Changing Season

With the passing of the hurricane, the weather took a turn for the colder with temperatures last evening. As the thermometer cruised down past 40, we decided to enjoy our first fire of the season.

Riordin Enjoying the Fire

Seems that we were not the only ones to enjoy that first fire in the fireplace.

Riordin was also seeking heat as the temperatures got cooler. We try to balance the BGE electric bill against comfort and warmth--it seem the cat likes the warmth part a bit more.

It is amazing how even the idea of a roaring fire makes a room warmer.

And it really was warmer.

After being in the house for the better part of the past two days, enjoying a glass of wine in front of a warm fire as nighttime fell too early was just the ticket. And I did find a great wine to enjoy too--a 2010 Keswick Cabernet Franc which was sultry and sensuous.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Frankenstorm: Before and After

Well, we escaped the worst of the storm.

Before Hurricane Sandy

I am watching the TV this morning as the news broadcasters explore the destruction from Hurricane Sandy up and down the coast. I grieve for the people of New Jersey and elsewhere who have lost so much during the storm.

My assessment is that aside from the usual branches and leaves, we are unscathed.  Well, I do have the leaky roof but that is something I can begin to handle once the rain stops.

None of our trees came down--thankfully. I still have plenty lying around to turn  into firewood.

It is, as of this hour, still raining. Not hard but constant.

After Hurricane Sandy

It is a good day to stay home and hunker down.

I took before and after images which I am sharing. At least the wind moved the leaves into easy to remove piles-except that they are drenched!

I note that the leaves are now mostly off the trees--that will make my decision not to rake the leaves before the storm seem a bit more insightful. I kinda figured the trees would be stripped of most of the remaining leaves after the winds and rain.

So now the clean-up begins.

And tomorrow it is back to work.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Frankenstorm Passes

We are still here and have apparently survived Hurricane Sandy.

So far we have retained our electricity and although it is still early and hard to tell, the damage to our immediate area seems minimal.

We survived a roof leak which saw me racing to Home Depot to get roof repair goop during the height of the storm and then up onto the roof in a driving rain, assisted by the collected family to try to stem the water which was running down along a wall.  I was mostly successful--a more permanent repair will be attempted when it gets drier.

Thank you for all of your concerns and prayers..

More updates will follow after dawn breaks.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost power and have sustained damage.

Now the recovery begins!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 29, 2012

1. Hurricane Sandy, aka Franken-storm, is upon us and canceling activities throughout the region. The devastation this storm can cause is only beginning to be realized.

2. I was happy that the Ravens had the weekend off from football. I needed the break while the World Series being won. Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants who swept the Tigers who swept the Yankees who stumbled by the O's.

3. I was amazed at how the area schools and offices respected the weather and decided to close and allow people to remain home to tend to their families.  Way to go U.S. OPM!

4. Today is the anniversary of the 1929 stock market crash. Have we done any better since then?

5. With the NHL season on ice--what am I going to do for my mid-week sports fix now that the World Series is over?

6. Did you hear the joke about the election next week? Neither did I.

7. If you are planning to travel during the next two days--change your plans.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Ask the Right Question

I drove through a neighborhood yesterday and spied a sign in front of a church. This one was brighter than most--aided by modern electronics and animation to ensure that I saw their message.

Think about it--one visible sign posted along a roadside to state in a fleeting moment the most important thing about the church/congregation.

And what was this most important question:

"Where will you spend eternity?"

Really? That is the best that they can do for an area full of people who aren't even sure how they are going to get through this afternoon or tomorrow? To a people with problems and pain that is the best that the church can do?

I hope not.

In order to get people to worry about eternity they need to help them through this afternoon. That sign seemed so bible thumping to me. So out of touch with the condition of the country and what is happening right around the corner.

Even worse--many people driving by the sign have no concept of eternity--they need to be taught.

But before that, someone needs to ask:

How was your day?
Do you need to talk?
Do you need a friend?

Before asking people about spending eternity somewhere like it is a vacation spot, we need to find out what we need to do to help them even consider the possibility that eternity exists.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Franken-storm Cometh

The east coast is abuzz with talk of and preparations for Hurricane/Tropical Storm Sandy. It has become all consuming--even here at home where took a few hours of leave yesterday to begin storm preparations.

Storm Proofed Back Deck Area

We have many plants and chairs and cushions along with assorted patio related items that needed to be secured. The task was to get everything out of the open areas and secured. Including off the porch.

The pool house has become a temporary greenhouse (although dark) to hide the plants that normally adorn the exterior of the house.

I enjoyed all of the leaves that had fallen and I hope that having the leaves mostly off the trees will reduce the numbers of fallen trees and branches which create havoc when they crash through power lines, roads, and houses.

The Pool House Becomes a Green House

The news media is everywhere ensuring that people are aware of the impending storm. That is a good thing.

Schools are preparing for contingencies.

People are panicking. Others are making preparations for the impending mayhem.

Makayla Keeping a Watchful Eye on Storm Preparations

Makayla, however, is just taking it all in. She parked herself on the pool cover and just kept a watchful eye on my comings and goings as I worked to move stuff around.

Sometimes, I wish I were a dog.

Then I could lay on the pool cover among the leaves and just relax while the world around me is working feverishly to prepare for a huge storm.

Well--although the storm is named Sandy--it is really a Franken-storm because is stands to destroy Halloween.

But, more on that another day.

I think I'm going to join Makayla on the pool cover.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Foreign Policy Question

Is having a coherent foreign policy important?  Seems to me that it must not be that important after watching the debacle of a debate the other night.

One candidate for president obviously doesn't believe in a coherent foreign policy because he has not implemented one and his challenger wanted to talk about domestic issues instead.

Why is foreign policy so important?  It is because the world is so small.

An inconsistent foreign policy means that our friends and foes alike cannot trust us.

Who really knows what are are doing. Even we don't it seems.

When presidential candidates are discussing foreign policy and someone is getting a tutorial about bayonets and horses and aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines--we have a problem. America has a problem.

Foreign policy is important and sometimes I feel like it is the second fiddle to everything else, like domestic policy and one up man-ship.

Maybe I care more than many people.

Maybe we need to really examine what the U.S. is about and make a reasoned decision.

All I know is that neither candidate made definitive foreign policy statements, but they sniped at each other like high schoolers without eliciting a meaningful, coherent policy.

Is there another candidate in the race?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Argo - Review

What a great ride! The movie had everything--suspense, villains, a "you gotta be kidding me" plan, unlikely heroes, and a storybook happy ending. Best of all--much of it was true.

Argo is the dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran. Although I knew and remembered the outcome--the movie had be doubting my history as it went along. It was such a long time ago, 1979, and not much had been written about the operation in the intervening years so it was all new territory for me to appreciate.

The lead character, Tony Mendez, played by Ben Affleck, is a CIA operative who becomes involved in trying to exfiltrate six Americans who escaped from the Tehran Embassy as it was being overthrown by revolutionaries. The film brings in scenes from the 70's and recreates them with amazing detail while also having real news reports playing. I was amazed at the young Tom Brokaw in the background of one scene.

The plan, developed by Mendez is as improbable as anything I can think of. It was just that improbability that caused the plan to succeed. The actors surrounding Affleck did great jobs with their roles and I believe that John Goodman, who plays Academy Award winning make-up artist John Chambers, may be nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Alan Arkin gives a memorable performance as movie producer Lester Siegel.

I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the details of the movie, as I am only beginning my research; but, the movie is well worth the effort to see. I do know, from some of the articles that I have read, that the movie severely minimizes the role of the Canadians who at the time received all of the credit (or blame, from the Iranians). I believe the truth lies in between and that this operation may have been one of those bilateral success stories that happen only so infrequently. There is an article written by Anthony Mendez in The Daily Beast which does serve to provide some historical context for the movie.

RECOMMENDATION: See this movie. This movie is not suitable for the under 13 year old crowd as one obscene word is used fairly frequently.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fire in the Sky--An Image for my Memory

I was rolling out of the club last evening after another disappointing racquetball outing and noticed the picture perfect sky above me.

The clouds were painted red with the setting sun--yes it is setting far too early, reflecting down to the ground and making me pause, for a moment, to consider the view. I wish I were a painter. I would love to capture the scene as it resides in my mind.

I thought for a moment about snapping an image on my phone--but I knew that with all of the built-in automated light correction algorithms that the image would be a sad representation of the view I was experiencing.

Sometimes, it is better to keep the images of life in our minds rather than trying to capture them digitally.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Ghost Bridge - Governor's Bridge Road, Maryland

Saturday, I was introduced to a Ghost Bridge--or Crybaby Bridge in Maryland.

Governor's Bridge Road Truss Bridge, Maryland

According to Wikipedia: On Governor's Bridge Road, in Bowie, Maryland, is a late 19th/early 20th century steel truss bridge; legend states that a woman and her baby were murdered in the 1930s. It is also said that in the early 20th century, a young woman was impregnated, but not married. In order to avoid judgement by family and peers, she drowned her baby in the river. Purportedly, if one parks one's car at or near this bridge, a baby can be heard crying; sometimes a ghost car will creep up from behind, but disappear when the driver or passenger turns around to see it.

We did not either hear the baby or see the ghost car while we explored the bridge--which is in need of some immediate repair. I discovered a lot of rusted and some broken metal while walking under the bridge. The bridge is a narrow, one lane bridge and fortunately, there was not a lot of traffic on the day we visited.

The view of the muddy water was actually very pretty for the autumn day. And the area is very remote--if that ids possible for this portion of Maryland.

There is a pull off for parking while people explore the bridge, but I did not see a sign to explain the ghostly nature of the area.

Standing along the rail, I could almost imagine diving off into the water on a hot, sunny, summer day as I am sure hundreds of boys have done during the many years the bridge has been spanning the river.

Visiting Governor's Bridge Road Truss Bridge

On Saturday, though, that was the farthest thing form the minds of the intrepid travelers with whom I visited the span.

And we listened for the sound of crying babies.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD