First Snow

Snow at Home
December 30, 2016

It happened yesterday. We received the first snow of the season here in Elkridge. 

It was, I hate to admit, pretty falling from the sky as gentle flakes blown about by the wind. It was even prettier because it did not accumulate and therefore did not cause additional work.

It was cold outside. It has been cold now for a couple of days. Too cold to do much outside, except watch for a few moments the snowflakes falling from the sky.

It is fitting that the next to last day of the year should being the first snowflakes of the winter season to my home. I hope the last day of the year is more mild, although the temperature is starting very cold at 27 degrees.

Well, as it is the last day of 2016 here is my wish that all of your dreams come true during 2017. Take a moment of pause today and recount the blessings of 2016--even though there has been hurt and loss, there are things to be thankful for during the year that is closing out.

Happy New Year! May your 2017 be blessed.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

2016 in the Rearview Mirror

As 2016 draws to a close I am reading about the highlights and lowlights of the year from many sources.  It is something that I find beneficial, reviewing the year before closing that chapter and turning the page for a new year's arrival.

As I reviewed the year in pictures, I remembered starting the new year with Mom and Dad in Elkridge and then driving to upstate NY on New Year's Day when traffic was light. We stayed there until the 3rd and returned to Elkridge under sunny skies.

There was a fantastic party at a local climbing zone for Lucas to celebrate one of the first birthday's of the year. It was the first of many gatherings. 

There was a big snowstorm on January 22-23 which kept us snowed in until the plows finally cleared the street on January 26th. It was way too much snow. 

Garth Brooks Concert

I attended a Garth Brooks concert in Baltimore on January 29th. It was awesome.

February was quieter with just a trip to Northern Virginia to attend the Fauquier County Wine Tasting event. 

March saw the annual Orioles Spring Training trip with the guys for baseball and golf. Sarasota and Florida was warm and spectacular. 

March also saw the inaugural lawn mowing of the season, a sure sign of Spring.

Beach Fire
Bahamas

On Easter Sunday, during Late March, Chris and I departed for our first cruise of the year to the Bahamas. It was Spring Break and we went to Fort Lauderdale and the Bahamas and had a great time. The trip lasted until early April.

April was busy as we competed in the annual Keswick Consensus Blending and I took a business trip to Alaska. It was a long trip to the great north. At the end of the month Chris and I headed off to St Michaels for the Wine Festival! It truly was a busy month.

May saw the pool opening and the beginning of the summer season. I installed a new sink for Chris and we celebrated Patrick's Master's Degree in Cyber Security! We also had a visit from Faline, the fawn.

June passed with Ethan's graduation form Elementary School and the end of the season for Jackson's baseball team. Then there was the trip to Upstate NY for Trevar's graduation from High School!

Our Caribbean Cruise Ship

During July, I made my first trip of the year to California. My second would be during November with Chris to revisit the cool finds I made during the July trip. Chris and I also departed on our Caribbean Cruise with Pennie and Scott which had an altered itinerary due to a hurricane. We never made it to Belize or Honduras. 

August saw the annual Troy Whittemore Golf Tournament in the rain in Trumansburg, NY. 

September was quieter, but October began with a trip to NYC with Ethan. It ended with a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Jeremy's birthday. The highlight of the Vegas trip was playing TPC Las Vegas!

November was the do-over trip to California which included a visit to the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum. A spectacular spot. 

December's highlight was the tour of the Christmas decorated White House.

And of course, Christmas with the family!

What a year. I'm exhausted just writing about it. And those were only the highlights.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Holiday Exhaustion

Riordin and Louis Relaxing in a Sunbeam

With the holiday season nearing an end, exhaustion seems to be the call of the day. The frenzy of shopping and returns and getting ready for the big days has crested and life is slowly returning to a more normal pace.

The weather has been, until this morning, fantastic with Tuesday reaching into the 60's. Yesterday my thermometer reached 50 degrees and it was another beautiful day. I even managed an hour at the driving range hitting some golf balls and was appalled at how my swing has suffered during the nearly two months since I have been on a course.

With all of the activity of the past weeks, I think my cats, Riordin and Louis got it right the other afternoon when I found them lounging in a sunbeam on a coffee table. My cats always seem to know what needs to be done.

Anytime I can take a nap in a sunbeam is good. 

Now, all I need is some sunshine to land on my bed while I take a nap.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Disturbance in the Force

The passing of Carrie Fisher yesterday was another dose in a year of multiple reality checks. It was a bigger shock to realize that she is younger than me!

2016 has been a tough year with the passing of so many stars and notable people. The list, which continues to grow can be found on Wikipedia, as well as many other sites. The Mirror has a nicely done list with pictures of the celebrities. 

I am not going to run through those that touched me in a special way except to note that there were more than a few.

The passing of Carrie Fisher caused a large disturbance in the Force. She was one of the stars of three of the Star Wars movies. I am a fan of the movies and her character was inspiring and decisive.

With each passing, I am reminded of their impact on society. Even though they may have been entertainers or sports figures, many of them brought other important issues to the forefront of our consciousness like Muhammed Ali and his heroic battle with Parkinson's Disease. 

Everyone we meet or see impacts our lives--some positively and some negatively. I try to appreciate everyone and hopefully, 
I am having a positive affect on them. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Hobby Expansion

I don't usually write about the gifts I receive for Christmas, however, this year I am going to make an exception.

I received a new hobby as a Christmas gift this year. Actually, it is an extension of my current wine hobby--I am going to try my hand at winemaking!

I received winemaking equipment for Christmas.

I have been studying the art and craft of winemaking, but now I will have the opportunity to do it for myself. I know that it is more than a formula or a recipe to follow.

The interesting part is that we are reconfiguring our house to support this expansion of our wine hobby. Yesterday I moved beds and dressers around, including up and down stairs, to make room for the wine making area.

The scary part is that I will be making about 30 bottles of wine. That is two and a half cases! It is going be painful if the wine is terrible and has to be poured out. 

Well, it takes about two months and I haven't really started yet. But I am getting excited.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - December 26, 2016

1. Today is the last Monday of 2016. It is also Christmas Observed, Boxing Day, the continuation of Hanukkah, and the beginning of Kwanzaa. 

2. Top headline in the New York Times yesterday: Trumps Hurry to Unscramble Business Ties.

3. What was the best gift of Christmas? Answer: Family!


4. The Baltimore Ravens were eliminated from the NFL post-season hunt yesterday. I am ready for baseball season to begin.

5. I love it when the dawn arrives and the sky is clear.

6. I enjoy holidays more when the day after is also a holiday. For instance, yesterday was Christmas, but today is Christmas Observed. It provides an extra day to recover.

7. I am already behind in planning my summer vacation! 

8. Next up--New Years! 2017 is fast approaching!

9. I guess I am going to have to start working on my Year in Review! 

10. Do you know what tomorrow is? (Answer: Tuesday)

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas 2016

Chris with Everything Ready
Christmas Eve Brunch 2016

It was dark outside. Christmas Eve had given way for Christmas Day. The brunch from the day before was a memory.

Even though there were no children in the house and no reason to be up until well after dawn, we were awake to enjoy the arrival of Christmas Day. 

Cooking Bacon on the Griddle
Brunch on Christmas Eve 2016

The tree was brightly lit and the Snow Village beamed its light across the darkened room and the house was quiet.

The TVs were off, the only thing we could find to watch was a 1939 movie titled Return of the Cisco Kid. Seriously! It was too quiet around the house and the only noise was the whining of the dog.

The presents were piled around the tree in anticipation of the noise and excitement that would follow during the day. 

It was a quiet time for reflection on the season.

Dawn on Christmas Day is still 50 minutes away, but the sky should begin filling with color soon. 

I can imagine the shepherds sitting in their fields two millennia ago being startled by light in the darkness.

May you find joy today and through the whole year.

Merry Christmas

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Christmas Eve Arrives

It's here!

I remember as a child the excitement, almost painful excitement, of waking in Christmas Eve and realizing that after an excruciatingly long day, the most exciting day of the year would dawn.

Christmas Eve is all about traditions in my family. 

We fill the day with family-oriented events to help build the excitement and make the holiday last longer. I know that personally, I usually like to go out shopping on Christmas Eve--but, fortunately this year all of my shopping is complete and all that I really need to do is wrap the gifts.

Let me share some holiday thoughts from the past, from President Reagan as he was lighting the National Christmas Tree:

"May we give thanks for a free America, an America united in the wonder of a season that includes not only Christmas but Hanukkah as well. And as we light this glorious tree, may Nancy and I offer a final wish to all Americans: that every Christmas that follows will be as full of joy as we have these past years to work in your service. May God bless you all."

Remarks on Lighting the National Christmas Tree, December 15, 1988

May the blessings of the season fill you with joy and wonder.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

An Exclamation Point on the Shopping

Poinsettia Tree
Columbia Mall
December 22, 2016

It is finished. 

I sojourned to the Columbia Mall, by myself, yesterday to complete the shopping task. It was relatively easy given that I had a pretty well defined list. I also had the opportunity to view my favorite Christmas decoration--the Poinsettia Tree that graces the center court in the Columbia Mall. I enjoy looking at the tree.

But, more importantly, I have completed my Christmas shopping and I'm ecstatic.  Now all that remains is to wrap the presents in preparation for the unveiling.

Well, I have to decide the order in which they will be opened.

But, at least I can relax now and enjoy the holiday. Not really, it gets even busier from here. 

Maybe on Monday I can take a deep breath.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sliding Past the Shortest Day of the Year

I felt it as it happened yesterday morning at 5:44 AM EST.

Winter arrived with the solstice. Unheralded, but it arrived nonetheless. 

Autumn departed and the shortest daylight day of the year happened. Daylight amounted to 9h23m59s. Ugh!

No one noticed. I had scheduled a holiday party to keep from becoming too depressed about the advent of winter.

I could use a trip south of the equator to enjoy some searing sunshine. 

I know that snow is in the forecast--not for this week, but for very soon. The holidays are coming and they just scream for snow. I hope it holds off. Maybe we can have a winter with less than 1 inch of the fluffy white stuff.

Springtime is about 90 days away, it begins on March 20th.  That means we only have to get through a few short months!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD