Opening Day

Today, summer begins, not officially but in spirit. It is opening day for the Orioles. Arguably, ok probably not, the 30th best team in baseball.

But they are my home team.



And they play the Yankees, a lot.

And the Red Sox, a lot

And the Tampa Bay Rays, a lot

And the Blue Jays, too much!

The Orioles are my home team and I will continue to root for them as I remember the glory days of the 60's, the 70's and the 80's when they were the best team in all of baseball.

I expect to be at the game later today--which coincidently is Good Friday. The game is a sell out--I haven't been to one of those since last year's opening day.

At least there is no way that I could ever be considered a fair weather fan. I have supported this team through 14 losing seasons--always looking for the silver lining in the dark storm cloud of reality.

I have not found it yet, except for the realization that there is always tomorrow and that baseball is a sport--a game, and not a life or death proposition. I can enjoy a game even when we are losing because it is baseball.

I love baseball. The park, the fans, the game, the snacks, the beer.

Summer has arrived.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Evening on the Deck

I love the evenings of the springtime.

Sitting outside, enjoying the beauty of the end of the day with a glass of wine and some dinner. I also enjoy looking at the the leaves as they begin to fill the trees.

The bats gracing the evening air and the sight of the nearly full moon make the setting perfect.

The only thing better would have been to be on a floatie in the pool--but that will not happen for almost a month.

I just sat there for a bit and enjoyed the ending of the day and the gathering darkness--even as the air began to get cool and the clock approached 8pm and there was still light in the sky.

It is time to get out of the house and begin to live.

I even took the top down on Cat this afternoon and enjoyed the relatively warm breeze in my hair as I was racing between doctors appointments. The sun and the sky were something to see and remember.

Friday is Orioles Opening Day and it can only get better from here!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime Blooms

The annual event in our yard is underway. The weeping cherry is in full bloom gracing our lawn with blooms like waterfalls.



It is sad how quickly the blooms pass and the tree becomes green, but for a about two short weeks it is absolutely beautiful.

It is a sight to behold and to ponder the beauty of the springtime.

The tree provides beauty as it transitions from the dormant branches of winter into the green leaves of summer.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Primary Election Day for Maryland - 2012

It is an election day. I enjoy exercising my right--my responsibility as a citizen of this great Republic, to vote.


I believe too many of us have adopted the--"it doesn't matter anyway" approach to voting and ignore the opportunity to cast their vote and make their voice heard. And the voice is heard--even in the dissent or the concurrence.

Even though I am limited in my ability to publically demonstrate support for a particular political candiate by the limits of the archaic Hatch Act, I still retain my right and obligation to vote.

And so I will.

I am following a critical (non-partisian) Howard County School Board race this year in which a member of the board--who sadly is a retired Air Force officer, is seeking reelection but has become such an impediment and distraction to the board that he does not deserve reelection because the only constituents he is representing is himself. I am actually excited to support a 17-year old high school student, who will be 18 before he is seated and therefore is eligible to run. Maybe I see something in him that reminds me of the passion and fire I used to have.

I will be voting, today.

I urge everyone to get out and vote.

Call it an exercise of our rights--and then go do it!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 2, 2012

1. Happy April showers designed to bring May flowers.

2. I was definitely spoiled by the warm temperatures from a couple weeks go and my trip to Florida--bring on the heat.

3. I was home alone yesterday afternoon and I discovered what Makayla likes to do on nice quiet days. Sleep.

4. Yard work, in small doses, is therapeutic.

5. Physical therapy, hurts.

6. The O's and the Pens both managed to lose yesterday. Ugh. One is trying to end the season on a high and the other is trying to begin the season and not be the doormat of MLB.

7. There was an announcement of the TV the other day reminding gardeners that the only safe plant to begin planting are pansies. Don't waste you money, I was reminded.

8. An interesting situation occurred the other evening. Presented with two very different wines, a good one and a not so good one, I found that tasting them side-by-side made the good one seem better and the other even less appealing.

9. I have been reading Aesop's Fables, off and on, as time permits. I highly recommend getting in touch with these short proverbs about life.

10. Welcome to Holy Week. I read a book last year that provided convincing evidence and analysis that the Last Supper occurred on Wednesday, April 1, AD 33. The book is The Mysteries of the Last Supper, by Colin J. Humphreys.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Forest's Final Spring

A small 10 acre forest near where I live is coming to life this springtime. The trees are filling out with new leaves and displaying stunning colors of reds and oranges which soon will become green, beautiful leaves. As I look into the woods, I see the dogwoods in bloom--with their flowers bringing joy to my heart while brightening up the the still coming to life forest.

Alas, though, this is the final springtime for this small wooded area. The county has decided to raze the forest and build an elementary school. The work will likely begin before the May flowers bloom.



I drive by this small wilderness, strategically placed in the middle of suburbia, every day. I never realized how much this small patch of trees and wild kept me in touch with my roots until the day I realized it would soon be gone. How sad--trees and brush teaming with wildlife soon to be replaced by brick, mortar, and mowed grass.

So I have been especially noticing the beauty of the trees this springtime as they burst forth in life, before the chain saws and heavy equipment arrive to forever change this small plot into a something tame and sterile.

I mourn the loss and I hope that I will not soon forget the vision of this small forest and the trees and life which it contained.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Shoulders: Invisible until they Hurt

I have been going through a rough time with my shoulder. It is amazing how hard simple things can be--like putting a heavy bowl away on a shelf above my head, with a shoulder problem.

It has also dramatically affected my racquetball game.

I have been receiving physical therapy for the shoulder and I have seen some positive results. I guess I am experiencing some of the same problems that sports players experience when they get injured.

This is my first physical therapy experience.

I am learning how to take care of my "parts" and am seeing how important continued activity is to my health and well being. I was amazed at how much strength I had lost due to the injury.

I have renewed respect for my shoulder as a result of all of this. But I remain concerned at how long it will take to get it back to the way it was--and that is the place where I don't think about it and can ignore it again.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Arcadian 2005 Syrah Westerly Vineyard

I haven't written much about individual wines lately. I have been recording my likes and dislikes and recommendations in CellarTracker, an application which allows me to manage my wine and do research. But, I have found a wine which is one of those very special wines that plays well above its weight.

The wine is Arcadian 2005 Syrah Westerly Vineyard form the Santa Ynez Valley in California.

I was introduced to this wine through an email offering form a respected wine agency and bought two bottles, sight unseen or tasted. I read the description an believed that if the wine was half as good as the write up it would be worth the price.

Turns out, it is far better than that. It is a great wine that one person I served it to remarked that it was equal to $100 bottle wines he had been served. Now I don't know who can afford $100 per bottle wines, but it is nice to know that I have one that is in good company with them.

One reviewer wrote: "Darn nice wine made even more impressive by the price. Rich but lively so it's not heavy at all with smoke, blackberry, earth and black pepper. There seems to be just a hint of brett (I could be wrong but myself and winemaker friend thought there was a bit) which added to the complexity without overwhelming. Good acidity and a nice medium length finish. Wish I bought more of this."

Another reviewer wrote: "Bright medium red. Red and dark berries, smoked meat and Christmas spices on the nose. Midweight raspberry and bitter cherry flavors are complicated by beef jerky and floral pastille qualities. This strikes me as a blend of pinot noir and syrah, with the former variety's finesse and sweetness and the latter's game and earth character. Finishes crisp and long, leaving a peppery note behind."

Recommendation: This is a great wine and I highly recommend it. At $26 per bottle it is a bit more expensive than most wines I buy--but worth the extra cost.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Spring Rain

Although the temperatures have been cooler, the cycle of springtime rainstorms followed by piercing bright sunshine have begun.

I experienced it yesterday. A bright, sunny afternoon punctuated with thunderstorms. It has all served to bring the leaves on the trees from a bud situation into leaf.

It is funny how quickly leaves spring into view after the buds have started.

I love the greens of spring. The light greens of the new leaves are a splash of refreshing color after the gloom of winter.

And the rain just serves to generate even more leaves and springtime growth--I imagine that I can almost see the grass growing--and in fact the lawn does need to be mowed.

The first real mowing of the year, I can hardly wait to enjoy it. Although I have just discovered that I am severely allergic to nearly everything growing in the yard.

But I still stick my nose into the most fragrant flowers. I love the fragrance of flowers especially peonies. Although they are just beginning to grow after the winter, the thought of their full open flowers and sweet smell warms my heart.

And all because of the rain and the sun and the warmth.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I make decisions every day. It is part of living. Some are pretty mundane like what color shirt will I wear. Others are a bit more important, for instance will I stop at the red traffic light.

Some people have difficulty making decisions. Really important decisions require thought and consideration. There really big ones fall into the category of things like am I going to buy a new car or change jobs. But most decisions do not fall into the same life altering realm.

I am convinced that for the majority of decisions in what I call the middle zone--that zone between life and death decisions (like stopping at a traffic light) and life altering decisions (changing jobs or buying a new home), the actual decision is less important than actually making a decision.

Decisions are points where I have the ability alter the direction of an activity. For most of the decisions we are faced with, the critical thing is to make the decision and not let fate or chance become the default decision maker. Whether the decision is right or wrong is not the best way to look at the problem. A better way is to look for opportunity.

Decisions are about opportunity. Each decision comes with opportunities gained and lost. Not making a decision or letting a decision point become "overcome by events" or OBE, is not taking advantage of the opportunities present in the situation. That is the definition of a bad decision because it allows inertia to be in charge.

Good or bad, making a decision is always better.

Even seemingly, at the time, decisions which do not maximize opportunities may be the right decision or may work out in the end because the decision maker energized the organization, or family, in a particular direction and that provided the guidance to motivate and mold the solution.

The key to good decisions is realizing that making a decision is the first and most important step in the process. The actual decision itself sometimes is almost secondary.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD