Sunset over Annapolis

Upon arriving back in Maryland Monday afternoon, Chris and I were invited to Restaurant Week in Annapolis.

Yellowfin Restaurant
February 20, 2017

We had just completed a long day of driving, but the idea of heading out to a nice restaurant for a special dinner on the water could not be passed up. 

And it was fantastic. The sunset over the water was very special and our table by the window overlooking the water was even better. It was hard to believe that it was February. 

The sky was alive with color and it continued for a long time during our dinner. The scene went with our meal perfectly and the lingering sunset led into a lingering relaxed meal. 

It has already been a busy week and it is only hump day!

Have a great Wednesday and enjoy your evening meal, whenever or wherever you are.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime in Ithaca

Taughannock Falls
Trumansburg, NY
February, 19, 2017

Buttermilk Falls
Ithaca, NY
February 19, 2017

Granted it is only February, but the temperatures this pst weekend made it seem as if Spring had arrived. The snow was melting and the creeks and rivers were filled with the runoff. That meant that the waterfalls that the area is blessed with would be scenic beauties--and they were.

Chris and I visited two of the falls: Buttermilk and Taughannock. They were fantastic and Buttermilk was especially inspiring set against the blue sky. 

The ice is still evident around the basin at Taughannock. 

It was a beautiful Spring day (during February) and I am glad we were able to enjoy it and some of the natural beauty of the Central New York region.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 20, 2017

Blue Sky over Buttermilk Falls
Ithaca, NY

1. Happy Presidents' Day. Go celebrate somewhere.

2. Blue. Despite all of the brown vegetation and white snow, a blue sky can make me smile.

3. Baseball season is underway. Spring Training games begin this week.

4. Why does driving long distances not excite me the way it used to?

5. There is something about ice on a lake that just says: cold.

6. I enjoyed watching the Genesis Golf Tournament on TV this weekend. There definitely was a lot of green all around the course.

7. Does anyone have a copy of the Bill of Rights? I think some in the White House need a review of the First Amendment.

8. I shoveled about three shovels full of snow and ice this weekend. That is my total shoveling effort for the season so far. Will I be lucky?

9. I have reservations for my next beach vacation. It is coming not soon enough.

10. As I am driving through the Pennsylvania countryside I am imagining trees with green leaves and lush fields.

-- Bob Doan, somewhere on Route 15 in Pennsylvania

Brown or White

Snow in Danby, NY

Well, I'm back in Upstate NY where not only is brown a prevalent color, but this cold white stuff is almost equally ubiquitous.

Admittedly, and unbelievably, I prefer brown to white. The snow is cold. And wet. Against the blue sky of yesterday when the temperatures were in the low 50's, the white snow was definitely out of place.

But it melts. Hopefully the green will return here soon. I can feel the winter's ending coming with the arrival of March. Warmer temperatures are on tap for the week ahead.

Very soon it will be springtime.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Ithaca, NY

Brown, why does it have to be Brown?

Brown Fields in Central Pennsylvania
February 18, 2017

I am tired of winter's brown garb. It is boring. Brown is everywhere and I keep trying to imagine green fields.

But the brown is ubiquitous.

I believe that spring is close. The temperatures are rising. I have dusted off my golf clubs and hit a bucket into my new net yesterday.

The groundhog was apparently wrong. Thankfully. We might escape winter's grasp without and more major weather events.

I can dream.

The green is coming. And I will soon be on the greens.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Presidents' Day Weekend

It is time to celebrate the men (so far, yes, they are all men) who have served our country by being elected President!

Portrait of George Washington in the White House

So is it President's Day, celebrating only George Washington, or is it Presidents' Day celebrating all of them?

Turns out that depending upon the state, both may be correct.

Of course, two of the greatest have birthdays during this time of year--Washington and Lincoln. But of the now 45 Presidents, which one or ones are your favorites and why? Did you ever wonder?

Ronald and Nancy Reagan
Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Some interesting facts about the Presidents can be found at the website containing Fun Facts about the Presidents. 

Presidential Facts:



Four presidents were born during February including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, William Harrison and Ronald Reagan.

I cannot find any portrait of George Washington smiling. He is always so serious.

Calvin Coolidge was the only President born on the 4th of July. 

Three Presidents have died on the 4th of July: Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe. Adams and Jefferson both died in 1826 while Monroe lived until 1831. 

Truly great Presidents give us words of wisdom to live by. George Washington set the tone with his Farewell Address, which to this day is read on his birthday in the Senate. 

Ronald Reagan made the following observation:

"We live in perilous times, my fellow Americans, but also times of great hope and opportunity. The future is up to us."

Radio Address to the Nation on Drug Abuse and Aid to the Nicaraguan Democratic Resistance, February 6, 1988

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Late for Summer

Here I am, in the deep mid-winter, just past Ground Hog Day, and I found out that I am already behind in planning my summer vacation! Ugh!

Some people I know are already planning 2018! I guess they are true planners. Ready for almost anything. I don't even have a date set to open my pool this year and they are planning a vacation for next year.

I have trouble getting excited about vacation planning in the middle of the winter. I have planned a Spring-break get away, but the thought of trying to find a warm sandy beach with palm trees somewhere in the Caribbean was almost paralyzing. 

Some Beach, Somewhere

As I got into the process I was appalled by the costs! The price of escapism is truly rising at an astronomic rate.

Ideally, I would find a quiet Caribbean island somewhere and stay there for three weeks. Not gonna happen. So then a land/sea vacation was considered. Probably, that is the final solution. Some time on the water sitting on the balcony outside my stateroom on some cruise ship and then a week or more on a sunny (Florida) beach. 

So much for a Caribbean get away. But a get away is still a distinct possibility.

Here's hoping for a frozen drink in my hand under a palm tree on a sunny and warm beach somewhere. Soon!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

After the Valentine, Eat the Strawberries!

Valentine's Day Happy Hour

It was another year with a different twist for Valentine's Day. I had a racquetball match after work and didn't get home until later, but Chris took care of the preparations and we had a marvelous Happy Hour followed by a great surf (salmon) and turf (steak) dinner at home.

Chris and I have become fans of Valentine's Dinner at home. 

The Happy Hour was especially nice because of the fresh chocolate covered strawberries that I had delivered for Chris along with some roses. The strawberries were, and still are, fantastic.

The Happy Hour wine was an Americana Vineyards Riesling and the dinner wine was a 2006 Lindaflor Malbec from Argentina. While the wine notes indicate that the wine can be cellared for 20+ years, I think 11 was enough. It was the kind of wine that would make a dinner out in a restaurant cost as much as a car payment. 

It is fun to cook a special diner and then to enjoy it at home without the crush of trying to eat out with all of the other revelers. 

Truth-be-told, we actually enjoyed our Valentine's dinner out on Monday night in a nearly empty restaurant with friends. Call it the Valentine's Eve celebration!

I hope you enjoyed your own special Valentine's celebration wherever or whatever it was.

And we still have strawberries!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Who Said That?

Trying to quote famous people can become difficult especially when the words being quoted were never uttered by the person to which they are being credited.

It has happened twice in recent memory, most recently to the Republican National Committee when trying to quote Lincoln on his birthday. The New York Times reports that Republicans Tweet, Then Delete, a Fake Lincoln Quote. I actually found an image online with their particular quote written across an image of Lincoln, so it is an easy trap to fall into.

Previously there was a quote about the liberal democrats that was erroneously attributed to Patton. 

It is important to check sources when making attribution. It is easy to say, "Oh yea, (insert famous person here) definitely said that" because it sounds like something we wish they would have said. 

I think we are beginning to understand the pervasiveness of fake news in our society. It has always been there, it is just now being uncovered for what it really is--an attempt to deceive the masses. Just because something is written or on the internet does not make it true.  

Ronald Reagan kept notecards in his office with quotes by famous people on them. He used them as sources for his speeches and in dealing with the trials of daily life. 

In the book published with the quotes he kept on his notecards, there are many quotes that Reagan attributed to Lincoln, one of them is: "A man may be loyal to his government and still opposed to the particular principles and practices of the administration in power."

I think this is an especially important thought in these trying times.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 13, 2017

Spring Flowers Peaking up

1. Unbelievably, it is the second Monday of February 2017. It is already 44 days into the new year! I guess it isn't so new anymore.

2. Why does the new administration in Washington seem to enjoy watching everything play out on the news media. Wouldn't it be nice to have a quiet news day?

Louis on the Dining Room Table

3. Two dogs were talking one day about their poop. One dog says to the other, "our poop must be really valuable, my owner keeps picking it up and putting it into little bags."

4. Spring flowers are poking up through the ground in my garden. The sprigs of green are reassuring. Spring is coming.

5. Sometimes I think that cats just want to take over the world. Like Louis sitting on the dining room table the other evening. 

6. Support for First Amendment rights is growing among high school students according to an article published in the New York Times. 

7. It was a great weekend without NFL football. I guess I am getting over my Super Bowl hang-over.

Headlines

8. Turmoil at the National Security Council, From the Top Down - New York Times

9. Domino's shares fall on wage fraud allegations - Sydney Morning Herald

10. North Korea missile test prompts UN Security Council meeting today - CBC News

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD