Black Friday Antics

Merlin and Percy
Odenton, MD
November 28, 2024

 Black Friday has arrived and the annual Axis and Allies game will likely begin in an hour or so. Thanksgiving was great. The family gathered together and spent a great day together talking and enjoying each other. The NFL games became secondary events. 

I will note that two family teams played and went 1-1. The Cowboys won and the Dolphins lost. 

Part of the fun I am having revolves around two small bundles of fur and claws--Merlin and Percy. They are kittens, brothers, who can be wild and are very inquisitive. Merlin is a bit smaller but more adventurous. Percy is the classic scaredy-cat. 

They are providing lots of entertainment. 

No, I do not want or need a pair of my own!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Thanksgiving 2024

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Well it arrived all on its own. The latest date the holiday can be, but it is finally here and with it cold, wet weather; food; and football.

How could we possibly have waited for so long?

December begins on Sunday!

Until then we will have a steady diet of sports and leftovers.

Remember as you give thanks for the blessings in your life to give thanks for the first responders, military men and women and DoD civilians, and those who serve on the frontlines in our hospitals and care centers who are on duty today and every day. There are many people who do not get the day off, but who are out there making sure the rest of us are safe and can enjoy the blessings of liberty.

It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with His guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their camps and our sailors on the rivers and seas with unusual health. He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and by immigration, while He has opened to us new sources of wealth and has crowned the labor of our workingmen in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, He has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war into which we have been brought by our adherence as a nation to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions: 

-- Opening Paragraph Proclamation 118, Abraham Lincoln, October 20, 1864

America is a Nation of promise and possibilities — and that is because, every day, ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary things.  Our service members and veterans have given all, risked all, and dared all to keep our Nation free.  Our first responders, firefighters, and police officers risk their lives every day to keep the rest of us safe.  I can see the best of America in them and in our workers and union leaders, public servants and teachers, doctors and scientists, and all who give their heart and soul to ensuring people are treated with dignity and respect.  And I find hope in our Nation’s families, who sacrifice so much to achieve the American Dream and build a future worthy of our highest aspirations.
     This Thanksgiving — the last one I will declare as President — I express my gratitude to the American people.  Serving as President has been the honor of a lifetime.  America is the greatest country on Earth, and there is so much to be grateful for.  May we celebrate all that unites us — because there is nothing beyond our capacity if we do it together.

-- Excerpt from A Proclamation on Thanksgiving Day 2024, Joseph R. Biden Jr, November 27, 2024

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Even the Trees Look Cold

Looking at a Late-Autumn Morning
Odenton, MD
November 26, 2024

 The body shock of going from 70 degree days to 36 degree mornings is tough. I can only barely remember opening the door to head outside and being met by a rush of frigid air. I am more used to being slammed by a hot, moist wave and then toasted under the burning sun. 

I prefer the heat. 

Even the Trees Look Cold
Odenton, MD
November 26, 2024

It was cold yesterday, in the 40s, and even colder to start today with 36 (OMG, it's cold) degrees. While the scene is pretty, the reality is not so inviting. Even the trees look cold! I keep forgetting to put shoes on when I go outside for short activities like bringing in groceries or taking out recycling or trash.

I just need to get used to it because this is where I'm going to be for the next roughly two weeks. 

I have been enjoying the live entertainment that my daughter is providing in the form of two eight-week old kittens. They are bundles of energy. Just a moment ago they made me laugh, as during their play, they crashed into something which fell and they scurried for cover. They are cute and at this point very enjoyable. Their names are Merlin and Percy and they are brothers so they have been playing together since shortly after birth. 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is already where they want to be for the holiday. Thankfully, Chris and I are in place for the festivities.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

At the Road's End

Looking Out the Windshield
North Carolina on I-95
November 25, 2024

 Chris and I arrived in Odenton yesterday afternoon about 2 PM. It was a nice short day of driving. The weather was perfect with bright sin and a blue sky highlighting the late-autumn colors. We marveled at the colors of the trees all day, of course they were bit brighter in North Carolina and southern Virginia, but we could see the colors in the trees even until our destination. 

Oak Tree
Dortches, North Carolina Rest Stop
November 25, 2024

The trip was easy, except for the last couple hours when we experienced the travel time warp where our arrival time suddenly becomes 40 minutes later due to building traffic. That of course happened in Northern Virginia within about 70 miles of our destination. We made a few comfort stops along the way. The one where I imaged the oak tree in Dorches, NC, about an hour after we started out for the day, was a stop for Finnegan which was successful. 

We are happy to be in place for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

And the Ravens rewarded our travels with a win!

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Monday Musings - November 25, 2024 Travel Edition

 

Out the Hotel Window
Dunn, NC
November 25, 2024

1. Welcome to the last Monday of November. The Holiday Season begins officially on Thursday with Thanksgiving and there are only 5 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. I am writing from a hotel in Dunn, NC. We were on the road for just over 10 hours yesterday, but it was a beautiful driving day. 

3. Out the Hotel Window this morning is a bright sunrise and a parking lot. The blue sky is grand with the sun.

4. Family NFL Report. Family teams went 3-2 with the Ravens playing tonight. The Steelers lost a very snowy game on Thursday and the Cowboys escape the Commanders in what was probably the most exciting 4th quarter of football in a long while

Cowboys (4-7) overcame Commanders, (7-5) 34-26

Steelers (8-3) lost to Browns (3-8), 19-24 on Thursday in the Snow Bowl

Ravens (7-4) face Chargers (7-4) tonight

Dolphins (5-6) drowned Patriots (3-9), 34-15

Chiefs (10-1) held off Panthers (3-8), 30-27

5. We hope to be in Odenton, MD by about 1:30 this afternoon.

And this is the travel version of the Monday Musings!

-- Bob Doan, Dunn, NC

Holiday Travel

I

And we are on the road again.  We are two hours into a two-day trip to in Maryland. Chris and I marveled at the starlit sky as we headed out just before 6AM. It was clear, cold, and filled with stars and at least three planets. 

It is hard to write on a phone in a moving car.  But, so far the day is great and traffic light as the Thanksgiving week travel begins in earnest.  We are looking forward to seeing and celebrating with family and friends. 

We still have a couple more hours in Florida and are headed to North Carolina for the night. We prefer longer first days and shorter second days of the trip. 

Finn has settled in and is sleeping in his bed. He was very happy not to be left behind. 

Here’s hoping the weather stays good. 

— Bob Doan, I-95 near New Smyrna Beach, FL

Uninvited Guests

Momentary King of the Pole
Port Salerno, FL
November 22, 2024

 I went to lunch with a friend yesterday. It was a beautiful South Florida day with a crystal blue sky, bright warm sun, and a light breeze. We dined at an outside table on the water so that we could enjoy the day. 

All too often here in Florida it is too hot to sit outside at a table and eat. But not so yesterday. It was a bit cool as the temperature was struggling to reach 70 degrees. 

Little Blue Heron Moving out the Seagulls
Port Salerno, FL
November 22, 2024

Lunch was very good as the service and the food were excellent. We, however, were hounded by some uninvited guests. The seagulls tended to gather and squawk at irritating moments. There seemed to be a game of "King of the Pole" being played by some of them.

The seagulls continued squawking and playing their games until the much larger little blue heron arrived and made it clear who was the real king of the restaurant patio. It became much quieter and the egret patrolled the area keeping the noisy seagulls away. 

I have to admit, despite their noise the seagulls were fun to watch. I guess even uninvited guests can have some entertainment value.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It was a Short Trip

Heading out into Manatee Pocket
Port Salerno, FL
November 21, 2024

 Yesterday was intended as a boat day. Finnegan had a grooming appointment near where we reserve our trusty motored-watercraft and so we decided to check out a boat and head to Stuart for lunch while Finnegan was in the shop, so to speak. 

It was a great plan--but it turned out there were some problems. 

The day was bright and, although one of the coldest mornings of the season, the temperature quickly warmed into the mid-70s by 11:00AM when we arrived to head out onto the water. We planned properly and dressed for the cool breeze--Chris was wearing two layers and brought a coat along. I had a pullover. 

The wind was strong stronger on the water and the waters surrounding the marina, which is on Manatee Pocket, had a nice chop. Chris was not amused and I promised her that if it was too rough on the more open waters of the St Lucie River that we would head in rather than continue on to Stuart. 

We were motoring north toward Stuart into a cold north wind. OK, I know the wind was not as cold as what we saw driving snow on last night's NFL game in Cleveland, but we have thin Florida blood. That was the first problem. 

The second problem was that the chop of Manatee Pocket became 2-foot waves out on the river which occasionally, because of the direction of the channel, broke over the boat and got us both wet. And then there were the occasional 3 foot waves. Chris is a flat water boater and I knew I was pushing it with the 2 foot waves, but the bigger ones coupled with the fact that we were not even into the more wide open areas of the river where the wind could really kick up the waves meant this trip was likely going to be short. 

The third problem was that Chris was cold and she hates getting wet--especially on a cold day. We made it about halfway to Stuart, which is roughly the highway bridge which connects Sewell's Point to the mainland. When I reduced speed to go under the bridge, we made the decision to return to the marina rather than press on. Chris donned her coat to get warmer and we reversed course.

In all, we were on the water about 45 minutes. I got my boating fix in for the month and we decided to lunch in the Port Salerno area rather than driving to Stuart.

I am not sure how, exactly, we are going to survive the upcoming holiday trips north into the cold. It should be an experience. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

As the Season Arrives

 

2024 Christmas Tree
Tequesta, FL
November 20, 2024

It pained me to do the deed. And the deed was removing the turkeys and our Thanksgiving decorations before the actual holiday. 

But, Thanksgiving is late this year and we are going to be away for two weeks; returning in the middle of the Christmas season and wanted the house decorated. Yesterday because decoration day. We have not completed everything and some decorations will not be unboxed this year--but we are beginning to display the festive mood the holiday season brings. 

Tomorrow is actually the earliest date upon which Thanksgiving can fall and this year the 28th, which is Thanksgiving, is the latest and so I rationalized that we are not really jumping the season and my turkeys had a good run--but it was time.

Happy Thanks-istmas!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Bob the Dog Walker

 I discovered, while Chris was away, that I was unable to both walk Finn and get a meaningful bike ride accomplished. 

Finn walks for about a mile-and-a-half. When he and I walk we do it in just under 30 minutes--and that includes numerous stops for his personal business. 

He enjoys his walk and is a a trooper. One would think that a dog of his size would not enjoy such a long walk at a brisk pace, but he definitely does. And it is good exercise for both of us. But by the time we finished Finn's walk, it was getting too late to get my usual 17 mile bike ride in before noon. 

Chris is back now and I was able to get my ride completed this morning while she walked Finn!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL