The Dark Season Ends

Stonehenge

I feel almost as how I imagine the druids felt when the vernal equinox occurred. The dark season is over and cue the sunlight.

Daylight Saving Time (DST), which begins Sunday morning, is the beginning of the return of the light,

Today the Baltimore region will experience 11 hours, 36 minutes and 58 seconds of daylight. The amount of daylight is increasing by more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds per day. We actually cross over the 12 hours per day of daylight on March 17th--it should be an enjoyable St Patrick's Day celebration.

The redistribution of available daylight from morning to evening changes everything! I know that personally, I will feel more invigorated during the evening and will begin to look for life outdoors to begin again. I am already thinking of getting the yard into shape for summer activities.

March is full of celebrations and events:

March 6  -  Ash Wednesday
March 10 - DST begins
March 11 - Johnny Appleseed Day
March 14 - Pi Day
March 17 - St Patrick's Day
March 20 - Vernal Equinox (Spring begins)
March 28 - MLB Opening Day

All of these events and commemorations point to the rebirth associated with Springtime--even Pi Day! Enjoy a pie for me!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Losing Daylight

Sunrise
From Route 100
March and 6, 2019

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins during the wee hours on Sunday morning while I am sleeping. That event changes the day and the night.

I snapped this image of the sunrise yesterday morning on my way to work. The sun was beginning to rise and flood the world with spectacular colors and light. Day was dawning. 

It loved looking at the clouds and the colors of the sunrise. It was great to be driving to work in sunlight, rather than under the cover of darkness and gloom. 

And then I remembered Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday. Beginning on Monday morning, my daily trek will again occur during the hours of darkness.

But for a couple days, at least, I have been enjoying the light of the morning. It will return again in a month or so, I just need to wait for it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Jax Celebrates

Jax with his Birthday Cookie
March 5, 2019

Jax celebrated his birthday yesterday. Coincidentally, he also had the day off from school due to parent-teacher conferences.

Jax and Ethan
March 5 ,2019

The day turned into a great celebration for him, lasted the entire day. Chris was able to enjoy the festivities while I was at work. It is rare to get such an opportunity and I am glad that they all were able to celebrate together. 

The party last evening was the frosting on the cake, err cookie! It was a warm family commemoration amid the cold and definitely not spring-like weather. This morning it is a balmy 18 degrees. And it is not expected to become much warmer for a few days.

Happy Birthday Jax! Baseball season is ready to get underway.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Pelicans Posing

Pelicans on the ‎⁨Loxahatchee River⁩
Jupiter, Florida
January 21, 2019

One evening during January, while Chris and I were in Florida, we walked to the end of a dock near a pub that we frequent and enjoyed the pelicans posing for some pictures.

Pelican on the ‎⁨Loxahatchee River⁩
Jupiter, Florida
January 21, 2019

It was funny, really. The pelicans supposed that we had fish or something to feed them and all we had were our cameras to capture the moment. 

There were about six of them that settled beneath the pier and looked at us longingly. The spot where we were standing is used by fishermen to clean their catch as they return from a day on the ocean. The pelicans do enjoy the handouts. 

Chris and I enjoy the pelicans as they fly in formation along the shore, we have labeled them as "Pelicans on Patrol." Every so often, one of them breaks formation and dives into the ocean to catch a meal. 

While the weather was very cool when we were visiting Florida during January, it did not dampen our spirits too much. And the pelicans certainly were entertaining. They certainly were more interesting than trying to watch a movie on TV.  I do wish I was there right now and not suffering with the 20 degree temperature that I woke to this morning. At least there is no snow on the ground!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 4, 2019

1. It is the first Monday of March and the weather forecast for the weeks appears more suited for January. The nightly lows are going be in the teens for the next few days.

2. I am waiting for Spring. Maybe there will be warmth and flowers soon. I see leaf buds on the trees.

3. Although a big snow event was predicted for the overnight hours, I awoke this morning to no snow after a nearly day long rain event.

Unloading
Danby, NY
March 1, 2019

4. Home ownership is great, except when repairs are needed. For instance yesterday, one of the toilet seats needed replacing. Let me assure you that I do not enjoy playing with toilets!

5. During our quick trip to Upstate New York, we had the opportunity to experience snow and cold. Personally, you can keep that weather. There was not one palm tree in sight.

6. I am frustrated with my Sunday newspaper delivery. It is supposed to be on my driveway by 8 AM and it frequently, as happened yesterday, does not arrive until after 10AM. By then, I am no longer interested in reading as the day is well underway.

7. Ithaca, NY, is a strange place with respect to roads. There is one road that I have used since I was living there to come down the South Hill and for some unexplainable reason the city has closed one of the more important streets connected to it. Go figure. It does have a very difficult about 150 degree turn at the bottom, but people have been making that turn for decades, until recently when they closed off the street. Perhaps modern drivers are not as adept as more mature vehicle operators. My school bus used to make that turn.

8. Today in History. On March 4, 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. In his famous inaugural address, delivered outside the east wing of the U.S. Capitol, Roosevelt outlined his “New Deal”–an expansion of the federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare–and told Americans that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Although it was a rainy day in Washington, and gusts of rain blew over Roosevelt as he spoke, he delivered a speech that radiated optimism and competence, and a broad majority of Americans united behind their new president and his radical economic proposals to lead the nation out of the Great Depression.

Headlines

After India Loses Dogfight to Pakistan, Questions Arise About Its ‘Vintage’ Military - The New York Times

Tornadoes Kill at Least 23 in Alabama, Official Says - The New York Times

Trump blames Cohen testimony for failed deal with North Korea - The Washington Post

U.S. and China said to appear close to deal to roll back tariffs - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Our policy of peace through strength has been vindicated wherever it's been tried…the future for world peace is bright if we Americans continue to stand firm, stand tall, and stand for freedom."


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Color of Winter

South of Williamsport, PA
Headed North on Route 15
March 1, 2019

Chris and I celebrated the arrival of the month of March by making a quick trip to Central New York to return Mom and Dad. It was quick because we found a break in the oppressive weekend storms and were able to make a dash north on Friday returning yesterday afternoon.

No, It's Not a Black and White Image
The Doan Homestead
Image from Radio Flyer
March 1, 2019

Fortunately, the roads were dry and we only experienced some light snow in the Pennsylvania mountains that created nothing more than a bit of an annoyance.

I flew Radio Flyer, my drone, and obtained some images of my parent's house surrounded by snow. It was fun to fly above the snow, but it was cold so the flight was a short 5 minutes achieving a maximum altitude of 200 feet--to get well above the trees and electric wires.

Birdseye View from Above the Back Yard
The Doan Homestead
Image from Radio Flyer
March 1, 2019

The thing that struck me about the images was the lack of color in the scenes. If you look closely at the image on the left, you will find me in an orange shirt near the lower left part of the image and there is also a black Highlander in the drive with the rear hatch up. Yet the scene seems to be overwhelmed by the contrast of black on white. 

The the lack of color defines the color of the winter, as this scene confirms. I wish there was green or blue in the scene, but winter drains the color from the world. 

Springtime is only 17 days away. I am looking forward to the explosion of color and life that accompanies its arrival.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Orioles Spring Training

The Orioles stand at 3-2-1 in the Grapefruit League Standings. Spring Training games are in full swing as the teams begin to work towards Opening Day at the end of the Month. They actually posted a tie yesterday 5-5. Yes, there are ties in Spring Training.

I was originally going be writing this weekend from Florida and after attending Spring Training games, but life happens and I am heading to Ithaca later today rather than enjoying the 81 degree forecast for Sarasota. No, I won't be playing golf in the expected 12 inches of snow that Ithaca is preparing to receive this weekend.

Chance Sisco

Chris Davis

Turning to the Orioles, they have fielded a team and are playing baseball, which is what we expected.  They are managing to win some games, but it is Spring Training. 

The highlight of Spring Training so far is Chance Sisco. He has 4 runs, 3 homers, and the 8 RBIs to start the Spring Training. He is angling to be the starting catcher and apparently, right now, has the inside track. In the it was good to see it department, Chris Davis actually has a hit--a 2 run homer, however his batting average remains a dismal .143. It is early yet, however, and there is time for the batting average to sink lower.

Well--that's it for today. More next week as we get deeper into March and begin approaching the start of MLB's Regular Season. The big question for the Orioles this year is the loss over under. I currently have it pegged at 105, meaning they will finish 57-105, an improvement from last year. Vegas has it pegged at 103 losses for a 59-103 finish.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Happy Hour on Steroids

Nicole, Mom, Patrick, Jeremy
Elkridge, MD
February 27, 2019

Dad, Jeremy, Patrick, Nicole
Elkridge, MD
February 27, 2019

When is a good time for a celebration? 

Whenever there is a reason, of course!

Happy Hour is a daily celebration that Chris and I enjoy and last evening it became a very special celebration as the family gathered to enjoy the presence of Mom and Dad as they are journeying back to Central New York after wintering in Houston. 

The gathering of the entire family, less one, resulted in an exciting early evening. It is always good when the family celebrates--and it was a celebration. 

Luke, Jax, Dad, E
Elkridge, MD
February 27, 2019

There was a lot of noise as the grandsons took control of the situation. Sadly, there were too many cars in the drive to allow them to play basketball and so they were pretty much confined to the house. It would have been good to get them outside for a bit, even though it was cold. 

I was especially happy that everyone made it over so we could party together. We have not been gathering as a big family as often as we used to and we need to rekindle the close relationships.

The party ended early out of necessity as there is school today and the boys had to do homework and get to bed. 

Thanks everyone for carving out some time to gather together and celebrate. It was a Happy Hour to remember!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Return

My parents arrived safely from Houston last evening. I appreciated tracking the flight on Flight Tracker. That helped because they arrived almost a half-hour early due to what I'm guessing was a strong tailwind. Their scheduled speed was 525 mph and they were actually traveling about 620 mph. We are so very lucky that Southwest airlines flies direct from Houston! It makes the journey that much easier.

Dinner with Mom and Dad, and Chris in the Middle
Elkridge, MD
February, 26, 2019

Chris and I have been looking forward to their return for a couple of weeks as it marks the beginning of the next phase in their journey. It is hard to believe that they were last here during mid-November as they first traversed to Houston to enjoy the bulk of the Winter. 

And now onto Spring, well, except for the wintry-mix of weather we are expecting later this week to potentially block Mom and Dad's triumphant return to Central New York! The family has been working hard to facilitate their return. We are planning to head out on Friday afternoon to drive them home.

But that is later in the week. For the remainder of this week we are planning on having our local family visit to spend time with Mom and Dad while they are here. I know that there are enough things to be accomplished during their relatively brief visit.

Every visit, no matter how brief is special!

And then back into the fray of daily living.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Seconds of Life

As the last Tuesday of February 2019 rolls into view, I was reminded of the passing of the calendar and how it marks not only the aging of the year, but of our lives as well.

When I was a newborn, one day doubled my lifespan, then two more days again doubled my life, then four more days and then one week, and then one month. Now, I measure my age in years, maybe decades. Thinking of doubling my age from now is out of the question. But with each doubling of my age, I was supposed to become smarter and more importantly wiser.

Yet, even as the thought of measuring my age in days has passed, each day is important and not to be missed.

There is an interesting commercial on television right now that suggests that the average adult spends 1/3 of their life asleep. I ran across some other interesting facts about living at My Age Calculator.

• The average human heart beat rate is 80 per minute, so when you're 25, you had about 1,051,896,000 heart beats.
• Your eye blinking rate is about 10 blinks per minute, so for one year you make about 5,259,500 blinks.
• If you're a 30-year-old, you lived 10957 days, 262974 hours, or 75,778,440 minutes.
• We live our 1 million minutes of life when we're only 1.9 years old. 
• Average time spent sleeping is estimated to total about 6 hours 40 minutes a night, so we usually spend sleeping about 22 years, or 192848 hours of our life.
• Average time spent watching commercials is estimated to total 2 years, or 17531.6 hours. 
• Average time we spend eating is about 67 minutes a day, which is about 3.66 years or 32083 hours of our life.
• Average time spend in traffic about 38 hours a year, making it total 3 months of our life.

So as we roll through life, we need to remember how each of the seconds we spend doing, or not doing, something add up.

A second lost is never found! A variation of Ben Franklin's saying, "Lost time is never found again."

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD