Out the Hotel Window - Denver, August 2014

Sunset on August 11, 2014 looking at the
Denver International Airport Terminals

It would be easy for me to get bored looking out the hotel windows in Denver, since I seem to stay in the same area and have seen the landscape and the sights on so many separate occasions. But I don't! 

Yesterday I was reminded why I like to look out the hotel window, because I caught the sunrise--the actual no kidding sunrise as it was coming up right over the terminals at Denver International Airport. 

Sunrise Denver International Airport
August 12, 2014

On Monday evening, after I had arrived, I snapped a nice image of the airport terminals bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. I also, apparently, caught an image of a UFO--because I have no clue what that thing in the top center of the frame is and I don't remember seeing it when I took the image. It is not present in the image I took a few seconds later. Hmmm. A good one for the conspiracy theorists. It is probably dirt in the window.

But yesterday morning, I caught the rising sun coming up over the buildings just to the left of the main terminal at the airport. The sunrise was, in a word, magnificent! As I have written before, I like sunrises more than sunsets.

Sunrise Denver International Airport
August 12, 2014 #2

And this sunrise was one to be remembered. I remain fascinated at how quickly the sun jumps up into the sky from being just below the horizon to being "up."

I didn't take an image of the full-up sun.   I was so caught up in the moment, that I missed it with the camera.

But it is etched into my mind!

Good morning world! Another day is at hand with all of its promise and hope. Make today better than tomorrow--that is my goal with each sunrise.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, Colorado (again!)

Flying the Turbulent Skies

I did my best imitation of self-loading cargo (SLC) again yesterday as I carried my bag down the aisle into a Boeing 737 emblazoned with the markings of Southwest Airlines and after retrieving my electronics and reading material and stowing my carryon, I claimed my seat for an almost four-hour flight. 

I have become a fan of Southwest Airlines because when you fly with them you have no expectation of anything other than a drink and some peanuts. I fly for peanuts!

I always make the following statement when I enter the Southwest jet, "I'm flying first class today!" It usually draws a chuckle from the flight attendants because there is only one class of travel on Southwest. Yesterday was special because as we landed we were serenaded by one of the flight attendants with a nice arrival song over the public address system. She had a nice voice which reminded me of Doris Day until she went horribly flat during one part of the song. I still applauded because it was a nice ending to an unusually turbulent flight across the middle section of America.

The flight was one of the most turbulent that I have experienced in quite a while. The seat belt sign was on for most of the flight. It almost becomes counter productive to have the seat belt signs illuminated, because over time, people begin to ignore the warning and do what they need to do--usually, use the restroom. It is to the point where the only time it is serious is when the captain suspends cabin service and orders the flight attendants to be seated and strapped in. Then, people listen.

Upon landing, I imitated SLC again and deplaned. Off for business after spending part of my life I can never recover strapped inside an aircraft over the heartland of America.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO (again!) 

Monday Musings - August 11, 2014

1. It is only early August, but already the Halloween decorations are in the stores. 

2. Another idyllic weekend and I had one major project to accomplish--it didn't get done, I kept getting redirected.

3. I may have a potential buyer for Kitty, my first Jaguar. It will be sad to let the venerable old car go, but I am not spending the time maintaining it that I should.

4. In contrast to the Halloween decorations in the stores, I saw this butterfly on my Butterfly Bush on Saturday. 

5. The NFL began play this week. I don't even know what the scores of the games were. 

6. I saw Guardians of the Galaxy yesterday. It was fun, but not great.

7. It promises to be a very busy week ahead, I can't believe how quickly August is sliding into September--even the 62 degrees this morning sounds like a September temperature.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flowers for the Day

Anniversaries are days for flowers and with the receipt of two bouquets yesterday,  I reflected on how our lives are filled with flowers. 

When we are born, often flowers are sent. On birthdays there are flowers. On our graduation day and our wedding day there are flowers. Special occasions get flowers. Yes, even on the day when we are laid to rest, there are flowers.

Yesterday was an anniversary day and there were flowers. Beautiful flowers. Some were brought in person and some were delivered. 

Regardless of the delivery mode, flowers are appreciated on special days and occasions. 

Getting multiple bouquets of flowers means the day is really special--and yesterday was really special.

Two bouquets to enjoy. As long as they are around, both the sender and the day are remembered. That is really cool.

What a nice way to remember a very special day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Interactive Baseball Map

I grow weary of all of the political maps of the country showing the red, blue, and gray projections for the upcoming election. I wish they would use other colors like green and yellow.

The coolest map that I have run across in a very long time is in this morning's New York Times online. It is an interactive map of the United States divided by baseball teams. The article, Up Close on Baseballs Borders, is an interesting and different look at how regions of the US follow major league baseball teams as determined from Facebook. 

From this map, I was able to determine that 62 percent of baseball fans living in Tompkins County, New York, are Yankees fans. But, I also discovered that 9 percent are Red Sox fans and that 6 percent are Mets fans. Interesting--maybe there is some truth to the Red Sox nation idea. Within just the 14850 zip code in Tompkins County, however, the percentage of Yankees fans drops to 50 percent and the percentage of Red Sox fans increases to 16 percent and the Mets fan base also increases, but only to 8 percent.

In my own Howard County, Maryland, I was distressed to learn that only 50 percent of the fans are Orioles fans, with 10 percent for the Nationals, and, unbelievably, 8 percent for the Red Sox. At least the Yankees got shut out of the top three. For my zip code, however, I am happy to report that 66 percent of the fans are Orioles but the Yankees have 9 and the Red Sox have 5 percent of the fan base. 

It was fun to troll around the country and find where different teams are the strongest. I found a whole swath of the western portion of the country in Idaho and Utah where the Yankees or Red Sox were had the biggest fan base. I was also surprised that most of Virginia are Yankee fans. 

Checking out this map was a lot more fun than looking at political projections. I was intrigued by the breakdowns in Alaska and Hawaii--Yankees and Red Sox often have the highs percentage of the fan base.

It is a well done map and I had a lot of fun wandering around the country.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Congratulations, It's Friday

At the End of the Day
Willamette Valley Vineyards

The first full week of August is coming to a close and it has been a hectic week.

I can hardly wrap my head around everything that has been going on--but, from where Is it hits morning I can see the weekend on the horizon. And that is a good thing.

I had the opportunity to reflect on my recent vacation last evening with the arrival of some my purchases. It is fun to reflect on the good times spent away from the duties of daily living. I am always amazed at how the days seem to fill themselves with seemingly important things, while others things just slip away. 

I have two huge events that I want to put create photo books for--the vacation to Oregon and the 60th Anniversary party. 

Maybe I will get to those during the coming week--I hope. 

The weather has been fantastic and being outside is something I enjoy. Even just sitting around the table on the porch annoying dinner, conversation, and a glass of wine.

That, I guess, is a thread through my life. I remember the adage that we need to take time to smell the flowers along the way. Sometimes I feel I just need to slow down enough to even notice the flowers first. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Highway Accident on the Way Home

Emergency Vehicle Responding to accident

I was not involved--but I saw the aftermath of the accident just as the first responders were arriving. The scene was a bit surreal, it appeared to be a single car accident where the vehicle wound up on its side in the middle of two lanes. Yes, on its side, specifically, the driver's door was against the pavement and the wheels were 90 degrees from the road surface. 

The road was collapsing from three full lanes of rush hour traffic down to one lane just getting by on the shoulder. 

It was refreshing to see how the cars parted on the traffic clogged highway to let the emergency vehicles by to get to the scene. Although, the vehicles had to come through the very middle of the clogged traffic.

Traffic as the Ambulance went by

And even more refreshing was the way everyone  came together so that we could snake by the accident. I maintained my mantra that drivers need to drive while passing the scene and so except for seeing the vehicle, I did not ascertain the extent of injuries to those involved. I needed to keep alert so as not to become involved in a secondary incident, especially since a large fire truck was ensuring that all of the travel lanes were closed and that the only way past the accident was on the shoulder.

Although it delayed my drive home, I was reminded that someone was having a very bad day, and but, by the grace of God, it was not me!

I prayed that they were OK and I proceeded safely on my journey home.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Training Wheels--The Simple Made Hard

Original Poor Design

It appeared to be a simple task, install training wheels on a bicycle for Lucas. Sadly, nothing, it seems, is as easy as it should be especially when the items being installed are poorly manufactured and the instructions were not clearly translated form the original Chinese. 

Amazon let me down, because the training wheels were supposed to be delivered on Monday--but they did not arrive. And then, when they did finally arrived yesterday, they were poorly designed and did not accomplish the task in a safe and consistent manner. They did not properly fit the bike and I had to make modifications to try and adapt the training wheels to the bike. After a few short rides, it was clear that they were not acceptable. 

Attempt 2: The New Ones

I was amazed at the poor quality and design of the wheels. In the end there was no was to properly fit them to the bike to make them safe for Lucas.

So off to the local store to acquire an acceptable set of training wheels. After a few more frustrating installation minutes, they were ready for a test ride.

Then the chain fell off the bike, during the first short ride. Another agonizing few minutes of backyard bicycle repair. Finally, for the third time of the evening, the bike was presented to Lucas--who had not yet lost interest, for a test ride.

Lucas was a bit wary of the bike and not ready to fully commit himself to the ride. Grandma walked beside him and help him gain confidence in the wheels, although after the failure of the previous set of wheels, this was not as easy a task as it should have been. 

And what a test ride it was. Within a short time, Lucas was riding the bike and feeling a bit too comfortable on it. 

At least the evening had a happy ending.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Trail Goes On to Where?

Trail in the Oregon Forest

Life is a journey along a path that sometimes goes on into the forest and often obscures the destination.

I experienced the reality of walking along a trail a few weeks ago while hiking through the forests of Oregon, where there was something new around every bend. One time I saw a huge elk crossing the path about 100 yards in front of me. I tried to get a picture of the elk, but he was too fast for me and all I got was blur and a great memory of the huge magnificent creature that graced my life with its brief presence.

View at the end of the trail

Although I hoped the end of the trail would soon come, I still found every twist and turn interesting. Much like life. Although I could not see the end of the trail, nor hear the end of the trail as it was obscured by heavy forest, I sensed that there was something special up ahead.

The view and the beginning of a new journey

When I finally broke out of the forest into the grasslands, it was worth the hike. The view was magnificent. 

And, reflecting upon the moment, I knew that although the immediate journey had ended, another journey was about to begin.

I guess journeys, like hikes, are both endings and beginnings as I take the things I learned form the experience past and apply them to the journey ahead.

Life is a journey, after all and that is what makes it so much fun.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 4, 2014

1. The first full week of August has arrived, I guess there is not doubt now that the summer is winding down.

2. I noticed the stores are full of "Back to School" supplies yesterday. I remember the days of supply lists and the stress associated with the approaching return to normal day as school resumes.

3. I was successful in my plumbing project of yesterday! A miracle.

4. Charles M. Blow makes the following statement at the beginning of his NY Times OP-ED Column this morning: Congress is a joke. But the joke isn’t funny — unless, of course, you’re into dark humor.

5. The NFL Pre-season is officially underway. The Giants rallied to beat the Bills. I'm glad I decided to cancel NFL Sunday Ticket, I am going to get NHL Center Ice instead.

6. Rain and cool temperatures. Yup, summer is already giving way to autumn.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD