Sunset before the Storms

Sunset from the Columbia, MD Lowe's Parking Lot
March 1, 2017

After topping out at 75 degrees yesterday, the temperature is forecast to bottom out over the next four days with the high on Saturday reaching a balmy 38 degrees! Brrrr!

Ugh! Winter had to return, but I wish it wouldn't. I probably upset the winter by wearing an Aloha Shirt to work last Friday.

My Pussy Willow Bush

Last evening while the temperature was still near 70, I walked out of our local Lowe's after buying the supplies for my next project and the sky was ablaze! It was stunning and I just had to capture the scene.

The dark clouds above me and the red sunset in the distance. Even knowing what was coming, I had to admit it was a beautiful scene.

I am hoping that the buds and flowers survive the lows in the low 20's which are forecast for the next couple of nights.

I probably won't be playing any golf this weekend.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer-like Weather Ends

Green Hellebore
February 25, 2017

Daffodils in Bloom
February 25, 2017

Walking outside yesterday in my shirt, without a coat, while many parts of the country were besieged with a massive winter storm, I had to remind myself that it was February. The temperature at the time was 73 degrees. It was cooler than the high 70's of the previous three days, but still some 40 degrees above normal. I enjoyed having temperatures in the high 70's for five of the past eight days.

The springtime flowers are in bloom and many of the trees are budding. Everything is poised for the arrival of Spring, except for the calendar.

I knew that it could not last, this morning it was 40 degrees cooler at my house. The national weather map for this morning shows how cold it is across the nation.

But it was a great run and there are only a few days of cold (cooler) weather forecast ahead. I see 75 forecast for the Wednesday high. 

And add to that, Daylight Savings Time is only two weeks away!

Orioles Opening Day is 37 days away on April 3.
Pool opening day is 70 days away on May 6.

Excitement abounds.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime in Ithaca

Taughannock Falls
Trumansburg, NY
February, 19, 2017

Buttermilk Falls
Ithaca, NY
February 19, 2017

Granted it is only February, but the temperatures this pst weekend made it seem as if Spring had arrived. The snow was melting and the creeks and rivers were filled with the runoff. That meant that the waterfalls that the area is blessed with would be scenic beauties--and they were.

Chris and I visited two of the falls: Buttermilk and Taughannock. They were fantastic and Buttermilk was especially inspiring set against the blue sky. 

The ice is still evident around the basin at Taughannock. 

It was a beautiful Spring day (during February) and I am glad we were able to enjoy it and some of the natural beauty of the Central New York region.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Dawn through the Windshield

Day Breaks February 10, 2017

Yesterday morning as I made my way to work, the scene of the breaking dawn outside my windshield was spectacular.

I am a dawn person. I love sitting on a beach watching the sunrise over the ocean. When on a long trip that begins during the wee hours of the morning, I love being behind the wheel as dawn breaks across the the landscape and the darkness gives way to the light.

Yesterday was no exception. I had just finished playing a disappointing match of racquetball at the club and was on my way to work when the sight of the breaking dawn met my eyes. It was fabulous. The reflection of the red colors from the still-below-the-horizon sun off the clouds was stunning. I just had to record the moment and I did. I was able to snap a quick image to help etch the scene in my mind. The headlights of the oncoming cars can be see stretched out as if running from the breaking light. 

Sadly, there is a streak on my windshield that mars the image--but it was a spur of the moment shot.

And now, that day has passed and another dawn has arrived.

But, I have the memory and the image to help me remember.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What Does the Low Emission Car Sign Mean?

I came across a new sign in a parking lot yesterday that caught my attention. It seemed pretty straightforward until I started things about the meaning of the sign. And after doing some internet research, I became thoroughly confused. 

What is a low emission vehicle? 

I did some research. In my mind I was thinking about hybrid vehicles, perhaps. But would the designation low emission include electric vehicles? It should since they have no emissions, right? 

I expected to find a fairly restrictive list of vehicles. As I searched, it quickly became apparent that many, if not most, newer vehicles meet the requirements as a low emission car. Even more exciting, there are multiple lists. 

Apparently the most definitive list is at GreenCars.  I did find another list as well at another site. They do not appear to be the same. I did not find any electric vehicles on the second list. 

Turns out that most new vehicles meet the requirements for low emissions. I found many hybrids and even my favorite electric cars on the lists as well, but the numbers and types of cars which meet the requirement for low emission vehicles is much larger than I ever would have imagined. 

While the large number of vehicles assessed to be low emissions is a good thing, I did not find any of the vehicles I own on the list. 

So check out the list of low emission vehicles because you may, through no fault of your own, have one and can use one of these newly designated parking spots. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Why is there Trash Everywhere?

Highway Litter

It is bad. 

And getting worse every day. I am appalled at the trash along the highways. Where does it come from? Do people really throw trash out of their cars as they speed at 70 mph along the highways? Does the State of Maryland really allow refuse trucks to travel without securing their loads? Apparently so.

Trash from my Yard

It is a problem even in our neighborhood. Yesterday, Chris and I filled up garbage bags with the trash that has been blowing into our yard. I was not amused. I could tell that the trash was not ours, because we do not eat at the restaurants nor shop at the stores represented by the ads on the trash. 

My Neighbor's Solar Panel Plan

Contributing to the mess was the refuse caused when one of our neighbors had solar panels installed earlier in the week. We collected many items from the yard, some labelled Vivint Solar--apparently the workers are not very caring of the environment and the wind brought their droppings into my yard. I obscured our neighbor's name and address because the problem was not theirs, but rather it was the installers. 

Why can't trash and litter be controlled? Are people so shallow as to believe that if it isn't in their yard, it isn't a problem? We live at the bottom, literally, of the street. That which our neighbors don't control ends up in our yard or in the wooded area near our house. It really is appalling. 

We are destroying our environment through our carelessness. And no one seems to care.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Morning Scene through the Windshield

As a Foggy Dawn Breaks

Wednesday morning I had the pleasure of taking Makayla to the vet for her annual dental cleaning. It was actually the second time that I  took her, but that is a story for another day.

Taking her to the vet was a pleasure because dawn has been arriving after I am already at work and so it was nice to be around at sunrise. Coincidentally, it was also a foggy morning. I was reveling in watching the dawn break and while I was stopped at a traffic light I became aware of the scene before me that caused me to grab my phone and snap a quick image. 

The dawn was breaking behind the clouds and the fog was clinging to the road ahead of me. I enjoyed the scene for as long as I could until the light changed to green. 

And then I was off, with a memory and an image in my phone to rush headlong into the rest of my day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD