Another Beautiful Day

 

Loxahatchee River
Tequesta, FL
October 6, 2022

Yesterday was another beautiful day. The kind of day that made me move here. It is almost mid-October and the sky was blue with temperatures in the low 80s coupled with low humidity. A perfect day. 

I had a number of projects to tackle and, sadly, I did not get to all of them. But, they have moved to today. The most important project is installing a smart switch for the fan in our bedroom. We had one back in Maryland and it was great to be able to turn the fan on or off in the middle of the night without getting out of bed.  The switch actually arrived from Amazon yesterday afternoon. 

I managed a bike ride yesterday. I seem to spend a lot of time biking along the banks of the Loxahatchee River. The river has a number of forks and, therefore, riverfront property in the area. Along the banks are a number of small parks and bridges which provide places to stop and enjoy the scenery. Later, near the end of my ride I saw my favorite tortoise eating along the bike path. 

I was late getting out on my bike because I had to wait for an estimate for a roll-down screen that we are thinking of installing on the patio to reduce the evening mosquito assaults. I think the tortoise is getting out later because is it so much cooler in the early morning. Regardless, it was a good ride and a good day that ended with dinner and some pool time at our friend's house.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Interrupted Bike Ride

 

Path of the Ride
Tequesta, FL
October 5, 2022

It finally happened to me as I am sure it at one time happens to most bike riders. 

There I was, riding with a friend in the middle of a planned 20 mile or so route. I heard a noise coming from my back wheel and then within a few yards the tire was flat. I noticed that it was flat when the rim hit the pavement. Fortunately, we were only three miles from his house where I had parked the truck. He rode off and got my truck to haul my bike home for repairs. 

Important safety tip: Never ride on a flat tire! Not only will you need to replace the inner tube and tire, but you will likely incur the added expense of replacing at least the rim if not the whole wheel.

I had been tempting fate by not carrying a repair kit. It is weird that yesterday was the first day that I rode with a small bag under my seat for my wallet and keys. The small bike bag now contains a roadside repair kit including a CO2 cartridge to inflate a tire. I have been procrastinating putting a repair kit together and yesterday's flat spurred me into action.

My Vision of South Florida
Tequesta, FL
October 5, 2022

Until the flat occurred, the ride was enjoyable. The weather was mild and we rode along and area that coincides with my vision of Florida. Small palms among pine trees. Looking at the route of the ride, it does not follow a straight path as we wound through the neighborhoods.  There was an out and return portion and the flat occurred we were preparing to head to the right, backwards down the arrow I drew, into an area we had not yet ridden.

The ride along the wild area was especially pretty. The bright sky highlighted the beauty of the low palms and pine trees. The wild area seemed to go on forever, oblivious to the habitat destruction occurring elsewhere in the region as houses are erected.

I do enjoy these rides around Tequesta and I am preparing to venture further away to explore other parts of Palm Beach and Martin counties.

Programming note: I missed seeing the Crew-5 launch. Poor planning on my part.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Happy Hour Highlight - Space Launch

Atlas 5 with SES-20 and SES-21 Smoke Trail
Juno Beach, FL
October 4, 2022

 

I forget that I need to be cognizant of the launch schedule from Cape Canaveral. It used to be an integral part of my daily existence, knowing what space launches were happening, but I have not developed a good methodology to stay "in the know" in my retired lifestyle.

Suffice it, last evening as I returned to the beach for happy hour, the first since Hurricane Ian's visit, I was sitting there enjoying the time together with friends when a woman walked up and announced that she was a geek and that there was a space launch happening in about one minute. Wow--I was impressed and happy. I love watching space launches.

The launch happened, although being daytime with a heavy cloud decks I was unsure how much we would see. Not much as it turned out. The launch was visible as it sped between cloud formations and we never saw it again as the flight path carried it away from us behind the clouds.

Rough Atlantic Ocean
Juno Beach, FL
October 4, 2022

Programming note. There is a crewed launch scheduled for today at noon! I hope to have my toes in the sand to watch that one if the weather is clear. It is Crew-5 in the Dragon vehicle Endurance aboard a Falcon-9. You can read more about it in the NASA Blog.

It was a great Happy Hour with some brief entertainment. The ocean was rough and the waves were powerful crashing onto the beach. We were there at high tide and watching the waved was especially enjoyable. There were the usual collection of birds with the ospreys begin most active and fun to watch. They seemed bigger than the ospreys on the beach we usually frequent for happy hour. 

I noted that as the sun was sinking on the horizon it highlighted the waves as they proceeded to the beach. The sun and the waves made for a stunning scene. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Secret Garden

 

Secret Garden
Tequesta, FL
September 20, 2022

OK, I will admit it now. One of the downsides of condo living is that we cannot have a garden.

On the other hand--there are no lawns to mow or maintain.

Chris, however, in search of a plot of land that she could become creative with and turn into a place of her own created what I call the secret garden.

It is not much of a secret, since it is hidden in plain sight. 

Chris has placed two mums, a bird house in the shape of a bird, and some ground statues. The heron is visible in the back right.

So we have a small garden which, so far, the landscape company has allowed to remain. A few years ago we tried something right off our patio and they cleaned it up and removed the pots--we never got them back.

Trying to make condo living quite not so sterile. We will see how it goes.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - October 3, 2022

 

1. Here we go. Autumn is definitely arrived as this is the first Monday in October. Four weeks from today in Halloween and there are only 12 Mondays remaining in the year.

2. Family NFL Report. It was a rough week for 3 of the 4 family teams.

    Ravens (2-2) lose to Bills (3-1), 20-23

    Cowboys (3-1) defeat Commanders (1-3), 25-10

    Steelers (1-3) lose to Jets (2-2), 20-24

Tortoise Along the Road During my Ride
Tequesta, FL
October 2, 2022

3. My BikeMap app indicated that yesterday I completed my longest ride ever. It was 20.3 miles! I did not realize that it was a new PR.

4. I am getting a number of small projects completed that fall into that final 5 percent. The small ones that are not critical but yet improve the quality of life. Yesterday, for instance, I installed the sound bar and sub woofer on our main TV. I did most of the work wile watching the Ravens turn in another dismal second-half performance.

5. Today in History. October 3, 1995. At the end of a sensational trial, former football star O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the brutal 1994 double murder of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. In the epic 252-day trial, Simpson’s “dream team” of lawyers employed creative and controversial methods to convince jurors that Simpson’s guilt had not been proved “beyond a reasonable doubt,” thus surmounting what the prosecution called a “mountain of evidence” implicating him as the murderer.

Orenthal James Simpson—a Heisman Trophy winner, star running back with the Buffalo Bills, and popular television personality—married Nicole Brown in 1985. He reportedly regularly abused his wife and in 1989 pleaded no contest to a charge of spousal battery. In 1992, she left him and filed for divorce. On the night of June 12, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were stabbed and slashed to death in the front yard of Mrs. Simpson’s condominium in Brentwood, Los Angeles. By June 17, police had gathered enough evidence to charge O.J. Simpson with the murders.

'We lost everything': Floridians attempt to rebuild after Ian - CNN

Ukrainian forces advance into the Luhansk region, pro-Russian officials say - CNN

A plane crashed into a Minnesota home, killing three people - CNN

Stocks Rise, Yields Retreat to Kick Off Fourth Quarter - The Wall Street Journal

Florida’s Strengthened Electric Grid Mostly Withstood Hurricane Ian - The Wall Street Journal

Strong New-Car Demand Collides With Rising Rates - The Wall Street Journal

General Motors third-quarter U.S. auto sales jump 24% - Reuters

Iran's Khamenei backs police over Mahsa Amini protests, may signal tougher crackdown - Reuters

Russia sacks commander of Western military district - reports - Reuters

North Korea fires fourth missile in a week as South flexes military muscle - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Saturday Activity

 It was an interesting Saturday with lots of activity to keep me busy while Chris remains in Maryland. 

I reviewed my cycling activity for September and was happy to have ridden 154.35 miles without really trying. It was good to be back on my bike for the month and able to ride most days. My total was a bit lower because of the hurricane--I didn't ride Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday last week. I didn't ride Friday because I hoped that most of the debris would be removed, and it was. There were a few places where I rode yesterday, my first ride of October, where I had to navigate downed palm fonds. I managed an 11 mile ride yesterday and it took 5 miles for my legs to warm-up and get back into biking after being off most of the week.

Sign Down Along US 1
Tequesta, FL
September 29, 2022

In reviewing the damage to the area I determined that we fared very well during the storms. There were only a few obvious problems including a downed sign advertising Divorce Mediation. I guess their business just fell off. 

In other business, the Orioles are officially out of the playoff race with the loss yesterday. There are only four games remaining in the season and they at least made it exciting. They can finish no worse than .500 ads they already have 81 wins, but a win in one of the next four games would give them their first winning season since 2016. Regardless, they are assured of their first non-losing season since 2016.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

September is gone?

 October arrived overnight. Somehow September slipped through our fingers and we are in the final quarter of the year. 

Carton Containing Coffee Table
Tequesta, FL
September 30, 2022

Happy New Year to all of the federal workers out there. Congress once again failed to do their jobs and had to supply a continuing resolution to keep the government funded, but at least they did that and kicked the budget battle down the road until December 16th. 

Coffee Table in Living Room
Tequesta, FL
September, 30, 2022

Yesterday was busy. The dogs took a lot of time, but I did get a few projects completed. The biggest project was in front of my door when Finnegan and I returned home from our morning walk. The new coffee table arrived. All 130 lbs of it! There it was, big as can be, blocking the door. Thank-you Fedex!

I was concerned because upon inspecting the carton I noticed some damage, but once I wrestled the box inside, opened it, and freed the table from the excessive packing I determined that there was no damage. The packing protected the table and the area of the damaged carton was dead space. 

Does anyone else thing we use way too much styrofoam in packing? And the cheap styrofoam crumbles and gets everywhere. 

The new table, however, looks great and there are end tables somewhere in the process of being shipped which will complete the look. 

Today I will be tackling hanging a TV using the new mount which arrived yesterday. The mount for the TV being replaced was not sufficient for the TV I am hanging and so I must remove and replace TV mounts! Ugh! 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Fly Away

 

Chris and I fared very well during Hurricane Ian. We were not in the path and there is only minor damage in our area. 

Chris's Jet at the Gate
Palm Beach International Airport
September 29, 2022

We fared so well that Chris flew to Maryland last evening. The West Palm Beach International Airport was almost a ghost town. We arrived at the airport with enough time for us to share dinner before she had to go through security. Security here takes about 30 seconds. There is almost never a line. 

There were very few people in the airport and we enjoyed a nice dinner at an Irish pub.

We had tracked her flight all day to determine if it would be canceled or delayed. It was not canceled and was delayed a few minutes--but that was expected. 

The route he jet flew was significantly different from most of the flights between Palm Beach and Baltimore. Normally they fly an almost a straight line between the two airports, out over the ocean coasting in over the Carolinas. But, as can be seen, Hurricane Ian was in the path and so on this day the route was over land to avoid the power of the hurricane. 

She is excited to visit family and friends over the next week. I have a list of projects to accomplish. BTW, just to be clear, it is not a honey-do list, it is a self generated project list. 

The hurricane changed the weather pattern. It is 64 degrees this morning and I believe it is the first 60 degree morning since before we departed during April. It is cold outside!

Happy Friday!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Riding out the Storm

 

Palm Across the Street in the Wind
Tequesta, FL
September 28, 2022

What do you do when riding out a hurricane? Well, even being on the periphery of the storm there really isn't much to do. We watched moment-by-moment coverage of Hurricane Ian until it made landfall over southwest Florida. 

I went outside during some of the lesser winds to allow the dogs some relief and videoed a coconut palm tree. I wondered whether I was standing too close if the coconuts decided to break free and plummet to the earth. 

Chris and I did make a short trip to the grocery store, there was no panic buying evident in our area. The store was fully stocked. We then went to a gas station and filled-up so that we have two fully fueled vehicles, although the expectation is that we will not need to evacuate as the storm is already moving away.

Hopefully I will be able to return to my daily bike ride tomorrow when the storm is fully out of the area. It remains too windy this morning. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

From the Sidelines of Hurricane Ian

 

First, an update on my jury duty experience yesterday. I survived and was not selected to serve as a juror on a trial. They released me just before noon and I was able to spend the afternoon at home preparing for the oncoming storm.

On to the storm. Our area of Southeastern Florida is under a Tropical Storm Warning and not expected to experience the full force of the hurricane. We suffered through tornado warnings overnight as the outer bands of the now Category 4 Hurricane Ian passed. Our portion of Florida is where people from the Gulf Coast were directed as an evacuation destination.

It is raining off and on and sometimes very heavy.  We are seeing winds of about 30 mph right now, but are expecting gusts of up to 70 mph as the hurricane makes landfall later today. Chris and I closed the hurricane shutters last night because of the tornado threat and also because we have large trees close to our windows. 

Our area is NOT under an evacuation order and, therefore, we are not evacuating. The truck, 4 wheel-drive, has a full tank of gas with a 500 mile range and is prepared in case we do need to evacuate.

The most difficult part of the storm so far has to do with the dogs. They are not excited about going outside to do their business. On top of that, Makayla has a stomach disturbance which we are treating with Imodium and plain rice for food. Riordin is a bit freaked out and cannot settle. I opened the patio door shutters and he can at least look outside. That seemed to make him happier.

We will ride out the storm. We are fortunate that it is away from us, but we are still getting winds and rain--although not the same as those on the Gulf Coast in the direct path of the storm. The hurricane is expected to pass both west and north of our location.

The TV coverage is similar to that for a major winter storm in Maryland. We are getting moment by moment reports on the storm's progress and well as tornado reporting as warnings are issued. 

We are calm and doing well. Thank you for all of the concerns we have been receiving. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL