Happy Spring!

Chris on the Tractor
March 19, 2016

Although it may not feel like it this morning, Spring arrived overnight. The season of darkness is officially behind and warm sunny days lie ahead. 

Chris Clearing the Yard

Yesterday, before the rain and snow began falling as Winter made its last attempt to control the weather, Chris and I began the process of clearing the yard of the winter debris. Although below freezing temperatures had been forecast overnight, they did not materialize. The storm is proving to be much milder than originally projected.

That included getting the tractor out of the shed and running--which was surprisingly easy. There is something reassuring about hearing the tractor burst to life when the key is turned. Well, it did grind for a while--but then came alive.

The yard has already taken on a bright green color and the buds on the trees are everywhere. By this time next week, Easter, everything should be in full bud and bloom. We needed to get some of the leaves and smaller twigs off the lawn.

This is a great time of year as everything springs back to life. 

Spring has Sprung!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Week of Celebrations

Running Sunday to Sunday, this was a week chock full of celebrations, events, and remembrances.

Check these out:

Sunday, March 13 - Daylight Saving Time arrived. We got our outdoors evenings back! Although I had to drive to work in morning darkness again for a while. It sure was hard to get up in the morning for a couple of days.

Monday, March 14 - Pi Day. The day each year we pay our respects to the constant of the circle! And eat pie! Mine was Key Lime. What was yours?

Tuesday, March 15 - Ides of March. A quick remembrance to Julius Caesar who was assassinated on this day. Also, incidentally it is one month to Tax Day!

Thursday, March 17 - St Patrick's Day. Nuff said. It was all very green. 


Saturday/Sunday March 19/20 - First Day of Spring. Spring officially arrives at 12:30 AM EDT on Sunday morning, which is still Saturday night for the rest of the country. 

It was and still is a very busy week of observances and celebrations!

Party on!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It's Not the Major Leagues

It is hard to believe, but Spring Training, so to speak, has arrived for the youth baseball leagues. 

Last evening I went my first GORC Pirates practice, it was already the second practice for the team. I missed the first practice, not a good example for a coach, but I was on the road.

Portion of the Ten Day Forecast

Baseball season is truly underway and it felt good to be out on the diamond with the boys doing drills to improve their baseball skills. Although practice is late, at 6:30 PM, I am not complaining because I miss the worst of the rush-hour traffic while getting to the ball fields. It is also easy to tell when practice is over because we can't see the balls anymore.

Our team is a year older this year and I can already see how they have retained and added to the skills they developed during last season's campaign. 

Springtime has arrived--if only we weren't supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow on Sunday, everything would be spectacular.

At least the sound of baseballs smacking into gloves has returned.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flowers Arrive Despite the Weather

Crocus in my Garden

Springtime has arrived in Maryland. 

The trees are budding and flowers are blooming throughout the region. And even in my own yard. I make that point because my house is situated in a low area that is a bit colder and also receives less sun than some other areas. Forsythia are blooming along the highways, but mime are barely budded.

Daffodils in the Garden

It is good to see the weather turn warmer.

Although, there is a significant snow maker on the horizon for Sunday! Ugh. Presently it is calling for 3-5 inches of snow. Hopefully it moves off shore between now and its arrival in the region. 

I am distressed at how the temperatures nosedive through the rest of this week and below freezing conditions return. I have already moved a few of the plants we have been wintering outside to get reacquainted with the sun and they will need to be brought back inside.

Oh well--Happy St Patrick's Day anyway.

Spring officially begins on Sunday morning at 30 minutes past midnight in the Easter Daylight Timezone--during the snowstorm! It will be Winter's last hurrah!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reflections of a Golf Weekend

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to play 72 holes of golf on four different Florida golf courses. Three were in Bradenton and one was in Fort Myers. 

Me Beginning my Tee Shot

In the two days since returning home, I have not even unpacked my golf clubs because I have been so busy. 

During our time together away, some pretty funny things were said and some fun situations arose.

Some of the best quotes from the trip include:

"You broke the tee box." 

"Gravity is like Santa, it only works if you believe."

Jeremy Deciding on a Club

"I know the ball had to come down somewhere, because if it didn't we have bigger problems."

"That was a great shot, right up until it wasn't."

"Where's the green? It's not even in the same time zone."

"The van that Budget gave us is like the Tartan Prancer."

Of course the Tartan Prancer is the fictitious vehicle from the most recent Vacation movie. Our Ford van was big, bulky, but surprisingly agile. The problem was that while big, the interior space was not easily reconfigurable and we had trouble getting four people, four golf bags, and associated suitcases stowed.

About the golf courses. 

Eagle Ridge Golf Club, Fort Myers. Well maintained and a tough course. Lot's of water, but generally wide fairways and well maintained greens. Bring extra balls. Club house is nice and the staff helpful. Great location near the stadium and the airport. I highly recommend playing this course mid-Sunday morning as we had the the place to ourselves, it seemed. This is one of the few courses where I was advised to drive the cart on the fairway! Awesome, I can do that!

Waterlefe Golf and River Club, Bradenton, Florida. Well maintained and the greens were great. A beautiful course with nice views and tough but fair holes. Pace of play was good. Some of the fairways were narrow which made for interesting golf. 

12th Green at The Preserve at Tara

Preserve Golf Club at Tara, Bradenton, Florida. I was disappointed in the assistance with getting started. After paying the greens fees, we were left on our own to find the first tee. Never saw a marshall and there was a very slow group in front who finally let us play though on the 12th hole. Admittedly, we did have an afternoon tee time. The greens were in adequate condition, but needed work. 

Rosedale Golf & Country Club, Lakewood Ranch, Florida. This was the first club we played on the trip and it was probably the best maintained. The marshall was everywhere and kept the pace of the game moving--which was great. We felt a bit pushed, but were always right behind the group in front of us. Excellent greens and good tee boxes. Most of the fairways are tight with houses close by. A great course, but probably not the best choose as the first course after not playing for the winter.

And there it is. A quick recap of the courses and our golf experience.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Out the Hotel Window - Sarasota, Florida

I am actually astonished about how little I have been traveling recently. I have become pretty much of a home-body; not traveling far from with the exception of trips to Ithaca. 

Out the Hotel Window - Sarasota, FL

Last week when I arrived in Sarasota to golf and attend a few Orioles Spring Training games, I was excited that I could again get an image of life outside the hotel window. 

As it turns out, I waited until my second morning to snap the image, but it turned out to be a great day. The Orioles won their first game of the Spring Training campaign. 

I was disappointed in the window of the hotel room  however. It was dirty and I was afraid that the image would not be as vibrant a the scene that I was viewing. I do enjoy the sunrise and the opportunities that begin with each new day. 

Not seen in the image, as it was captured, is the large play tree right outside the window that I enjoyed looking at. Palm trees are a good symbol for me that I am far enough south. 

The clouds in the sky turned into a blessing as the day wore on and I spent time on a golf course. The clouds kept the temperatures moderate and the breeze made the game enjoyable. 

It was, as it turned out, a great day. And it all began by looking at the world outside the hotel window.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 14, 2016

1. My short baseball and golf vacation has ended. When can I do it again? I can't believe I played 72 holes of golf and saw three Spring Training games in four days while also flying into and out of Florida!

Orioles spring Training Parking Lot Sign

2. Today's high in Baltimore will be 17 degrees lower than this morning's low in Sarasota.

Getting a Toddler through an Airport

3. March Madness is underway. Don't forget to pick your bracket for the biggest tournament in basketball.

4. Saw this sign in an Orioles Spring Training parking lot. I'm not sure exactly how these two go together. I've never tried playing golf from a motorcycle, I wonder how that works?

5. Coming back through BWI last evening as I was getting a dose of weather reality from the cool temperatures and cold rain, I saw this creative way of getting a toddler through an airport.

6. Don't change your drink order mid-thought. I wanted to order a large diet cola but changed my mind while talking and it came out: "Can I have a large diet . . . water?" I have created the next fad: Diet Water!

DirecTV Blimp over Eagle Ridge Golf Club
Fort Myers, Florida
March 13, 2016

Pileated Woodpecker

7. While on the golf course yesterday, I thought it just a bit creepy that a blimp kept stalking me through the trees. I wonder if I was secretly being televised.

8. I found more critters on the golf course yesterday, but this time is was a rarer sight as a pileated woodpecker posed for me. It was very busy getting breakfast.

9. Matt Wieters' elbow seems to just sore and need more strengthening. That is good! He left Saturday's game after the first inning.

10. Have you noticed that Donald Trump blames someone else for his problems? Now he is blaming Sanders supporters for problems at his rallies. Really? How does that make sense?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

In the Win Column Again

Ed Smith Stadium
March 12, 2016

The Orioles made it into the win column for the first time this Spring Training yesterday.

Ny Spring Training trip mission is accomplished!

Hopefully the Orioles new found winning ways will continue today with another win in Fort Myers against the Twins!

I did briefly meet General Manager, Dan Duquette, yesterday. Seriously, it was a brief hello and hand shake at the stadium and we mentioned hoping for a good season from the team and I felt that they had the players and staff to every successful.

Getting Ready for the Game

That is one of the great things about going to Spring Training, you never know who you are going to meet while prowling the stadium. 

To recap the game, the Orioles starting pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, allowed a run early in the top of the first inning and over the course of the game the Orioles scored eight unanswered runs to make the final score 8-1. It was exciting to be there for the first win of the campaign.

The concern of the day was when catcher Matt Wieters left the game after the first inning with elbow soreness and given his recent surgery there is come cause for concern. The tests should be back today on the elbow. I noted that on the one throw to second to stop a steal that his throw was unusually high. 

The pitchers who relieved Ubaldo did their jobs and included some of the ones I expect to see back at Camden Yards once the season begins and included Zach Britton and Darren O'Day who each pitched one scoreless inning. 

It was a great baseball day with a nice breeze and temperatures in the mid-80's. 

Do I have to come home?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Critters on the Course

Golfing in Florida is different than golfing in Maryland, by a long shot.

Jeremy and Mike in the Tee Box

Yesterday, my traveling companions and I, played 36 holes of golf on two different courses. During that span, we spied a couple dangerous critters but also enjoyed the antics of many more harmless ones. 

A Small Gator Guarding a Water Feature
on a Golf Course

There are two rules that I adhere to when golfing in Florida. The first is never reach in to the water to retrieve a ball no matter how placid the water seems. Every water feature comes complete with its own alligator. The gators are always watching. OK, I did get one out of the water yesterday, but I made sure there were no large reptiles within a good distance.

Watching the Birds on the Course

Second--since snakes do inhabit the underbrush, don't go poking around with your hand. Use a club.

But those rules written, there are al to of fun critters to enjoy while golfing. The sand cranes man a sound like a dinosaur and can be a bit unnerving, but they seem relatively harmless.

The most important rule, however, is to have fun and play good golf!

-- Bob Doan, writing from Sarasota, Florida

Orioles Training

BWI Preparing for a Pre-Dawn Departure

I arrived in Sarasota well in enough time for lunch and a ball game yesterday. Thankfully, the flight from Baltimore to Tampa was on time, even early.

I thought the view in the morning light was especially interesting with the sunrise behind the jet that carried me south. It is amazing what 2 hours and a few minutes can do to change the temperature and the scenery.

View from the Standing Room Only Seats
Ed Smith Stadium, Sarasota, FL
March 10, 2016

Those of us traveling together arrived in Florida with the idea that we could bring some magic into the 0-9-1 start and even more importantly break the string of 9 consecutive losses. And we did, partly. The Orioles did not lose, but they tied the team whose  name shall remain unspoken from up north. That was a good thing. The stadium was sold out for the game and that always makes it exciting when a large crowd is on hand to view a contest.

Manny Machado and Adam Jones Warming Up

We had the opportunity to see many of players and even saw one of the Orioles new acquisitions get his first ever hit off U.S. major league pitching! That was exciting.

Even though it ended in a tie, the game was exciting. The weather was fantastic--a strong breeze kept the temperatures feeling cool.

Observation. The Orioles bats are still coming around. They had a lot of hits but could not string them together to secure enough runs to win the game.

It was a great day to be in Sarasota, Florida.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Sarasota, Florida