Independence Day 2017

Happy 4th!

It is my favorite summertime celebration. It is a time to celebrate the struggle and freedom that we, as 
Americans, enjoy on a daily basis. These are the same freedoms that others would attempt to deny us because they do not understand how fundamentally important these freedoms are and how strongly we will defend them.

Thomas Jefferson

I read a great article in the Washington Post yesterday about Thomas Jefferson's last public letter. The letter was written on June 24, 1826, just a few weeks before Jefferson died on July 4th, the 50th anniversary of the signing the Declaration of Independence. 

Jefferson had been invited to a celebration in Washington D.C. to honor Independence Day and the signing.

Roger Chew Weightman, the mayor of Washington, had big plans for a Fourth of July celebration. He sent invitations to the three surviving signers of the Declaration — Jefferson; John Adams, who was 90; and Charles Carroll of Maryland, 88 — along with former presidents James Madison and James Monroe.

Jefferson's health prevented him from attending and he wrote a letter. Jefferson's letter expressing his thanks for being invited and regrets for being unable to attend contain some profound words which are applicable to our own Independence Celebration today.

Jefferson wrote:

Having to decline the invitation makes being sick even harder to bear, he continued. He longed to meet once more “with the small band, the remnant of that host of worthies, who joined with us on that day, in the bold and doubtful election we were to make for our country, between submission or the sword.” It’s good to know that “our fellow citizens, after half a century of experience and prosperity, continue to approve the choice we made.”

“all eyes are opened, or opening to the rights of man. the general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born, with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately by the grace of god. these are grounds of hope for others. for ourselves let the annual return of this day, for ever refresh our recollections of these rights and an undiminished devotion to them.”

Let us always remember the vision that the Founding Fathers had for our great nation. Despite the occasional detours along the road of freedom, let us be vigilant and also quick to defend that vision.

Happy 4th. May independence be always in your heart.

-- Bob Doan, writing from The Oasis of the Seas somewhere in the Caribbean Sea

Monday Musings - July 3, 2017

People on the Canaveral Beach
July 2, 2017

1. Happy Independence Day! Enjoy the Fourth. 

Carnaval Cruise Ships Departing Port Canaveral
July 2, 2017

2. Sitting on the balcony of a cruise ship looking at the placid waters of the Caribbean without any land in sight; the ultimate way to spend a vacation.

3. I was amazed at how many people were at the beach yesterday as the ship departed Port Canaveral.

4. I was ready for a front row seat for the Space-X Falcon 9 launch, but it was scrubbed with 9 seconds to go. The ultimate downer.

Waiting in Our Cabin
July 2, 2017

5. There was something nice about being greeted in our cruise ship cabin with a filled bottle of sparkling wine and a bottle of red wine. It made sitting on the balcony yesterday as we pulled out of port that much better.

6. Getting ready for the holiday, The New York Times taste tested hot dogs to find the best. Find the results here.

Headlines

7. Independent Press Is Under Siege as Freedom Rings - The New York Times

Excerpt:

You’re old enough to know that you can’t always have a feel-good birthday. And let’s face it: This Fourth of July just isn’t going to be one of them.

How could it be when one of the pillars of our 241-year-old republic — the First Amendment — is under near-daily assault from the highest levels of the government?

8. Therapy animals are everywhere. Proof that they help is not. - The Washington Post

Quote for the Week

"Our country's greatest asset is not our vast expanse of land and not our abundant resources or our temperate climate. Instead, what will serve America most in the years ahead, our most precious possession, is the genius of our people."

Ronald Reagan

Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the National Medals of Science and Technology, June 25, 1987

-- Bob Doan, writing from aboard The Oasis of the Seas somewhere in the Caribbean Sea

Enjoying the Heat and the Beach

Chris in Cocoa Beach
July 1, 2017

Rediscovering Summer was a great experience yesterday. 

Chris Striding to Her Ball

The temperatures were hot, the sun was shining and there was even an afternoon thunderstorm to raise the humidity and make the summertime stickiness return.

Yes, I am a bit crazy about the heat and sun. But I truly love it. I enjoy the heat so much that Chris and I played a round of golf during the heat of the afternoon. It was fantastic because there were no other crazy people on the course.

The morning was filled with time on the beach getting reacquainted with the Atlantic Ocean and the wildlife. 

At the Beach

It was a busy interlude vacation day where we began the process of decompressing from the frenetic pace of life and began to get our "Island Time" approach to life.

Along the Indian River
July 1, 2017

Hopefully it will be a good day. 

To end the day yesterday, we celebrated sunset along the banks of the Indian River with a great meal and a beautiful scene.

Vacations can be great. We just need to open our eyes and absorb the scenery.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Melbourne, Florida

Out the Hotel Window - Melbourne, Florida

Out my Hotel Window
Near Melbourne, Florida
June 30, 2017

Vacation night one was in a hotel near Melbourne, Florida.

At the end of a marathon 13-and-a-half hour drive its was a great relief to find our hotel to be easily accessed and clean.

As Evening Falls
Out my Hotel Window
June 30, 2017

As usual, I peered out the hotel window with my camera in hand to image what I could see. It was an empty, well almost empty parking lot. And trash bins! How exciting is that? I don't even see any palm trees in the image. 

But I am in Florida, again! It is warm and humid.

And there are palm trees, I have seen them and toughed them.

Later in the evening, the sky was lit like fire coming through the clouds and I was able to obtain a better image from my hotel window.

The image is not one of my better, but the fiery scene was spectacular.

Who knows what today will hold?

-- Bob Doan, writing from near Melbourne, Florida

Road Trip Blues

It seems that I am destined to never have a truck with an unblemished windshield.

I had replaced the windshield in the Sonoma a few years ago and almost immediately caught a rock that grew into a huge crack that remained until the truck was towed away two weeks ago.

This morning, during the second hour of the current road trip my Ram caught a rock on the windshield. I took a picture of it. Ugh.

I'm reminded of the statement, "and that's why we can have nice things."

I think I can get the divot filled if it will hold until we get back.

Well it's a jungle on the highway.

-- Bob Doan, writing from somewhere in North Carolina near mile marker 152

Ready, Set, Wait

Sometimes it seems that I get prepared to accomplish or enjoy something and then I have to wait for it!

It happens all of the time.

I am prepared for a big event and something makes me wait!

Vacations can be like that. An incredible amount of preparation goes into the lead-up to the main event, but then it becomes a waiting game.

Sometimes we do need to just wait for it--but wouldn't it be nice if we could just get started?

The Fourth of July Weekend, is upon us, but wait--it isn't a weekend this year. The 4th is on a Tuesday and so there really isn't a weekend.

I wonder how many people are going to take Monday off to create a four day weekend instead of waiting for the actual holiday? The smarter move might be to take Wednesday off and create a weekend in the mid-week.

But, no matter, we just need to wait for it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Who Turned off Summer

Looking Over Baltimore on a Hot Sultry Evening

Last week I celebrated the solstice and the arrival of the best season of the year. 

This morning it was 53 degrees when I woke up and went outside to do my pool maintenance before struggling off to work.

Who turned off summer?

I need the 90's and the sultry humidity! I want to see the humidity and heat hanging in the air.

I know the heat will return soon enough and people will be complaining, but it is almost July and I expect to be enveloped by a blanket of hot, humid air when I step out of the air conditioned buildings that i work and live in. How did we survive before air conditioning?

I remember lying in bed on hot summer nights as the air hung damp in my room, unmoving, and I longed for a breeze. It was similar to when I moved into the the six story dormitories in Coral Gables, Florida, and found they didn't have air conditioning. But I got used to it. 

Since then, I guess, I have become an air conditioned creature. But, I still long for the hot air and the smells of the summer.

Soon enough, I am sure.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Gardening

Planting flowers and doing yard work is rewarding. I complain about it while I am doing it, but I love the results.

Saturday, Mom, Dad, Chris, and I spent the day sprucing up the house. Mom and Dad really appreciated the help and work.

It was a long day, but worth it in the end. Mom and Dad were right there all the way.

I think gardening lowers blood pressure. Lol.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Danby, NY

Monday Musings - June 26, 2017

1. Amazingly, this is the last week of June. July is standing in the wings ready to make a grand entrance.

2. I saw this barn in Danby on a cool but clear evening. The colors were so bright I had to snap this image.

3. Sitting in a hospital waiting for Mom's surgery and the delays have begun. Ugh!

4. The Orioles won a road series for the first time since April. They also tied the Major League Baseball record for most games allowing five or more runs per game. They allowed only three runs on Saturday to end the streak, but yesterday they allowed five runs in their 8-5 win.

5. What happened to summer? It was 50 degrees this morning in Central New York.

6. Vacation season is upon us.

7. I love the smell of a fresh mowed lawn.

8. I enjoyed watching a thunderstorm arrive yesterday. The cool air and the ozone smell preceded the arrival of the rain and wind.

9. It is fun to look back a week and then project forward. What was I doing last week at this time? What am I doing now? What will I be doing next week? They are all very different answers. That is exciting.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Corning, NY

Dinner Out

Last evening we headed out to dinner after a day of hard work around the house. Mom and Dad were in great form and surprisingly the restaurant was not too busy.

It was an enjoyable dinner and made even more special because we had all worked hard around the house planting gardens and mowing lawns. The place looked great by the time we were done.

Spending time with Mom and Dad was the highlight of the day, however. Sometimes I get so involved in the hectic pace of my own life that the joy of sharing a relaxed dinner put with my parents gets lost in the noise.

After dinner we stopped at a small ice cream shop in Danby to enjoy the sunset. I couldn't believe how cool the evening had become. The crystal cyan sky was stunning as it met the hilly horizon in the distance.

It was so cool that I had to put a long sleeve heavy shirt on to stay warm while sharing an ice cream cone with Chris.

It was a perfect ending to a great day.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY