Tinge of Autumn

I noticed it this week in some of the trees on my street. The first signs of autumn's brilliant colors creeping onto the trees.

First Colors of Autumn

There is a maple tree at the top of the street which always seems to be the first one in the neighborhood to take on the color of autumn. And it has begun. It is a stunning tree standing alone and I see it often reflecting the first rays of morning light. Although now that the season has changed I am going to work in darkness and no longer get to enjoy it reflecting the golden rays of the dawn.

I am noticing the color of autumn in other trees as well. The first hints of red on the edges of the leaves.

Last Saturday, when autumn arrived, reportedly, Jax got up in the morning and was shocked to find the leaves still on the trees. He thought that magically, overnight, all of the leaves would fall from the trees so that he could play in them. Fortunately, we still get to enjoy the leaves as they change color before they fall to the ground.

But, autumn is here and the colors are coming. I could complain that summer is gone, but it is a lot more fun to find joy in the daily changes around me.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Post Season Dreams

They arrived yesterday and were waiting on my doorstep when I arrived home.

I have never held in my own hands tickets that provided admission to a World Series game. And even more, the two I have provide admission to a world series game for the Orioles, should they make it that far.

I love dreaming. I remember springtime in Sarasota watching the Birds play during Spring Training. Wishing. Hoping, that this year would be the year.

And maybe it will be. It is late September and we are still in the hunt with only a handful of other teams.

The tickets seem magical right now.

Six games remain in the regular season for the Orioles and they control their own destiny. Winning all six would be the best. Winning 4 of 6 would do the job.

The team the pre-season pundits picked to lose the most games in Orioles history has already made history.

There is so much more to do.

But right now is the time to dream of meaningful October baseball, the play-offs and the World Series.

I believe!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

One of the Greatest Birthday's Ever

Where do I begin? My birthday was yesterday and it was one of the most awesome birthday's that i have ever celebrated.

I want to thank everyone who sent me birthday greetings. They were awesome and I am humbled by how many of you took time to send me a special greeting.

The day was planned to be a full day. I took the day off from work, Chris had the day off as well, and we decided to do some things we haven to done in a while.

Gilbert Stuart George Washington

I started in the morning by going to the Walters Art Museum. I throughly enjoy art and the Walters has some great pieces. There was no exhibit in town, just the permanent collection. I enjoyed seeing the Gilbert Stuart Washington and paintings by Monet, just to name a few of the highlights. But I always get my mind expanded when I view art and consider the period and the subject.

Then it was off to the new Clint Eastwood movie, Trouble with the Curve. A baseball movie, but more than that a movie about the special relationship between a father and a daughter. I highly recommend it.

We finished the movie, headed home for a wardrobe change and then it was off to Camden Yards to see the Orioles wearing one one my birthday presents: a new orange O's jersey! Time to rock the orange at the yard.

Windmills Near Zaandam - Claude Monet

The O's badly needed a win to keep their post-season aspirations in tact and so this game had a play-off run feel to it. So there I was, with almost 27,000 of my new best friends watching a tense game through the top of the fifth inning. With the score 2-1 Toronto, the Orioles bats finally came to life and the nightcap of my birthday turned into a celebratory rout 12-2 Orioles. And in there somewhere I even saw my name on the scoreboard to acknowledge my birthday.

Wow! What a day. Thank you to Chris for making it happen--especially the scoreboard and me name to celebrate my birthday as well as for being there all day.

I may start taking my birthday off every year!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

NFL Refs -- Overshadowing the Election?

It is a labor dispute.

It is bigger than when the auto workers walk off.

Bigger than when the airlines stop flying.

It is unbelievable that the league and the owners don't notice that every passing day the fans grow more supportive of the referees and less supportive of the league. And the results on the field make their position more tenuous.

There is just way too much money and prestige at stake.

And some of the bad calls are really bad.

I think it is taking on such importance because it provides a counter-point to the presidential elections which have been underway for two years, it seems. Maybe we will finally get a respite during late November.

Politicians should take notice about what really gets the interest of the American public. Maybe they should begin using football terms when discussing foreign policy to generate the same kind of interest in things that really matter in the world?

We are going deep against Iran on the next play. It is a full out blitz against the Taliban. 

OK--maybe not.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Tragedy of the NFL

The referee's strike continues in the NFL and the replacement ref's are under fire from everywhere: the owners, the coaches, the players, and the fans. Their product: sports entertainment, is losing its shine and turning to dust right before the eyes of the richest players in all of sports.

And what is the real tragedy?

That the over paid professionals cannot police themselves. They cannot play the game without needing officials for every call--no matter how obvious.

What is this teaching our youth?

Why do we tolerate such immature behavior from these overpaid sports "heroes?"

Someone said it is all part of the game.

Sunday evening, I saw Bill Belichick of the Patriots behave like a spoiled schoolyard ruffian. He even grabbed a referee after the game. I remember my high school football days--if such behavior had occurred then I am sure the league would have suspended the coach--immediately. I also remember our coach would not tolerate less than perfect integrity from the players and no fighting was ever allowed on the field. I remember one game when one of our players started a fight on the field. When he got to the sidelines the coach sent him home--right in the middle of the game. The behavior was not tolerated. Period.

Why do our professional athletes not adhere to the same ideals?

The tragedy of the NFL is that we now need officials to make every call, no matter how obvious, instead of just the close calls. Players should make the majority of the calls without the officials being needed. A fumble is a live ball and a dropped pass is an incompletion.  Players know, why can't they make the calls instead of needing an outsider to make an independent determination.

Wouldn't it be cool to see a player tell the ref that he dropped the pass, instead of acting like he made a clean catch?

Sadly, he would be unemployed the very next day.

That is another tragedy of the NFL. Too much money and too much emphasis on winning at the expense of sportsmanship.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - September 24, 2012

1. I found a new way to celebrate the arrival of autumn--close the pool.

2. Visiting Fogo de Chao for the very first time Saturday night, I finally see what all of the fuss is about.

3. It was a beautiful and sunny weekend for working outside--and I  did.

4. Baseball is all about winning more than a team loses. Even though the O's lost yesterday--they are still in control of their destiny. Ten games to go--and two tonight!

5. Tools are like toys, they both begin with "T."

6. A good project is one which winds up with a new shiny tool in the tool box.

7. The ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter equals Eskimo Pi.

8. I am still amazed when I look at the night sky and realize that the light from the stars I see began their journey to my eye years (tens, thousands, millions) ago--yet it is present in my here and now.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Breakfast in the Wild

Walking outside yesterday morning, I spied a spider enjoying a breakfast feast of some unlucky bug.

The spider was fairly large--and in an accessible location.

It was feeding outside near where I was celebrating the last morning of summer by closing the pool. It was fascinating to watch the spider, who seemed not to notice me as I took some images for posterity.

I like spiders and am fascinated by their hunting skills.

And they do hunt. Their lives depend upon it.

Sometimes, it is really interesting to just enjoy their skills and watch them reduce the unwanted bug population--on dead bug at a time!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Today's Finale Just in Time for the Next Beginning

That's all folks!

After today, actually in just a few hours, it will be gone forever never to return.

Butterfly at Monticello

Hopefully, its passing leaves fond memories and crammed picture albums (or thumb drives) of places visited.

Yes, autumn arrives today marking the finale of the Summer of 2012.

Just as surely as the butterfly in the image will never again visit that flower--so 2012's summer is passing away into the autumn.

It was a great summer. I wish I was standing on a beach somewhere to mark its passing into fond memories of places visited and fun with family and friends.

But, I guess, I am figuratively on some beach, somewhere in my mind enjoying just one more happy hour and listening to the lapping of the waves and making imaginary shapes out of the clouds.

I am hesitant to welcome autumn. I know where it ends.

But, autumn is full of fun, too. Leaves and celebrations, and birthdays (mine included). This year, hopefully, there will be an added autumn treat--playoff baseball in Baltimore for the first time in 15 years!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Garage Success--Rear Bearing Hub Installed

Sometimes a successful auto repair actually happens within the confines of my garage. Last evening was an example.

I completed a five hour marathon rear bearing hub assembly replacement on Chris's car. The same repair that I had started on Sunday morning and then been thwarted due to lack of the proper axle nut socket.

The socket arrived Wednesday evening, as promised form Amazon, but I wasn't up for the challenge and so the remove and replace repair waited until last evening. Although I had a good plan, auto repair is fraught with unexpected delays.

Last evening was no different. Everything went fine right up until the time to remove the bearing hub from the backing plate.

New Rear Bearing Hub in Place

No joy! The rust from the weather and almost 150,000 miles of use had effectively welded them together. For two hours, really, I worked with the assembly working to separate the pieces by brute force, creativity, frustration, and even prayer.

They finally parted and I was able to begin the process of reassembly. Thankfully. The shiny new bearing hub was fit up and ready for installation. I was a bit miffed at the manufacturing process. I had read that some of the cheaper, non-OEM parts did not have large enough holes in them for a socket to get through to tighten the back bolts. So I bought a better quality OEM hub. Unfortunately, the access holes in this one were too small as well. This delayed the installation a bit as I had to creatively access the bolts to turn them down until the socket was able to be placed on top of the bolt due to tight clearances.

But in the end, the job was completed and an extensive test drive confirmed the success of the repair. The droning sound heard while driving the car is gone. The new tires, which we thought were the source of the noise, are fine.

I am not sure the $300 I saved doing the repair was worth the seven hours I put into it (considering the time driving around looking for the axel nut socket on Sunday and the two hours of pleading with the hub to separate from the backing plate last evening), but it is done!

Chalk up an auto repair success and now for the next project--whatever it is.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Two Roads and a Field

A cool September's morning mist
hovered above sun scorched grasses
in a small field sandwiched between
two rush hour crammed highways

The motionless scene, frozen in place
framed by a stunning blue sky and the golden dawn
provided a visual respite from the traffic clogged highway
creating a paradox of traffic and nature

I longed to stop my truck and walk into the field
feeling the coolness of the place
savoring the fragrances captured in the mist
expecting damp softness to caress my face

Pausing, if only for a moment
enjoying the thick wet dew on my shoes,
or better yet, kicking them off
walking barefoot among the late summer foliage.

Springtime's greens had long been bleached brown
by the relentless summer sun
dried Queen Anne's lace haloed in the mist
sparkled in the morning light recapturing its beauty

Trapped behind the wheel of my steel steed
I could only imagine the small plot's peace
isolated between the hazards of the highways
yet captured in my mind, as a place of escape.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD