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

Something tells me it's all happening

 

Linh Mai
National Zoo, D.C
June 4, 2026

At the zoo!

During February, the National Zoo welcomed a newborn Asian Elephant. Chris loves elephants and we heard about the birth of Linh Mai when the zoo announced that she was ready to receive visitors during April. Well, being in the D.C. area, we had to go to the zoo to meet the young pachyderm. 

Yesterday was zoo day.

Panda
National Zoo, D.C.
June 4, 2026

I was fortunate enough to obtain parking and entrance passes in advance, so I saved $10 off the parking cost and admission was free, but entrance passes were required. The actual process of parking was smooth and easy. We parked very close to one entrance to the zoo.

Getting to the zoo is, however, a process. Driving across the D.C. metro area is a scary slog. Using the Metro would solve the driving issue, but the closest station is a long walk from the zoo entrance. Once at the zoo there is a lot of walking to access the enclosures and exhibits and it is up and down hills. Wear appropriate shoes/sneakers. We walked about 2.67 miles while we were in the zoo. Yes, I turned my tracker on.

Baltimore Oriole
National Zoo, D.C.
June 4, 2026

The Zoo is great! We had a fantastic time and were able to see Linh Mai as well as both pandas, which are of course the marquee attractions. There is a lot of construction at the zoo as many enclosures are being upgraded and that is good, but it did limit some of the viewing. I thought the aviaries and bird displays were spectacular. We got up close to some birds and even those in outdoors enclosures were close enough to be enjoyed. I spent a lot of time getting an image of the Baltimore Oriole, the bird was very busy flying around the aviary.

The zoo offers an overwhelming array of attractions that are simply too many to experience in a single day. Despite spending three and a half hours there, we barely managed to scratch the surface of what the zoo has to offer. Exhausted and eager to avoid the traffic congestion in D.C., we decided to leave.

I highly recommend a day at the zoo!

-- Bob Doan, Glen Burnie, MD

Graduation Day

Jax with Me, Chris, Nicole, and Mike
Odenton, MD
June 3, 2026

Yesterday was graduation day for Jax as he said good-bye to Arundel High School and public education. It has been a great senior year and Chris and I have been thrilled to be part of his life even though we live in Florida.

After the summer he is headed to the University of South Florida in Tampa in their Engineering Program. 

Jax
Odenton, MD
June 3, 2026

We enjoyed the ceremony which convened at Maryland Live. I was amazed at the size of the room in which the graduation was held, it is cavernous and yet was nearly filled to capacity. After the ceremony, which began promptly at 9 AM, we gathered for a celebratory luncheon at The Point in Arnold, MD. It was a beautiful day along the banks of the Magothy River.

It has been a long 13 years of public school education, but now he is on his way to even greater things.

Congrats, Jax!

-- Bob Doan, Glen Burnie, MD

Flowering Takeover

 

Clematis
Glen Burnie, MD
May 31, 2026

Upon arriving in Glen Burnie to enjoy a week with our youngest grandson and his family, Chris and I were greeted by the most spectacular clematis display. I remembered earlier in the year, before the plants started growing and it was still too cold to think clearly outside, we had been introduced to the newly acquired and installed trellis. 

None of us expected the explosion of flowers!

The trellis stands right beside the front door and is impossible to miss upon arriving at the house. Stunning is one word I used to describe the sea of flowers. 

A Busy Boy
Glen Burnie, MD
May 31, 2026

In other activities, we have been enjoying the antics of Beck our youngest, at 16 months old, grandson. He is a joyful bundle of energy.

Whether in the yard, on a walk, or cruising around the house he is busy learning, thinking, and problem solving. Sometimes we need to intervene on his problem solving as he is ofter trying to reach something which might possess an inherent danger. He handles the redirection very well, almost as if he knows that he shouldn't be trying to get the item, but needed to test the resolve of the adults in the room. We are having a great time, even more because it is gray and rainy in Florida, we are happy to be in the bright sunshine and warm temperatures of Maryland.

-- Bob Doan, Glen Burnie, MD