Sunday, June 30, 2019

Footprints in the Sand


As there last day of June deepens, I reflected about my
Chris and I Leave Footprints in the Sand
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
June 3, 2019
travels this month. 


I began the month with a trip to Florida to work on the condo there and I ended it by completing a 1,000 mile round trip to Cincinnati to say good-bye to a friend. 

It was a month of contrasts. Sandwiched between the trips was the unsatisfying end to the youth baseball season and the excitement associated with the beginning of Summer.

I found the image in my files and remembered that I took it as Chris and I were walking the beach one day while we were in Tequesta. Much like the month of June, my footprints in the sand were soon erased by the ocean removing any evidence of my visit there except for my memory and of course the image.

And now it is onto July--and the 4th and travel, summer and pool.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, June 29, 2019

A Visual Feast


In the Maryland Mountains
June 28, 2019
I am in Blue Ash, Ohio, this morning. I am here to attend the memorial service for a mentor and friend. I drove, instead of flying, partly to remember my friend and all of the similar trips that he made by car between Cincinnati and Baltimore over the decades that I knew and worked with him. The last time I saw him he joked that I was one of the two best supervisors that he had during his career, I laughed, because that title was only bestowed to me on paper. We were more colleagues and over the decades that I knew him, I never felt as if I were any more than that. 

Maryland Cloud Covered Mountains
June 28, 2019
The drive yesterday was a study in contrasts. As I rolled into the mountains of Western Maryland, I was a treated to a visual feast. The mountains were clothed with clouds that made it appear as if they were massive water falls at the end of the world. It was stunning and I tried to snap a few pictures to capture it. 

They were beautiful and a stark contrast to the flat landscape here in western Ohio. 

The mountains made the trip exciting and I made really very good time on the road. 

Today, I get to drive the return trip. I hope everything goes well for my travels.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Blue Ash, Ohio

Friday, June 28, 2019

You Are Bothering Me, Why?


Finnegan
Tequesta, Florida
June 3, 2019
Sometimes an image just says it all.

I took this picture one morning while we were in Florida earlier this month. Finnegan's expression just says it all. Here are a few thoughts that come to mind.

What is it you want?

You bothered me, Why? 

Just be quiet and go away!

This better be good!

Go find someone else!

It is an accident that I'm awake, go away and let me get back to my nap.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Thursday, June 27, 2019

Orioles Depressing Week


The Orioles have completed another week of baseball. They have played 80 games and are one game shy of the mid point of the season.

The Highs of the Week:

During the week, the Orioles managed to end a 10 game losing streak, but they now have a 3-game streak underway. 

Chris Davis has increased his batting average to .170.

Trey Mancini is arguably the best player on the team and is sitting in the top 10 among hitters in some categories. He survived a potentially serious injury this week and is still playing baseball.

The Lows of the Week:

Sitting at 22-58 .275, there is not a doubt that the Orioles are the most frustrating team in baseball. They have increased their projected losses for the season to 118 during the week. They are 30 games out of first place and 22 games out of the wild card race. 

The modern day loss records of the 2003 Tigers (119) and 1962 Mets (120) are definitely in danger of being broken. The Mets hold the record for most losses in a baseball season of all time!

But, they are my Orioles and I continue to care. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD





Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Defender of the Homestead


Finnegan vs. Dolphin
Elkridge, MD
June 25, 2019
Finnegan is our Yorkie. He is smallish at about 5 pounds, but he thinks he is as big as Chewbacca

Least evening he defended the homestead from the attack of the pool cleaner. We call it a dolphin

The dolphin was doing its job and Finnegan was having no part of it. Seeing the dolphin as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, he dutifully barked at it each time it surfaced to ensure that it remained in the pool and did not try to attack the home. He was very energetic and persistent in his task.

Chris and I finally had to take him inside to restore peace to the neighborhood and allow the dolphin to complete its task in silence.

It is nice to have such a persistent and animated protector around, but in reality I wonder who would win during a direct confrontation? 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Equal Pay for Equal Play


I have become aware that the U.S. Women's Soccer Team, currently competing in the World Cup is being under paid. 


The women are paid less than the men, yet they are winners.

U.S. Holds Off an Ascendant Spain, for Now, at Women’s World Cup - The New York Times

The men's team never seems to make it very far in the tournament, if they even qualify for the World Cup. 


Here is the basis of the pay dispute. 

The main complaints from the players involve claims of wage discrimination. The petitioners pointed out that men receive a $5,000 bonus for a loss in a friendly match, while women receive nothing for a loss or a draw. However, when the teams win, the men receive as much as $17,625, but women only receive $1,350. Further, in 2011, when the women placed second in their World Cup, they were awarded $1.8 million, split evenly among the 24 players on the team. The men's team made it only to the round of 16 that year; however, they were awarded $5 million. In 2014, when Germany won the Men's World Cup, the US team was awarded $35 million by FIFA, while the women received 5% of that for their Cup victory in 2015. (Source: Wikipedia)

The women's team continues to be a source of national pride, while the men's team is often a source of national embarrassment. It seems that the pay for playing, winning, losing, or drawing should be the same for both teams. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, June 24, 2019

Monday Musings - June 24, 2019





1. It, believe it or not, is the last  Monday of June. Summer began last week and already the days are getting shorter, 

2. That seemingly far-off, mid-summer holiday, Independence Day, is next week! 

Finnegan Looking for Chris to Return
Elkridge, MD
June 22, 2019
3. The presidential election season is upon us already, with 16 and a half months left before Election Day 2020.

4. Finnegan is definitely attached to Chris. On Saturday, while she was out of town for a wedding, Finnegan stood on the sidewalk for quite a few minutes looking down the driveway hoping that he would see Chris' vehicle with her driving. 

5. The flowers in the flower boxes are in full bloom as the long days of summer have stimulated their growth.

6. The Orioles ended a 10-game losing streak on Saturday only to begin a new one on Sunday with a disappointing 13-3 loss to the Mariners. With the loss yesterday, the team remains on track to lose 117 games, which is two more losses than last year's dismal showing.

7. I heard an interesting comment yesterday, as we were cooking ears ob corn in the microwave in 2 minutes. "How did we cook before microwaves?" I remember that, we cooked the old fashioned way with pots and pans on a stove! 

8. Since I almost always mention the weather when it is bad, I have to note that we have had four in a row days free from rain. I actually had to water the outdoor plants yesterday. It has been fantastic.

9. On this Day in History. 

On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.

Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a “flying disk.” A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public’s UFO fascination.



Headlines

Trump’s Iran Reversal Raises Allies’ Doubts Over His Tactics, and U.S. Power - The New York Times




Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


Good evening to all of you from California. Tonight, I'd like to talk to you about issues. Issues which I think are involved or should be involved in this primary election season. I'm a candidate for the Republican nomination for president. But I hope that you who are Independents and Democrats will let me talk to you also tonight because the problems facing our country are problems that just dont bear any party label.

In this election season the White House is telling us a solid economic recovery is taking place. It claims a slight drop in unemployment. It says that prices arent going up as fast, but they are still going up, and that the stock market has shown some gains. But, in fact, things seem just about as they were back in the 1972 election year.

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


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Sunday Golf


I played golf for the first time since early-April this morning. 

Crofton Country Club
15th Green
June 23, 2019

It was an early morning because I had to take care of Jeremy's dogs before going to the course for the 7:08 AM Tee-time. But it certainly was good to get out onto the course and hit the small white ball around. I got my money's worth since it took me more strokes to get the ball into the holes than the other guys I was playing with. All-in-all, it was a great morning and despite two terrible blow-up holes, I did reasonably well for not having played in such a long time. 

It was in the 50's as we teed off, but soon got warm and it was 81 degrees when we holed out on the 18th green at about 11:00 AM. 

Well, maybe another Sunday morning soon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Solstice Celebration


Cod and Crabmeat
June 21, 2019
Dinner is a great meal, especially when done with panache and elegance as it was last evening to celebrate the solstice. I gathered with friends to enjoy the meal which celebrated the end of the workweek and the start of both the weekend and the summer.

We gather almost every Friday night--but last night the main course was very special and may have pushed the bar to its limit. 

The conversation was great and as the evening deepened into darkness, our solstice celebration began to break upon--but we definitely celebrated the longest day of the year in a fabulous fashion and with great food and no shortage of well chosen wines. 

Welcome Summer! The best season of the year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, June 21, 2019

Orioles Train Wreck


Catastrophe. That is how the Orioles season is going right now. Some might call it a train wreck.

It is, believe it or not, worse than last year. Sporting a 21-54 .284 worst record in baseball, they are even worse than last year's edition which lost 115 games. Given their current record they are on pace to lose 117 games this year. And it could get worse!

Their most recent series in Oakland was another sweep--0-3 to start a road trip. Chris Davis' batting average has dropped to .159. The best player on the team, Trey Mancini, was hit on the elbow during the last game and is out for an unspecified period of time. 

The Orioles have used 27 different pitchers this year en route to a MLB worst team ERA of 5.72. They have given up a MLB leading 148 homers. They are currently in 30th place in all of baseball. Did I mention that there are only 30 teams in MLB?

Last night in Seattle they managed managed to lose again 5-2. They now 0-4 for the current West Coast road trip.

And so the season continues to be even more dismal than I expected.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Ugh, The Rain


Raining at the House
June 19, 2019
The daily rains came yesterday evening. Again!

It is amazing how much rain we have been experiencing. It should make for a fun 4th of July because there should be no fire hazard!

Aside from that, however, we are getting far too much rain. It really makes for some difficult times trying to get projects accomplished around the house. 

Last night the rain came straight down. It came in torrents. 

It was much the same for the past four nights. It is almost like winter when we are trapped inside.

At least I do not have to add water to the pool--I have been taking water out because it is too full. 

Hopefully the weather will be better this weekend. Maybe I will be able to play some golf!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD


Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Seventeen Months


Here we go again--perhaps it never really ended? 

The presidential election season is running hot and perhaps the candidates will burn themselves out before the actual November 3, 2020 elections arrive.

Here is what happened yesterday:

Trump, at Rally in Florida, Kicks Off His 2020 Re-election Bid - The New York Times

Reading the article, it sounds like more of the same. Here is what the article said about the kickoff. 

President Trump delivered a fierce denunciation of the news media, the political establishment and what he called his radical opponents on Tuesday as he opened his re-election campaign in front of a huge crowd of raucous supporters by evoking the dark messaging and personal grievances that animated his 2016 victory.

It appears that some presidential candidates believe that the road to the White House is paved with hate-mongering, stoking the fires of fear, and blaming others for personal shortfalls. 

In my humble opinion, I think is is time for a different and more coherent and inclusive approach to the presidency. We should celebrate and protect the diversity embodied in the Constitution rather than trying to limit the application of its protected freedoms. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Summer's Threshold


Summer, the best season of the year is upon us. 

I was out working by the pool and noticed this small butterfly. It was a reminder that summer is upon me.

Already this season the fireflies have been gracing the evening providing their cold light to brighten the evening darkness.

As the evenings have stayed moderate and the pool has warmed, the joy associated being outside has increased. I expect to see more summertime animals to grace my poolside lounging.

Friday will be one of the longest days of the year, in terms of sunlight, 14h 56m 19s. I will enjoy every second of the longest day of the year. 

Bring on the sun and the summer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, June 17, 2019

Monday Musings - June 17, 2019





Hibiscus Around the Pool
Elkridge, MD
June 16, 2019
1. The second half of the month of June has arrived. Time is speeding along as my favorite season of the year approaches.

2. Summer begins on Friday, June 21, 2019 at 11:54 AM EDT!

3. The summer flowers are blooming and they are adding much needed brightness to the season. Springtime is winding down and I am enjoying the long days of summer.

4. I look out into my backyard and I am greeted with the full, deep green of summer! I love the trees and how they shape the scenery.

5. Floating in the pool yesterday was great fun. It was a beautiful day, despite the dire warnings form the weathermen.

6. Did anyone notice that the Orioles managed to be tied with the Red Sox 3-3 at the end of 9 innings yesterday and then managed to lose the game 8-6 at the end of 10?

7. I still have not played golf in over two months. I am seriously hoping to break the drought next weekend.

Statue of Liberty
From Jersey City, New Jersey
October 2, 2016
8. I hope all of the fathers out there enjoyed our special day yesterday. And today? Well, it is back to work!

9. Today in History. On this day in 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America, arrives in New York Harbor after being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in 350 individual pieces packed in more than 200 cases. The copper and iron statue, which was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.


Headlines

Freed Hong Kong democracy activist joins mass calls for leader to quit - Reuters

Iran say it will reach allowed enriched uranium limit in 10 days - Reuters

Liberals Want Trump Impeached, but Centrist Freshmen May Have the Final Say - The New York Times

In Trump’s trade war with China, L.A. ports are ground zero - LA Times


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


You and I know and do not believe that life is so dear and peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying for, when did this begin -- just in the face of this enemy? Or should Moses have told the children of Israel to live in slavery under the pharaohs? Should Christ have refused the cross? Should the patriots at Concord Bridge have thrown down their guns and refused to fire the shot heard 'round the world? The martyrs of history were not fools, and our honored dead who gave their lives to stop the advance of the Nazis didn't die in vain. Where, then, is the road to peace? Well it's a simple answer after all.

You and I have the courage to say to our enemies, "There is a price we will not pay." "There is a point beyond which they must not advance."

 -- A Time for Choosing, October 27, 1964, Los Angeles, CA


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Father's Day - 2019


To all the fathers out there--Happy Father's Day!

Yes, it is our special day. It is a day to remember and celebrate our fathers, the men in our lives who helped to mold us into the men and women that we are today.

I found a poem that sums up the essence of a father and thought I'd share it here.

Silent, Strong Dad

© 
Published: February 2006
He never looks for praises.
He's never one to boast.
He just goes on quietly working
For those he loves the most.
His dreams are seldom spoken.
His wants are very few,
And most of the time his worries
Will go unspoken, too.
He's there...a firm foundation
Through all our storms of life,
A sturdy hand to hold onto
In times of stress and strife.
A true friend we can turn to
When times are good or bad.
One of our greatest blessings,
The man that we call Dad.


Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/silent-strong-dad

Dads, enjoy the day.
Sons and daughters, remember your dad.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, June 15, 2019

Paying a Bundle for Cable


Every so often I take a good look at my cable TV bill and wonder, why am I paying so much for so little?


That is the truth. While the cable companies offer a plethora of channels, I usually have difficulty finding anything worth watching and default to sports or old movies. I mean, how many times can one really watch, The Proposal?

Yet, I continue to pay a a high monthly fee for cable services that I mostly don't use. Take for instance the music channels. With the advent of multiple music internet providers who really needs, or uses, the music channels provided by the cable companies? Yet the 30 or so music channels are counted into the total number of channels that I receive.

And then there are the non-HD channels. Who watches those channels? And why do the HD versions and SD versions get counted as two channels--it is really only one offering? 

I am getting perilously close to cutting the cable cord--but I have 15 months remaining on my current contract! Ugh.

I wish we could get to a place where we pay-as-we-go for cable. I think I would save a bundle instead of paying for a bundle.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday, June 14, 2019

Promotion Day 2019


Jax Receiving his Promotion Papers
Waugh Chapel Elementary School
June 13, 2019
Jax on Promotion Day
It is the end of the school-year and yesterday Chris and I attended the 5th grade promotion ceremony for Jackson. We had a lot of fun watching him close-out his elementary school career along side of many of his friends. I think they were all ready to get out of there and to the after school pool party that had been arranged for them at the local facility.

It was a likely my last visit to the elementary school that I have been visiting for the past nine years. I have attended a wide variety of events and activities. There were concerts, awards ceremonies, and promotion ceremonies, and many other reasons to visit the school and revel in the activities of both Ethan and Jax as they progressed through the years

Yesterday, however, was a celebration of Jax and his academic career. And now he is off the the wild land of middle school. It is hard to wrap my mind around the thought.

Congratulations, Jax!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD  

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Thursday Thoughts, June 13, 2019


Wow, the item I wrote yesterday about the Orioles generated about as much interest as a broken arm. I guess that is about right since the O's are one of the worst teams in baseball. I have not had an item read by so few people in a very long time. 

Triple Play
I was reminded yesterday about how life can change in a moment. A good friend passed fairly suddenly and I am still very melancholy this morning. While his passing was not unexpected, it was sudden and I had hoped that he would recover from his illness. I will miss him very much and I am still in denial about his passing.

I wondered why I pay so much for cable TV, internet, and phone. I have the "Triple Play!" Well, it is a triple play in my wallet. I am seriously considering completely changing the way that I access television and the internet. 

I think I cannot still wrap my mind  around the idea that the youth baseball season is over, well until the autumn. 

The rains returned overnight. Everything is wet.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Orioles Update for June


I have not written much about the Orioles this season. There, frankly, is not much to write. The team is rebuilding and has settled comfortably at the bottom of the standings for the league. It seems that they can win one game of most series, but fall miserably short of being respectable. 

Sporting a record of 21-45, the Orioles are 20 games out of first in the division and 15 games out of Wild Card contention. The team is tied for last place in MLB with the Kansas City Royals, or put another way, they are tied for 29th place in the standings. 

Last evening, to begin their homestead, they defeated the Toronto Bluejays 4-2. The line score shows the tale of the game.

From MLB.com


It was a win, but even-so  the team is now 9-23 at home! 

Chris Davis has taken sole possession of the formerly called "Mendoza-line" which has always been considered a batting average below .200. The line has been redefined as something below that point as Chris Davis is currently batting .164 and still on the team. He finished the 2018 season with a .168 batting average. Unofficially, the Mendoza-line is "often thought of as the offensive threshold below which a player's presence on a Major League Baseball team cannot be justified, regardless of his defensive abilities. The term is used in other contexts when one is so incompetent in one key skill that other skills cannot compensate for that deficiency." (from Wikipedia) Because he is getting $23M per year, he is still suiting up every night when players with lesser salaries would have been long gone. 

I have attended one game so far this season in person and I do not regularly watch the games on television, opting for some movie that I have already seen on Netflix. Usually, I know how both the game and the movie will end.

There are bright sport on the team. John Means, the pitcher last night, has a 6-4 record and as solid 2.60 ERA; but it took him 103 pitches to get out of the 5th inning to qualify for the win last night. 

Jonathan Villar, the shortstop, is exciting and sporting a solid .262 batting average, but he was caught stealing and suffered a put-out (meaning he was on base two times and both opportunities were lost). He has 12 stolen bases for the season may be on track to exceed the 21 he had during 2018. 

The star or the team is, arguably, Trey Mancini, who has 13 home runs and a solid .298 batting average. 

And so, nearing the mid-way point of the season, the team is on track for a 52-110 season, which is marginally better Thant the 47-115 they sported last year. Before the season started I predicted a 105 loss season and since they have almost completed the season meetings with the Yankees (2-10 with 7 games remaining) and completed play against the Twins (0-6 with no games remaining), my prediction may still be in play. That means they are 19-29 .395 against the rest of the league!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Door Flag


Door Flag
Elkridge, MD
June 9, 2019
Chris and I found a new door flag to hang at the entrance of our house. I took this image of it hanging after dark--it really highlights the flag. 

We like having a flag hanging at the entrance to the house to highlight the season. This one helps connect our two homes--here and Florida. Although we cannot simultaneously be in both places, we can remain connected to each. 

Door flags and garden flags add a personal touch to the premises. Some of the flags are used to display adherence to a certain set of beliefs or political preference. For instance, I am seeing rainbows as door flags. Other flags are patriotic and people display the American Flag, but at our house the location of the flag holder is on the wrong side of the door. Yes, there is a correct and incorrect place to display the American FlagThe flag we fly just tries to evoke the sentiment that I'd rather be at the beach. 

Fly your flag proudly, whatever you are trying say.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday, June 10, 2019

Monday Musings - June 10, 2019




1. It has been a two-week hiatus, but Monday Musings is back! Do I hear cheering?

2. Welcome to the second Monday of June. Summer is upon us.
Where I Was Last Monday
Tequesta, Florida
from Radio Flyer
June 4, 2019

3. I have to confess, because I was in Florida last week I did not even realize that it was Monday and forgot to write Monday Musings.

4. It was sobering to watch the President making remarks from Normandy's beaches on the anniversary of D-Day reminding me that it had been 75 years since oppression was repulsed.

5. The youth baseball season is over but not forgotten. We are having a team party next weekend. 

6. The rains have started again. Chris and I got some great outdoors work accomplished during the good weather. Another 8 bags of mulch were placed in the gardens and the pool was spruced up a bit.

7. I am enjoying that it does not get dark until after 8:30 PM. It makes the days last longer.

8. The official start of summer is less than two weeks away! Summer begins on June 21st at 11:54 AM!

9. Reminder--schools are beginning to release for the summer during the next two weeks! Watch out for distracted children and parents.




Headlines


Hundreds of thousands march in Hong Kong to protest China extradition bill - Reuters



Texas Is Latest State to Pump the Brakes on Red-Light Cameras - The New York Times


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week


Winston Churchill said, "The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we're spirits -- not animals." And he said, "There's something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty."

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny.

We'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.


  -- A Time for Choosing, October 27, 1964, Los Angeles, CA

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday, June 9, 2019

And so the Season Ends


Pre-game Warm-up GORC 12U Wildcats (Haslup)
June 8, 2019
The GORC 12U Wildcats (Haslup) ended their playoff run and their season yesterday with a bone crushing loss. It is the kind of loss that just leaves a bad taste in your mouth because the winning team was not necessarily the better team, they just received too many breaks in the first inning.

Line Score GORC 12U Wildcats (Haslup)
June 8, 2019
The box score tells the tale of the game. The opposition managed 8 runs on 2 hits with 6 walks. Five of GORC's errors (3 fielding and 2 passed balls on 3rd strikes) occurred during the first inning in which it took the equivalent of 8 outs to get out of the inning. Taking away those errors, which all occurred with two-outs and no runs in, the score should have been 3-2. 

Pre-game Team Meeting
GORC 12U Wildcats (Haslup)
June 8 ,2019
Once the defense stiffened, the team managed some great plays, including turning another double play and solid play by the catcher, third basemen and shortstop, but they just were not ready to play at the start of the game. It felt like we had two outs for an hour during the now pivotal first inning. We had some heroic plays as well by players who were injured fielding the ball but still made great plays before succumbing to the pain or the dirt in their eyes. Jax was one of those, on a ball hit back to him while he was the pitcher dirt got into his eyes, but he still made the throw to first for the out. And in another, the centerfielder, Cal, got hit by the ball which took a bad hop but was able to field it and get it to home plate to cut down a runner. 

Despite the heroics and the solid defense, the game ended before the bats could overcome spotting the other team 6 runs during the first inning. 

Although the season is over and the sting of the loss is still fresh and painful, the one thing that I will take away from the season is that the boys are now baseball players and not just playing baseball.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Saturday at Home


Chris, Me, and Finnegan in Front of our Florida Home
Tequesta, Florida
June 4, 2019
I was going to start by writing that I am at home for the first weekend in a while, but then I realized that last Saturday I traveled from one home to the other. It is still weird to try and wrap my mind around that seeming contradiction of traveling away from home to come home. 

I am already looking forward to my return trip to Florida during July to enjoy additional time at our southern residence. 


Chris and Finn Chatting with Neighbors in the Pool
Tequesta, Florida
June 4, 2019
I was able to get Radio Flyer airborne on one occasion during our most recent trip south. It was our last day after all of the work had been done around the house before we decided to pack for our return trip north. The first image from Radio Flyer is of the entrance to our Florida home. The blue car is in the driveway in front of our garage and we are on the walkway to our front door. Did you notice the palm tree in the front of there condo? Yup, I have a palm tree of my own!


Looking to the Atlantic
Tequesta, Florida
June 4, 2019
The neighborhood is a very nice place to relax and everyone seems very nice and friendly. We have met many of the neighbors in our community, especially those with whom we share the building. The pool is across the street, but the entrance is around to the other side from where we live. 

I flew Radio Flyer up to about 200 feet and aimed the camera towards the east to show how close we are to the ocean. The water in the middle of the image is the Intracoastal Waterway and Indian River, the tall buildings are on Jupiter Island and beyond is the mighty Atlantic Ocean. The road in the foreground is US 1. It seems that I enjoy living near US 1 as it drive on it every day in Maryland and now also in Florida. 

The location is perfect and we are able to get to the beach in less than five minutes. We actually clocked it at four minutes one day, of course when the drawbridge is up it takes a few minutes longer.

Dreaming of being home! Wait, I am!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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