A Record Not Wanted

It is an ugly record in the annals of baseball. 

The Orioles have already set the American League record for giving up 5 or more runs in consecutive games and by my reckoning they stand at 18, with last night's 5-1 loss. They broke the American League record somewhere around 16 consecutive games and with the streak now at 18 they are two games shy of tying the 1924 Philadelphia Phillies at 20 consecutive games of allowing 5 or more runs. 

But, despite the terrible pitching streak the Orioles are only 5 games out of first and 1 game below .500!

Amazing.

The team is suffering a spate of injuries which add to the already bad situation.

Hopefully, however, this is the August-September slump happening a couple of months early and the team will get back on track soon. 

At least they won the game I attended Tuesday night, 6-5. But still gave up 5 runs!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Solstice

It happened while I was asleep last night. 

The solstice occurred and Summer arrived. It is the best season of the year. 

The trees are fully green and the cicadas have been gone for about a month. July is around the corner and I just got in from getting the pool ready for another day of heavy use by the grandsons. I love the summer pool scene! The pool is in exceptionally good shape this year and that makes it all the better.

The official arrival of Summer brings with it the vacation season and the continuation of the outdoor living season. The weather has been spectacular lately. It has been hot and steamy--just like summer weather is supposed to be. The 10 day forecast is nearly perfect. A mix of sun and rain with highs in the near 90's or 90s and lows in the high 60's or low 70s. 

Even the Orioles, the Boys of Summer, got it right last night an delivered a win to close out Spring and begin the Summer run for the World Series. I am a bit concerned that they have allowed 5 or more runs in each of their last 17 games, but hopefully that will turn around soon. 

Bring on Summer and let's enjoy the heat!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Third Eye Blind - Review

It was a hot and sultry Sunday night in Baltimore when Third Eye Blind played at the Pier Six Pavilion. 

It was my first concert at the Pier Six pavilion and I really did not know what to expect. The venue is covered open air and the sights of the city mix with the atmosphere in the concert area to create a unique environment for the show. 

Stephan Jenkins
Baltimore, MD
June 18, 2017

Third Eye Blind presented an energetic and musical show. The highlight was celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first album which was played complete and in order, except for the last song, God of Wine which was the appropriate closer for the show. Full disclosure, I like Third Eye Blind but I do not have all of the music memorized, but the music I have memorized is almost entirely from the first album. 

Shadow in the Lights

The band came on stage just after 9 PM and played a 30 minute opening set of newer music before transitioning to the first album. The setlist from the show shows that 21 songs were played. 

The set for the show was stimulating and bright. Working without the massive big screens of many entertainers, the show was reminiscent of a classic rock concert of two decades ago. I liked a comment that Stephan Jenkins made about being a real rock band with no added backtracks or synthesizers. 

The crowd was nothing short of adoring and clearly knew all of the words to all of the songs.  The band was awesome and the drummer, Brad Hargreaves, of course, stole the show during a couple of sequences which highlighted his abilities. 

This was a great show for a great classically organized rock band. The energy was infectious and most of the crowd did not sit down for the entire show. There were no "slow" songs and only a couple "slower" pieces.

It should be noted that this is an adult band and the lyrics deal with topics that are not suitable for the younger generation. 

Great show, high energy and exceptionally performed music! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - June 19, 2017

Summer Flowers Blooming in my Garden

1. The summer solstice is Wednesday. The longest day of light for the year will arrive. And then it will be passed.

2. The forecast for the past few days has been for rain, yet none has materialized.

3. I enjoyed a very different Father's Day. I spent time individually throughout the day with each of my children and grandchildren.

4. Third Eye Blind gives a great concert. It incredibly exceeded my expectations last evening. Unfortunately, we did not arrive home until after midnight. I fear I am going to have a very long day.

5. The red Sonoma should be removed from the driveway today. It will end an era.

6. We discovered a new place to relax in Baltimore. It is called Sand lot and it is right on the water in Fells Point with libations and lots of food. 

Baltimore
June 18, 2017

7. Baltimore has a pretty skyline, especially at sunset. 

8. The Orioles have figured out how to win again! They took a weekend series from the Cardinals, but it was with the bats and not pitching. The winning scores were 15-8 and 8-5. Way too many runs given up.

Quote for the Week

"Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession."

Ronald Reagan

Proclamation 4845 -- Father's Day, 1981, May 20, 1981

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Where does Chocolate Milk Come From?

This is serious, although I am still mystified.

According to a report in The Denver Post, 7 percent of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

The article, titled, The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows, is really a very deep and interesting discussion about how detached from our food chain Americans are becoming. 

The article summarizes the problem as follows: “At the end of the day, it’s an exposure issue,” said Cecily Upton, co-founder of the nonprofit FoodCorps, which brings agricultural and nutrition education into elementary schools. “Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point.”

The education system, including parents, needs to ensure the entire food chain is known. And it extends beyond chocolate milk and cows.

Brown eggs versus white eggs?

A pickle is a cucumber?

French fries come from potatoes?

Wine comes from grapes? (I had to throw that in)

I am glad that I grew up in rural America where I watched and sometimes helped farmers milk cows, we had a garden, and understood where food comes from.

Drink up and remember that a farmer somewhere is milking cows for their milk, plain white milk no matter the cow color. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Right, Wrong, and The Rifleman

Growing up, television was much different than today. We had the choice of three networks and four channels. Three channels were form Syracuse and represented the networks NBC, CBS, and ABC. Our fourth channel was from Binghamton and was a CBS channel. 

TV was black and white, our color TV was delivered during my 12th birthday celebration. We still only got four channels and had to move the antenna on the roof to see them clearly. 

One of my favorite TV shows was The Rifleman about a widowed rancher who was raising his son during the post-Civil War period in the Hollywood-style Old West of New Mexico. Unlike the TV shows of today, this show had a definite sense of right and wrong. It also portrayed civic responsibility in the idea that sometimes community came before self. It also highlighted the concept of defending those weaker than you. The show aired form 1958 until 1963, but was in reruns for many years afterwards. I can still find it on occasion. 

I realized, the other day, that much of what I learned about right and wrong and community and service came from watching The Rifleman and similar shows.

The show always portrayed a clear sense of right and wrong and it seemed, in my memory, to revolve around a conflict where "bad" showed up required someone to step outside their quiet life and take action to restore order and protect the lives and property of neighbors and friends. The show also portrayed the judicious application of force to protect and serve, a concept that escapes many today.

I'm not sure there is too much of this moralistic storytelling on television today. I find it harder and harder to watch shows on a recurring basis because morally they are self-interest oriented. 

They don't make shows like The Rifleman anymore. I wonder, is that a good thing?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

New Truck

2000 Red GMC Sonoma

Well, it finally has happened. My red Sonoma has reached the end of its trail at 179,990 miles traveled. 

It still starts and moves, but needs some likely expensive work. No fluids are leaking and even after the mechanical catastrophe happened almost two weeks ago, the faithful spirit of the Sonoma deposited me safely in my driveway after a sometimes harrowing and extremely slow 20 mile ride home. 

Ram 1500 Big Horn and Me

Enter the new truck!

Chris and I shopped around and decided to get a new truck to replace the Sonoma. A trucks the size of the Sonoma are not produced anymore, it was clear that we were going to get a larger truck. It turns out, I didn't fully realize how much larger until i actually saw both trucks together. 

Imperfect Size Comparison

The new truck is a Ram 1500 Big Horn. It is not really new, as it is a 2016, but it is new to me. I'm still getting used to the size and creature comforts. 

The Sonoma was power nothing--that's correct I had to manually roll down the windows and the door locks were manual as well.

The new truck is power everything with more options than I could imagine. Even the tailgate has an electronic lock. Who knew?

I am anxious to take it on a longish trip and see how it feels for hours on the road. It certainly rides more like a car than a truck!

My hope is that some 16 years and 180,000 miles from now that this truck is still serving faithfully like its predecessor! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

End of the School Year Party

End of School Year Party
June 14, 2017

For the students and teachers of the Howard County Public School System today is day one of summer vacation! 

What that meant was the the end of the school year party was conducted in my pool yesterday afternoon. And it was a fantastic party. 

I really enjoy sharing the pool with friends and family. It makes all of the work and expense worth it when others can share the fun and joy.

The end of the school year party has almost become an annual event and Chris and i look forward to it every year. It gives us a reason and a date to have everything up and running. This year, despite the forecast for thunderstorms, the weather was fabulous!

And another party is in the books. Cue summer, let's play!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Makayla and the Fox

Makayla, Defender of the Yard

The day got off to a racing start this morning as Makayla defended our  yard from a fox.

Ugh. It all happened at 4:40 AM (that is 0440 hours for the military mind). What does the 0 stand for? Oh my goodness, it's early!

I had seen the fox a few days ago. I had expected a fox to return to the neighborhood because of the rabbit explosion. Rabbits are everywhere! Through the years I have noticed a cycle of that starts with abundant rabbits, then a fox arrives, then less rabbits are seen. And the cycle repeats.

This morning the fox was in the driveway when I let Makayla out for her morning constitutional. I always look outside before I allow her out, but I admit I look for larger animals, like deer. I did not, in the darkness, see the fox. 

Makayla did! For the next ten minutes the fox chase was on and Makayla pursued the fox, which was crying the whole time, through the adjoining neighborhood. Fortunately she tired of the game and came home with the promise food.

At least she was not injured.

Hopefully the fox will stay out of the driveway, but there are a number of rabbits living near the drive and so I fear that it will be a long summer of fox sightings. It is a scrawny fox, too. 

I will do a better job making sure the area is clear tomorrow.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Summer is Cleared to Arrive

Endless Summer Hydrangea in Full Bloom

The last two evenings erased the last vestiges of Winter and Springtime. With the crowning of the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins on Sunday night and the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors last night, summertime has officially begin. 

It takes a long time for some sports to end. Hockey and basketball began during October and now eight months later they have finally concluded!

On to baseball, except the Orioles are turning in losing scores that look like football contests. They lost 10-7 last night. By one count they have given up 44 runs in their last four games!

But the weather is hot, the pool is cool, and the summertime flowers are abounding in the gardens. June is slipping away so quickly I can't believe it. The solstice will be here all too soon. 

I just enjoy each day and each moment because i know what is lurking just a few months away.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD