Halloween 2019

The day has arrived. Halloween, the day of candy and goblins. 

Sadly, the weather report is making it seem as if this year's edition in the Baltimore region will be a washout. 

This will be the first year that Chris and I are not going Trick or Treating with the grandsons--they are getting too old to want grandparents tagging along as they visit the houses in their neighborhood with their friends. 

Chris and I will sit in our house, watching the rain, waiting for the doorbell to ring with the kids in their costumes asking for a treat.

I am looking forward to the evening. Everyone be careful out there.

Tomorrow is November!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Series for the Ages

This World Series is a one of a kind. The last time the home team did not win through six games was--never! This is the first time that it has happened like this in all of the World Series that have been played. Tonight is the concluding game seven with no wins thus far at home for either team.


An ESPN writer puts it this way: No team has won a World Series without winning a home game, but several teams have won Games 6 and 7 on the road: the 1926 Cardinals, 1934 Cardinals, 1952 Yankees, 1958 Yankees, 1968 Tigers, 1979 Pirates and 2016 Cubs. The Nationals will look to make a unique kind of history in Game 7, while the Astros will try to cement their legacy as an all-time great team. 

Matt Kelly at MLB.com wrote:

The Nationals’ season-saving 7-2 victory over the Astros in Game 6 on Tuesday night made road teams a perfect 6-0 in this year’s Fall Classic. It’s the first World Series in which the road team has won each of the first six games, and it’s also the first time in 1,420 best-of-seven postseason series across MLB, NBA and NHL in which the road team has won each of the first six contests.

And then of course, last night's game had the controversy with the runner being called out for interference running to First Base. There needs to be some drama in every World Series. 

Personal Trivia


One year ago today, I completed my 16th of 44 radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Wow! What a difference a year makes. I have had two follow-ups with the radiation oncologist since completing the treatments and everything seems great!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

We the People--A Scary Revelation

We the People--

I read a very scary statistic the other day about Americans. Here is a headline from The Daily Mail:

Majority of Americans want to change the First Amendment: Study found that people want JAIL TIME for hate speech as they call for updates to 200-year-old law 'to reflect cultural norms of today'

This is a very concerning report. 

The Washington Free Beacon also carried an article, extensively quoted in the one above titled:

Poll: Majority of Americans Want First Amendment Rewritten

Why would we want to willingly give up our right to Free Speech and a Free Press? 

These seem to me the two major items in the article. 

I am very concerned.

Too many Americans have fought and died for our freedoms, and among them are the rights to Free Speech and a Free Press. I do not understand why we believe that because these freedoms are abused by a minority of people that these rights should be abridged. Who will then become the anointed protector of the rights and the ultimate decision maker regarding approved Free Speech? 

China is an example of a place where the freedoms that we enjoy and take for granted are not allowed. The government controls all access to the news and the internet. People are not allowed to freely express their views and especially cannot openly disagree with the government. These freedoms are what the protests in Hong Kong are futilely trying to protect.

Just because we don't agree with something that someone says or writes does not mean that we should legislate against freedom of speech or the press.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, Md

Monday Musings - October 28, 2019

1. Welcome to the last Monday of October. Friday begins November and Daylight Saving Time ends next Sunday morning at 2 AM. It is going to be a busy week. There are 64 days remaining in 2019.

2. It is a tough Sunday when all four of the family NFL teams are not playing. The Cowboys and the Ravens were on a bye, the Redskins played Thursday, and the Steelers play tonight. 

3. What an interesting World Series, the home team has yet to win a game. Wow. The Astros, with three wins,  are one win away from a the championship, but the series now returns to Houston. They will need to win a home game to win the series. The 1996 World Series between the Yankees and Braves was the last that saw the home team lose the first five games. The Yankees won that series by winning game 6 at home. 

4. Sadly the rains yesterday morning meant the GORC Wildcats 12U baseball team did not get to play the third game of the Field of Screams baseball tournament in Hershey. They really needed the experience. 

5. Driving long distance in an intense rainstorm is really exhausting. 

Me, Mike, Jim
Watching the World Series
Hummelstown, PA
October 25, 2019

6. What do you do on a Friday night in Hummelstown, PA? Go out to the local watering hole and watch the World Series, of course. 

7. Once the rain stopped about noon, yesterday became an idyllic autumn day. Bright blue sky highlighted the trees adorned in the autumn finery.

8. Family NFL Results:

    Cowboys had a Bye
    Ravens had a Bye
    Redskins lost to Vikings 9-19
    Steelers play Dolphins tonight

9. Today is National Chocolate Day--which is great since I was just un Hershey, PA. 

St Louis Gateway Arch

10. Today in History. On October 28, 1965, construction is completed on the Gateway Arch, a spectacular 630-foot-high parabola of stainless steel marking the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial on the waterfront of St. Louis, Missouri.

The Gateway Arch, designed by Finnish-born, American-educated architect Eero Saarinen, was erected to commemorate President Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and to celebrate St. Louis’ central role in the rapid westward expansion that followed. As the market and supply point for fur traders and explorers—including the famous Meriwether Lewis and William Clark—the town of St. Louis grew exponentially after the War of 1812, when great numbers of people began to travel by wagon train to seek their fortunes west of the Mississippi River. In 1947-48, Saarinen won a nationwide competition to design a monument honoring the spirit of the western pioneers. In a sad twist of fate, the architect died of a brain tumor in 1961 and did not live to see the construction of his now-famous arch, which began in February 1963. 

HEADLINES

‘No Water, No Power, No Anything’: Fires Push California to Its Limits‘No Water, No Power, No Anything’ - The New York Times

1.5 Million Packages a Day: The Internet Brings Chaos to N.Y. Streets - The New York Times

Hong Kong protesters hurl petrol bombs after police fire tear gas to clear rally - Reuters

‘Many’ dead as Myanmar military sinks boats carrying kidnapped troops: Arakan Army - Reuters



Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Two of our Founding Fathers, a Boston lawyer named Adams and a Virginia planter named Jefferson, members of that remarkable group who met in Independence Hall and dared to think they could start the world over again, left us an important lesson. They had become, in the years then in government, bitter political rivals in the Presidential election of 1800. Then, years later, when both were retired and age had softened their anger, they began to speak to each other again through letters. A bond was reestablished between those two who had helped create this government of ours.

In 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, they both died. They died on the same day, within a few hours of each other, and that day was the Fourth of July.

In one of those letters exchanged in the sunset of their lives, Jefferson wrote: ``It carries me back to the times when, beset with difficulties and dangers, we were fellow laborers in the same cause, struggling for what is most valuable to man, his right of self-government. Laboring always at the same oar, with some wave ever ahead threatening to overwhelm us, and yet passing harmless . . . we rode through the storm with heart and hand.''

Well, with heart and hand let us stand as one today -- one people under God, determined that our future shall be worthy of our past. As we do, we must not repeat the well-intentioned errors of our past. We must never again abuse the trust of working men and women by sending their earnings on a futile chase after the spiraling demands of a bloated Federal Establishment. You elected us in 1980 to end this prescription for disaster, and I don't believe you reelected us in 1984 to reverse course.

  -- Inaugural Address, January 21, 1985

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Tournament

The Team Between Games
Hummelstown, PA
October 26, 2019

The team played in its first tournament yesterday. I must confess, there is a special excitement about playing in a tournament and meeting other high caliber teams. Our team is making the jump from being a recreational league team to becoming a travel team. Every time we play, the boys get better and see what is expected of them as they play at a higher level.

Jax and Jack Chilling at the Hotel
Hummelstown, PA
October 26, 2019

While the outcomes of the games are still not what the team desires, there are more and more positives that we can focus upon coming out of every outing. Sadly, the Sunday game got canceled because they believed that they were going to win that game decisively based upon the strong performance in the second game yesterday. The boys are gelling as a team and it is truly sad that the season ends next week--with a doubleheader on Sunday. 

Singing Cars
Hershey's Chocolate World
Hershey, PA
October 26, 2019

It was fun to get out of town to a tournament and spend the weekend with the boys and their families in a hotel. I truly hope that we can play in more tournaments next year to get the boys ready for the weeklong Cooperstown Tournament that we will be playing during late-June 2020. 

Chris and I did get out with Ethan to Hershey's Chocolate World for some enjoyment yesterday morning before the first game. It was very different from the lat time I visited, which was during the 1960's. I must say--there was a lot of chocolate and the singing cows were just a bit over the top. It was a moo-ving performance.

A great weekend so far and since there is no game today, we will be heading home soon.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Hummelstown, PA

Out the Hotel Window - Hummelstown, PA

Out the Hotel Window
Hummelstown, PA
October 26, 2019

It is not a very beautiful sight. Looking out onto the parking lot and the semi-industrial area beyond. The window is dirty and clouds the scene. The awning for the hotel blocks much of the view. I suppose that this should be considered a restricted view room. But then, the view isn't much to look at.

Chris and I are here with the GORC 12U Cooperstown Team for a baseball tournament. It is the next to last weekend of the season and, sadly, the weather is supposed to be rainy. We were hoping to enjoy Hershey Park this evening, but it is likely that the weather will be wet and cold and make an evening at the park something to avoid rather than to embrace.

Sadly, the view out the hotel window does not make it any better.

Well, at least there will be baseball, if the rains hold off.

— Bob Doan, writing from Hummelstown, PA

Getting Ready for the Winter

Winter is coming, of that I am sure. 

Firewood for the Winter
Stacked Lovingly by Chris
October 24, 2019

Last evening our neighbor reminded Chris and I that Thanksgiving is only about four weeks away. In reality it is five weeks until Thanksgiving, but the message was clearly received. During the time between now and then the leaves will completely fall from the trees, darkness will arrive earlier and earlier, the temperatures will plummet, and we will have a killing frost, or more. 

Not a very pleasant period to anticipate.

We are getting ready for the dark and cold days. We ordered our firewood for the season. Split and ready for stacking. Chris took it upon herself to stack the entire half-cord herself rather than waiting for me to come home from work. She did a great job and while I am very thankful that she did it, I would have preferred to help her. But it is done and a big thanks to Chris for her hard work. 

While we do not burn wood as our primary heat source during the winter, we use it in the fireplace to heat the family room and kitchen up to toasty warm temperatures. There is something nostalgic about a roaring fire on a cold and snowy day. 

Did I actually write that word? Well, as least we are ready, because we all know that it is coming.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

World Series Update

As the MLB season draws to a conclusion, I can state that it has been an exciting World Series, thus far. 

While I picked the Astros to win the series in six games, and they technically could still do that, it certainly does not look as if they brought their "A" game last night during their 12-3 loss. The Astros are now two games down in the best of seven series. 


Remember--it is Baseball! There are still five games possible and anything can happen!

Here are some World Series fun facts from CBS Sports. 


The Nationals have outscored the Astros 17-7.

Road teams who take a 2-0 series lead have won the Series 77 percent of the time.

The last 11 MLB teams to take a 2-0 lead have gone on to win the title, including the 2018 Red Sox.

A total of 17 runs from the Nats are the most by road team in the first two games of the World Series since the 1960 Yankees (20 runs vs. Pirates).

Just three of the previous 25 teams to lose the first two games at home under the current 2-3-2 format have come back to win the World Series. It hasn't been accomplished since the 1996 New York Yankees came back against the Atlanta Braves.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And the Rains Arrived

The news reported that we have received more rain in the past week than we had received since the beginning of August. 

That was an astounding revelation. That is how dry that it has been. 

The Team After Practice
GORC Park
October 12, 2019

But, today is supposed to be a beautiful day. And it is working out well because we have baseball practice tonight. The team is preparing for a big tournament in Hershey this weekend. We are guaranteed three games and hopefully will play more. We have a double header on Saturday beginning at 12:30--hopefully the weather will be kind to us. Right now it looks like Saturday evening showers and Sunday rain--we might not get to play on Sunday. But, the weather can always change. 

Hopefully, it will. But, then, we need the rain. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Changed Forecast

It is hard to get used to the changed weather forecast. 

The region has been in a period where the forecast has been for dry, clear, sunny days. 

Not so anymore. I looked at the forecast for the coming 10 days and was stunned to see a lot of rain in the forecast. It is something that while the year began with too much rain, I had become accustomed to bright clear days and no rain, even though we were too dry. 

Weather Forecast for Baltimore
October 21, 2019

The weather forecast looks downright depressing. I even note that Thursday night next week it appears that we may have our first frost of the season and that it is going to be cold for Halloween. How coincidental that the first frost may occur on the last day of October just days before the end of Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, November 3rd.

And so the dark season begins. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 21. 2019

1. Welcome to the third Monday of October. It is the middle of the month. We are headed into November in 10 short days. There are 71 days remaining in 2019.

2. It rained all day yesterday. That was good, except it took me over two hours to cross the Bay Bridge on my way home from a winery. 

3. Family NFL Report:

    Redskins lose to 49ers 0-9
    Ravens defeat Seahawks 30-16
    Cowboys defeat Eagles 37-10
    Steelers did not play

Great Shoals Cellars Tasting Room
St Michaels, MD
October 20, 2019

4. Chris and I did a day trip to the Eastern Shore yesterday to visit two wineries, Great Shoals Cellars and St Michaels Winery. We enjoyed our day; however, that almost two hours we were in traffic to cross back over the Bay Bridge were a bit excessive. Maryland really needs to do something about the bridge. 

Around the Fire Pit
Elkridge, MD
October 19, 2019

5. It rained all day yesterday. We need the rain, but is did put a damper on outdoors activity. We received a lot of rain--much needed rain. Saturday evening, however, Chris and I were able to enjoy a nice fire and some wine in advance of the onset of the storms. 

6. The GORC 12U Cooperstown team had a good practice on Saturday. We were fortunate not to have a game scheduled for Sunday--it would have been rained out. The team is off to Hershey, PA, for a tournament on Saturday. We are guaranteed three games. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday. We continue to play games as long as we win on Sunday. 

7. Today in History. On October 21, 1959, on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, thousands of people line up outside a bizarrely shaped white concrete building that resembled a giant upside-down cupcake. It was opening day at the new Guggenheim Museum, home to one of the world’s top collections of contemporary art. Mining tycoon Solomon R. Guggenheim began collecting art seriously when he retired in the 1930s. With the help of Hilla Rebay, a German baroness and artist, Guggenheim displayed his purchases for the first time in 1939 in a former car showroom in New York. Within a few years, the collection—including works by Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee and Marc Chagall—had outgrown the small space. In 1943, Rebay contacted architect Frank Lloyd Wright and asked him to take on the work of designing not just a museum, but a “temple of spirit,” where people would learn to see art in a new way.



Headlines

As U.S. Leaves Allies in Syria, Kurdish Commander Struggles With FalloutAs U.S. Leaves Allies in Syria,  - The New York Times

Despite Failures, Boris Johnson Is in Striking Distance of Brexit SuccessDespite Failures, - The New York Times

 Qantas tests world's longest commercial flight from New York to Sydney - Reuters

North Korea says U.S., South Korea must present new solutions for conflict - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Some Americans think that Europeans are too little concerned for their own security. Some would unilaterally reduce the number of American troops deployed in Europe. And in Europe itself, we hear the idea that the American presence, rather than contributing to peace, either has no deterrent value or actually increases the risk that our Allies may be attacked.

These arguments ignore both the history and the reality of the transatlantic coalition. Let me assure you that the American commitment to Europe remains steady and strong. Europe's shores are our shores. Europe's borders are our borders. And we will stand with you in defense of our heritage of liberty and dignity.

The American people recognize Europe's substantial contributions to our joint security. Nowhere is that contribution more evident than here in the Federal Republic. German citizens host the forces of six nations. German soliders and reservists provide the backbone of NATO's conventional deterrent in the heartland of Europe. Your Bundeswehr is a model for the integration of defense needs with a democratic way of life, and you have not shrunk from the heavy responsibility of accepting the nuclear forces necessary for deterrence.

  -- Address Before the Bundestag in Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany, June 9, 1982 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

NFL: Are the Referees Deciding the Game

It is Sunday. That means that I get my weekly dose of the NFL. I am not sure whether the product being offered by the NFL is football anymore.

I am beginning to think that NFL stands for No Football League. 

Last week during one game, there were no less than six plays in a row on which flags were thrown. It was towards the end of the game and the flags thrown definitely affected the outcome.


How bad is it? Flags have been thrown on 10.25 percent of the 16,526 plays run in the NFL this season. That is an increase of 28.9 percent over 2009 when there were flags thrown on 7.95 percent of the 46,523 plays run by teams in the league. 

Now it is important that I am using the Flags Thrown statistic--which means a penalty was enforced, declined, or offsetting. I'm not sure if they track when the flag is picked up with no penalty. I ran across a pretty nifty website called NFL Penalties which has the stats back to 2009. 

So doing the math--that is about a 29 percent increase in penalties over a 10 year period.

And the worst part is that even with video review--they still get the calls wrong! But, that is a rant for another time. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Halloween Do-Over

Halloween House
Elkridge, MD
October 17, 2019

So I did a do-over for the photo of the Halloween house.

This is what it looks like without the streaks the lights running across the frame.

It is fairly scary. And complete. I wonder how many young children will avoid the place because of the decorations?

But it really is special. The current residents are the second couple who really get into Halloween--maybe it is something about the house, but it has been a Halloween spectacular for many years.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

15 Minutes to Install

I believe that most homeowners who attempt their own repair projects have been faced with the following phrase or one similar to it included in the instructions: 

Installation Time: 15 minutes

What does that phrase mean? 

Jeremy and I gained an understanding of the rich and full meaning of these instructions the other afternoon/evening as we determined to repair a malfunctioning toilet. 

The Bolt Connection the Tank to the Toilet
Finding a Place to Saw
October 16, 2019

In all fairness, the instructions were absolutely true! It only took 15 minutes to install the complete toilet innards replacement kit. It, however,  took two and a half hours, including three trips back to my house for additional tools, to get the toilet prepared for the installation. That is the missing part of the instructions--how long will it take to get the project ready for the installation. 

In the case of the toilet in question, the installation was the easy part because the bolts holding the tank to the bowl were badly corroded and could not be loosened. They had to be hacksawed. By hand. And even though there were only two bolts, the way that they were installed required three cuts to fully remove the bolts. The final cut had to be done with just the blade, removed from the saw because of the tolerances and the concern about damaging or breaking the porcelain tank. It was a slow and tortuous project as at times we were both crammed into a very small bathroom working together to remove the tank from the bowl to facilitate installation of the complete new tank system.

But we were victorious! The toilet finally was defeated and the installation went smoothly.

It is just strange that an expected 15 minute project took almost three hours. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Halloween

The season is upon us--that is the season of Halloween. The date is just two weeks from today.

Halloween Decorated House
Elkridge, MD
October 15, 2019

Some of the houses in my neighborhood have decorated extensively for the Halloween. I went out the other night to take an image of one of the houses. I thought that I had taken a nice image, but when I reviewed it, it seemed filled with a bit more of the Halloween eeriness than I had planned. I have no idea how I managed to get this weird image, but I did. 

The Halloween season has arrived and the leaves are falling from the trees. Yesterday's rains will ensure my lawn remains green for another couple weeks. It was good to have rain, finally, yesterday. And it was a nice soaking rain.

Maybe I will get a better picture of the decorations in the neighborhood this evening. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Those Amazing Nats

Amazing! Incredible!

The Nationals fans are celebrating this morning because their team us the first to punch its ticket to the World Series 2019 where they will face either the Astros or the Yankees. 


A couple of weeks ago, the team played a single-game elimination Wild Card playoff looking forward to facing the Dodgers, the team with the second best record in all of baseball, if they were victorious. Few believed they would survive a series against the Dodgers--but anything can happen in a five game series and the Nats were victorious and now have swept the Cardinals to be the first team into the 2019 World Series. The Nationals also win their first NL Pennant!

In the other series, yesterday the Astros defeated the Yankees 4-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their series. This is a series that I expect will go to at least 6 games given the strength of the teams. That is definitely a problem for the Nationals--sitting around watching rather than playing baseball. 

And so there are three teams remaining. Soon there will be two. I still like the Astros to take it all, but would not be disappointed to have a World Series trophy come to D.C. 

I checked Stub Hub this morning, standing room only tickets to World Series Game 3, the first to be played in D.C. on Friday October 25th, are starting at $750. I would need to start a Fundme page to go to the game. I am not too concerned about going to the game, however, because I will be at a tournament in Hershey, PA, with my very own GORC 12U Wildcats that weekend!

I love Baseball!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Holiday

It sounds like the title of a novel--The Holiday. 

Basement Bathroom
October 14, 2019

I wasn't disappointed with the holiday I enjoyed yesterday. I managed to get a number of things accomplished and I therefore made good use of the day off. It was an enjoyable, if not busy, three-day weekend. 

I have a list of things that I intended to accomplish during the time off and I can report that mostly accomplished them. One item turned into a larger project than I had anticipated--there is always, it seems, one project that is fraught with problems and pitfalls. 

This time it was caulking the basement bathroom shower. It seemed like an easy project requiring only a tube of caulk and about 30 minutes of time. Not so, grasshopper! I decided that the paint around the top of the shower stall was too flaky to be properly painted, so I scraped the wall thoroughly and smoothed it with plaster to rebuild the wall. Today I get to paint it and hopefully tomorrow I will finally be able to caulk the seam around the top. I like the plaster that is tinted pink because I tend not to let it dry enough before attempting the next step.

Always another project it seems.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 14, 2019

1. It is the second Monday of October and we are celebrating Columbus Day. I have the day off from work.

2. We are in a period when we enjoy seven Federal holidays in a 5 month period from September through 
January. They are: Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day, and Martin Luther King's Birthday. 

3. Yesterday the GORC Wildcats U12 Cooperstown team had a baseball game. Who knew that it was going to rain. We did not complete the second inning before the game was called for rain. It rained hard! But we received no rain in Elkridge! I still had to water the lawn to nurture the grass seedlings we are encouraging to fill the empty spots. 

4. Family NFL Results:

    Ravens defeat Bengals 23-17
    Redskins defeat Dolphins 17-16
    Cowboys lost to Jets 22-24
    Steelers defeated Chargers 24-17

5. I wonder if they still teach the school children about Columbus and the jingle, "In 14 hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?" And then about his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? I remember drawing pictures of the ships arriving off the coast of the New World.

6. The temperatures have been trending downward, I may have turn the heat on in the house soon. 

7. Despite the rained out baseball game yesterday, we still havre not received any measurable rain in Elkridge in two months and it is dry!

8. I noticed that colors are beginning grace the trees yesterday as they don their autumn finery for the final show of the season.

9. Today in History. U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager, born in Myra, West Virginia, in 1923, was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe. He shot down 13 German planes and was himself shot down over France, but he escaped capture with the assistance of the French Underground. After the war, he was among several volunteers chosen to test-fly the experimental X-1 rocket plane, built by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the possibility of supersonic flight.


Headlines

Abandoned by U.S. in Syria, Kurds Find New Ally in American Foe Abandoned by U.S. in Syria,  - The New York Times

Green Berets Feel ‘Ashamed,’ and Kurds Describe ‘Betrayal’ - The New York Times

Hong Kong violence is 'life-threatening', say police, citing crude bomb - Reuters

Saudi visit showcases Putin's growing Middle East influence - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

When our children turn the pages of our lives, I hope they'll see that we had a vision to pass forward a nation as nearly perfect as we could, where there's decency, tolerance, generosity, honesty, courage, common sense, fairness, and piety. This is my vision and I'm grateful to God for blessing me with a good life and a long one. But when I pack up my bags in Washington, don't expect me to be happy to hear all this talk about the twilight of my life. 

  -- Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, August 15, 1988


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

This is What I Saw

Sunrise over Route 100
Maryland
October 11, 2019

It was Friday morning early, just as the sun was rising in the East. I was driving to work on the road that I usually take, but because the sun is rising later, it was mostly dark. Too dark.

In the East, I witnessed the first light of dawn. Breaking over the horizon and framed by the road I was driving. It was an inspiring sight. The sky was clear and the colors of the morning were vibrantly greeting me as I made my way to start the last workday of the week. The reflection of the sunrise on the hood of my truck is something that I did not notice at the time I snapped this quick image. But, it highlights the beauty of the scene.

Fox at Crofton Country Club
Crofton, MD
October 12, 2019

I will follow that with what I saw while golfing yesterday. I enjoy seeing wildlife on the golf course and yesterday was no exception. As I was warming up in the chipping area, a fox ran across the grass and stopped to check me out. I was quick enough to grab my camera and snap an image of it, even while I was amazed that it was so close--within my comfort zone for a wild and potentially rabid animal. But, the fox went about its business and left me alone with to enjoy my ragged golf game. I need to play golf more often than every three months. It has been since July that I was on a course. 

Golf aside, I have been treated to some exciting views this weekend.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD