The President is Elect

The votes are cast and the election of 2016 is finally complete. The results will be certified on January 6, 2017 and a few short weeks later on January 20th, Donald Trump should become the 45th President of the United States.

The Electoral college put the exclamation point on the election. The final vote was 304 for Trump to 227 for Clinton with A few others receiving stray votes which is why the votes were not exactly as expected which was 306-232. 

Hopefully, the country can find find unity behind our new leader who clearly is the outsider that many voters desired. He definitely seems to have some unique and unorthodox ideas.

As our newly elected President takes office, I hope that he remembers that as the leader of the free world, every word he speaks is scrutinized for weakness and intent. 

As a nation we need to dream of greatness. 

I am reminded of the words Ronald Reagan spoke during his first inauguration during January 1981:

We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are not heroes, they just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter, and they're on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They're individuals and families whose taxes support the government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet, but deep. Their values sustain our national life.

The President, is the President of every American and he must never forget that.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 19, 2016

1. This is the next to last Monday in 2016! In two too short weeks it will be January 2, 2017!

Jackson Owning the Court

2. In youth basketball yesterday, Jackson played a mean game of basketball, his team won 20-7. Ethan's team salvaged a 12-12 tie after a single overtime period. 

3. I saw Rogue 1 yesterday. It met all of my expectations and then some. Recommendation: See the movie!

4. The weather has become very seasonal, it is cold! Too cold!

Ice on Trees
December 19, 2016

5. Winter begins on Wednesday, December 21st, at 5:44 AM EST! Total daylight for that day in Baltimore will be 9h23m59s. That is 5 seconds less than today.

6. The NFL season continues in its lurching fashion. All of the family's teams remain in play: Dallas has clinched a playoff, the Steelers and Redskins currently possess playoff spots and the Ravens are in the hunt!

7. Today is Electoral College Monday! Will the final be 306-228? The President-elect should be official.

8. The ice on the trees Saturday was pretty in a surreal kind of way.

9. I hope the next two weeks are quiet! I would be nice to end the year on a calm note.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Holiday Sprint

The holiday marathon breaks into an all-out sprint for the finish line culminating with Christmas and Hanukkah next Sunday. It might be a good time to slow down rather than to speed up.

Yesterday's icy weather brought the first reality check to the Baltimore region as there was an incredible 67 vehicle pile-up on I-95 that claimed the lives of two people.

Today, however, the temperatures are already in the 50's. Reportedly, the temperature rose 40 degrees in one hour overnight. By this afternoon, the temperatures will be back into the 30's and there is snow in the forecast. 

I noted that at dawn this morning, the temperature in Elkridge was 56, Ithaca was 40, and Houston was 36 degrees. It is definitely an upside down weather day!

Every day during the coming week had some event or activity connected to it. If I take them one-at-a-time, I will successfully complete the week and be prepared for a fantastic celebration. 

Today's major activities: two basketball (Jax and Ethan) games and Rogue 1. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Slipping and Sliding

Pre-treated Roads

I wrote of the frigid weather yesterday. Today, it is worse. While not colder, it is actually 15 degrees warmer, we are besieged by freezing rain which is shutting down the entire area.


As I have been watching the news this morning about the multitude of accidents, I am thankful that I don't have to travel this morning. The roads were pretreated yesterday, but the volume of rain falling on the frozen roads has overwhelmed the pretreatment.

The airport is canceling flights due to the ice. Accidents are everywhere. It is a good not to have to go to work this morning.

I am looking forward to temperatures which are expected to rise into the high 50's by tomorrow afternoon, even if only briefly.

For now--be careful out there. It is a mess.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Frigid Cold Strikes

Sliding, as we are, into the beginning of winter, I should have expected something like this, but the frigid cold is truly a shock to my system.

The temperature last evening as I finished dinner was a whopping 16.5 degrees and this morning it was 13 degrees. Too cold to even think when I am outside. It was also 13 degrees in Ithaca. It was 73 degrees in Key West, Florida.

I didn't think it was supposed to get this cold in December? What happened to Global Warming? Last Christmas I remember temperatures in the 70's. We even golfed the day after Christmas. 

Frankly, I am nowhere near ready for this weather. The daylight is receding and darkness is enveloping the land. Where are the Druids when we need them?

In looking at the 10 day forecast, it is clear that I will not be golfing before Christmas unless I win an all expenses paid trip south.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Holiday Concert Season

It is the holiday concert season and last evening I was able to attend the strings concert at Waugh Chapel Elementary School.

What do the meanest middle linebacker on the GORC 80 pound football team and one beginning violin player at Waugh Chapel Elementary have in common? They are one in the same: Jackson.

A well rounded life includes an appreciation for music. Holiday Concerts showcase developing talent.

Ethan also had his holiday concert last evening. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason the two schools scheduled their festivities for the same time and I could only attend one.

Holiday concerts are one of the joys of the season. While the music may not be executed like the recordings we are listening to, the enthusiasm makes up for everything.

Happy Holidays. Rather, I mean, Merry Christmas.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Color of the Morning

Autumn is slipping quickly into Winter and the days are becoming shorter. With so much to do, the short amount of daylight is deceiving and by 5:30 PM, I have been feeling like it is bedtime.

Pre-dawn Light
December 13, 2016

With that backdrop, rewind to yesterday morning as I was coming out of the gym after playing racquetball. 

It was dark, but on the eastern horizon the first rays of light from the rising sun were silhouetting the bare branches of the trees and beginning wake the world. The street light was casting its cold illumination onto the parking lot, but was soon eclipsed by the gathering rays of the still hidden sun.

I admit, I felt funny standing in the parking lot taking a picture of the darkness. But seeing the first colors of the day reminded me that all is not dark and that the light returns to the world with each new morning. From the first rays of the morning, the light strengthens and the world wakes. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Birthdays

Nicole with her Family

They arrive every year. They arrive whether we want them to arrive or not.

Birthdays. When I was young I always wanted to be older. Now that I am older, I want to be younger.

I never seem to be happy with my birthday.

This weekend, Nicole turned another year older. Her birthday made me feel older. Too much older.

I cannot comprehend that my daughter is getting older. And that she has sons who are getting older.

It is the circle of life.

From our youth to our old age. We celebrate each additional year on the planet.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 12, 2016

Christmas Tree outside the White House Entrance

1. There are less than 2 weeks until Christmas, I am finding it hard to believe how close the holiday is rushing towards me.

2. Time Magazine selected the President-elect as the Person of the Year, but I take exception to the subtitle: "President of the Divided States of America." 

3. Why do cars seem to need brake jobs on some of the coldest days of the year.

4. I don't like snow! During my short trip to Central New York this weekend I saw enough and drove through enough snow to last an entire winter.

5. "Our nation was conceived in liberty, and we have always understood that the fate of our own freedom is tied to the fate of freedom in the world. The flourishing of liberty, democracy, and constitutional government is the goal of this administration as it is the greatest wish of Americans and that Americans have for all peoples of the world. We pray that we'll all come to enjoy what we consider our greatest treasure -- freedom." Ronald Reagan. Remarks on Signing the Human Rights and Day of Prayer for Poland Proclamations, December 10, 1982

Dirty Vehicle from Traveling on Snow Covered Highways

6. Has anyone wondered why the Russians supported Donald Trump to be President?

7. Cars seem to take the brunt of winter weather by getting very dirty. 

8. I am a bit bummed because the temperatures have been to cold to golf. I miss chasing the little white ball around the course.

9. I want to say thank you to the Congress for passing another continuing resolution and preventing another furlough. Now let's see if they can finalize a budget.

-- Bob Doan, Elkidge, MD

Christmas at the White House

Looking out a White House Window
at the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial

East Wing Entrance to
the White House

Visiting the White House during the Christmas season is an experience not to be missed. 

On one of the coldest mornings of the season so far, Chris and I headed into Washington, DC, for our appointment, with eight of our friends, to tour the Christmas decorated White House.

There is something truly special about visiting the White House. It is the "People's House."

Decorations in the East Room
Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington

The White House is decorated festively and each room holds new excitement. The self-guided tour allows for thorough exploration of the decorations and the rooms. The tour enters through the East Wing and winds through the White House coming out through the front entrance. I found security to be efficient and the Secret Service agents to be pleasant but thorough. 

Vermeil Room

The Library, the Vermiel Room, the China Room, the East Room, the Blue Room, the Green Room, the Red Room, and the State Dining Room are all on the tour. The exit is out through the front and we had some great pictures taken in the doorway. Along the tour, however, there are decorations and lots of art to enjoy. The art is fantastic and represents a wide cross section of American art. It is not just portraits, but one of the most famous is that of George Washington painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796 and hangs in the East Room. This painting was saved by Dolley Madison when the British burned the White House. 

I highly recommend this tour and I thank my good friends who did all of the work to get our group approved and scheduled. Unfortunately, this tour must be requested months in advance and so it can't be done this Christmas, but next Christmas is still possible. 

Leaving the White House
One Last Look

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD