Being Watched

The Watcher, Deer on Hole 13
Timbers at Troy, Elkridge, MD
June 7, 2025

 Saturday was a golf day. Jeremy and I hit the course for 7:15 tee-time and because of the rain we got moved forward to the first tee-time of the day and led everyone off. Actually the course was pretty open, but it was fun not having anyone in front of us. 

We had a great time. My scorecard was typical for the course--Timbers at Troy in Elkridge. We were treated to a rainstorm for a couple of holes, but we looked at the radar map and saw that once the rain stopped we would be dry the rest of the day. It had been a while since I played in rain, but the day was warm and the rain was not at all uncomfortably cold.

Once the rain stopped and we dried off the day was actually a fantastic one for golf. We were lucky in that it did not rain hard enough to produce standing water on the course. 

We finished our round in 3h39m. The course posts that an acceptable pace of play is 4h20m.  

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

We Made It!

81st Anniversary of D-Day 

Our two-day I-95 fun drive was a success and we arrived in Elkridge yesterday afternoon. I had correctly discerned the weather from the projections and we only had rain for about the first 45 minutes of yesterday's six-hour highway event. It was supposed to be only five hours of road fun, but as usual, traffic delays that began in Richmond and continued through D.C. and into Maryland. 

View of the Roads Ahead
I-95 near Fredericksburg, VA
June 5, 2025

 During the drive, I especially do not enjoy getting a message like the one at the left. A 41-minute traffic delay is no fun at all. This message was from Wednesday as we were trying to make our way to the hotel. The day began with the mapping program estimating a 2:33 PM arrival at the hotel, based upon the need for gas and rest stops I had estimated 3:30 PM, and we finally got to the hotel at 5:02 PM. Having departed home at 5:07 AM that made for a very long day. 

We are looking forward to visiting with friends and family and reconnecting, before reversing our route and returning to Florida.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wait, That's a Torpedo

Torpedo
St Marys, GA
June 4, 2025

 It is not something that is expected to be seen when traveling north on I-95 and entering the state of Georgia--but there it was, a torpedo!

Amazing!

Well, we were in submarine country.

And I had forgotten how large actual torpedos are--but there it was, right in front of the restrooms. 

It was a reminder of naval warfare and the presence of the US Navy in the area. I love the display. Most people walked by and didn't even notice the weapon. Or, sadly, cared.

It was a more advanced version of the weapon that helped win the WW2 Battle of the Atlantic and also helped win the war in the Pacific. Many Japanese and German ships and subs succumbed to the predecessors of this weapon fired by the intrepid crews of U.S. submarines, many of whom never returned from their patrols, but who were instrumental in winning the naval war.

Wow. History in the raw!

-- Bob Doan, Dunn, N C

On The Road

 We are in Georgia having been on the road 5 hours already. It has been rainy at times as it will be all day.  Chris just took the wheel as we race through the state. I am taking a break. 

The program I use to forecast the trip weather was showing thunderstorms and rain all day, but the showers have been spotty so far.

We have just entered another storm area. Chris is doing well, she hates driving in the rain. 

After a stop tonight, we should arrive in Maryland tomorrow early afternoon. 

— Bob Doan, Brunswick, GA

Trip Preps

Readying the Truck
Tequesta, FL
June 2, 2025

 Chris and I are preparing to head north for a couple weeks. We have decided that while it takes longer, it is nice to have our own vehicle and not have to rent or borrow wheels when we arrive and so we are doing the two-day drive. 

We used to drive straight through, but determined that since we were so tired upon arriving that we effectively lost the next day the time investment is almost the same as spending a night on the road. We have also decided that the truck is more comfortable than the car for long trips and so it will be making the trip again.  

We took the truck over for the pre-trip cleaning. The wash center was really empty, I guess not a lot of people get their vehicles cleaned on a rainy day! Chris like to depart with a clean vehicle which is not a bad thing. I just wish I could remember to get it cleaned after we return, but before the next adventure. 

Gas prices are down! I paid $2.83/gallon yesterday. I only needed 5 gallons to top off the tank and I hope we can continue to find inexpensive gas along I-95 during our trek tomorrow. We shouldn't need our first fill-up until Georgia!

I will blog from the road tomorrow morning as the trip progresses. We have made the journey enough times that we have our favorite stopping places. 

See ya on the interstate!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It Rained

Rain from the Doorway
Tequesta, FL
June 1, 2025

 It rained most all of yesterday. 

While the temperatures were cooler, outdoors activities were suspended and we had a flood watch for the low lying areas. OF course, since my elevation is all of 11 feet, I am not in a low lying area which seems pretty weird when compared to areas like Maryland where the elevation can change 11 feet in a very short distance. 

But June has arrived and with it the longest days of sunlight of the year! The counterpoint to December! I love the early morning sunrises and late evening sunsets. I guess that is why being confined to the house on a rainy afternoon is disturbing. 

I watched the Orioles complete a series sweep for the first time this season. They are sitting on a 3-game winning streak for the second time this year and actually are over .500 (6-4) for the past 10 games! Amazing. They even picked up a game during the series on the first place team and are now only 14 games away from the division lead. If they keep playing .600 baseball maybe they can crawl into the playoff race. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Rummaging through the Archives

The Family
Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Sometime in 1986

 Chris and I have begun rummaging through the old pictures that we have in boxes and albums. 

There are a lot of them--too many. Printed images take a lot of space and are hard to store. I have also noticed that some of the places we had the prints made must have used bad solutions because the colors are faded--especially the reds. It is not like the images have been exposed to light, but some were in boxes stored in hot attic spaces. 

Thanksgiving 1989
Norfolk, VA
November 23, 1989

I have a couple programs that allow me to copy the picture into a current image format and then do some color correcting. It takes a bit of time, but hey, I'm retired, right?

Remembering where we have visited is fun and we are going to try to document the places, dates, and people as best that we can. The most unique picture, and also one of the worst for being faded, is Thanksgiving 1989. It is, so far, the only picture with all four grandparents and the entire family--even if Patrick is hidden in the chair. The real questions are, who took the picture and why do I look so serious? On the other hand, it is a good picture of my Mom and Dad together and smiling at the end of the table.

Well, there are so many more tidbits of family history to uncover and document. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL