Out the Hotel Window - Denver February 2018 #2

Dawn, Denver
February 27, 2018

The scene changes with the lighting outside of my hotel window. I was luck enough to get a mountain view.

Afternoon, Denver
February 27, 2018

I was able to both start and end the day enjoying a view of the mountains in the distance. 

The temperatures were cold to start the day yesterday, but warmed nicely by the evening. In the dawn image, I can see the lights of the street lamps ands the other lights as the mountains are bring lit by the diffuse pre-sunrise light. 

The afternoon image showed the haze which has been obscuring the mountains, but the bright sunlight and nearly cloud free skies have been welcome.

Another day has arrived. Let's see how much more fun I can have.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Out the Hotel Window - Denver Feb 2018

Out the Hotel Window - Denver
February 27, 2018

Well, I am on the road again. And of course I am in Denver again. I have not been here in a while and it is interesting to see the changes that have occurred. 

The hotel has received an complete makeover and is very new and modern. 

The roads are as crowded as ever. 

I was amazed how slow the car rental place was in moving people through. 

I did enjoy a nice Italian dinner last evening. I think I enjoyed it more because the portion sizes were  more normal and I was not left with a huge amount of left overs. 

I awakened this morning right on schedule at 4AM--that is actually sleeping in for me as the two hour time difference really hits me hard. I even tried to stay up late (well until 10 PM) to help my body adjust.

And so it begins.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Denver, CO

Monday Musings - February 26, 2018

Ethan with his Championship Trophy

Jackson with his Championship Trophy

1. Duo champions. Both Ethan and Jackson played on basketball teams which won their league championships yesterday. The games were thrilling and both boys made significant contributions to their team's championship win. Ethan's six points were the margin of victory for his team. 

2. The weather lately has been so mild that the trees are budding with leaves. 

3. I think I heard the peepers the other evening.

4. There weather this past weekend was too wet to golf. I hope it dries out soon.

5. With the ending of youth basketball it means that it is baseball season.

Buds on the trees
February 25, 2018

6. The Olympics have ended. The U.S. Team finished fourth in the medal count. It kind of confirms that statement made earlier during the olympics that the U.S. was the king of 4th and 5th place.

7. Orioles baseball is underway in Sarasota. The Orioles currently hold a Spring Training Grapefruit League worst record of 0-3. No panic yet.

Headlines

An attack on North Korea would be massive – and massively stupid - The Washington Post

China Moves to Let Xi Stay in Power by Abolishing Term Limit - The New York Times

Lower Oil Prices Force Saudis to Widen Their Circle of Friends - The New York Times

Teen Parkland survivor David Hogg calls for Spring Break boycott of Florida until gun laws change - Fox News

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"You know, the story, as I say, will continue. Every time we place our hand over our heart and pledge allegiance to the flag, we'll be reminded that our most precious inheritance is freedom and that history has bestowed on our nation the unique responsibility for its protection." Remarks at a Flag Day Ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland, June 14, 1985

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Gray Skies Again

Miniature Daffodils in the Garden

A Gray Day over the Neighborhood
From Radio Flyer
February 24, 2018

I have to admit. I am really longing for some blue sky and warmth from the orb that occupies the daytime. 

The gray gloom is oppressive! 

But, yesterday I managed a flight from my drone Radio Flyer, in between rainstorms, and I also found a sure sign of Spring in the gardens. 

The daffodils and crocus are coming up. There are clues throughout the gardens and Chris and I noticed that the forsythia are beginning to bloom in some areas. At least Springtime has not yet been delayed because of the gloomy weather.

The gray is ubiquitous, which is the best word to describes the weather. 

Radio Flyer went through its paces. I wish I could manage to smile more when I am flying, but I am working hard and concentrating on safety of flight issues. Radio Flyer did manage to collide with a small branch that I could not see which caused a minor mishap. I did not have the video running during that portion of the flight and so it is not documented. The good news is that Radio Flyer survived and made another flight.

I managed to make good use of the otherwise dreary day.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Dreary Days

Apparently the punishment for two glorious and beautiful days of weather this past week is gloom.

The past couple of days have been gray and damp. At least it has not been snowing and the temperatures have remained above freezing, but still the weather has precluded outdoors activity.

Gold Medal USA Curling Team

I have been awed at how gray the weather has been. A cool mist hanging over the land while it rains or drizzles, or not.

It stifles the desire to get outside and do something.

At least the Olympics are providing some comic relief and the U.S. Team is doing a bit better during the second week of the Olympics.

And as I tire of Olympics, there is golf to watch as Tiger continues his comeback tour.

The Orioles also began playing Spring Training games yesterday with an expected 6-3 loss to Tampa. Baseball is back! Hopefully the fortunes of the team will improve as the Spring Training games continue.

But the gloomy skies continue this morning.

Ugh!

Can Spring arrive soon?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

News from Camp - Starting Rotation

In two short weeks I will be in Sarasota watching the Orioles in Spring Training for myself. I hope to have a solid evaluation of the team before then so that I can look for some specific thing to look for in the team as it develops. 

I am excited that I will likely get to see a number of players who likely will make the roster by the end of the season. 

And of course, I am interested in the pitching! The Orioles finally have a starting rotation! That is something. The way I see it the rotation is Bundy, Gausman, Cashner, Tillman. The problem is that after those four pitchers, there is precious little major league starter experience and the probability that all four starters will make it through the season without injury is near zero. So right off, the Orioles still need starting pitching. 

So that is where the Orioles are. They have four probable starters and no depth. I believe they must still be in the market for at least two part-time starters to be ready for the fifth day and the likely injuries. 

Time will tell.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It Was Awesome

Around the Fire Table

The temperature reportedly hit a high of 83 degrees yesterday under bright and sunny skies. I have to admit, it did not seem that warm--but it felt great!


I have missed the 80's. I hope there are many more days like yesterday in the forecast. There are none yet, but there are no temperatures forecast below 32 for the next 10 days. 

What do you do with a day like that? 


Sit around the fireable and enjoy the evening as it falls! It was still 75 degrees at 6:34 pm. It was a beautiful late Spring day. Wait, it is still winter

Gesture Image from Radio Flyer Following Me

I was also able to get Radio Flyer out for more work with gestures and it did much better. A very successful flight where the drone finally did enter following mode and snap a few images. 

A beautiful day and an awesome ending.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flying with Gestures

Radio Flyer in Flight

Me from my Drone

Radio Flyer, my DJI Spark drone, can be launched and flown just by using hand gestures. The cameras can also be activated--both video and snap shot. 

Yesterday, I finally began to unlock the secrets of gesture flight--I was not very elegant and I frankly didn't fully understand when I had the video camera on and why I wasn't taking snapshots.


Learning the gesture mode is a bit more difficult than the on-line videos make it seem. But then, when isn't that the truth?

It was fun to manage the flight profile of the drone with just my hand signals. I am a bit anxious to try it out on the golf course, but I probably won't do that.

I am continuing to learn and unlock the secrets of my drone. I still need to work on the following mode, Radio Flyer didn't follow me very well.

By the way, notice that Cat, my Jaguar, is in the driveway with the top down. It was that nice of a day. A top-down driving day in February! And today is supposed to be nicer!

Seventy degree days area rarity during February. I am enjoying them.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

After the Three-day

I often make a joke about Monday being on Tuesday as the workweek begins after a three-day holiday weekend.

Teddy

It is true. No matter how we try to avoid it, the first of the workweek is a Monday. There are just things that happen on Monday that can only happen on  M Monday--like saying something simple like, "How was your weekend?"

Despite the rain yesterday and the snowed on Saturday, my weekend was interesting and overall enjoyable. 


I sojourned to Frederick, MD and beyond to enjoy two wineries and a breweries with Patrick and Tina and then subsequently visited a newly opened brewery in Odenton with Mike and Nicole. 

Radio Flyer flew above 200 feet altitude for the first time and hopefully I am ready to move into gesture control now that I believe that I have trouble shot the problems that I was having. It helps to actually enable the gesture control feature.

I also enjoyed basketball games where both Jackson and Ethan each scored and played shutdown defense.  

And did mention Teddy--Jeremy's newly arrived Keeshond?

It was a three-day weekend to remember and the last holiday weekend until Memorial Day.

Presidents' Day Quote

It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one. - President George Washington

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - February 19, 2018

1. Happy Presidents' Day! Which president is your favorite? Which one is your least favorite?

2. CBS News ranked the Presidents from 1 to 45. Review the ratings and see if you agree. Number 45 may surprise you. Numbers 1 and 2 have birthdays this month. I thought Ronald Reagan was asked too low, personally.

Teddy

3. It is a paradox that every dictator has climbed to power on the ladder of free speech. Immediately on attaining power each dictator has suppressed all free speech except his own. President Herbert Hoover.

Finnegan and Teddy with Jeremy

4. There is a new dog in the family. Welcome Teddy, Jeremy and Lucas's new keeshond. The family has a pair of kees again!

5. Both Ethan and Jax's basketball teams won their first round playoff games yesterday. Basketball continues for one more week.

6. After Saturday's snow, the temperatures and the weather seem to be improving.

7. The aftermath of Valentine's Day has a beautiful bouquet of tulips and irises sitting on the table. They are a splash of color in the dreary season.

Headlines

What to Do With a Day Off - The New York Times

How Unwitting Americans Encountered Russian Operatives Online - The New York Times

Team USA's biggest Winter Olympic team nabs few medals (so far) - CNN

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"You understand that freedom is not a luxury, but a necessity; not a privilege, but the source of our life's bread. In science, just as in our economy, our object must be to maximize freedom, to open up new avenues of inquiry and new areas of experimentation." Remarks at a White House Luncheon for the New Pioneers, February 12, 1985

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD