Sitting Pretty

Finnegan
Tequesta, FL
May 23, 2025

 Last evening as Chris and I were sitting on the veranda enjoying the light and sound show of the storms, Finnegan, who is afraid of the thunder, calmed enough to jump onto the sofa and sit still long enough for me to get a great image. 

The Pack: Finn, Makayla, and Riordin
Tequesta, FL
February 11, 2022

He really hates the storms and often finds refuge under my feet as I am sitting. I have to be careful when I move, but he does know who is the Big Dog!

Later, he brought a tear to my eyes as he went inside and sat at the door looking out at me. He sat there and I was reminded of the missing members of the pack who once sat at the door as Chris and I were relaxing on the veranda. Was it already three years ago when they were all together? 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Confirming the Wine Status

 I wrote briefly about my FedEx troubles with recent wine delivery. The wine was delayed four days and not stored in good conditions. The condition of the corks seepage concerned me that the wines may have gotten "cooked."

Here is a good description of cooked wine:

If a bottle of wine has been exposed to extremes of heat, the wine might start to expand and leak out of the cork a bit. When you remove the capsule, you might notice a sticky mess. This is evidence your wine may have been exposed to heat, but it doesn't always mean that your wine is toast. A "cooked" wine's flavors will actually taste ... cooked. The fruit flavors might seem stewed, not fresh. There might be baked, burnt or caramel notes. The color may also have changed from deep red to more of a brown or brick tone.  (WineSpectator)

Well, I was concerned. But the only way to know if a wine is cooked is by sight and taste. But what, say, if I didn't want to open the bottle right now. I generally like to keep my bottles for a few weeks/months/years depending on the varietal and vintage. 

So, how to taste and evaluate the wines without opening them? 

The Coravin! 

I have had a Coravin for a few years but use it only infrequently. But, it provided a great way for me to sample the wines and make a determinations to whether they were cooked or not. 

Fortunately, the wines which appeared to have suffered the most were not cooked--by the definition above. They just got too warm and expanded in the bottle. This, of course, will lessen their shelf life, but again I am lucky in that none of the wines in this shipment were destined for long-term lay-down. One of the bottles, a solid CabSauv, was so good that I finished the bottle across three nights without ever removing the cork. 

That is the beauty of the Coravin. Chris and I are on divergent wine tastes at the moment, she likes whites more and I the reds, I will be using my Coravin a bit more because some wines go flat too quickly once oxidized.

I have contacted the winery and advised them of the results of my sampling and that I will not be requesting the replacements they graciously offered.

Ahh, wine. 

Life is too short to drink bad wine!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Down Day

 

Tobago Cays Marine State Park
St Vincent & the Grenadines
August 3, 2011 

We took a pass yesterday. 

We did manage a trip to the grocery store for replenishment, but other than that it was pretty quiet. 

I spent more time working on some older images to get them ready for possible printing and display. 

The one today is of a turtle I imaged while enjoying Tobago Cays Marine State Park during 2011. 

We had a fun day snorkeling with the turtles during a week long catamaran sailing trip. 

Working with the image brought back some great memories. I had posted a quick blog during the trip titled, Turtles of Tobago Cays. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The House Seems Empty

 We dropped George and Sue off at the airport about 12:30 PM yesterday. That ended their all-to-short time with us. 

It is amazing how the house seems empty. 

It really isn't as we are still here along with the Finn-dog. 

But still--it is sad because instead of thinking about heading off to some place and enjoying the Florida climate, I will be heading to the grocery store. 

I will also continue to install a replacement door lock. The overly complicated on that I installed last August broke and the company sent me a replacement, no charge, which has  some software issues and is complicating the reinstallation. Ugh. 

After a week on enjoying the outdoors and considering the animals of Florida, I came across this image. It got me thinking. Wow!

We are, and the Big Beautiful Budget makes it worse.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Off to the Beach--Last Day

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
May 19, 2025

 We headed off to the Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge Beach on Jupiter Island to enjoy the sun, sand, and the waves. It was a beautiful day and the last full day of George and Sue's visit with us in Florida. 

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
May 19, 2025

The waters just off the beach were alive with schools of fish moving along the beach. Every so often they would be attacked by larger fish looking for a meal and the schools would scatter only to reform after the attacker left the area. We watched this activity literally for hours.

I was late getting to the beach as I had to wait for a wine shipment. Fortunately, the delivery was as about the time I expected. It was the 3rd delivery attempt. I am very disappointed with FedEx and their inability to advise me of the wine's initial delivery and then that I could not redirect it to a pick-up location. Some of the wine appears cooked with one cork popped a bit. I have contacted the winery and they will replace any bad bottles--but FedEx really is to blame for their terrible customer service and for not properly caring for the wine in transit. 

We closed out the day with Happy Hour at Hog Snappers and then back to the house for after dinner drinks. It was a wonderful day and we are sad to see George and Sue depart. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - May 19, 2025

 

Osprey with Catch
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge
Jupiter Island, FL
July 13, 2012

1. The month of May continues. This is the third Monday of the month. There are 32 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. I have been going Bach through old images and using a newly acquired application to sharpen and upscale them. I am very happy with the results and we will be printing some of the images for display. 

3. Miserable. That is my current assessment of the train wreck which is the Baltimore Orioles. The team is currently mired in a six game losing streak and is hosing signs of already packing in the season. It is incredibly sad for a team which some pundits predicted would represent the American League in the World Series this year. 

4. After a busy weekend, we are looking at a quiet beach day today. It should be a lot of fun lounging on a nearly deserted beach. 

5. Today in History. At 8:32 a.m. PDT on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffers a massive eruption, killing 57 people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness.

Called Louwala-Clough, or “the Smoking Mountain,” by Native Americans, Mount St. Helens is located in the Cascade Range and stood 9,680 feet before its eruption. The volcano has erupted periodically during the last 4,500 years, and the last active period was between 1831 and 1857. On March 20, 1980, noticeable volcanic activity began with a series of earth tremors centered on the ground just beneath the north flank of the mountain. These earthquakes escalated, and on March 27 a minor eruption occurred, and Mount St. Helens began emitting steam and ash through its crater and vents.

Trump to speak to Putin on end to war in Ukraine as Europeans demand ceasefire - Reuters

Brazil can no longer export poultry and meat to EU due to bird flu - Reuters

Russia launches war's largest drone attack ahead of Putin-Trump call - Reuters

I knew the pain of apartheid. How dare Trump embrace Afrikaners as refugees. - MSNBC

Senate Republicans plan to hand Trump’s favorite new industry a big victory - MSNBC

Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax and spending bill clears major hurdle in House - FoxNews

New Jersey rail strike ends with pay raise for workers, union says - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

 

Bald Eagle
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Jupiter, FL
May 17, 2025

The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary beckoned us yesterday. Chris and I had not visited the sanctuary since it moved to its new location. 

The entire layout and set up is first rate. The animals were active and we enjoyed watching the panthers prowl and the turkeys trot. Seriously--most all of the animals were out in their yards doing something--in the case of the bobcats it was mostly sleeping, however, one of them did walk about. 

Tom Turkey with Fencing
Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Jupiter, FL
May 17, 2025

While the enclosures first-rate and provide protection for the animals from humans, my only negative of the day was that the enclosures make it hard to get good images of the animals. The best image I was able to obtain was of the eagle, because the enclosure was close enough that I could lean in and take the image between the links of chain fencing. On all others, except in the reptile house, I had to fight the enclosure for an image.

I was very impressed overall with the new facility and the availability of volunteers and staff to answer questions and provide insights. I was also impressed with the availability of restrooms!

My only other critique is that I would have preferred more information about the animals on the enclosures--to include some history and in the case of enclosures with multiple species an identification guide. 

A great day and well worth the visit. Allow about 2-3 hours for a visit. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Mid-May Boat Day with Friends

Heading Out
Manatee Pocket, Port Salerno, FL
May 16, 2025

 It had been since the end of January that we last ventured out in a boat. I had four reservations canceled during February, March, and April primarily due to weather. As a result, I was excited yesterday as Chris and I were joined by four friends for a day on the water. 

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge 
Jupiter Island, FL
May 16, 2025

I reserved a pontoon boat for the day, since there were six of us. It is more comfortable for everyone because there is plenty of space. The boat is rated for 15 people, so there was lots of room to move around. Another good feature is that, being a pontoon boat, we could board or deboard from multiple locations including the bow. Boarding/deboarding from the bow was great for our first stop at my favorite beach on Jupiter Island. Everyone could stay dry. We enjoyed being the only ones on this stretch of beach until it got near noon, when others began to arrive. 

I have never been a big fan of pontoon boats because they are big and slow, but I realized big is good as it handled the wakes of the passing boats very well. As for slow, well I was able to sustain about 16 mph which is OK for motoring around the ICW. 

Sea Nettle
Stuart City Docks, Stuart, FL
May 16, 2025

After the beach we headed off to Stuart for lunch. I enjoy boating on the St Lucie River because there is usually not too much traffic and it is mostly open water once we get past the sandbars where the river joins with the Indian River. 

Arriving in Stuart we were greeted by thousands of sea nettles. They were everywhere around the docks and we enjoyed looking at them for a bit.

While we dined, the winds increased making the ride back to Manatee Pocket and the marina a bit more blustery and rough than the outbound trip. I was pleased that the pontoon boat handled very well in the rougher waters. 

We had a great day together and I look forward to getting back out on the water soon. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Checking out Bathtub Beach

Happy Beach Goers
Bathtub Beach, Hutchinson Island, FL
May 15, 2025

 We decided to checkout a new beach yesterday. Well, of course it is not new it is just that we have never visited the beach before. 

We sojourned to Bathtub Beach on Hutchinson Island yesterday. It is a long-ish drive, 45 minutes, but it is a beautiful beach. My failing was that I did not remember my snorkeling gear as there is a reef a few hundred yards offshore which is supposed to be very full of marine life. I don't feel too bad about it though because the water temperature was only 74 degrees yesterday. I will make a return trip when the water gets closer to 80 degrees. 

I don't fully grasp why the beach is balled Bathtub. It is neither small not enclosed, but rather it is a wide stretch of beach. It may be because of the offshore reef which keeps the waves at bay. 

In other thoughts, I noted this truck, a Denali, during our drive yesterday and with the push to Americanize names, I wondered if the company would be changing the name to McKinley? 

Today is a boat day! I love South Florida when the weather is good!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Cheering the Wildcats

Jax and Nicole
Berlin, MD
MAy 10, 2025

 I have not written a lot about the Arundel High School Varsity Baseball Team this season. But, their win over Saverna Park made them a regional champion and propelled them into the Maryland State Class 3A Baseball Finals, it is time to start mentioning the Wildcats. 

It was a tough season, with the Wildcats going 10-10 until the regional playoffs. They won their play-in game and then defeated two more teams, including one team that was a favorite to with the state championship, to get into the finals, where they are now .

Their win yesterday, 7-2 over Saverna Park, was a signature win which propelled them into the States. 

The official final seedings for the State tournament are pending as of this morning but there is excitement in the air as the season continues. One unofficial source has Arundel facing Chopticon. The stats and comparison between the two teams is on the web.

I love baseball!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL