Travel Magic

Saturday was a magical day for me. I didn't realize it as I was making my way through the day, but in less time than it takes for some people to commute to work in the morning, I was able to spend a great day in Florida, attend an Orioles Spring Training game, and fly back to Maryland to join my family at a local pub for some celebration drinks and still be in bed only an hour or so past my regular bedtime.

During the day I enjoyed 81 degree temperatures, saw Major League Baseball, got sunburned, and experienced the joys of passing through airport security with my favorite TSA personnel.  What could be better?

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at the ball park and dinner at Pub Dogs in Columbia with Patrick and Corey (and Chris, too).

Only when I slowed down on Sunday morning did I realize the magic of the over 800 mile journey that I took without almost even thinking about it. In olden times--800 miles would have been a month long or longer journey on a horse or with a wagon. They could never conceive of a day like I had--it would have been science fiction to them.

And yet--I did it Saturday. And many other people do it nearly every day and do it almost without thinking about the magic of it all enabled by technology that we are so comfortable with that we don't even really consider it, either.

How much easier is turning the key in the ignition of our vehicle and roaring off at 60 mpg (or more) when compared with getting the horse out of the barn, saddled, and ready to stroll off at the rapid clip of about 5 mph. And then brushing the horse down when we return. A trip into town--a short distance away was an all afternoon affair.

Sometimes I refer to the vehicles I own as my stable--just for that reason. To remind me of how lucky I am to be riding in air conditioned comfort rather than eating the dust of the unpaved road.

As I crawl into my car/truck this morning and the rain begins to fall, I think I will be a bit more appreciative of just how good I have it when it comes to travel.

And of course--having Florida so close doesn't hurt either.

Dancing with the Moon

I don't know if you took some time to view the bright moon this weekend or not, but it seemed to follow me everywhere and forced itself into my stream of consciousness.

It really began early Thursday (the 17th) morning as I was driving to the club to play racquetball about 5:30 AM. Yes, it is early, but I love starting the day on the courts.

I noticed the moon setting on the horizon--it was dancing in and out of my view around hills and through trees. It would disappear for a moment--and then return, a bright orb on the western horizon cheering my soul with its apparent antics in the sky. It made me smile and I thought about the moon and how it really wasn't moving around at all, but it was my own turning that made the moon apparently dance on the horizon.

I enjoyed driving on the nearly deserted roads and waiting for the moon to peak up over a hill, or to come into view from around some buildings. It had been a very longtime since it had driven around with the moon so low on the horizon.

And then, Saturday evening as I was flying back to Baltimore from Tampa, I got to watch the moon again.

It was a bit different though as the moon appeared lower than the airplane. I watched the moon rise in the east over a cloud bank and tried to take an image of it, but the iPhone and dirt on the plane window just do not do it justice.

I watched the moon pass under the wing of the airplane as we banked. The sky was clear as we approached Baltimore, and I saw the moon illuminate the Chesapeake Bay as we turned onto final into the BWI. It was a painter's scene--the moon shining down and illuminating a long streak in the bay silhouetting the ships and shoreline. I etched the image into my brain--if only I were a painter so I could capture it for others to see. But alas, I have a hard time staying in the lines.

All in all though, it was an interesting couple of days watching the moon dance with me and illuminate the darkened planet with its reflected light.

We all need to take time to notice these things. It grounds us.

Monday Musings - March 21, 2011

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1. Welcome to the first full day of Spring! We have officially survived another winter and are now heading into the best parts of the year. Spring arrived at 7:21 pm EDT last evening. I couldn't get my egg to spin.

2. What an amazing weekend.  On Saturday at noon I was sitting in a baseball park in Florida getting sunburned in 81 degree full sunshine. On Sunday at noon I was strolling my yard in 51 degree temperatures bundled in a coat trying to stay warm hoping that the sun would shine stronger and longing to take the cover off my pool.

3. Saturday was an amazing day. I woke up in Sarasota, Florida, attended a baseball game, drove to an airport, flew two hours north to Baltimore, and was celebrating an early birthday with Patrick and his friends in a local pub before 10:30 PM. And it seemed normal.

4. Week one of daylight savings time is now complete. We should all have fully recovered by now.

5. Japan is still fighting nuclear disaster in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami--don't forget them.

6. Libya is a catastrophe. I'm glad the international community stepped in, but as we know from experience in Iraq, and the Balkans--it is a slippery slope that we are treading upon.

7. The wine that Chris and I helped create was released this weekend by the winery--sadly, we could not attend the release because I was in Florida--but we are headed to the winery next weekend to secure a few bottles.

8. Did you look at the moon this weekend? I did.

Where I am on the planet

The sign kinda says it all.

Here, they call it paradise--and I'm not going to challenge that thought one little bit.

Saturday At Noon

So what are you doing with your Saturday?

I'm in Sarasota at Spring Training enjoying my favorite sport. Live!!

Those are the Philadelphia Phillies doing batting practice.

The temperature on this March 19th approaching noon is already nearly 80 degrees. The sky is clear, the sun is hot, and there isn't a hint of snow anywhere.

Outside my Hotel

Last night as we got back to the hotel from the game and watching the NCAA Men's basketball tournament at a local and fairly empty sports bar, I parked the car under this tree.

You can see the mirror of the car in the lower right of the image.


Not going to find anything like this in Maryland in March.

This morning the sun is bright, the sky is clear and blue, and I am comfortable in a short sleeve short and shorts.

How far away is summer?

From my seat in the stadium

My first ever spring training baseball game. And I'm in my seat munching a sausage and pepper sandwich enjoying the ambiance.

Unfortunately, my glasses just broke. At least they lasted three weeks.

And I just found out that the seats we are sitting in used to be in Camden Yards. Way cool. But I'm glad we are getting new seats this year.

March, baseball, and 81 degrees--what could be better?  Nothing!

Birds Waiting for the Game

As I was walking the Sieta Key beach, I found some other Bird fans already in line waiting for the game this evening.

Since most of the spring training games are afternoon games, they were just a bit early.

Siesta Key beach

So what are you doing on your Friday afternoon?

I'm here with a couple thousand of my new best friends on the Siesta Key beach.

Baking in the sun.

The water temperature is a chilly 69 degrees though.

Out the Hotel Window in Sarasota

Awesome beautiful green morning. After the winter in Maryland, the green of Florida is refreshing. That is the thing Mike and I noticed as we drove from Tampa to Sarasota--the green.

The green-ness is everywhere and I was constantly asking myself the question: I don't live here full-time, why?

While the scene out the hotel is not much to look at, the blue sky and green grass more than makes up for it.

Spring training may become an annual event at this rate.