Mid-Summer Pool Woes

It happened almost overnight, it seemed.

I have a nasty algae growth in my pool. It is worse because I misidentified it early on and theater it wrong. 

Now, it is everywhere and the pool is closed undergoing algae eradication.

Ugh. I've never had a problem this bad, but I have read this particular algae, mustard algae, loves rough surfaces and since my pool surface is old it can be especially favorable for the growth of this somewhat chlorine resistant type. 

My Pool Being Treated

Fortunately, I caught before it really took over and I should be able to get the pool reopened before the weekend. At least the pool color is not born or green. The image is of the pool after I brushed it down and applied the treatments. As for more pool activities, with morning temperatures in the 50's and afternoons in the low 80's, I'm not sure how much more swimming season actually remains.

I miss laying on a floatie in the pool--which, frankly, I have not done much of this year at all.

I expect a few more sunny afternoons are all that are left of the season.

I'm hoping for at least one more pool party.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 24, 2015

1. The weekend is gone. Sometimes I think I work harder on weekends than I do during the week.

Makayla on the Couch

2. Makayla was on the couch the other day, relaxing. She gave me a look which seemed to say, do you really have to take a picture of this?

Patuxent Greens at Dawn
August 23, 2015

3. There is something mystical about greeting the new day on the golf course. Yesterday out Tee Time was before dawn and we arrived in time to warm up. It is hard to hit balls on the driving range and have no idea where they are going.

4. The Orioles certainly did not help their quest to repeat as American League East Champions by losing four straight games to the Minnesota Twins at home over the weekend. They are now 6.5 games out of first and headed to Kansas City to face a team which traditionally gives them trouble because they match up well. I am feeling the post-season slipping away.

Orioles Park at Camden Yards
August 19, 2015

5. Continuing the baseball theme, I snapped a realign interesting image of a rainbow over Camden Yards last week. I had hoped it was a sign of rebirth and renewal, alas, it was not to be. 

6. It looks as if it is going to be another rough day for the stock market. I wish that China would get their act together. My retirement funds are taking a nosedive!

7. Here is an interesting read from August 18, 1939, the review of The Wizard of Oz. Hmmm.

8. On this day, August 24, 79 (yup that is 79 as in 79 AD), Vesuvius erupted. 

9. OK, I just have to mention the birth of the twin pandas at the National Zoo. Really exciting for panda watchers of all ages. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 17, 2015

1. Teachers in some counties of Maryland report back to school today. Welcome back teachers, summer is over and it's time to get ready for the next school year.

Golf Carts and Golfers ready for the
Troy Whittemore Classic Golf Tournament

2. There is a lot of sadness as summer vacation comes to an end, but--summer is NOT over! Let's not hasten the demise of summer just because schools are gearing up. Autumn comes too soon as it is without helping it arrive sooner.

Hole Six at the
Troy Whittemore Classic sponsored by
Chris

3. I played in a golf tournament in Upstate New York yesterday. While my team did five or six strokes better than last year, we were hoping to do even better. 

4. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of my introduction to golf! What a change. Instead of hoping to just hit the ball, I was actually planning how to execute specific shots.

5. How 'bout them Orioles? 18-2 winners over the Athletics yesterday, on a three game winning streak and creeping up to only four games out of the division lead. Good things are happening in Baltimore! More baseball is on tap for today!

Balloon over Hershey, PA
August 15, 2015

6. I had the opportunity to ride and look out the windows on most of my trip to and from Upstate New York this weekend. I saw a hot air balloon over Hershey, PA. 

Lights Reflecting on Cayuga Lake
August 15, 2015

7. I was able to take a few minutes and look at the stars and consider the reflections of the lights in Cayuga Lake on Saturday night. The scene was memorable and I tried to capture it. It made a better memory and image, I guess.

8. Reading the news of the past few days I find it amazing what can be condoned in the name of religion. ISIS has found a way to incorporate rape, sex slaves, murder, and who know what other atrocities and justify them as an offering to god. 

9. Did you read that North Korea now has its own time zone? Actually, it is reverting to the one it used until 1910. Maybe I can declare a personal time zone?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunset to Sunrise Vacation

Sunset July 22, 2015
from the Square Grouper, Jupiter, Florida

In reviewing the images we captured during our vacation, it was surprising that even though the weather was great most of the days, Chris and I only captured one sunset and one sunrise that provided the classic images of which memories are made.

I enjoy sunrises and sunsets. The color saturation and the transition of the hues provide a constant stream of changing color.

Sunrise August 2, 2015
Port Everglades, Florida
aboard the Carnival Conquest

Even more interesting than realizing that we only captured one of each, was the fact that the sunset was imaged on the very first night of our vacation while in Jupiter, Florida, with friends and that the sunrise was taken from the balcony of our stateroom on the ship on the morning that we docked signifying the ending of our vacation. 

The setting and rising of the sun bookended our vacation, and nothing in between was nearly as spectacular.

I just found it very interesting--and I remember we watched for the sunsets every evening and I was awake for many of the sunrises--but none were as stunning as the sunset that started our vacation the sunrise that woke the world as we began our last day and traveled back to our day-to-day lives.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Going to the Dogs

Every so often we have the opportunity to dog sit for canines in the family.

Chris with Florence and Arthur

This week, we are watching not one, but two excitable, cute, adorable dogs. Florence and Arthur have rapidly become part of the family while they are staying with us. 

It is amazing how quickly they assimilate into the household. The funniest part is that Riordin, one of our cats, now considers them playmates and likes to join into their antics.

Makayla often just looks at them as if to say, "Really?"

It is all good, however. 

We have a great family dynamic in that we all share dog sitting duties when other members are out of town and all of the animals get along very well. 

Just another member of the pack!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 10, 2015

Any Questions?

1. Thanks Chris, for putting up with me for 40 years!

2. Wouldn't it be great if signage was as clear as what we saw yesterday while visiting a winery in Western Maryland. Doesn't leave much doubt about which way to go. Frankly, it was hard to actually go the right way, the wrong way looked so inviting.

3. I want to go on another vacation where someone needs to poke me to assess that I am just relaxed.

4. Chaos--now that can be a lot of fun! Just add kids and dogs for the complete package.

Chris receiving a surprise Anniversary gift

5. I still have it! I was able to surprise Chris with a special anniversary gift last evening. And, I caught the response on camera!

6. I saw the new Misson Impossible movie over the weekend. It was good, but not great. Nice plot twists, but that is what I have come to expect.

7. Do you know what is better than spending Friday evening with friends drinking wine? Not much!

8. August seems determined to set the stage for another winter. The temperatures have already begun to cool. 

9. Shopping for new lights is hard work. There are too many choices and none are exactly right. 

10. Who wants to trust their lives to a self-driving car, especially in D.C. rush-hour traffic?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Weekend Repairs

Looking into the Garage Door Opener
Broken parts--the gears should be covered

When Chris and I returned from our vacation, one of the major mechanical devices which had suffered a catastrophic failure during our time away was the garage door opener.

Over the course of the week, we came to realize just how much we depend upon the garage door opener, partly because when I had the new garage door installed two years ago, I did not provide a mechanism for manually opening it from outside!

Broken gear cover part

That may have been a mistake. It is easy enough to open and lock from the inside, but from outside it is not possible. That meant that once the car was driven from the garage we had secure the garage door from inside and walk back through the house to return to the car and drive away.

It wasn't fun. 

I was able to repair, not replace, but repair, the garage door opener yesterday. I had ordered the parts and they arrived. Parts were a concern because the Stanley model 6500 garage door opener is not made any more and I was on the secondary market for them. Many of the potentially required repair parts are "no longer stocked." Fortunately, the one that I thought I needed was available!

Completed and repaired

It was not a simple repair. The biggest problem was that no instructions were provided and there was one part that caused me to perform one aspect of the repair three times before I was satisfied that I had it correctly. 

I knew it was going to be a multi-hour project. And it was.

But it works!

Once I applied the power and adjusted the travel of the garage door, it actually worked!

I was pleased. Chris later told me that she gave the project only about a 50 percent chance of success. I was a bit higher thinking I had a 70 percent chance of success. It really depended upon whether any critical collateral damage had occurred as the gear cover was chattering and flinging itself around the enclosed space.

Weekends are great times to get repairs accomplished. It is just too hard to attempt a multi-hour project after working all day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Remodeling Surprise

View of the Old-looking Bath

Looking in from the Door

It happens every few years when we head out on vacation. We return to find that Patrick and Tina have surprised us by updating or remodeling a room in our house.

This year it was the master bath! 

Our master bath was somewhat dated. Yes, Chris and I had added ceramic tile some years ago and removed the even more dated vinyl flooring, but the room just screamed "old!" 

New Bath View

The cabinet over the toilet (yes, the very same toilet that I repaired a leak in earlier this week) and the colors give the appearance of dated. I believe that too many of my family have been watching HGTV! I am constantly besieged with updating and remodeling ideas.

Looking in from the Door

But I have to admit, the new and improved room really "pops!" The crown moulding was a really nice touch and the removal of the cabinet over to toilet opens up the room. The swap out of the lights for daylight brightens the room and the new color scheme is one that is currently in vogue! 

New Bath and the Color Scheme

We can't forget the new mirror. The old one, which apparently had already been removed before the pictures were taken, was big and just hung there on the wall with no style. The new mirror has style and class. Even the cabinet supporting the sink was painted.

The removal of the window shelf and rebuilding the frame was a very nice touch.

It was a nice surprise to return home and have such a great anniversary gift waiting. Thanks to all who participated in the project.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Weird Animal Activities

Yesterday was an incredibly busy day. Too busy in many regards. 

Monarch Butterfly at Picnic

But, during the course of the day I observed two very different animals doing funny things.

The first animal encounter occurred during my office's picnic. The person cooking the burgers and dogs was visited by a very persistent monarch butterfly. The butterfly fluttered around for quite a few minutes before deciding that he was not the milkweed plant for which it was looking. 

Riordin Tries on a New Box

During its time at the picnic the monarch butterfly even posed for a picture perched on the cook's hand which was holding a paper plate.

And then , there was Riordin! The cat likes boxes of all shapes and sizes. The parts arrived to repair the broken garage door opener and Riordin just had to try the box they came in on for size--even though clearly it was too small for him. 

He arranged himself in the box and sat there for a few minutes in the most undignified pose trying to decide whether this was the box for him. It wasn't and I was finally able to add it to the recycling pile.

Animals do the strangest things and sometimes the encounters add spice to my days.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What did I do on my first day back after vacation?

I remember going back to school after summer vacation when I was in elementary school. It seemed that the first ice breaker of the year was something about what did I do during my summer vacation? 

Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge
Willemstad, Curacao

The corollary is, What did I do on my first day back at work after my vacation?

With the vacation rapidly passing from reality to memory, I returned to the daily grind. I was enthused to see my work-mates and regale them with tales from my cruise adventure. But there was a lot of work that needed to be accomplished as well. I worked a full day, plus a bit. 

As a reward for my exertions at work, I treated myself to a much needed massage to shake off the stress of returning from the cruise--but then it was home and into the breech to get the house back into shape after being gone for almost two weeks.

First up was the yard! It was mowed and looks really good. Then the pool was brought back into shape by replenishing the chemicals that keep it clean and sparkling. This morning's thunderstorm rendered the cleaning that I did pointless, but the pool was pristine last evening when I went to bed. 

But wait, there's more! 

Most Awesome Piece of Cheesecake
Ever!

A door handle needed to be tightened, I ordered parts for the broken garage door opener, got gas for the leaf blower, purchased spray to kill the tent webworms that appeared in a couple of trees while I was gone, and also bought and installed a new shower head for one of the bathrooms because the old one had become clogged and really needed to be replaced.

Somewhere in there I took a timeout for dinner. By the time I was done it was 9 PM.

Wow, what a day. Of course as I reflected on the week gone by, I knew that one the cruise 9 PM was in the middle of our dinner hour. Alas, now it was shortly before bedtime. 

And just like that, the day was gone. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 3, 2015

Sunrise August 2, 2015
Aboard the Carnival Conquest in Port Everglades, Florida

1. It is the first Monday in August--I bet that almost slipped in unnoticed.

2. Wow, what a change. Yesterday I woke up on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida and today I am back in my everyday life heading off to work. Ugh! 

3. If vacations didn't end, I wouldn't appreciate them so much.

My Towel Dog Made on the cruise

4. Chris was so relaxed during our cruise that I had to nudge her a couple of times to make sure she was still alive.

5. No good vacation goes unpunished! My garage door opener suffered a catastrophic failure while I was away. Ugh!

6. With the normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba, it is time to end the economic embargo. I was amazed, but 72 percent of Americans support ending the embargo.

Swimming with the Fish
Grand Turk

7. I am going to miss the towel animals on my bed every night. Wait, I took a course on the ship about making towel animals!

8. Swimming with the fishes took on a new meaning last week.

9. My heart goes out the parents of the 14-year old sailors lost at sea during a fishing trip off the coast of South Florida. The Coast Guard suspended the search, but they haven to lost hope.

-- Bob Doan, writing from home in Elkridge, MD

The Cruise is Over

There are some words that fully express how I am feeling right now as the Carnival Conquest ties up at the quay and the cruise is completed. 

Carlin Park, Jupiter, Florida

It is over. Our entire vacation from Jupiter to the Caribbean is over.



Wow. It is hard to believe that eight days ago Chris and I departed on a journey that took us across the Caribbean to Grand Turk, Curacao, and Aruba only now to return us to the spot from which we departed.

It is sad. Not only is the cruise over, but the entire vacation is ending.

Carnival Conquest
Grand Turk
July 27, 2015

By this time tomorrow I will be wither on my way to work or trying to work off the extra cruise-induced weight on the racquetball court.

It was fun. But it was all too short. I'm glad we never considered that it was ending until last evening. The whole ship was abuzz and I  could see it in the other passengers, and especially the teenagers, that we were sad that the journey was coming to a conclusion.

Everything has a beginning and and ending and we have just arrived at the final chapter and pages of the book.

Speaking of which,  I read two books during the cruise. 

There is a long day of departure and travel ahead on Chris and I as we prepare to return to our day-to-day lives.

We have awesome memories and made a couple of new friends too.

After all, isn't that what vacations are about?

-- Bob Doan, aboard the Carnival Conquest in Port Everglades

Curacao: Special Edition

I have finally finished editing the videos that Chris and I took while visiting Curacao. I broke them into two separate videos, one for the land highlights and the other for the snorkeling highlights.

Curacao on-land highlights are above and snorkeling highlights are below. 

We had fun while on Curacao.

I still have not completed the video of snorkeling on Grand Turk, we took too much video and it takes a long time to get through it all; and I have just begun to work on the Aruba snorkeling video.

All of my videos are available on my YouTube channel.

-- Bob Doan, aboard the Carnival Conquest in the Caribbean Sea

Aruba Rocks

Shopping District
Oranjestad, Aruba

The final port of call for my cruise occurred yesterday with a few, too short, hours in Aruba.

I can say that Aruba has stolen my heart and of the three places that Chris and I visited during the cruise, it is the one that we want to return to the most. Maybe next April!

Cuttlefish
Aruba

We started the day by taking a taxi to a beach for a couple hours of snorkeling before the crowds appeared. The highlights of our time in the water off Aruba were a sharptail eel and many starfish. There were also a lot of cuttlefish!

Chris has a special place in her heart for cuttlefish.

Starfish
Aruba

We have enjoyed the snorkeling everywhere we have stopped, but I have state that it has not been "reef" spectacular. By that I mean, we did some fantastic reef snorkeling a few years ago while staying in St Lucia, and none of the areas we have snorkeled on this trip have come close to the reefs there.

Even so, the snorkeling was rewarding because there was something different or special at every stop. 

Yesterday was nice because we were able to return to the ship and change before going out shopping in Oranjestad. That was nice because the dive bag gets heavy after a short while of dragging it around into and out of shops.

Sharptail Eel
Aruba

I prefer snorkeling and reclining on a beach to shopping, but it was fun to shop as well. 

We had a nice lunch and made it back comfortably to the ship before our 4PM departure. I was later told, by an eyewitness, that the announcement we heard calling out a number of our shipmates names at about departure time was because they were not yet onboard and the captain was preparing to cast off just as a taxi came screaming up to the quay, just in the nick of time. I suppose worse things could have happened than being stranded in Aruba.

Cuttlefish keeping a close eye on me

It was sad that all of our port calls have been completed, but we still have two sea days remaining.

I will be catching up on my pictures and editing the movies. Oh yea, and sitting in the sun by the pool.

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest currently somewhere in the Caribbean Sea

Reflections of Curacao

Willemstad, Curacao from the Ship

I spent the entire day in Curacao yesterday. Chris and I departed the ship promptly at 9AM and did not return to the ship until after 7PM. 

The excitement of being on one of the islands that I have read so much about and have longed to visit was rapidly met by the reality of life. 

Knip Public Beach, Curacao

We took a tour that covered most of the west end of the arid, poor, and trash clogged island. We visited plantations and learned of the history of the slave uprisings resulting in the eventual abolishment of the practice. In a strange evolution, we photographed flamingos living and eating on the same salt flats that the slaves used to work.

Chris and I visited three beaches and the National Park to watch the waves crash onto the north shore of the island. It was impressive.

Smooth Trunkfish, Curacao

The snorkeling was excellent right along the beaches with many interesting animals.

We had a lot of fun, but could see the poverty at every turn in the road from our seats in the open air tour bus.

I have more images to share, but it is an early departure for Aruba this morning and so this will have to do for now. I believe I have some great videos to share as well, compliments of my GoPro.

Another vacation day is at hand!

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest just docking in Aruba

Sea Days mean Fun Days

Towel Animal

One of the things that I enjoy about cruising is that as we travel from location to location, we take our room with us. Normally, travel days mean moving luggage and climbing into various forms of transportation. 

On a cruise, travel days, or sea days, are a relaxing time aboard the ship to enjoy the activities and lay in the sun beside the pool.

Chris with the Drink of the Day

Yesterday the most exciting thing that Chris and I accomplished was to watch the sea birds and a young boy try to infuse some enthusiasm into the crowd. 

Mind you, there is nothing wrong with relaxation, but in retrospect, watching sea birds fish for hours, and even taking video of them diving into the Caribbean Sea seems like one of the lowest forms of entertainment.

And writing of infusing excitement into the crowd, we spend almost 30 minutes yesterday watching a 2-year old spice up an otherwise absolutely uninspiring performance in the atrium of the ship. 

The entertainment aboard the ship is mostly amateurish at best, and at least those watching are attempting to add some value to the performances. 

Today, however, we are in Curacao! A whole day of beach wandering and enjoying the island. Tomorrow Aruba! It is the mid-point of the cruise.

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest preparing to disembark on Curacao

Onto the Sea after a Shore Day

Today marks the seventh day of my vacation and sadly, by this time next week I will be back at work and everything that I have been and am doing will be but memories and images. 

I am glad that I have been away as the Presidential Olympics continues to become more fractured and disturbing.  The more thuggish candidates are presently climbing to the top of the polls. Apparently they appeal to some dark side of the American electorate that has hitherto been untapped.

Snorkeling off Grand Turk

There is something appealing to waking up and having breakfast delivered to the door and then heading out to the balcony to watch the ocean pass by. Even the news channels on the TV have poor and almost unusable connections with forces me to focus my mind upon the plan of the day and not continue to be amazed by the state of the political disarray found across our nation.

Nurse Shark off Grand Turk

Yesterday was a short stop in Grand Turk for some snorkeling and shopping.

Me Waiting to go Snorkeling
on Grand Turk

The snorkeling was good and there was, yup you guessed it, another nurse shark alone with many other beautiful fish. I was able to view the great drop off again where the ocean depth drops from a few feet to a few thousand feet.

Today is another sea day--which means relaxing on the ship. 

Enjoying another vacation day and making another set of memories while life goes on, elsewhere!

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard the Carnival Conquest in the Caribbean Sea

Monday Musings - July 27, 2015

Carnival Conquest from the Stern

1. Waking up surrounded by the ocean is a great and humbling experience. I forget how big and vast is the Atlantic Ocean.

2. I wonder who will be Donald Trump's next target. it is too bad that people are positively responding to his negative message.

3. The Orioles managed to win a series on the road! They are still seven games out of first place.

4. Glaciers of frozen nitrogen? Where else but Pluto?

Chris at Lobster Dinner(s)

5. The U.S. Men's Soccer team took the Jamaica team far too lightly during their 2-1 loss. It is too bad that the men could not win the tournament.

6. It is hard to believe, but this is the last Monday in July! August is sneaking up on us.

7. Today Turks and Caicos! I'm headed to Grand Turk. I love vacations.

8. Two lobster dinners? Chris ate the whole thing!

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard the Carnival Conquest nearing Grand Turk

Good Morning from Sea

Chris Looking Out Over Port Everglades
Exploring the Ship

Chris and I are officially on vacation! Well, we have been on vacation since last Wednesday, but are on the cruise portion of the vacation about the good ship Carnival Conquest.

We sailed from Fort Lauderdale yesterday under the cover of an afternoon thunderstorm and still enjoyed seeing the coast slip past and cell phones go dead!

Out the Stateroom Window this Morning

It was a bit scary for me, personally, when my phone gave up the connection ghost!

Yup--no calls for a week!

That is a good thing, I'm told.

OK, I did buy the internet package so that we can stay in touch a bit. But I'm not planning on answering email.

We have enjoyed the partying and even though the sail away party had to be brought inside, Chris managed to dance up a storm.  Yes, I filmed it wrong! I can't believe that I did it, but I take full responsibility because it just seemed to fit better.

We are preparing for a fun day at sea. And of course, more relaxation. 

-- Bob Doan, writing from the Carnival Conquest somewhere in the Caribbean (The Bermuda Triangle?)

Shark Encounter in the Water

Fish off Jupiter Island

Two days on the beach and two shark encounters.

Yesterday was a snorkeling morning. The water was calm and clear. Chris and I had a lot of fun. We also used the GoPro in the underwater mode for the first real run of the vacation. It takes great video even while being attached to the head strap, but we need to learn how to use it a bit better to get more viewable videos.

Juvenile Angelfish 

My underwater camera was also very useful and documented the really impressive things that we viewed during our event filled outing. 

The big event during the outing was the shark encounter. While we were snorkeling we came upon a small nurse shark, a pup, that seemed to be in a unique position--belly up. This caused us great consternation, as you will see from the video. We spend a good deal of time trying to decide what, if anything, we should to to help this small shark. 

Nurse Shark Belly-up in the Rocks

Of course there was a great difference of opinion. And in watching it further, I began to wonder if it was dead, I could see some fin movement, but I wasn't sure if it was caused by the undulation of the water. 

Our desire to assist a fellow inhabitant of the planet finally won out over common sense, and of course knowing that it was a nurse shark coupled with its small size contributed to the decision that it clearly needed assistance.

A rescue attempt was made, which ended with a great amount of laughter when the shark, startled a lot more than I was, took off never to be seen again.

Did the shark really need assistance? Probably not! But, we felt better about it when it was over because we made a rescue attempt.

Moray Eel

And then we were on our way for the neatest find of the day, and one unfortunately that the camera did not fully capture--a medium sized moray eel in the open, hunting. 

It is a good reminder why I never reach into dark areas while snorkeling. You never know what is there!

A great day in Florida. And the entire snorkeling adventure lasted only about an hour, leaving a whole day to get sunburned on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Jupiter, Florida