Wait, That's a Torpedo

Torpedo
St Marys, GA
June 4, 2025

 It is not something that is expected to be seen when traveling north on I-95 and entering the state of Georgia--but there it was, a torpedo!

Amazing!

Well, we were in submarine country.

And I had forgotten how large actual torpedos are--but there it was, right in front of the restrooms. 

It was a reminder of naval warfare and the presence of the US Navy in the area. I love the display. Most people walked by and didn't even notice the weapon. Or, sadly, cared.

It was a more advanced version of the weapon that helped win the WW2 Battle of the Atlantic and also helped win the war in the Pacific. Many Japanese and German ships and subs succumbed to the predecessors of this weapon fired by the intrepid crews of U.S. submarines, many of whom never returned from their patrols, but who were instrumental in winning the naval war.

Wow. History in the raw!

-- Bob Doan, Dunn, N C

On The Road

 We are in Georgia having been on the road 5 hours already. It has been rainy at times as it will be all day.  Chris just took the wheel as we race through the state. I am taking a break. 

The program I use to forecast the trip weather was showing thunderstorms and rain all day, but the showers have been spotty so far.

We have just entered another storm area. Chris is doing well, she hates driving in the rain. 

After a stop tonight, we should arrive in Maryland tomorrow early afternoon. 

— Bob Doan, Brunswick, GA

Trip Preps

Readying the Truck
Tequesta, FL
June 2, 2025

 Chris and I are preparing to head north for a couple weeks. We have decided that while it takes longer, it is nice to have our own vehicle and not have to rent or borrow wheels when we arrive and so we are doing the two-day drive. 

We used to drive straight through, but determined that since we were so tired upon arriving that we effectively lost the next day the time investment is almost the same as spending a night on the road. We have also decided that the truck is more comfortable than the car for long trips and so it will be making the trip again.  

We took the truck over for the pre-trip cleaning. The wash center was really empty, I guess not a lot of people get their vehicles cleaned on a rainy day! Chris like to depart with a clean vehicle which is not a bad thing. I just wish I could remember to get it cleaned after we return, but before the next adventure. 

Gas prices are down! I paid $2.83/gallon yesterday. I only needed 5 gallons to top off the tank and I hope we can continue to find inexpensive gas along I-95 during our trek tomorrow. We shouldn't need our first fill-up until Georgia!

I will blog from the road tomorrow morning as the trip progresses. We have made the journey enough times that we have our favorite stopping places. 

See ya on the interstate!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

It Rained

Rain from the Doorway
Tequesta, FL
June 1, 2025

 It rained most all of yesterday. 

While the temperatures were cooler, outdoors activities were suspended and we had a flood watch for the low lying areas. OF course, since my elevation is all of 11 feet, I am not in a low lying area which seems pretty weird when compared to areas like Maryland where the elevation can change 11 feet in a very short distance. 

But June has arrived and with it the longest days of sunlight of the year! The counterpoint to December! I love the early morning sunrises and late evening sunsets. I guess that is why being confined to the house on a rainy afternoon is disturbing. 

I watched the Orioles complete a series sweep for the first time this season. They are sitting on a 3-game winning streak for the second time this year and actually are over .500 (6-4) for the past 10 games! Amazing. They even picked up a game during the series on the first place team and are now only 14 games away from the division lead. If they keep playing .600 baseball maybe they can crawl into the playoff race. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Rummaging through the Archives

The Family
Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Sometime in 1986

 Chris and I have begun rummaging through the old pictures that we have in boxes and albums. 

There are a lot of them--too many. Printed images take a lot of space and are hard to store. I have also noticed that some of the places we had the prints made must have used bad solutions because the colors are faded--especially the reds. It is not like the images have been exposed to light, but some were in boxes stored in hot attic spaces. 

Thanksgiving 1989
Norfolk, VA
November 23, 1989

I have a couple programs that allow me to copy the picture into a current image format and then do some color correcting. It takes a bit of time, but hey, I'm retired, right?

Remembering where we have visited is fun and we are going to try to document the places, dates, and people as best that we can. The most unique picture, and also one of the worst for being faded, is Thanksgiving 1989. It is, so far, the only picture with all four grandparents and the entire family--even if Patrick is hidden in the chair. The real questions are, who took the picture and why do I look so serious? On the other hand, it is a good picture of my Mom and Dad together and smiling at the end of the table.

Well, there are so many more tidbits of family history to uncover and document. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Evening along the Jupiter Inlet

Looking to the Mouth of the Inlet and the Ocean
Dubois Park, Jupiter, FL
May 30, 2025

 Last evening Chris and I journeyed, along with a friend, to DuBois Park aside the Jupiter inlet to enjoy the ending of the day and sunset. We do not visit the park often as we usually head to the ICW to watch the sunsets and enjoy the evening. That was due to the closure of the US-1 bridge for the past almost two years. But, the bridge is open and getting to DuBois Park is much easier. We traversed the bridge twice yesterday crossing over the Inlet and ICW.

Sunset with the Lighthouse
Dubois Park, Jupiter, FL
May 30, 2025

DuBois Park is comfortably large and provides multiple areas to enjoy. Situated along the inlet, there is a lot of boat traffic to enjoy and last evening the water was fairly flat which made the evening even more enjoyable. 

We were treated to a colorful sunset with the Jupiter Lighthouse as the focal point. I have enjoyed boating the waters of the ICW and the inlet and looking across to the lighthouse last evening reminded me of those great times. 

It was a great ending to the day. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

#jupiterinlet #jupiterlighthouse #duboispark

Follow the Bouncing Ruling

 The battles playing out in the courts right now are as compelling as the Super Bowl. 

Seriously.

I mean really, it's serious. 

Watching the judicial system work to uphold the rule of law when the Executive Branch is intent on usurping authorities form the other branches and exceeding the provisions The Constitution can at times be mind numbing, but it is critical. 

The spin doctors of the Executive Branch are trying to paint the judiciary as left-wing radicals while stealing for themselves authorities they do not have. 

The gambit Trump used successfully during the four years of the Biden administration was to claim he was being targeted. He is using that now by himself targeting the judiciary. Now that he is back in The White House, it is clear which family is the crime family. Nearly every deal with another country has a sub-plot whereby the Trumps get richer and the U.S. pays the freight. And when I say the U.S., I mean US, the taxpayers and working people of America. For instance, I saw that the trade deal with Vietnam also contained  Trump family project.

Poor me (Trump) has become at least $2B richer since becoming president and openly ignores the ethics regulations that public servants are bound to follow. WAIT! Did I write public servants? Well of course I am not speaking of the president, because we all know he is not a public servant, he is in it for himself alone as he continues to make deals that benefit his family and not the U.S.

We are engaged in a struggle to determine whether, as has been true for the previous 46 presidents, presidents  are bound to follow the Constitution and laws of the land or whether they, as 47 would have us believe, have absolute authority.

Support the judges, they are apparently our only hope.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Ahead of the Storm

Storm in the Distance
Loxahatchee River Bridge, Tequesta, FL
May 28, 2025

 I managed a solid bike ride yesterday around Tequesta. I was concerned about the storm clouds that I saw, but as it turned out they remained in the distance and I enjoyed the ride. 

I imaged the clouds from the Loxahatchee River Bridge in Tequesta and at that time I wondered if I was going to get rained on during my ride. I kept a close eye on the storm and was a lucky that it remained in the distance and eventually dissipated. 

May has not been a great biking month, as I am only at about 130 miles total for 8 rides. I have had some short rides and have not logged any 20-milers during the month. I have enjoyed my rides as they allow me to watch the summer creep into the area. During my rides I do my tortoise count and focus on the areas where I know there are tortoise dens. I also watch the houses which are being constructed. Construction is a very slow process and at times the contractors forget to allow enough space for two vehicles to pass on the streets--which is frustrating. I have had to dismount and walk my bike through adjoining yards to pass the areas. 

Hopefully, June will be a better riding month!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

Riding the Hump of the Week

 It is the mid-point of the week.

After two days of rain that precluded riding, I am planning on getting out today to ply the streets on my bike. 

It will be very humid and I need to reacclimatize to the steamy weather.  

At least the storms are not expected until this afternoon. But, it is Florida in the summer. Storms and rain is expected. 

It is another busy week in the country and the news. 

It is disheartening that our president has figured out how to abuse his office to increase his wealth while running roughshod over the ethics laws and rules. Also, he always talked about the Biden crime family, when in reality there is only one crime family in operation in the U.S. right now. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL 

June Rains Arrive Early

Orchid on the Lanai
Tequesta, FL
May 25, 2025

 The much needed rains have arrived early. June is typically when Florida moves into the season of afternoon rains and thunderstorms, but for the past two days we have been having intermittent showers and an occasional thunderstorm throughout the day. 

The weather has prevented me from riding my bike which makes me a bit restless. 

Finnegan is currently sitting on my feet. He hates the storms and especially the thunder. 

The Rainstorm this Morning
Tequesta, FL
May 27, 2025

He just ran downstairs when he heard thunder and came over to where I am sitting. While I appreciate that Finn views me as the Big Dog, I feel bad that the storms cause him so much angst.

The rains have stopped and Finnegan has departed from the protection of my feet. We will see how long that lasts. 

The humid weather caused by the storms is bringing out the bugs (sadly) and the flowers. I took a solid image of a blooming orchid at a friend's house the other evening. I enjoy taking images where I can play with the depth of field.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL