Tuesday, December 26, 2023

And it is a wrap

The Complete Family
Odenton, MD
December 25, 2023

 At the end of the Christmas day, during the Ravens' football game, I realized that I was exhausted. Looking back now, I can understand why. 

It was a Christmas of memories.

There were gifts and food and fun and family. 

The Roast
Odenton, MD
December 25, 2023
One highlight was that we gathered our complete family for the first time in a couple years to enjoy the holiday. 

The weather was mild and I managed to throw a football around for a while with Ethan and Jax. I am feeling the effects of that activity in my arm this morning. It has been a while since I threw a football or any ball for that matter. 

Did I mention the meat? The rib roast was cooked to perfection and was a fantastic centerpiece for the celebratory Christmas meal. 

And so Christmas is a wrap--well almost a wrap. Chris and I have a few gifts to exchange when we return home to Florida. I left most of hers under the tree there so we could enjoy Christmas one final time before returning all of the decorations to the containers and storing them for another year. 

Onto the New Year!


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Monday, December 25, 2023

Christmas Eve Scenes 2023

 Merry Christmas!


Santa at Mosaic
Elkridge, MD
December 24, 2023
Well the day has arrived, breakfast is being cooked and I escaped for a few moments to record a greeting and show two scenes from yesterday's celebrations.

First, we caught Santa on the roof! Yup, there he was as we were exiting church services at Mosaic ringing a bell and sending wishes to all of the gathered masses. I was a bit surprised that we caught him in the act of delivering presents when he should have been across the world where it was already dark--but, he paid a special visit to us. 

Charcuterie Tray
Glen Burnie, MD
December 24, 2023
The second image of the day is the charcuterie tray that Julie made for our celebrations during the football games last night, which was lost by the Cowboys.

The tray was a thing of beauty and I almost did not eat to break it up by consuming the delectable meats and cheeses spread for our enjoyment. 

It was a great Christmas Eve and now the big day is underway. 


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Christmas Eve 2023


 And we are off. 

I am enjoying the calm before the storm as the day starts. Christmas Eve brunch will be upon me in a few short minutes as our family gathers to usher in the celebrations. I look forward to seeing them all and getting the day off to a great start. 

I wish all the best to you and yours during this season. 

Keep hold of the magic--it resides in our hearts. 

May the days ahead find you well and content. 


-- Bob Doan, Glen Burnie, MD


Saturday, December 23, 2023

Cookie Baking Day 2023

Chris and Luke Cookie Baking Day
Odenton, MD
December 22, 2023

 One of the family Christmas traditions is to conduct a cookie baking day just before the main event. Cookies are a staple of Christmas and although we do not make the classic frosted sugar cookies anymore, the variety of cookies that come out of the kitchen in a relatively short period of time are truly mouthwatering. 

And of course, I have a strict limit on the number of cookies that I am allowed to consume. Well, that is if anyone is watching. 

Yesterday, in the kitchen there was a very special cool--our youngest grandson, Luke, joined in on the fun with Grandma and Aunt Ginger. I was able to steer clear of the kitchen and only enjoy the fruits of their labors. 

They had a lot of fun for a couple hours and I had some time to myself--to wrap gifts!

It is hard to believe that Christmas Eve is tomorrow and that is like the start of a great race. We have nearly every hour of the next two days closely planned and coordinated across numerous family units to get everything accomplished--and, of course, to enjoy the holiday.

Merry Christmas to all! 

I think all of the presents are purchased.

Publishing note: I do not expect to publish a Monday Musings on Christmas Day. 


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Friday, December 22, 2023

Bits, Pieces and Freedoms under Fire

 It was reported on multiple news outlets that Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. Is anyone surprised? His liabilities are estimated at between $100 to $500 million on assets of between $1 to $10 million. (CBS News)

My how the mighty has fallen from the hero mayor on 9-11 to ruin. I guess that is what hanging out with a certain former president can do to someone's character and fortunes. 


For those of us who are watching the right wing of the Republican Party and their apparent love affair with Viktor Orban, check this out: 

The US state department has warned that a new law in Hungary “can be used to intimidate and punish” Hungarians who do not agree with the government, adding to concerns from Hungarian journalists and activists who have expressed worries the law is aimed at silencing critical voices.

Hungary’s parliament approved legislation last week that creates a sovereignty protection office with broad powers to investigate Hungarians active in public life. 

While Hungary’s government argues that law is needed to improve accountability and transparency, media outlets and civil society groups say it is designed to undermine independent voices in an environment where critics are already under pressure.

Last week, 10 independent Hungarian media outlets said the law was “capable of severely restricting the freedom of the press”(The Guardian)

I guess freedom of speech is becoming a target? 

And finally this morning, 

I read an interesting piece yesterday: The Supreme Court Must Unanimously Strike Down Trump's Ballot Removal. Of course this refers to the Colorado ballot. I know that may seem counterintuitive to many, coming for me, but upon reading the piece in Slate, I have to agree with the headline of the article. It should be noted that I am not a constitutional scholar, but I highly recommend reading the article because the author makes a number of cogent points. Lawrence Lessing make a chilling point in closing the opinion piece:

No doubt, and again, electing Trump would be the worst political decision of the nation since the Civil War. But excluding him, wrongfully, by a close vote of the Supreme Court could well trigger the next Civil War. We must defeat him politically—not through clever lawyer interpretations of ambiguous constitutional texts.

Although he has never admitted defeat, it should be noted that he lost the popular vote in both of his presidential runs. 


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Up in the Sky


I have been watching quite a few Christmas movies this season. Some are very sappy and others recount the story of Santa and Christmas. I like those the best, however, my all-time favorite Christmas movie is, It's a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart. This year, for the first time, I came across the colorized version of the movie. I enjoyed watching it in color and it added a new  dimension to this, released in 1946, classic.

In many of the movies, holding onto the magic that is Christmas, as we were kids growing, up is a central theme. I think we miss the magic!

With so much going on in the country and the world, we need some magic, and Christmas is a natural time for that sentiment.

My daughter has this sign in her kitchen for the season. It really struck me because every year I still tune into the NORAD Santa Tracker to follow the jolly ole fellow as he circumnavigates the world.

Somehow, even though the image to the left is funny, I don't think a KC-10 would be offloading the right kind of fuel for the reindeer or Santa, unless they purge the tanks and deliver hot chocolate!

But it made me smile and think about the magic.

And with just four days to go--I appreciated the magic.

P.S. Happy first day of Winter, arriving 10:27 PM EST. The dark season is ending!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Arriving under Cloudy Skies


 It was strange in that during our two-day drive from Florida to Maryland the only time we traveled under clouds was once we approached D.C. 

I wonder if that means something? Everywhere else was crystal blue skies. I hope the weather is as good as that when we make the trip home next year.

It is, however, cold here this morning. I am showing a nippy 24 degrees. That is a temperature I will not see in Tequesta, nor would I want to see it.

But, we arrived well and only had minor traffic-related delays around the D.C. beltway and on the B-W Parkway. 

This morning the cold had brought clear skies. I am looking forward to the day.

Bring on the holidays. 


-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Out the Hotel Window - Fayetteville, NC

 

Out the Hotel Window
Fayetteville, NC
December 189, 2023

And here we are. 

Nine hours closer to our Maryland destination, but stopped for the night in Fayetteville, NC. 

I wish hotels would think about the view out the windows. Looking over the vast expanse of the conference center is just not that exciting. It did, however, remind me of the beautiful travel day that we had. We traveled in daylight for the entire time and it was a great trip. I admit I was tired as we neared Fayetteville--but, it was nice to stop and not have to press on through exhaustion to our destination.

We enjoyed a nice walk with Finnegan. We stopped in the Cracker Barrel Store near the hotel just to look at the wares, but decided that we did not want to take dinner there. I guess we are not Cracker Barrel people.We returned to the hotel where we settled in the hotel bar for apps and wine which became dinner. We met a few other travelers in the bar and enjoyed conversing with them.

I was surprised that there were not more travelers on the roads. Maybe that is why we got such a good rate for the room. 

Tomorrow, God willing, we arrive Maryland and start finalizing Christmas preps. 


-- Bob Doan, Fayetteville, NC

Monday, December 18, 2023

Monday Musings - December 18, 2023

 


1. Welcome to the penultimate Monday of both December and the year 2023. Christmas is just one week from today. 

2. Family NFL Report.  The family teams worked hard this week, but came up mostly losers with one win and three losses. 

Cowboys (10-4) shot-up by Bills (8-6), 10-31

Commanders (4-10) impaled by Rams (7-7), 20-28

Steelers (7-7) blown-out by by Colts (8-6), 13-30

Ravens (11-3)  smash Jaguars (9-6), 23-7  

Dolphins (10-4) blanked Jets (5-9), 30-0

3.  A trip of 1,000 miles begins with a full tank of gas. 

4. Who are they laughing at? “It shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy,” Trump quoted Putin saying in the speech. Trump added: “They’re all laughing at us.” (Washington Post)

5. Today in HistoryOn December 18, 1620, the English ship Mayflower arrives at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its passengers prepare to begin their new settlement, Plymouth Colony.

The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded Puritans in Nottinghamshire, England, founded their own church, separate from the state-sanctioned Church of England. Accused of treason, they were forced to leave the country and settle in the more tolerant Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make a decent living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America. On September 6, 1620, 102 passengers–dubbed Pilgrims by William Bradford, a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony—crowded on the Mayflower to begin the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World.

 


Israel opens aid crossing to Gaza while stepping up bombardment - Reuters

Zelenskiy describes immediate goals for work on EU accession - Reuters

Turkey calls on U.S. to use influence to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza -Turkish source - Reuters

New hard-right leader is making enemies in GOP Show all - CNN

 Israel’s military claims to have found biggest Hamas tunnel - CNN

Guilty verdict for paramedics charged in man’s death could have ‘chilling effect’ on EMTs - CNN


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Kaleidoscope of Colors

Pattern of the Christmas 
Lights through the Screen
Tequesta, FL
December 16, 2023

Rain and wind. . . 

That describes yesterday's weather. Well, add in some gray skies. I haven't seen the sun in over three days. It is very gloomy. 

Chris and I put the covers over our patio furniture for protection. The rain fell so hard and the tropical storm strength winds blew the raindrops into our patio screen. We could not see through the screen, but our Christmas lights shone in a creative pattern for us to enjoy. 

At least we found something interesting despite the poor weather. 

A short while later, there was so much rain that the GFI circuit activated. Too much water at near the outdoors plug I suspect. 

Christmas is just over a week away!

Tomorrow is the first of two travel days. We will be following the storm up the coast. 


-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL


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