September Morning

Sitting on the back deck this morning with the temperature in the upper 60's, I had to accept that September had arrived. I have been in denial.

September Arriving

Although the leaves still retain the vibrant green of summer, the breeze was blowing many of them down into my pool--which prompted the question, "When are we going to close the pool?"

I hate that part of September--closing the pool.

Even though the pool still looks like summer, autumn is creeping closer to steal away the sun, the warmth, and then the leaves.

The pool is still open and the water is warm. The air, however, is cool.

It was a great summer and the thought of its passing makes me sad. But there are many joys in the memories.

The circle of life continues.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

What is a TNC?

I learned something new last evening.

I learned what TNC and TNCS stand for.

I think.

I had to pick up someone form BWI (Baltimore Washington International Airport) and spent some time at the Cell Lot.

There were lighted signs at the entrance to the Cell Waiting Lot announcing that TNS and TNCS pick-up were illegal!

That seemed pretty extreme.

I had no idea to what they were referring. I wondered if I was doing something bad?

Turns out the signs were referring to transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft.

Who knew?

I would think that something as important as having a big sign about it would be a widely understood term. I guess not.

Beware the illegal TNCS pick-up!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

My Take: The Media is Selecting Our Next President

I have been very busy lately with the pace of life speeding up as school starts and summer ends. I have even lost the "bubble" on the Presidential Olympics.

Do You Know These People?
One of them will likely be our next President

I have noticed that the two "horse" race seems to be broadening.

In some of the latest polls, which I view on RealClearPolitics, there are four names in the race.

The current face-off between the front runners is a media creation. Uneven coverage of the issues during the primaries and coupled with the sensational antics of both of the current major party standard bearers caused the electorate to focus on "form" and overlook "substance."

The same is happening now. But, may be beginning to change.

I have heard commentators suggest that both of the leading candidates are flawed Presidential contenders--yet, the media, when showing poll results continues to focus only on those two even though there are at least two additional candidates garnering up to 20 percent of the potential vote (depending of course on which poll results you choose to view).

Even the scheduled presidential debates only recognize the two major party candidates. The media is limiting the access of Americans, the voting public, the We the People to a predefined paradigm without recognizing that many Americans are asking for alternatives.

Can you name all four of the candidates who received at least 5 percent of the interest as recently as the August 30 NBC News Poll?

My Take: Keep your options open and do not let the media shape you views or vote!Search for the truth by digging deep!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn Airs

I can feel it in the morning when I can also see it in the stars above. Autumn is approaching.

Morning temperatures have been in the 60's--which seems cool. I even had to drive my convertible to the golf course on Sunday with the heat running and the windows up because the air seemed too cool on my arms.

Orion has returned to the morning sky and the fact that I see stars again as I head out for my day reminds me that the days are growing shorter. Too short it seems. I went out for a walk last evening about 8:30 PM and it was dark. Totally dark. Scary dark.

Daylight has been reduced to just over 13 hours per day and I noticed yesterday morning that the sun was only just beginning to rise as I left the club following a tough racquetball match. Since daylight peaked during the solstice, at just less that 15 hours during June, we have lost almost two hours of sunlight. 

With the demise of August, the slide towards December darkness continues at a steady rate of about two and a half minutes per day. By the end of September the sun will be rising after 7AM and setting before 7PM. We lose over two hours of sunlight per day as September progresses and finally becomes October.

I need to make the most of the remaining daylight. And enjoy it and remember it until it begins to return and strengthen.

The first days with a highs less than 80 degrees are on the horizon for the weekend. 

Summer is slipping away. Too fast. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles August Blues

OPACY August 29, 2016
The Sun Setting on the Orioles Season

I can almost feel the successful baseball season slipping away. 

I witnesses another lackluster hitting performance by the Orioles last evening which squandered some outstanding defensive plays and a solid pitching performance in a 5-1 loss.

It was good to be at the park, although at times the most exciting thing happening was happening with my Pokemon Go.

It almost looks like the Astros visit to the OPACY two weeks ago all over again. The pitching staff responded admirably with 11 strike outs against a Bluejays team that is definitely gearing up for the post-season, but the hitters were largely ineffective at the plate. 

Box Score for Middle Five Hitters
AB, H, R, RBI, BB, SO, LOB
Bluejays vs Orioles
August 29, 2016

The vaunted offense was stifled with only 4 hits--two by JJ Hardy including the lone Orioles run, a solo shot that food its way out of the stadium. The five big guys in the middle of the order were 0-16 with a walk. It was painful to watch as the Orioles slipped to four games out of first.

September is almost upon us and here's hoping for a resurgence of the power that I witnessed earlier in the season. The playoffs are in sight, but the vision is fading. 

It is definitely go time!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - August 29, 2016

1. It is the last Monday of August 2018. The eighth month of the year will come to an end later this week leaving us at the mercy of September.

Sunrise at Renditions in Davidsonville, MD
August 28, 2016

2. Early morning golf, just at sunrise on Renditions in Davidsonville, MD. It was a beautiful morning and I do enjoy watching the world wake from the serenity of a golf course.

3. I just learned that although Maryland has a 6 percent sales tax rate, and a separate 9 percent tax on alcohol, it also has a variable tax on other items, like golf courses, up to 10 percent. Based upon cost of living computations, Maryland residents are the 7th most taxed in the country, ranking 44th out of 51. 

4. The Zika panic is spreading across the country after cases have been discovered in Florida. Could it come here? With the exception of Wyoming, it already is, although Florida is the only state, so far, where the virus is being caught from local mosquitoes. 

Little League World Series Winners
Maine-Endwell, NY

5. I love the Little League World Series. I enjoy watching the boys play baseball in its nearly pure form. And I enjoyed watching a team from near where I grew up win it all this year. Congrats to Maine-Endwell, NY. 

6. I remember reading an interesting assessment of the most dangerous, to humans, animal in the world. It was the mosquito.

7. After giving up 25 runs in their previous two games against the "team whose name shall not be spoken" from up north, the Orioles clawed out a stirring 5-0 victory yesterday. Sitting at 3 games out of first place in the division, and with the division leaders coming to town tonight--this series could be for the division lead!

Preparing to Blend a Bordeaux Style Wine
Pearmund Cellars, VA

8. If you want to have some fun, try this test from the Washington Post--try naming 10 national parks just by looking at their maps. I did OK (7 of 10). 

9. Had fun blending wine with friends this weekend at Pearmund Cellars. A different approach to blending great wine. We even got to bring some of our blend home. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Crazy Drivers

I think too many drivers have been watching the scenes from adventure movies and are adopting some of the poor driving practices in their own lives.

That makes driving dangerous for everyone.

Within a five minute span yesterday, I was faced with two dangerous driving situations which should never have happened.


The first was a white SUV driving in the wrong lane--not just one wrong lane, but coming towards me in the right turn lane of a three lane road. The other two lanes were full of people stopped at the traffic light. I'm not sure why this person decided to use the lane, at first I thought they were going to turn into the gas station, which is near the corner--but no, they drove the entire distance almost to me and where the traffic opened before they zipped across the other two lanes and into the proper lanes for the direction in which they were traveling. 

If that was not enough as I was entering I-95 on a long ramp with a blind curve just a few minutes later, just as Chris urged me to slow a bit a minivan came into view driving in reverse in the middle of the ramp. Reverse! There was no where for me to go, although I had a plan as I laid on the horn--I wished I had a bigger horn. For some odd reason, the person driving the minivan stopped, put their vehicle in drive and then proceeded to enter I-95 and I have no idea what was happening--except another very dangerous driving situation.

Be careful out there! It is a jungle!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Making Trucks Go Slower?

I read an article in this morning's Baltimore Sun about how some brilliant person in the government wants to impose mandatory speed restrictions on trucks--supposedly in the name of safety. 

As I did my research on the topic, I found a lot of information especially in BigRig Blogger. 

Obviously, I do not have access to any scientific research on the matter, however, I my observation is that most truck accidents involve an automobile. Clearly, there are the single truck accidents where the accident can be attributed to too much speed--but even so, it is likely because the operator was traveling too fast for conditions--like sliding off a slippery road or flipping while traversing a cloverleaf.

The problem, in my mind, with trucks is not that they go too fast, but rather they travel too slowly and that causes automobile drivers to do dumb and dangerous things to get around them which contribute to the accidents. When trucks become blockers the speed demons on the highway's start driving aggressively to get around them. 

Limiting the maximum speed of a truck to 68 MPH, as proposed, might increase dangerous driving activities and possibly increase truck-auto accidents. There are places in the country where the speed limit on the highways is 75 MPH or higher! We tend to be myopically focused upon the east coast and extreme west coast areas.

The bigger problem, I believe, is to create situations where the trucks do not become blockers. Improve the highways so that the trucks do not block faster traffic--especially in hilly areas as they lumber at 60 MPH us a long hill with a 70 MPH speed limit. 

Installing speed limiters in trucks is not the answer, in my mind.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Falene Wanders By

Falene in the Garden
June 2016

The fawn that I photographed sleeping in our flower garden earlier in the year wandered through the edge of the yard yesterday. 

Falene and Mother
25 August 2016

My how she has grown--but remains under the watchful eye of her mother.

They were not particularly concerned about my presence, in fact, the doe made a gesture that I interpreted as almost wanting to come to me for food. We have not been feeding the wild animals. But, they understand that our yard is relatively safe space. Makayla is very good about not chasing the deer, although she was the one who alerted me to their presence in the yard yesterday. 

It is fun to watch the small, seemingly helpless fawn grow into a deer. Life continues. Even in our relatively small community. 

I hope we have a mild winter.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

O's v Nat's

The annual beltway series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals is underway. 

The MLB schedulers certainly have come up with a good plan by ensuring that these two teams face each other in a four game 2 and 2 series each year. What does that mean? They play four games with two games in each stadium. 

The O's are doing well this year having won the first three games, with the last game to play tonight.

Last evening was a significant game, however, because Zach Britton's Orioles record of over 43 appearances without being scored upon was broken as the Nats scored a run late in the 9th inning. At least he got the team out of the wild 9th inning that saw the Nats score 5 runs to make the final score 10-8.

But it is a win! 

The O's are now only one game behind the tied division leading Bluejays and Red Sox. 

As the season slides closer to September, every game becomes that much more important. An ugly win is still a win! And to get into the post-season, the team needs wins!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD