Golf Victory Dance

They begin young learning how to do victory dances.

I was watching Lucas trying to hit a golf ball on Easter Sunday--he was concentrating and focused. He was attempting to hit a golf ball with a club too large for him and he was doing a good job.

Hitting the Cover off a Golf Ball

I have been hitting a few golf balls lately, and I now know how to tell when a golf ball has reached the end of its useful life. The cover comes off. 

I didn't know that until I began hitting golf balls repeatedly into my practice net. I've had two golf balls suffer complete failures like this. 

It is kind of fun to have a golf ball fail like this--it means that I got my money's worth out of the ball--and I bought these as range balls so I didn't pay much for them.

But, back to Lucas--I watched him until he finally got a good hit on a golf ball and almost missed the victory dance. 

Watch the video until the end to see the victory dance.

I need to learn those moves because I know how he feels when I make a good shot.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 6, 2015

1. It is officially Spring--Baseball is back! St Louis defeated Chicago last night 3-0 and the most of the rest of the teams have their first games today!

2. Why is it that I don't enjoy new songs during holiday worship services? Am I stuck with beliefs that are too old to enjoy new music? 

3. Chaos. That is what you get when three grandchildren and their families gather along with a couple friends thrown in to celebrate Easter.

4. What do you believe?

5. March Madness is almost over--the final game is tonight--Duke vs Wisconsin. Go Wisconsin!

6. We are an Easter people who live resurrected lives. 
Springtime has arrived. I notices the trees are casting shadows greater than just bare branches.

7. The hardest question I am dealing with right now is where to go for vacation this summer!

8. I can't believe that Spring Break is over and I have to go back to work today--ugh! I did play four rounds of golf.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Easter Morning

Happy Easter.

Good morning or good day on the most important day in all of Christendom. 

This Easter the murder of  Christians around the world at the hands of terrorists is in the news. They are martyrs in the truest sense of the word, killed only because of their belief in the risen Son of God. 

I know this a downer for the celebration of Easter. But is is happening with ever increasing frequency. I am appalled that the news media continues to refer to the murders as executions--there is a huge difference between an execution as the result of a legal process conducted by a government and the indiscriminate murder of people on a college campus. The use of the word execution almost gives the sense of the result of a legal process rather than the appalling murders that are the reality. 

I draw consolation, however, from knowing that as believers in the Risen Lord of Easter those martyrs are in the presence of God today praying for those of us left behind to deal with the forces of darkness that are rampant in the world. That is not comforting to the families and friends left behind--for their loved ones have been violently ripped away from them, but it is the promise of Easter and belief in the risen Jesus.

During the Good Friday services I attended, I made note of an interesting statement from Mark 15:39, "Now when the centurion, who stood in front of him, saw how he died, he said, 'Truly this man was God’s Son!'" (NET Bible) The centurion was present likely throughout the crucifixion of Jesus. But I noted the word, "was." He said "this man WAS God's Son." 

The hope of the world today, the hope that comes because of that first Easter morning two millennium ago, is that is is wrong to say  He WAS God's Son, because He IS God's Son. We know something that at that moment the centurion could not know.

Jesus IS the Son of God--yesterday, today, and tomorrow and because He is risen and alive, we have hope.

Be joyful as you repeat the ancient phrase of victory over death today,

He is Risen
He is Risen indeed!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Return

We are on the cusp of the return of major league baseball--coming to a ballpark near you.

I enjoy reading the pundits as they wade through the off season changes and believe that they can divine the outcome of a 162 game campaign followed by the playoffs before even one game is played.

Usually, the Orioles are projected to be a bottom finisher; however, in a strange twist, one New York Times writer provides a very different view of the American League and the Orioles. In a story titled, A.L. Preview: The Orioles Have Quietly Reloaded, Tyler Kepner makes some very interesting predictions for the upcoming season.

I have to agree with his predictions, because they follow my heart. He writes that the Orioles will win the American League East Division for the second straight year. He goes on to predict that the Orioles will win the ALDS over the White Sox, the ALCS over the Mariners, and then in a dramatic prediction, losing the World Series to the Nationals!

What a wild season it may be. Most other predictions have the Orioles finishing the season outside of the playoffs. And that is why they play the games.

Play Ball!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Temperature Rising--Baseball is Coming

First Crocus of 2015

I awoke this morning to temperatures in the 60's.

Phenomenal! Just a few short weeks ago, I woke up to 6 degrees on March 7th! A 50-plus degree difference in less than a month!

April is making good on its promise! Warmer temperatures and, of course, rain! Today is supposed to be a washout.

I'll take it. It is better than snow.

I am beginning to plan the pool opening for late in the month. I need to get the cover off the pool so that I can believe that warmer temperatures are coming--soon.

The Orioles home opener is just a week away now--and although temperatures are forecast for the 70's--April showers are also included in the plan for the day.

I am sure that even a bit of rain will not deter Orioles fans from flocking to the home opener to cheer on the AL East Champs as they seek to repeat as division champs and improve on their 2014 performance. Excitement abounds. It is too bad that three games will already be in the books before the birds make their initial appearance of the season in Baltimore. 

Spring is truly here and as the MLB teams break their Spring Training camps to head north--baseball is in the air and the sports of winter are beginning to wind down to make room for the Boys of Summer.  I have my tickets in hand and am ready!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What a difference three-hours make

Crossing the Route 11 Bridge
Northumberland, PA
April 1, 2015

I drove north yesterday and was amazed at how different the weather was just a short three-hours away.

I found snow and cold--although the temperature was 43 degrees, there was snow on the ground, a lot of it.

It was amazing how the snow began appearing in the hidden places as I drove further north towards Williamsport, PA--home of the Little League World Series. By the time I arrived there, snow was on the ground and on the houses. It was melting--but there was an abundance of the white stuff everywhere.

I snapped a quick image of the snow on the hill about an hour south of Williamsport, while stuck in traffic on the Northumberland US 11 bridge crossing the Susquehanna River. I was happy to see that the tattered American flags had been removed from the bridge. I wrote about them last November when I drove north in my blog titled, Travel, sunset, flags, and pizza. 

It was demoralizing to see so much snow while I am plotting to mow my lawn for the first time probably within a week if the temperatures remain above freezing at night!

Spring is coming! The daffodils are blossoming and my bleeding hearts are gaining height every day. Still, I am too far north. I long to be in a place where palm trees grow and the ocean waves crash against the shore.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

April Arrives, Finally

Flowers in My Garden

After a long stretch of too cold temperatures and below normal forecasts we have finally stumbled into April where the hope of warmth and more moderate weather is still strong.

Even so, the temperature danced with freezing this morning, for hopefully the last time this Spring.

The Springtime flowers are beginning to bloom, despite the continual onslaught of frigid weather. I noticed buds on the forsythia yesterday as I was doing maintenance on the house and getting it ready for the coming year.

I know in my head that it is Spring--it is just that the temperatures do not seem to bear out the fact. 

But, the new month has arrived and hopefully it is time for the weather to change.

Important Dates in April:

4 - Passover Begins
5 - Easter
6 - MLB Opening Day for Orioles in Tampa
10 - Orioles Home Opening Day
15 - The Tax Man (or woman) Cometh
16 - Holocaust Remembrance Day
22 - Earth Day
24 - Arbor Day
25 - Anzac Day 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

D.C. on a Spring Day

V-2 Rocket in National Air and Space Museum

A Spring-like Day during Spring Break was what greeted me yesterday. Who could ask for more? Really?

The day provided the perfect opportunity to sojourn into D.C. and show the sights to visiting family who were attempting to escape the frozen northlands.

Washington Monument

First up was the National Air and Space Museum, of course. I had been told that it was the most visited museum in the world, however, according to the best information that I could find, it is number three behind the Louvre in Paris and the National Museum of Natural History, which is across the National Mall from the Air and Space Museum. 

It turned out that many, many other people had the same idea about spending a bright and sunny day in our nation's capital. It was a busy day. I reconnected with many of the exhibits that I enjoy and I always learn something new. The visit even helped me answer a Jeopardy question by reminding me of events associated with the Battle of Midway. 

Walking around D.C. to see the famous structures was enjoyable. The blue skies and white puffy clouds made a perfect backdrop for the images. If only the leaves had been on the trees or the cherry blossoms had been in bloom. 

The White House

The White House was there as well as the Lincoln Memorial. I had forgotten that the Reflecting Pool is being reconstructed and it was mostly empty--marring the view to which I have become so accustomed. 

Lincoln Memorial with empty Reflecting Pool

Someone asked me where the fences around The White House were, as they are not evident in my image. I'm leaning on them to get the shot. But beware--there are a lot of fences and guarded areas around The White House that impeded foot traffic and automobiles as well--be ready to walk a lot to get to the spot where I took my image! 

There is always a lot of walking when I visit D.C.  It just seems that I like to walk to get from one place to another. 

But the day was pleasant. There is a lot of construction underway on the National Mall which does impede foot traffic--but on a beautiful Spring day, who really cares? It was fun to be outside enjoying the sights and the other people who were also enjoying the beauty of our nation's capital!

I truly enjoyed getting outside for the day and reconnecting with the sights which are essentially right in my own backyard.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 30, 2015

1. March is drawing to a close. It has been another in a series of too cold months, but at least the snow has melted here and it is melting in the frozen Northeast as well. Maybe April will be a more normal month.

2. I am getting tired of hearing the weather forecasters call for temperatures 10 degrees below normal. Can we just get some normal?

3. March Madness has been reduced to the final four--three of whom were number one seeds: Duke, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. The only outlier is Michigan State. When will the madness end?

4. I played golf yesterday, just because. It was really cold.

5. The family gathered for an afternoon together--it was good to have everyone around and it was fun to watch the kids finally be able to run around outside. 

6. Here's a sport we don't hear a lot about: Australia won the cricket world cup. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own sporting events that we miss what is going on elsewhere in the world.

7. Writing of sports, the MLB season begins in one short week! the first game is next Sunday with the rest of the league opening on Monday. The Orioles do not open at home until Friday the 10th.

8. It is Spring Break! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Clocks and Trains and Children

A visit to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore reminded me that my love for clocks and trains are entwined. 

The massive locomotives which played the rails and moved America from coast to coast depended upon reliable time keeping to make their runs safely. In the days before computers and sensors, it was the pocket watch of the conductor which controlled the progress of the trains across the nation. 

Seeing the behemoths of the past first hand reminded me of what a marvel these engines truly were. They were constructed in an era without computers to precise mechanical standards. It was a marvel to think about the machining associated with building these complex engines. I was reminded about how big an 80 inch drive wheel is--and it is all steel!

Riding the rails. I enjoyed reviewing the evolution of rail travel from the small boilers on a carriage to the super fast steam locomotives and then to the diesel electric engines of the modern rail era. 

Standard time--the time zones that we live with: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific were established during 1883 to support rail traffic. Although not enacted into law until 1918, the standardization of time increased safety on the rails. 

I took a video of the roundhouse and some of the engines and rolling stock on display. Of course, Jax needed a diversion, so he got to enjoy the carousel. What a great way to spend a too cold day in Baltimore? I also become very childlike when I visit this great museum, but the carousel was too small for me.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD