Crazy Puppy

Finnegan, our relatively-new Yorkie puppy, is turning the house upside down. Aside from ensuring the entire house is awake when he is awake, he loves to play with Riordin, one of our two cats. Louis, the white Ragdoll cat just looks at the dog as if to say, "Really?"

The play consists of running around the house and chasing each other. I am impressed because the cat keeps its claws sheathed. I believe that Riordin really does enjoy the play because sometimes he is the instigator.

All-in-all, the two of them provide comic relief and a needed diversion after a long day at work.

That is why we have pets anyway, right? For companionship and entertainment.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Rainy Holiday

Cleaned and Organized Garage
October 9, 2017

Rainy holidays put a damper on outdoor plans. Whether yard work or sports (like a round of golf) are planned, heavy rains force changes.

Yesterday was no exception. 

Organized Work Bench

I had planned to cut the ornamental grasses surrounding the pool, but the rain made that a non-starter as a project. It would have been miserable.

Hence, the project turned into a garage cleaning and organization day. 

The garage needed some organization. We park two vehicles in our garage and so there is limited storage space. It had become very disorganized where many things did not have a defined place.

Most items still do not have a defined location, but at least they are neatly occupying the available space. I have a plan to buy some organizing cabinets to provide even more storage which can be better organized. 

A good project and I had some excellent help as well.

Now it is off to a shortened workweek which will seem longer than a non-holiday workweek.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 9, 2017

1. Happy Columbus Day (observed). Remember there will be no mail service today and the banks will be closed.

2. Another hurricane, Hurricane Nate is visiting my area today. We actually have been in a drought and the remnants of Nate are providing needed rain.

Hank Williams Statue
Montgomery, Alabama

3. With all of the current problems associated with statues, I found and interesting one in Montgomery, It was a statue to Hank Williams.

4. Weekend Sports Report: Ravens win, Cowboys and Steelers lose, Redskins did not play. Orioles are licking their wounds during the post-season.

5. Fall youth baseball continues for Jackson. He played yesterday, but his team lost. It was an overcast day but the temperatures were warm.

6. Since it is raining, today will not be a good golf day. Bummer.

7. Holidays, like today, provide me with the opportunity to complete projects around the house. Today, I am supposed to cut and remove the grasses around the pool. It is a regular autumn project, but it may be too wet. 

8. Hard to believe, but it is already the second Monday in October.

9. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox managed a win in their play-off series to stay alive to play another game.

Headlines

ISIS Fighters, Having Pledged to Fight or Die, Surrender en Masse - The New York Times

Trump Tells Pence to Leave N.F.L. Game as Players Kneel During Anthem - The New York Times

Houston teen says she was expelled for not standing for Pledge of Allegiance - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote of the Week

"For the truth is that Americans must choose between two drastically different points of view. One puts its faith in the pipedreamers and margin-scribblers in Washington; the other believes in the collective wisdom of the people and their commitment to the American dream. One says tax and tax, spend and spend, and the other says have faith in the common sense of the people."

Remarks in Columbus to Members of Ohio Veterans Organizations, October 4, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday in Style

A Hole on The Blue Mash
October 7, 2017

Saturdays are definitely a day to enjoy. I look forward to a multitude of activities on Saturdays and yesterday was no exception.

Heron Hunting on The Blue Mash

The day began, as should every Saturday, on a golf course. We played The Blue Mash in Montgomery County, it was a course I had never played before and it was tough. But, it was a lot of fun even though I was unhappy with my score. The greens were really tough.

I did enjoy watching the wildlife along the course.

The afternoon saw Chris and I along with Finn, the Yorkie, head off to a harvest festival in the area. We had a great time and Finn was the hit of the festival. Everyone who saw him wanted to touch him. 

Finn with a Much Larger Friend

Finn was even a hit with the other dogs. One dog, in particular, took an interest in him and they played together for a few minutes in the grass. Finn was no worse for the wear, however, he was a slobbery mess when we finally had to say good-bye.

It was, overall, a beautiful day. The weather was idyllic and I enjoyed the early autumn day that reminded me of the summer days so recently past.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flying through Charlotte

Yesterday was a travel day and I had two experiences that I want to share. One was the flight and the other was the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. 

Let me write right up front, I had not flown with American Airlines in many years until this week. I have become somewhat a Southwest snob, meaning I like flying Southwest. They get right what many other airlines can't seem to figure out--like bags in the cabin.

Yesterday was a combination of two less than stellar experiences rolled into one day.

First was the flight from Montgomery to Charlotte. I was aboard a CL-65 commuter jet. 

The seats on the Canadian CL-65 are among the worst in the air. The seat back was not high enough to support my neck and so I couldn't find a way to sleep comfortably. I normally sleep with ease on aircraft. Not on the Canadair CL-65 as outfitted by AmericanEagle. As I was on a 6:15 AM flight and had been up since 4 AM, I really wanted to catch a few Z's on the way to Charlotte.

Added to the discomfort of the seat, I was in the 12th row right in front of the restroom. Since the pilot never turned the seatbelt sign off, there was almost no one moving around the cabin. But it was one on the last seats on the too small aircraft. 

Wall-to-wall People in Terminal B
Charlotte Douglas International Airport
October 6, 2017

And then came Charlotte! Ugh. The airport was wall-to-wall people. I have not seen so many people crammed into one location since the last concert I attended. It was tight, everywhere. 

There were no seats available to sit and wait for my connecting flight. Fortunately, I had a very short layover.

On top of that, here is the spot where American Airlines needs to improve. Baggage. On every flight I took during my trip, the airline was urging people to check their bags at the gate to allow for room in the cabin. This is a direct result, I believe, of their highway robbery baggage fees. 

I know it was $25 for the first bag and then it goes up, possibly $35 or $40 for the second bag. Of course people are not going to check bags to save money. That is what the airline wants. So then at the gate there is the confusion about courtesy checking bags. Courtesy being the key word. So if I want to save money, I take my bag with me and then hope for courtesy checking at the gate. 

What a mess. Total confusion in the terminal and at the gate and it just makes the entire travel experience worse.

Note to self: Avoid flying American Airlines, avoid Charlotte, and stay off the CL-65!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - Montgomery, AL

Left out the Hotel Window

Not inspiring. 

That was the view out my hotel window at the Embassy Suites in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Not only that, but the windows were dirty and the view was further degraded.

I love to open the curtains in my hotel room to allow the sunlight to enter the usually dark rooms. While I did open the curtains, the view of warehouses and parking garages just did not do it for me. 

Right out the Hotel Window

Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the hotel and the room was generally in good repair, it was the view that was lacking.

That written, I've had worse. A lot worse. 

Maybe Montgomery was generally interesting and the hotel was strategically located in the downtown area. I did not have to drive to find good restaurants. There seemed to be a lot of I interesting things do and the smells from the barbecues and other restaurants provided some diverse and welcoming olfactory experiences.

It was just the view.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Montgomery, AL

Travel Days

Tail of American Plane at BWI
October 4, 2017

Yesterday was travel day! I headed off to the airport for my second trip to Alabama in two weeks.

I also flew my third different airline of my recent travels--American through Charlotte. The aircraft itself, however, caught my attention. The tail of the American Airlines jet had Allegheny painted on it. Clearly a reference to the now many times consolidated Allegheny Airlines that used to service the Northeast. I remember joking about "Agony" Air.

Walking to the Plane
Charlotte International Airport

Thinking of Allegheny Airlines also reminded me of other, now mostly forgotten, airlines that I have flown or known. Mohawk comes to mind as do  Braniff, National, Eastern, TWA, PanAm, US Air, and America West just to rattle off a few.

Walking to the jet at Charlotte also reminded me of the old days before jetways. I was very glad that the day was pleasant and not raining.

Maybe the thrill of flying is back? Not hardly.

American Airlines billed itself as the largest airline in the world as I was traveling yesterday. I am still unclear if that is a good thing. 

Travel days always help me find interesting things.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Montgomery, Alabama

As the World Turns

Texas after Hurricane Harvey

It seems there is the disaster of the day that points out how fragile our lives are.

The tragedies of the earthquakes, hurricanes, and Las Vegas massacre are reminding me to be thankful for the blessings that I have. 

Mexican Earthquake

I have been privileged to travel the world to see and experience far away places, but I am reminded by the recent events of the world how quickly everything can change.

Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

I am a bit frustrated that those suffering from the disasters, whether in Texas or the Caribbean, or Nevada are so quickly forgotten by the news media who seem more focused upon the news cycle rather than making a meaningful change to the world by exposing the needs across the hemisphere.

The disasters should bring out two important aspects in each of us.

1. Give thanks
2. Give help

Don't just sit there, do something.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Limping Across the Finish Line

I have to write one more post about the Orioles 2017 campaign.

Camden Yards

I probably shouldn't because the wounds are still so fresh, but I need to place a period at the end of the season to allow me to move on.

On top of that, I expect the Orioles to have the season ticket plan renewals in the mail soon and I will have to decide about suffering through another season.


The season began in fantastic fashion. The Orioles were division leaders for 35 days. They last led the division on May 20th and then the slide began which saw them wrest last place from the other teams on the final day of the season.

April was their best month, 15-8, .642 and September/October their worst 7-21, .250.

The Orioles were 20-30 in blow outs (more than 5 runs difference).

Yet, they were 21-20 in one run games and 12-4 in extra-inning games.  

Disappointment was the final impact of the season. April and August were the only months that the team posted a winning record. 

The team needs to do a lot of work in the off-season because at the end of the season the pitching and the batting both were absent.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 2, 2017

1. September slipped away during the weekend and it is now October. 

2. Cold mornings are the norm right now. It is 49 degrees this morning. Today is our second morning in a row in the 40s. 

Timbers at Troy
October 1, 2017

3. Mercifully the Orioles season is over. They successfully landed in last place in the division with a disappointing September/October portion of the campaign that saw them go 7-21 for a .250. That is the definition of limping across the finish line! The Orioles went from first to worst!

4. It was a cold golf morning yesterday. But the day was beautiful. 

5. Don't forget the hurricane devastated areas. As the news cycle progresses, it is easy to lose sight of all of the people across the country and Caribbean who need assistance. 

6. Hockey starts in two days! 

7. Is it Monday already again?

Headlines

At least 20 dead, 100 injured at shooting on Las Vegas Strip, police say - The Washington Post

One Day in the Life of Battered Puerto Rico - The New York Times

Elon Musk is aiming to land spaceships on Mars in 2022 - CNN

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Well, this country was born of an ancient dream and then was nourished by a new wisdom. The dream envisioned a place on this Earth where people of all classes and kinds could live together in peace and freedom. The wisdom held that the final resting place of power was in the hands not of the government but of the people."

Remarks in Columbus to Members of Ohio Veterans Organizations, October 4, 1982

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD