Monday Musings - May 21, 2019

Looking at Mom and Dad's House from Above
May 19, 2018

1. Hopefully, the rains of the past week are giving way to some nicer weather. It has been a bit oppressive.

2. Driving back form Upstate NY yesterday I was amazed at the speeds some of the drivers were reaching. I am sure a couple of people passed me doing sat least 90-100 mph.

Bird's Eye View
May 19, 2018

3. Chris and I did stop in Pennsylvania to visit Fero Vineyards and Winery in Lewisburg yesterday during out drive back. It was a much needed respite during the trip.

4. It was amazing how the weather got better the further south we drove yesterday. Maybe nicer times are really ahead and the rains have subsided for a while.

5. Isn't it amazing how sometimes victims are victimized twice, the second time by the very people or businesses that are "trying" to help them?

Flea market in Ithaca, NY
May 20, 2018

6. I had this phrase pop into my head yesterday as I was looking at the rain clouds: the pregnant clouds were ripe with rain destined for the earth.

7. I enjoy looking at the earth from above while I am flying Radio Flyer, my drone. I guess I am just a frustrated pilot and the ability to look down on the scene below is exhilarating. I am becoming especially excited about imaging the "Bird's Eye" view. 

8. Chris and I stopped at a flea market on our way out of Ithaca yesterday. It had been quite a while since we had been to one. I believe we will be going to more.



Headlines

Trump Grappling With Risks of Proceeding With North Korea Meeting - The New York Times

Santa Fe High’s Baseball Team Takes the Field, Shadowed by Tragedy - The New York Times

China seems to be winning Trump’s trade war - The Washington Post


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Today millions of Americans are asking themselves that same question about the dedicated men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Like me, they're asking that question with gratitude, with respect and affection in their hearts. Today, I want all those wearing American uniforms around the globe to know: America is grateful to you -- and proud of you, too."

—Statement on Armed Forces Day,

May 16, 1981

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cayuga Lake Wineries

Sheldrake Point Winery
May 18, 2018

During our short weekend visit to upstate New York, I of course had to visit a couple of my favorite wineries. Our house white wines are from Americana Winery and Sheldrake Point Winery. So I visited both yesterday in the rainy weather that followed me from Maryland.

Chris and I of course have our favorite wines from both, however I was disappointed to find that both were out of the wines that I was seeking.

At Americana our favorite table white is Apparition. It has been immensely popular and I was able to purchase the last four bottles. They are bottling more next week I was told. Yay. I added eight bottles of Riesling to round out the case.

The news was not so good at Sheldrake Point. Our favorite white table wine from there has been Luckystone White. I was informed that this wine is no longer produced and there were no more bottles to purchase. I tasted the Pinot Gris and decided that it was a very nice substitute. And so, I was able to obtain a case to refill the wine cellar.

The image is of Sheldrake Point. I was able to fly Radio Flyer during a break in the oppressive weather. I obtained some nice shots of the lake and the vineyards as well.

— Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

More Rain

Rainy Morning
May 19, 2018

Chris and I drove to upstate New York yesterday to spend the weekend with family. After breaking free of the gloom that has descended upon Baltimore we found sunny skies. It was awesome.

Overnight, however, the rain followed and the gloom and rain of the past week has now enveloped central New York. Ugh.

I had wanted to fly Radio Flyer, but it is raining.

The springtime is in full bloom here. It is like backing up three weeks in time. The trees are green, but the leaves are definitely new.

I need more sunshine and less precipitation.

Turn on summer.

— Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

I Feel as if I have Moved

The rains of the past few days has been pervasive. The gray skies with their constant rain are sucking the energy out of the area and turning traffic into a nightmare. 

From the Seattle Weather blog

I feel as if I have moved to Seattle, where rain is expected daily.

Traffic gets completely slowed with multiple jams during rainy times. It really causes a mess on already too full highways. Too many cars traveling too slowly. It increases a usually 20 minutes trip home from work to 40 or 45 minutes of frustrating driving.

The Forecast for Today and Tomorrow for Elkridge, MD
Can you spell rain?

Aside from the nightmare on the highway, there are the canceled activities. This week the GORC Dodgers have seen both of their games canceled and it is likely that tomorrow's game will similarly be canceled due to poor field conditions, continuing precipitation, and thunderstorms.

In good news, the pool is clearing nicely and is ready to accept activity. All we need now are sun and warmer temperatures to arrive and let the good times begin to roll!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rain and Loss

I attended the afternoon Orioles game yesterday.

In the rain with a group from work. It was a fun afternoon, except for the fact that the Orioles managed only four hits all day. 

School Busses in the Parking Lot
May 16, 2018

The rain was almost constant, but did not dampen our spirits too much. The Orioles held a 1-0 lead until the 6th inning. After giving up 3 runs to the Phillies during that inning, the game was pretty much over since the bats were mostly silent all day. The final score was 4-1 Phillies.

There were too many strikeouts. The Orioles struck out 13 times. That means they failed to put the ball in play on 48 percent of their 27 outs. During one exciting stretch the Orioles managed to load the bases with one out. They scored zero runs for that effort!

Watching such a game during rainy conditions definitely was a spirit buster.

But it was an afternoon out of the office at the ballpark. I was amazed how many people showed up to the afternoon game. The official attendance was 29,706. I was amazed how many school groups attended the game. The number of busses in the parking lot was amazing.

I guess the Orioles need to schedule more afternoon games to bolster attendance. Of course, winning would help with that as well.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rainy Again

The thunderstorms from Monday evening were strong enough to cause the GORC Dodgers game to be canceled last evening due to field condition. And it is likely to be a repeat tonight as the storms last evening were every bit as fierce as the ones Monday.


While the rain is causing the plants to grow, it is playing havoc with sports schedules.

I am seeing the afternoon game today, however. It is a 12:05 start! Something very different for the Orioles. It is one of their very few day games during the season, other than Sunday games.

The Orioles are doing much better of late. They are 5-2 on their current, now eight game, home-stand due to last evening's rainout.  That brings them to 5-8 for the month.

I hope the turn around continues. 

I hope the weather is nice this afternoon.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Dinner by the Harbor

Annapolis Harbor, MD
May 14, 2018

Last evening, our friends who live on a sailboat came ashore in Annapolis and Chris and I met them for dinner and conversation.

It was a beautiful evening before the thunderstorms rolled in and covered the land with rain.

Annapolis Harbor looking toward the city
May 14, 2018

We sat and enjoyed some wine and appetizers followed by dinner at a restaurant right on the water where we could enjoy the sights and sounds of Annapolis Harbor. We had a good view of their boat moored not so far away.

We talked about the places our lives had taken them in the months since they last sailed through. 

It is always fun to chat with them and vicariously enjoy their lives. I don't think I could survive on a sailboat. They indicated that it had been four days since they had gotten off the boat. Ugh/ That is a long time. Yet, sitting on the dock beside the water having dinner did not seem to be boring to them. Although they see the water every day, they do not tire of it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - May 14, 2018

1. May is cruising along and the wild weather ride continues. While it was 87 degrees and sunny on Saturday, yesterdays;' high was 62 degrees under cloudy and generally rainy skies. Today is expected to see the high reach 80 degrees.

Jax Preparing to Tag the Runner
May 12, 2018

2. Action shots say it all. Jackson is about to tag the base stealer attempting to take second out. He has the ball and the bead on the runner. The umpire, however, called the runner safe. Wow. It would have been the second caught stealing runner on the game for the Dodgers on Saturday.

3. The Orioles have won two series in a row for the first time this season. They are 5-2 in their last 7 games and had a 4-game winning streak at one point. Yesterday was a 17-1 victory. I hope they have finally turned the corner.

Finnegan and the Rabbit

4. What to do on a rainy afternoon and evening? Watch movies and series on Netflix. Chris and I finished watching the Netflix series Lost in Space yesterday.

5. The pool is looking swimmable and except for the cold temperature, it is ready to host fun!

6. What does a dog do when separated from a rabbit by a hidden fence? Answer? Look and wait.

7. Enjoy Monday. Just remember that Tuesday is not far behind.

Headlines

Gasoline prices could see summer spike, with prices at 4-year highs and record demand - CNBC

China ‘ready to build bigger warships’ as first home-grown carrier starts sea trial - The Economist

Bloomberg warns of 'epidemic of dishonesty' - Yahoo


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"For all Americans, we want to open more and more paths of opportunity in education and expanding scientific literacy and fostering new technologies and, through new technology, new jobs for the future; and building a fair, free, and growing world economy that gives hope and opportunity to all Americans, all mankind."

Remarks at a White House Meeting With Members of the Council for a Black Economic Agenda, February 24, 1987

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hot Saturday

First off, let me say Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers.

Yesterday was a hot Saturday. Although the temperature only made it to 87 degrees, it felt much hotter.

The Pool
May 13, 2018

Despite the heat, which was very nice, a lot of activity was accomplished around the house.

The pool continues to clear and is almost ready for the first splashes of the season. 

The lawn was mowed again and looks good. I actually enjoy mowing the lawn because it means that Springtime is in full swing.

The Deck
May 13, 2018

But, in the real highlight of the day was that the deck was restrained. Fran and Chris got two coats of stain down on the deck with enough time to cure before the evening thunderstorms arrived. It looks very good and is a major springtime project completed. 

And in the sports report for the day, the GORC Dodgers played a tough game against one of the two teams that defeated them last week and pulled out a hard fought 14-12, 4 inning victory. It was exciting especially since the Dodgers were the away team and they had to hold the opposition to less than 4 runs during the last half inning--which they did! The Dodgers now have a three-game winning streak.

The heat was definitely a factor during the entire day. 

But it was a great day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Pool Opening Day 2018

Pool Opening
May 11, 2018

It arrived yesterday. The annual pool opening day event.

The Pool Cover is Gone
May 11, 2018

I had help this year and the whole process went fairly well. The pool had not fared well during the off season and there was a lot of muck at the bottom from the winter. 

The pool is clearing up nicely and the back of the house looks much nicer from the same with the pool cover gone. I can almost believe that the summer is coming. 

The days have been fantastic and truly summer is getting very close. There is still a lot of work to do on the pool to get it into swimming shape, but it should be ready in a few all too short days.

The Ultimate Selfie Machine, My Drone
A Man and His Dog
May 11, 2018

I have discovered that my drone is the ultimate selfie machine. I God an image of me with Makayla yesterday as I was landing Radio Flyer after cruising the neighborhood and taking images of the pool after the opening event. 

Makayla did not mind the buzzing of Radio Flyer until it got wishing a few feet of us. She accepted it, but was very wary. I am just impressed with the amount of green in the image. I love the green and I firmly believe that the reason that I despise winter is because the green goes away.

But, the pool is now open and almost swimmable. The trees are in full leaf. The grass in growing, probably because I put fertilizer on it so that I could cut it more.

The pool, the grass, the trees. Cue summer!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD