Warming Up - Groundhog Day

Driveway
February 2, 2019

Happy Groundhog Day!

Amazingly, it is going to get up to 40 degrees today. 

I am thinking that I will get outside and cut some more wood for the fireplace. We still have a lot of wood laying on the ground to cut up and burn but the wet weather which preceded the cold weather has pretty much kept me from getting it prepared for burning.

Finnegan on the Beach
January 21, 2019

I believe 40 degrees will feel very warm! Hard to believe but after such frigid weather warming up over 30 degrees will be a welcome relief. 

It will not be as warm as it was in Florida two weeks ago, but it will feel much better than the 12 degrees that greeted me as I went to work yesterday. 

AND THIS JUST IN

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and predicted an early Spring! 

Spring cannot arrive soon enough!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

State of the Union

The State of the Union address, mandated by the Constitution, is finally scheduled for next Tuesday. The address will take place during what is apparently going to be a brief reopening of the government.

The Congress and the President are still at odds and there is no forward movement on keeping the government open.

What is the state of our union?

Here's Bob's opinion.

Divided! I have never seen the country so polarized and divided. The invectives being used daily by both parties are divisive and not conducive to a progressive government devoted to protecting civil liberties and providing for the common defense.

The "Wall" is a red herring. Almost everyone wants border security. It is just that the "Wall" has become a rallying cry.

I was encouraged yesterday when Customs and Border Security displayed the biggest drug bust in history. Did it come over where the wall would have been? No! It was at a known border crossing. 

My take? We need to tone down the rhetoric, infighting, and invectives and get to work restoring our country as the shining beacon for the world.  

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

How Cold is it?

Too cold!

I awoke this morning to a thermometer reading 4 degrees. Last least we are on the positive side of the scale.

I am almost afraid to go outside, except that I already had the dogs out to do their business. 

I checked some temperatures around the country this morning via the magic of Alexa and discovered where the heart of the polar vortex is positioned.

Chicago, IL: -17
Fargo, ND: -24
Pittsburgh, PA: -5
Ithaca, NY: -7
Houston, TX: 52
Jupiter, FL: 63

I wonder where I'd rather be? Yes, Florida!

We will survive the cold and the upside is that it should help to reduce the insect population for next summer!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

And it is Over

I crawled onto a Southwest flight in West Palm Beach yesterday afternoon with Chris and Finnegan and returned to Maryland.

Blue Skies Over the Condo in Tequesta
January 29, 2019

We boarded the jet under crystal blue skies with temperatures near the 70's and a warm sun invigorating the world and my mood. It was the best weather day of the entire vacation--truly. We are missing really good weather by one week it seems. The rain and cold of the past week is transforming into 70's and 80's and sun for the week ahead in the Palm Beach area or, as it is called by the locals, the Treasure Coast.

I was greeted by snow, ice, and cold upon arrival in Baltimore. Ugh. It is 15 degrees this morning. Back to the cold, hard reality of life.

A View from Tequesta, Florida
Radio Flyer
January 29, 2019

The time away was awesome and Fran and Mary were great hosts. Chris and I played three rounds of golf! That was fantastic. Even though the weather was not beach-worthy, it was golf-worthy. Sadly, my short game still sucks. So does my putting and my driving, lol. I am glad that golf clubs fly free on Southwest.

It was a great trip, all in all, it is always good to get away and now that Chris is retired, we are free to move about the country when school is in session. On the down side, it is only January and I have already consumed six of my precious leave days for the year! Hmmmm. The image I took from above the place where we were staying in Tequesta of Jupiter Island in the distance with the ocean on the horizon  will remind me of the beautiful weather until Chris and I return. Sooner than later, I hope.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Angry Ocean

Atlantic Ocean crashing on Jupiter Island
from Radio Flyer
January 28, 2019

For those of you wondering whether I had moved to Florida on a permanent basis, do not fear. Today is a travel day and Chris, Finnegan, and I are returning to the frozen northland.

Birdseye View of the Ocean Crashing on the Rocks
Jupiter Island
from Radio Flyer
January 29, 2019

And the weather apparently is preparing for our return as well  by providing record setting cold and snow. Thanks! 

Yesterday the weather cleared and I was able to get Radio Flyer, my trusty drone, into the skies to get some images of the angry Atlantic Ocean as it crashed onto the rocks that adorn the beach of Jupiter Island. i made three flights off the beach and attempted to capture the power of the waves as they crashed on the rocks. Given the amount of sea foam, however, the white of the waves in the rocks gets lost, sadly.  

I put together a compilation of the short videos that I shot yesterday of the ocean from Radio Flyer.

In looking at the weather report for the next week in Florida, it is clear that Chris and I chose the wrong week to be here. The weather next week is going to be fantastic! Well, for February!

Well--here's hoping for on-time flights and a good travel day.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

Monday Musings - January 28, 2019

1. Amazingly, the last Monday of January is upon us and the first month of the year will soon be in the books. 

Picture of Magazine in a Rack

2. It has been great being in Florida, the weather has not been idyllic, but is warm and not snowing--for which I am grateful. I am not excited about returning to winter in Baltimore.

Flamingo Room
Stuart, Florida

3. There are some weird magazines out there. The one about Gardens and Gun seems really extreme.

4. We went shopping in Stuart, Florida at some boutiques and ran across a very interesting room. I can definitely say, I would consider a toned down version of a Flamingo room for our house.

5. Despite the less than optimal weather, it has been a great time away with friends in Florida.   Hopefully, today we will be able to get outside again and enjoy not being in the middle of winter in the north.

6. The government has reopened! Yay! The Congress and the President should strive to keep it open and functioning.

7. I have witnessed some really crazy driving while I have been enjoying Florida. And I though Maryland drivers were bad.

8. Next Sunday is the Super Bowl! I'm not sure how much of it I will watch,

9. The fate of winter will be decided on Saturday as Punxsutawney Phil provides his Ground Hog day prediction for the arrival of Spring.

Challenger Tragedy
January 28, 1986

10. Today in History. At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew of the Challenger. She underwent months of shuttle training but then, beginning January 23, was forced to wait six long days as the Challenger‘s launch countdown was repeatedly delayed because of weather and technical problems. Finally, on January 28, the shuttle lifted off.

Seventy-three seconds later, hundreds on the ground, including Christa’s family, stared in disbelief as the shuttle broke up in a forking plume of smoke and fire. Millions more watched the wrenching tragedy unfold on live television. There were no survivors.

Headlines

Your 2019 Tax Refund Might Be Higher, Lower or Later Than Usual - The New York Times

‘It feels like we are still hostages’: Federal contractors who lost health insurance during shutdown remain in limbo - The Washington Post

As West turns on him, Venezuela's Maduro flexes military muscle - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week 

“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals — if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.”


-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

Going to the Birds

Snowy Egret on Car
Tequesta Trace, Tequesta, Florida
January 26, 2019

I will refrain from making obvious statements about leadership, but I am extremely happy that the government is reopened. Hopefully, they can figure out how to get back pay to those affected outside of the normal pay period process which would make them wait about two weeks more! 

Little Blue Heron Silhouetted
Intercostal Waterway, Jupiter Island, Florida
January 25, 2019

The rain is falling, or rather it is hitting the Earth in sheets of water much like Noah must have experienced. 

Yesterday, however, before the rain, we were able to get out for a walk and I came across this bird sitting on a car. The bird seemed as if it owned the car. It did not fly away as I tried to get better images of it, but it jumped onto the hood of the car, making it difficult for my attempts to capture the bird on the car. 

On Friday evening, during our brief but cool happy hour, the little blue heron was back again and I was able to get a nice image of the bird silhouetted against the water. 

Despite the less than ideal weather, this January trip to Florida has been great. I am looking forward to spending a lot of time in Florida in the future.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

What do you do on a Friday Evening in Florida?

Friends on the Intercostal Waterway Beach
Jupiter Island, Florida
January 25, 2019

Palm Trees at the Beach
January 25, 2019

What do you do on a Friday evening in Florida when it has been cool all day?

Go the the beach for Happy Hour, of course!

Yes, we had to wear jackets because the temperature was in the low 60s. And there was no thought of going in the water because the water was about 10 degrees warmer than the air and we would have developed hypothermia. But, sitting in the beach with friends enjoying the sun and waning rays of the afternoon sun is the perfect exclamation point to a great day. The beach was definitely not crowded as we were about the only crazies who ventured out--but it was worth the trip. 

Tequesta Trace from Above
Radio Flyer
January 25, 2019

The images were taken with my drone, Radio Flyer. It has become the ultimate selfie machine. 

Earlier in the day, as I was flying around the neighborhood where we are staying, I managed to get a really interesting Birdseye view image of the street. I am barely visible in the image, but I thought the patterns of the homes and the palms made an interesting visual.

I made a movie of the morning flight coming into the neighborhood. 

Friday was a great day and we started the evening with Happy Hour on the beach.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

Thursday Sunset

Thursday Sunset
Jupiter River Walk, Jupiter, Florida
January 24, 2019

Although I love sunrises, I also appreciate a good sunset.

Yesterday, after the storms cleared, provide a stunning sunset and I was fortunate to be in a place to enjoy the waning rays of the sun as it slipped below the horizon. 

Someone's Home on the Water?

The reflection from the clouds onto the water made the scene one to remember. The evening was warm and calm. Chris and I, along with Fran and Mary, had just enjoyed happy hour at a local establishment and caught the scene as we walked along the water to the parked car. It was one of those evenings that I return to Florida every chance that I get to enjoy. 

As we walked, we passed a large yacht. I have no thoughts about ever owning one, but yet, I do dream of being on the water enjoying the day. However, I enjoy sleeping on land. It made a nice image against the backdrop of the sunset. 

For those who wonder, Radio Flyer is here in Florida with me, but the winds have been too high to allow me to fly. I am hopeful of getting my drone airborne today for a flight or two as the winds have calmed.

I am ready for another day in Florida and happy that I am still out of the cold in the north.

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida

The Lighthouse

Jupiter Lighthouse
January 21, 2019

The lighthouse dominates the relatively flat landscape of Jupiter, Florida. It is the iconic symbol of the region and I always take a few images of it whenever I visit. 

I love the the lighthouse especially near sunset as the low, golden rays of the sun illuminate the red structure.

I have also been excited by the sky and the clouds as I have been vacationing this week. 

Chris and I actually got in 9 holes of golf yesterday. It was fun to be on the course, but the 40 mph gusts of wind certainly made the outing an adventure. A true adventure. Some of my best shots wound up getting carried into the bunkers by the wind. But, it was fun that my first golf outing of 2019 was with Chris in Florida!

-- Bob Doan, writing from Tequesta, Florida