that in the produce cooler, the normally with packed shelves and stacks of crates in the middle of the cooler were nearly empty. Selections were less than normal. Are supply chain problems beginning to affect produce items? 

6. Next Sunday, which is Flag Day, an abomination will occur at the White House. That the President is hosting an UFC event on the White House lawn for his birthday is nothing other that unbelievable. It continues to clearly demonstrate his contempt for our country and our traditions. I believe he sees our country as nothing more than his personal piggy bank.

7. Today in History. June 8, 1968. James Earl Ray, an escaped American convict, is arrested in London, England, and charged with the assassination of African American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

On April 4, 1968, in Memphis, King was fatally wounded by a sniper’s bullet while standing on the balcony outside his second-story room at the Motel Lorraine. That evening, a Remington .30-06 hunting rifle was found on the sidewalk beside a rooming house one block from the Lorraine Motel. During the next several weeks, the rifle, eyewitness reports, and fingerprints on the weapon all implicated a single suspect: escaped convict James Earl Ray. A two-bit criminal, Ray escaped a Missouri prison in April 1967 while serving a sentence for a holdup. In May 1968, a massive manhunt for Ray began. The FBI eventually determined that he had obtained a Canadian passport under a false identity, which at the time was relatively easy.

On June 8, Scotland Yard investigators arrested Ray at a London airport. Ray was trying to fly to Belgium, with the eventual goal, he later admitted, of reaching Rhodesia. Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) was at the time ruled by an oppressive and internationally condemned white minority government. Extradited to the United States, Ray stood before a Memphis judge in March 1969 and pleaded guilty to King’s murder in order to avoid the electric chair. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Epstein abused them. The Justice Department exposed them. Now they’re under attack by haters - Reuters

Israel and Iran attack each other for first time since ceasefire - Reuters

Earthquake of magnitude 7.8 strikes off southern Philippines, 32 feared dead - Reuters

Tumbling tech puts brakes on AI rally, Middle East escalation lifts oil - Reuters

European leaders ready to support ceasefire talks between Ukraine, Russia - Reuters

Search for suspects enters third day after 12 people shot near a festival in Toledo, Ohio - CNN

Knicks fans know they’re seeing something special. They’re flying from around the world to NYC to be a part of it - CNN

How the Drive to Find a Conspiracy Against Trump Rocked the Justice Dept. - The New York Times

Why Trump’s pitiful new health care ‘plan’ is even worse than it appears - MS Now

European troops arrive in Greenland as Trump targets allies with new tariff threats - MS Now

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

And we are Home!

Beck
Glen Burnie, MD
June 6, 2026

 It was a different travel day. We were on a Saturday mid-afternoon flight. The Southwest flight from Baltimore to West Palm Beach was not full and the flight attendant came buy and asked the third person in our row if he wanted to move to a row with only one person in it so we all could have a more comfortable flight. 

That was unexpected. 

To make the flight even better, Chris and I decided to have a glass of wine. Surprise, I had upgraded to the more legroom seats and we were told that drinks, even alcohol, were included. Yay!

That made the flight one of the best we have experienced lately. We were in boarding group 2, but there was only one A-list and two Group 1's. That was also weird. 

Although it is good to be home, we will miss our family in Maryland. We had a great visit and spent time with all of them. We especially enjoyed our time with Beck. We went to Costco with him yesterday and I had forgotten how interesting it could be to shop with someone who wants to be a part of everything happening around them. We had fun and he was in a great mood. 

We will see him soon, I hope.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Travel Day Returning to Home

View from the Dock
Rams Head Dockside, Glen Burnie, MD
June 5, 2026

 D-Day Remembrance

Today is our travel day returning home to South Florida. 

We have had a busy and enjoyable visit north. 

Last evening we headed to Rams Head Dockside to enjoy dinner with Jeremy and Julie. Rams Head is less than a mile away from where we are staying, but because of Marley Creek we had to drive about 3 miles to get there. If only we had a boat!  Hmmmmm.

We enjoyed Happy Hour and munchies with Jeremy and Julie. It was a warm evening but pleasant evening. Actually, the high temperature in Glen Burnie was 90 degrees and that was 4 degrees higher than the high in Tequesta! See, it's hotter in Maryland than Florida!

Jupiter and Venus
Glen Burnie, MD
June 5, 2026

After a great evening at Rams Head Dockside, we retired back to Patrick and Jen's arriving just in time to put Beck to bed. Following bedtime we headed outside to enjoy the evening sky and some adult beverages. 

Jupiter and Venus were the stars of the evening show in the heavens. They were bright as they sank lower in the western sky. I started thinking; the light I was seeing reflected from Jupiter began its journey from the Sun somewhere between 78 and 95 minutes ago, depending on where Jupiter is relative to Earth. While the light from Venus takes on average only 9 to 10 minutes (although it can vary between 8 to 20 minutes) to be observed on Earth after leaving the Sun. Yet, I am seeing them both in the night sky at the same time! (Based on analysis by Chat GPT)

OK, that was too deep a thought for today. 

I stayed outside after everyone else retired looking for passing satellites and just enjoying the night sky. Hopefully, tonight we will be back at home in Florida on our veranda enjoying our version of the night sky. 

And for a final thought, take a moment to remember the sacrifice made by heroic service members on this day 82 years ago. The world owes all of the allied service members a debt of thanks than can only be repaid if we hold sacred the ideals for which they fought, and where many died, on the beaches of Normandy. 

-- Bob Doan, Glen Burnie, MD