Turning the Corner

The region may have turned the weather corner, so to speak. 

Hot Fudge Sundae with Malt
from Cindy's
March 27, 2018

Last night was the first night in weeks where the temperature did not go below freezing. It was 40 degrees on my thermometer this morning. That is 16 degrees warmer than the 24 degrees I experienced yesterday morning.

I went back over the calendar and the last time it did not go below freezing was on March 4th.

It is time to let Spring spring! We've sprung forward, baseball is starting, March is ending and there are so many things that need to be done around the yards.

To celebrate Spring, Chris and I headed off to Cindy's Soft Serve, which reopened this week, for some dessert last evening. The temperatures were definitely not summer-like, but ordering our sundaes made the unseasonable cold seem just a little bit less oppressive.

But it may get to 70 degrees tomorrow for Orioles Opening Day!  

Cue the sunshine and the baseball. Bring on the sodas and hot dogs. 

Take me out to the ballpark and lets party!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Outlook

It is the time if year when hope springs eternal. Spring training has ended and the Orioles have broken camp and are heading north in preparation for Opening Day.

Thursday is Opening Day and I am planning on being there to see the team in person. I have my tickets in hand for the big event and am excited that baseball is returning. 

That written, the Orioles are facing three greatly improved teams in the American League East. The Red Sox, the Blue Jays, and Yankees have each improved their positions during the off season. The Orioles will face each of them 19 times during the season. That is 57 games of a 162 game season, or almost 1/3 of their games will be against improved division rivals. 

On top of that, the Orioles face the World Series champion Houston Astros six times. 

To start the season, the Orioles face the four teams just mentioned during 13 of their first 17 games, including two four game away series against the Red Sox and the Yankees. And did I mention they open the season at home against the Twins, who may be the heir apparent to win the AL Central?

It could be a very disappointing and ugly start to the season. The Orioles could start something as bad as 4-13 for their first 17 games. I prefer to think that based upon what I saw during Spring Training they will be competitive and they will start the season 7-10. Where does it go from there?

I believe the O's are going to lose a lot of high run scoring games. Offense abounds in the AL East. The O's may have a solid rotation eventually, but they are starting the season with only three capable starters and a couple of hopefuls. The Orioles have holes in the reliever corps and are starting the season without the closer, Zach Britton. The lineup will be suspect against left-handed pitching and defensively right field and third base could be a disaster.

Did I mention Manny Machado? The circus surrounding him will likely end mid-season with a trade that will leave a gaping hole in the Orioles offense and defense.

For the 80 games against AL East teams and the Astros, it is likely the O's will collectively go 34-46 for a .425. That leaves 82 games against the rest of the league and it is likely the O's will split those games going 41-41. 

Sadly, then, my projection is that the O's will limp through the season and finish 75-87, which, sadly, is where they finished last year. I do believe that the Tampa Bay Rays will have a worse record in the AL East and so the Orioles will finish 4th.

I will be very happy for the Orioles to prove me wrong and make the playoffs.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 26, 2018

Hawk at Timbers at Troy Golf Course
March 25, 2018

1. This is the last Monday in March. Amazingly, by this time next week the year 2018 will be 25 percent complete.

Jeremy Suffering in the Cold on the
Golf Course
March 25, 2018

2. Amazingly, the government is funded through the end of the fiscal year! Yay! It only took Congress six months of the year to decide on a budget. And, thankfully, we did not have to suffer through another government shutdown.

3. I played in a golf tournament yesterday. It was probably a mistake because it was just plain cold. The temperature never made it above 39 degrees. 

4. Animals on the golf course were bountiful yesterday. The hawk was magnificent sitting in the tree. It was not concerned about me at all as I got close to take its image.

5. I was amazed at how quickly the snow melted. Hopefully Spring will be finally arriving later this week.

6. The MLB season begins this week. Go O's!

7. The hockey regular season ends soon--I can tell that spring is in the air.


Headlines

In Gun Control Marches, Students Led but Adults Provided Key Resources - New York Times

Trump’s Trans Ban Shows Who He Really Is - New York Times

D.C.-area forecast: Cool today, but 60-degree weather is on the horizon - The Washington Post


Ronald Reagan Quote for the Day 

"Ingenuity and innovation built our cities and made them centers of commerce and education, of culture and communication, and of progress and opportunity. But the gradual shift of power toward the Federal Government moved us away from the very principles which kept our cities on a sound footing for most of our history." Remarks at the Annual Conference of the National League of Cities, March 5, 1984

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday Sunrise Musings

Radio Flyer View of the Neighborhood
March 24, 2018

Sunday's after the change to daylight saving time have taken on a new perspective with the dawn breaking so late. I'm sitting here watching the first rays of dawn break over the neighborhood.

I love the dawn, but I'm not too keen on waiting for it. 

I do get to plan the day and wake up, but the dawn can still be elusive.

Across the Hedgerow
March 24, 2018

Yesterday was a good day for flying. Radio Flyer, my drone, ascended to image the neighborhood and assess the snow cover remaining form the storm. As it turns out, the storm's snow has receded from the area, melted away and become runoff into the streams and rivers. Maybe Spring is about to arrive, finally. 

I know that I need to broaden my drone flights to new territory, but I am still getting comfortable with flying it. With each flight I am trying something new and pushing my limits to help me know how to react when something unexpected happens. Yesterday was height and distance. I lost sight of it when it blended into the sky and had to figure out where it was from my screen display. 

Quote for the Day

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts.
-- President John Adams

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Funny Snow Pictures

Winter meets Summer
Snow on the Mowers
March 21, 2018

During the first day of Spring snow storm on Wednesday, Chris and I had the opportunity to go out to Lowe's for a new door handle. Our lock set broke and it prevented the door from closing without additional effort. Not a good situation. 

Snow on the Spring Plants
March 21, 2018

It was an interesting drive in the middle of the storm.  There wasn't much traffic and the roads were in good condition on the way to the store. Coming home, however, over an inch of snow had fallen during our brief visit and things changed dramatically. The roads were snow covered and slick. 

While at Lowe's, however, I took two images of things that just shouldn't be allowed. Both of them involved snow. They document what happens when Winter meets Springtime on the first full day of Spring. 

The snow on the mowers and Spring plants was an interesting sight. The scene was an example of what is to come meeting what is happening right now.

The snow will be gone soon. Not soon enough.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Bright Day

The Neighborhood
March 22, 2018

The Yard
March 22, 2018

A beautiful day dawned yesterday, the day after the storm.

It is amazing how blue the sky looked as the sun rose yesterday. I enjoyed seeing the golden rays illuminate the still naked trees as the day dawned bright.

The snow retreated significantly during the day in a clear victory for the forces of Springtime. 

The ground was saturated as the snow melted, which is what I had hoped for when I oversewed the lawn and put down fertilizer for the season as the storm approached. 

Now all we need are some great 70 degree days! Did I mention that there are none in the 10 day forecast?

I always wanted to be a pilot and now, through the magic of my drone, I can make that a reality on a much more personal level. Yesterday I received the high winds alert warning again. The winds aloft were really buffeting Radio Flyer, but it did great.

It was fun to fly Radio Flyer during the storm and the day after to get some comparison shots. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Dogs in the Snow

Makayla in the Snow

Finnegan After Running in the Snow

Unlike me, my dogs love the snow.

Whenever it snows they rush outside to play in the cold, wet, white stuff. 

I am always amazed at their reactions as they charge out the door and off the steps into the snow. They frolic, yes frolic, through the snow like they have never seen it before. 



I'm sure that if we had snow all year, they would tire of it, but as it is they continue to enjoy the freshness of the newly fallen snow. 

I am glad at least my dogs enjoy the snow, even though I wish that I lived somewhere that it never falls.

Spring is coming soon, I am sure of it.

I have to keep telling myself that.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Flying in the Storm

From the Storm
March 21, 2018

More from the Storm
March 21, 2018

Radio Flyer, my drone, conducted a flight in the falling snow this morning. 

It was interesting because the collision avoidance sensors frequently activated due to the falling snow. 

It was fun flying through the snowflakes and imaging the trees and the yard. Later, I will be flying up the street as the snow is already melting and I am hopeful that this Spring storm is the last of the winter period. It is time for flowers and sunny warmth.

The big snowflakes made the flying interesting, but the flight provided some unique views of the snow on the trees.

I am glad that the leaves had not yet appeared as there likely would have been a lot of tree damage.

It is not 5:30 PM and the storm appears to have spent its energy. Now comes the freezing and the cold!

But then there is the Spring, although temperatures are not forecast to be in the 50's until a week hence, next Tuesday.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And This is Spring?

Welcome to the first full day of Spring! And we are expecting 4-7 inches of snow. It may even develop into a snowpocalypse! But probably not.

Beginning of the Storm
March 21, 2018

Schools are closed in celebration of the arrival of Spring! Not really. They are closed because the roads are a mess. 

What a way to welcome Spring, with snow.

Two days ago I was outside working the team during baseball practice. Now, it will be until next week until i can do it again.

The local weather continues to remind me why I want to live somewhere that the sun shines and the temperatures are warm. Even though it was cool during my weekend get away to Florida, it was warmer than it has been in the Baltimore region.

Springtime brings such promise, but the weather can really crush those hopes with reality. 

I was thinking about when I will be opening the pool. May is beginning to look like a definite possibility.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Taking the Field

Mike Gathering the Team Before Practice
March 19, 2018

There is a big storm racing towards the Mid-Atlantic region. Hopefully the last gasp of Winter.

GORC Dodgers Take the Field
March 19, 2018

Spring begins today, if you can believe it, at 12:15 PM. Just after noon. 

The weather, however, will definitely be more winter-like during the next couple of days.

A sure sign of Spring, however, is baseball. Last evening the GORC Dodgers took the practice field for the third time and continued their journey developing as baseball players.

There team is actually pretty talented. We have a few pitchers, including Jax, and they have a good sense of how to play defense. It is going to be a great season. It is amazing how quickly practice passes when we are all busy and having fun.

Now, all we need is warmer weather. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD