Monday Musings - June 30, 2014

1. It is the last day of June--how fast did that arrive. We are half-way through 2014.

2. As I was driving through upstate NY this weekend, I realized that you know you know you are in the middle of nowhere when even the satellite radio goes out.

3. There are two things we try to give our children: roots and wings.

4. A lion does not concern itself with the views of sheep. 

Fly Fishing on a Saturday Morning

5. World Cup fever has gripped the nation. The bog match of the week is when the USA plays Belgium at 4PM EDT tomorrow to see who continues on. 

6. The chant for the USA team is really a fascinating and complex chant. Check it out!

7. Driving through Central NY on Saturday afternoon, i saw a man fly fishing in the river. I snapped a quick picture because that is something you just don't see every day. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Day at the Lake

View from the Cottage

The drive from Schenectady to Ithaca yesterday was uneventful, but at the end of the trip was a fantastic day at a lake house on the shores of Cayuga Lake. 

Fortunately we got started early and were able to enjoy a full day on the lake. 

Chris and her first fish

The day included fishing, relaxing, some more fishing, a lot more relaxing, and even a brief swim in the sub-70 degree waters of Cayuga lake. I mean, how could I come visit the lake and not go swimming just to say I did. I actually wished I had brought my snorkeling gear so that I could have checked out the lake shore a bit better. The area where we were drops off to 130 feet in depth pretty quickly. It would have been fun to check out the drop off. Even better, if I had had my scuba gear--maybe next time, if there is one.

Looking North along the Shoreline

I guess I consider the day a mini-vacation surrounded in some of the beauty of Central New York. Truthfully, I love the summertime in the area, but winters are just too cold and snowy. And long. I am convinced that winter runs from October until May.

I have always been fascinated with the lake and actually have spent some time on and in the lake. I remember fondly going to Camp Barton on Frontenac Point for a week nearly every summer and then working at the camp for two fantastic summers. I have one staff picture showing with me holding my bugle hanging off the welcome sign. I was the bugler and the dining hall steward--what an interesting mix.

Looking south from the west shore of Cayuga Lake

Yesterday at and in the lake brought back a lot of fun memories and it was a relaxing day in preparation for returning to the complexities of everyday life.



-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

Street Names

Wandering around Schenectady yesterday, I became aware of street names which are often used but probably not well understood by our history deprived society.

For instance, we dined in an establishment on Jay Street. Walked by an alley named Bradley, and walked along a street named Clinton; while also traversing more well known names such as State Street, Franklin Street, Broadway, and even Liberty Street. 

Why do so many upstate NY cities have a State Street instead of or in addition to a Main Street?

Jay street was very interesting. John Jay was a great revolutionary leader, who, admittedly made a bad decision to retire from Congress rather than sign the Declaration of Independence, but he became governor of New York, worked with Hamilton on the Federalist Papers, and helped establish the government of the State of New York. 

I do not see many Jay Streets in my travels and it was this street which began to get my mind turning about how many people even have a small understanding of the people whose names are remembered on our streets. 

DeWitt Clinton

Some are easy--Franklin for instance. Although there is confusion by at least one candidate for Congress about his contributions to the United States.

Others can be confusing. Clinton would be an example. No, this street was not named for President William Jefferson Clinton, but rather another famous Clinton named DeWitt Clinton. He was instrumental in the development of the New York and the nation. He was a US Senator, a governor of NY, and was instrumental in the development of the Erie Canal.

Bradley Alley was interesting. Surely, it must have been named for the great General of the Army, Omar Bradley--but it seemed a bit out of place given the other names surrounding the area. I like the Omar Bradley thought though.

What is my take away? We need to look at the street names we cross every day and, unless living in Columbia, Maryland, where they don't make any sense anyway, try to remember the history and the people associated with the names on the signs. We need to remember more than just the Kennedy's and Martin Luther King Jr. names, but people like Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland, and the industrialist of early Maryland, Richard Snowden. 

I will remember Richard now every day when I drive Snowden River Parkway. 

-- Bob Doan, writing from Schenectady, NY

Out the Hotel Window - Schenectady, NY

Schenectady, NY from my Hotel Window

Where? Yes, Schenectady, NY. A city in upstate New York in the vicinity of Albany. It is our first trip to Schenectady, although Chris and I have known of the city for a long time. 

We are here this to celebrate a wedding and completed the thankfully uneventful trip yesterday. Although it looked like rain for most of the day, it was thankfully dry with the exception of a small stretch running through the Catskill Mountains as we were passing an exit marked for something to do with Rip Van Winkle. Aside form that, the weather has been outstanding and beautiful--which is especially important since the wedding is an outdoor ceremony this evening. 

State Street, Schenectady, NY

Our hotel is located in the heart of the business district. Schenectady is an old looking city which is desperately trying to reinvent itself to compete with the Shopping Mall society. 

Overall I have found the city to be clean and efforts to maintain it are evident, but there are many vacant business locations. But, there is an abundance to restaurants and bistros which offer an amazing variety of foods. While we were out walking last evening, we happened upon a small ceremony for one business and the mayor was reading a proclamation of service to the business owner--that was something I have not run across before in my travels.

We are looking forward to exploring the region today and learning more about the history and sampling some of the shopping possibilities. We have already noted that the unique Upstate NY practice of celebrating the Fourth of July on any date other than the date itself is alive and strong here. The small town of Scotia, NY, is having their fireworks display this evening. Scotia, lies between our hotel and the wedding location meaning that an alternate route must be found. Fortunately, I have discovered one.

I love a good adventure.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Schenectady, NY 

Olive Safari Explained

In reference to my posting from last week about trying to find olives in a grocery store, the error of my shopping expectations was pointed out to me.

While shopping for olives, I found three widely separated places in the store where olives were displayed--and of course it was in the third place that the specific type of olive for which I was searching was available. 

It turns out, as was postulated to me, that 3 persons in 100 probably are searching for olives on any given day. And these 3 people have different expectations for where the olives will be found. By placing olives in each of the 3 probable locations, these 3 shoppers will be happy and continue to shop at that store. The other 97 don't care and will buy olives wherever they are.

My problem, it turns out, was that I am a novice shopper and did not have the proper expectation with respect to the marketing scheme. Also, I was searching for a specific olive without fully understanding the marketing behind olives. No one actually goes shopping for olives! I, therefore, had two strikes against me. My third strike, as everyone knows, is that I am a guy and grocery stores are definitely not organized for guys. By placing olives in three unique and separate locations, they are more likely to satisfy the impulse shopper who sees them and thinks--I need olives, but really can't remember for what. 

To summarize,  I needed olives, a specific olive, and well, I'm a guy which is why my results were less than satisfactory.

Note to self--stay out of grocery stores unless accompanied by a competent woman.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flowers and Bees

It is fun to always have a camera in my phone.

 Sometimes I find the coolest things while walking around and I can image them for use later.

Like the bumblebee on the flower. Not such a strange sight, but I was walking through the outdoor department at Lowe's when I snapped this image. The bee was just there, enjoying the flower on a beautiful pre-summer day. It was a perfect image in my mind--of course it did delay the shopping trip a bit.

And then, there is the Calla Lily in my yard. We have had this plant for  a few years, but this year the weather seems to be good for it because it has grown into a majestic plant with beautiful flowers.

On a normal day, I might notice it and then walk away and tell Chris about it. But the other day, I have my cell phone on me with its camera and I have now captured it for later enjoyment.

Enjoy the day and capture memories. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Thrill of the Walk-off

Baseball is an awesome sport. There is no clock on the game. It is played until all of the outs are completed or until one team wins. 

That means that sometimes teams will use less than their allotted 27 outs (9 innings) to win a game and sometimes games will go into extra innings to allow a winner to emerge. Outs are allocated evenly, three per team per inning. In the classic Mensa question: How many outs are there in an inning of baseball--most people answer three, but truly there are six outs in an inning of baseball because each team gets three outs per inning.

The line from last night's game, which I had the pleasure of attending, reads fairly simply: "Davis' pinch-hit, three-run homer gives Orioles the 6-4 walk-off win over the White Sox." To say it was electric and exciting is an understatement.

It was one of those nights where although the Orioles only used 25 of their allotted 27 outs to win the game, they were behind going into the bottom of the 9th inning by one run and needed to play some good baseball to win. And with the team setting the table, so to speak, the acknowledged home run hitter came to the plate and delivered a win for the hometown team.

Early Weaver, one of the greatest baseball managers of all time has two colorful quotes about the situation last evening which sum the game up pretty well. 

Unlike some sports, there is no such thing as sitting on a lead. The other team gets its outs and the ball has to be thrown over the plate to give them a chance to hit it. Friday night, the Orioles lost a game exactly the same way that they won last night--a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth! It hurts, but it is baseball. 

Being there in person as Chris Davis, the the power hitter for the team came to the plate to pinch hit after having the night off, with the game on the line, in the bottom of the 9th, and delivered a monster home run is why baseball is the greatest game. Game over, let's go home!

Let's go O's!

And they get to do it all over again tonight.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 23, 2014

1. I realized that the summer solstice marked the end of a six month journey--progressively longer days. And now that it had passed, the light is already beginning to wane.

2. I heard this: One difference between dogs and cats is that dogs consider us to be family, while cats consider us to be staff.

3. An open pool, a warm summer day, clear water and bright sun. Add to this a stunning win over the baseball team from up north that shall remain nameless by the Orioles and you have a perfect afternoon.

4. It should be a good day. Partly sunny and highs in the low 80's. 

5. World Cup Soccer can be frustrating. On Sunday the U.S. team snatched a draw from the jaws of victory. 

6. Next holiday up? Independence Day. And after that? Vacation. 

7. Summer is here! Enjoy it.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Politicians and Lies

Election, more specifically primary, season is in full swing in Maryland. On Tuesday we get to vote to select the candidates for the general election in November. We are fortunate to be selecting a new governor, a complete assembly, our congressional representatives, and numerous other state and local positions. It has been a busy election season and my phone never stops ringing with candidate robo-phone calls disguised as surveys. 

The newest wrinkle was a one question survey. I am amazed that the answer I want to give for the survey question never seems to be among the choices. 

In watching the jockeying between the candidates over the tax issue, I was reminded of a joke I once heard:

How can you tell that a politician is lying? Their lips are moving.

Politicians apparently believe they have to tell the populace that they do not want to raise taxes by telling us that once they are elected they will find ways to generate new sources of state income. 

Excuse me--those would be taxes, right?  By definition?

And then there are the politicians that want to generate new sources of tax income but no reduce the individual tax burden in the state. No one is talking about finding new tax sources, for instance legalizing and taxing marijuana like Colorado, and passing the results of that increased revenue onto the residents of the state by reducing the individual income tax rate.

One of the most creative and oppressive ideas that is gaining traction is to put a gps in my car to tax me for miles driven. Why? Well, fuel efficient cars are causing the road taxes to drop. So of course that revenue needs to be protected. 

My answer--OK, but only if the state taxes on gasoline are removed. Period. If we are going to level the playing field, then let's level it completely. Do not implement a new tax source and keep a legacy tax that penalizes other people. On top of that, I am sure that I will wind up being taxed to install the gps in my vehicles, too.

And it goes on.

One new tax generates apparently needs to generate more mini taxes and fees. When is a fee not a tax? Never!

We need candidates that will not conform to the way it has always been done and come up with some new ideas. 

We legalized casinos a few years ago to support schools. How come we still do not have enough money for the schools? Where is that tax revenue going?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Pool is Open

It is open! It is not fully finished, it still needs to be caulked, but the it is full of water and I was swimming in it yesterday afternoon.

After two weeks of work, a project that was supposed to take 2 days is finally complete--mostly. The full final completion is supposed to be Tuesday when the caulking is scheduled around a rainy forecast.

I'd love to scream that "surf's up," but I'll be happy just to jump in and take a nap on a floatie. Oh wait, I did that already. 

OK, I'll do it again. Why?

Easy.

Because I can.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD