Azaleas in the Spring

Azaleas in the Spring

It is Springtime and the Azaleas are in bloom. The white one in my yard is magnificent. 

The blooms are fully opened now and the splash of white against the backdrop of green is stunning. 

Although not easy to discern, this image was obtained using Radio Flyer, my drone.

The Springtime flowers are all in full bloom around the house and the neighborhood. It is a great time of the year.

I have determined, from weather forecast that the pool will be opened on Friday. Once opened, then the preparations for the impending Memorial Day Holiday will be complete.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rough Night on the Diamond

Some nights the baseball just does not seem to bounce in the right direction and the umpire's calls seem to go the other way.

Jax at Third

Such was last evening.

The GORC Dodgers ran into a buzz saw and lost to the Diamondbacks in a game the was tied 0-0 at the end of the first, but ended, because of time expiring, after four hard played innings at 15-5. I really though we were going to end in a 10-10 tie, but that is where the Umpire ripped the boys hearts out with some incredibly close calls at the plate.

To say that it was not our finest hour is an understatement. The hard part was that it wasn't hit balls that were the problem, it was the walks; hence, the game dragged on forever.

To say it was another hard learning experience is an understatement. We really need another practice, but there are none on the schedule.

Oh well, there is another game on Thursday!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Season Ending Loss - Penguins

No Cup This Tear

For the first time in three years, the Penguins will not be playing hockey while other teams continue their playoff runs. The Washington Capitals made a bit of history last evening by overcoming the curse of the Penguin and winning their first playoff series against the defending Stanley Cup champions since 1994. 

I have to say congratulations to the Capitals and I actually hope they can bring to Washington their first ever Stanley Cup. The city deserves it after decades of dashed hopes.

With the dreams of winning three consecutive Stanley Cups dashed, the Penguins get a well deserved off season to lick their wounds and prepare for the next campaign which starts in five short months.

I guess it is time to move onto the next sport--baseball. I hear the Orioles are trying to lose over 100 games this year.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - May 7, 2018

Geese at Oak Creek Golf Course
May 6, 2018

1. It is the first Monday of May. We have already enjoyed three celebrations: May Day, May the 4th Be With You, and Cinco de Mayo! What a great month.

The Leaves Have Returned
May 6, 2018

2. I played golf yesterday and came across this goose family. The adults were very protective of the goslings. I was being watched very carefully as I searched for an errant shot.

3. The trees are really rocking the green. My house is not completely surrounded and the solitude of my back yard has returned. My drone was able to document it yesterday.

4. I took Radio Flyer to a new place yesterday. Troy Park, year my house. I decided to fly up a light pole and examine the lights. They are very interesting as you get to the top. It seemed like a long way up!

Top of the Light Pole at Troy Park
May 6, 2018

5. There is almost nothing better in the world than sitting outside on a beautiful evening and enjoying a glass of wine, or two, with friends.

6. I have mowed the grass now three weeks in a row! Yes, the Springtime is in full force. 

7. The Orioles remain winless for the month of May. The hoped for turn around still has not occurred.

Headlines

Verifying the End of a Nuclear North Korea ‘Could Make Iran Look Easy’ - The New York Times

Yes, It’s Bad. Robocalls, and Their Scams, Are Surging. - The New York Times

Gina Haspel, nominee to head CIA, sought to withdraw over questions about her role in agency interrogation program - The Washington Post

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

"Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world."

— Farewell Address to the Nation, January 11, 1989

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Tough Outing

Jax Warming Up
May 5, 2018

Entering the day as the only GORC Intramural Team with an unblemished record, the Dodgers faced a determined Orioles team.

The game started evenly, with both teams scoring single runs in the second inning. Then the Orioles scored two runs in the third. Things got away from the Dodgers sat that point. 

Jackson pitched the first three innings. His longest outing of the season. He was tough and had good control. 

The bats were mostly silent during the day. The boys could not seem to string hits together. There were some fantastic moments, to be sure. A bases loaded double in the bottom of the 5th scored two runs, but that was all the Dodgers would manage for the day in a disappointing 11-3 loss. 

The great thing about baseball is that there is another game coming where the team can get back onto its winning ways.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Saturday Snippets -- May 5, 2018

Happy Cinco de Mayo! My favorite foreign holiday and a great day for celebration. We had a great kick-off party at the house last evening and the margaritas were flowing freely!

The green has returned and filled the blank spaces in the trees. I am concerned about some of the trees which have not yet begun to green. I hope that they have not been lost. 

The 90 degree temperatures of the past few days have been fantastic! I have really enjoyed the heat and the sun! I hope that it keeps coming. The weather for the week ahead will not be hot, but it will be very nice.

Pool opening day is drawing closer. Perhaps this week. 

One of my friends made an interesting observation last evening. He posited that people drive faster when the economy is doing well. He may be right.

It is a busy Saturday. Baseball is center stage again.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Games Go On

The Field
May 3, 2018

Jackson Pitching
May 3, 2018 

Last evening the GORC Intramural Dodgers continued their winning ways by defeating the Marlins in a hotly contested game.

It was great that the temperatures were in the high 80's at game time and that the boys of summer were truly experiencing summer.

The Dodgers built a 7-3 lead by the 4th inning and hung on to win 7-5 in a game that went only 5 innings due to the time limit. The Dodgers were blessed with great pitching and some timely fielding plays, including the play that ended the game. Jax pitched the 5th inning and turned in a solid performance. 

Here was the game ending play. With two outs and a runner on third, the Marlins batter hit a shot that got by both the third baseman and the left fielder. But the boys did not panic. The left fielder ran down the ball and threw it to the shortstop relay who fired it to the third baseman who tagged the batter who was trying to stretch a double into a triple. The umpire signaled out and the game was over!

Very exciting.

The boys hung tough.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Orioles Thursday: How Much Worse?

With the arrival of May, my expectations for the Orioles soared.

My hopes have been dashed now that May has actually arrived and the Orioles look the same as they did during April and last September.

The Orioles are 0-2 on their current road trip and currently facing the Angels. Last night the final score was an apparently respectable 10-7 loss, until the truth of the scoring is known. The O's scored 5 runs during a futile comeback attempt in the 9th inning.

For the first 8 innings of the game they scored 2 runs on 5 hits. During the 9th inning, they scored 5 runs on 5 hits. 

It is hard to win games attempting late inning comebacks when down by 7 runs.

The night before, they managed to tie the game in the 9th at 2-2, only to see the bullpen surrender the walk-off run in the bottom of the 9th. 

New and creative ways to lose ballgames.

The operative word here is lose.

And there does not seem much hope for the future. The team batting average is .221 which is 15th among the 15v AL teams. The team ERA is 4.84 which is 12th among the 15 AL teams.

The outlook for the Orioles is gloomy!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Mid-week Arrives

The middle of the week, "hump" day, has arrived. 

It is exciting that the weather has improved corresponding to the workweek. I wish I was off to enjoy the day--one of the first days to possibly cross the 90 degree threshold.

It is exciting. 

Baseball practice with the GORC Pirates last evening was fun, it was warm baseball weather. It should be hot for our game tomorrow night. It was nice to be wearing shorts and not heavy coats while practicing. 

The trees are filling in the bare spaces and that is returning my yard to the private sanctuary that it becomes during the summer. 

Welcome Hump Day--let the summer fun begin!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Beginning of the Nice Days

I looked at the 10 day forecast.

Elkridge, MD, Forecast for May 1-10, 2018

Excitement abounds. I am seeing things in the weather forecast that have been missing since September. 

There is a projected high of 90!

No projected lows are below 55!

No snow, little rain and great weather for outside activity.

Last evening it was a bit cool, but we had a large congregation outside around the fire pit. It was great, a couple bottles of wine were consumed, until the smoke from the fire became a problem. I'm thinking we are going to install a gas fired pit to solve the smoke problem. 

Cue summertime! I hear the sounds of children splashing in a pool!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD