Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Who Are These Guys?
It is amazing how the MLB season has begun.
The Orioles are 4-1 and a half game out of first place in what may be the toughest division in the major leagues.
My prediction that the Orioles would arrive in town for their Thursday home opener with a record of no better 2-4 was clearly wrong, thankfully. The can arrive with a record of 5-1 or 4-2!
Who are these guys?
I watched my first Orioles game last evening and I was impressed at how the team fabricated two runs with timely hitting. That was something they were unable to accomplish last year. And they are winning one-run games. Another welcome change from last year.
As i watched the game last evening, the announcers noted that the Orioles had not had a four-game road win streak since 2014. They now have tied that event.
On the down side? Chris Davis remains hitless in 12 at bats posting 3 walks and 7 strike-outs with only 1 RBI.
Yes, I am still watching!
Let's Go O's!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Heading Home
Pelicans Carlin Park, Jupiter, Florida April 1, 2019 |
It was hard to leave Chris and my new home behind to begin the trip to return back into my Maryland life.
The new house is really coming together and leaving Chris behind is tough, but she gets to enjoy the pleasant weather for another week, lucky her. I have a coat in my hand and am looking forward to temperatures in the 30's when I arrive back in Baltimore.
Sandpipers Carlin Park, Jupiter, Florida April 1, 2019 |
I didn't really need that yesterday. Four days in the house and already a service call!
Seems the old owners did not believe in changing filters, the refrigerator water filter also needed changing.
The birds were a welcome respite.
-- Bob Doan, writing from Palm Beach International Airport, Florida
Monday, April 1, 2019
Monday Musings - April 1, 2019
Jupiter Island Beach March 31, 2019 |
2. I am enjoying the Florida house, but sadly, I have to return to Maryland and my regular life tomorrow. There is so much here that I continue to need to do.
Birds on the Beach Jupiter Island, FL March 31, 2019 |
4. There is something very relaxing about being on the beach to start the day. Chris and I walked the beach yesterday to start the day.
5. Birds are fun to watch on the beach. Yesterday they congregated together to search for foos and security. Finnegan wanted to play with them and they were not amused by that idea.
6. I looked back and discovered that I have been preparing Monday Musings weekly for over 10 years, they began on March 9, 2009. There have been some omissions and a couple Monday musings on Tuesdays. But for the most part, I have been consistent.
7. Today in History. On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery.
Headlines
‘Breaches Everywhere’: Flooding Bursts Midwest Levees, and Tough Questions Follow - The New York Times
White House doubles down on threat to close U.S.-Mexico border - The Washington Post
Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week
-- Remarks at a Ceremony Honoring Youth Volunteers, April 25, 1985
-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL
-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Dog vs. Sofa
Rex Under the Sofa 1 March 26, 2019 |
Rex Under the Sofa 2 March 26, 2019 |
It was creative watching Rex, the Bull Terrier, try to retrieve the ball from under a sofa.
He twisted and turned every which-way bring to get small enough to get under the sofa. At one point I though he was going to raise the sofa up off its feet to get enough room to get the ball.
Rex Under the Sofa 3 March 26, 2019 |
Rex is a very cute dog.
He is much like a wrecking crew sometimes. In this instance, however, the sofa won and finally a human had to intervene to retrieve the lost ball.
I am sure that Makayla, my Keeshond, is enjoying her mini-vacation with Rex and Patrick's other dog, Chewie.
-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Home Near the Beach
Bob on the Beach Intracoastal Waterway, Jupiter, Florida March 30, 2019 |
Bob and Chris finally, after more than 20 years of visiting the Jupiter/Tequesta area have purchased their dream vacation and potential future retirement home in Tequesta, Florida.
Housewarming Gift |
But, enough of the location and the town. Chris and I, along with Finnegan who is also here with us, are having a great time playing house and moving nearly every piece of furniture that we now own. We were fortunate to buy a place mostly furnished. That is good because we only need to buy a few things to complete our new home. Finnegan still hasn't figured out all of the good places for him to do his thing outside, but he is continuing to explore.
What is the most important thing about the new home?
Well, I have a palm tree in my front yard! I was going to take a picture, but it is raining. I'm kidding, of course. The most important thing is location, location, location in a place that I love to visit and long to live.
-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL
Friday, March 29, 2019
As the Trip Finally Ends
Finnegan Thinking: "Are We There Yet?" Somewhere on I-95 in Florida March 28, 2019 |
Georgia Line I-95 March 28, 2019 |
The day started by quickly crossing into Georgia from South Carolina and following I-95 south. After about an hour and a half in Georgia, it was onto Florida. Fortunately, the road work in Georgia was not too significant. I wonder who decided to put the road work sign right in front of the "Welcome to Georgia" sign? The hardest part of the trip is Florida. While cruising through the other states takes just a couple hours, Florida goes on forever--almost four hours. "Are we there, yet" becomes a real statement.
We finally pulled into Tequesta about 2:30 PM and put an exclamation point on the trip. I am very happy that I will be flying home as we are leaving the car at our new home--which we settle on today.
The walk through yesterday went well with only some minor things that are nothing more than annoyances as the sellers did not fully uphold to the agreement on which items which were to be left behind. Minor stuff, but annoyances. The place, however, is clean and we actually wound up with a brand spanking new, never used, dishwasher because the one that was there broke as they were clearing out. There is a silver lining in almost every rain cloud.
-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island Beach March 26, 2019 |
I was impressed with the beach, even though I only briefly viewed the broad expanse of sand running to the ocean from a distance. It was a beautiful vista that stretched out in front of me. I do so enjoy beaches and sand and of course palm trees.
The area is beautiful and, well, full of golf courses. I kept wishing that I had brought my clubs with me, but then there would not have been enough time to play a round. But the courses were beautiful. As was the area.
We enjoyed a great wine dinner at Michael Anthony's where we experienced some very creative wine pairings. The most interesting was a Chardonnay paired with an eggplant and tomato-based sauce dish. I marveled that the Chardonnay held up against the tomato sauce.
We also ran across a Pinot Noir from a Willamette Valley winery that we visited a couple years ago, Elizabeth Chambers on their opening weekend. They were hanging the sign on the door as we walked into the tasting room. We ordered a glass to share, and it was every bit as good as we remembered.
And now, we are back on the road for Tequesta. We will arrive this early afternoon. I will be ready for some beach time and sunshine.
— Bob Doan, from I-95 somewhere in Georgia
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
North Carolina by 7:20am
We left early to miss traffic in the bigger cities along the way and are making a stop in Hilton Head for the evening.
It was fun to see the sunrise from the highway this morning. We. Made it almost three hours before our first coffee/fuel/ bio stop. Yay!
— Bob Doan, writing from somewhere on I-95 in North Carolina
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
The Seven P's
5 of the 7 P's |
Lists become critical. There are lists of things to take, lists of actions to accomplish, lists of appliances to turn off before leaving the house. What are we doing with the dog and the cats?
And then there is loading the car! Or, packing the suitcases. Did I remember the pillows?
All 7 of the P's |
Buy as the phrase correctly says, proper prior planing prevents piss poor performance! Some have apparently tried to gentrify the 7P's of life, but it loses something in the translation.
When preparing for a trip, all seven of the planning "P's" come into play.
The worst part is the poor performance if proper prior planning is not accomplished.
I hate getting lost along the way or arriving at my destination to discover that something critical has been forgotten.
And so, in addition to dreaming of palm trees in the sand, I am running checklists through my head to ensure success and most of all, happiness at the conclusion of the adventure!
Wait, don't forget the chargers for the electronics!
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Monday, March 25, 2019
Monday Musings - March 25, 2019
Willow Springs Golf Course Hole #3 From the Tee Box March 24, 2019 |
2. Chris and I managed to break away yesterday for a 9 hole round of golf. It was nice to get out in the warm afternoon weather and enjoy some time not the golf course. Some of the holes were very soggy from the rains, almost swamp-like.
Blue Sky up the Drive Elkridge, MD March 23, 2019 |
4. Blue skies! I want to live somewhere that I grow tired of seeing a blue sky every day. They happen so infrequently that i take pictures looking up my driveway of the blue sky to remind me what it looks like on a typical gray and rainy day. We were lucky in that there were blue skies for both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Sadly, though, Sunday ended with the typical gray overcast.
Lowering the Pool Water Level Elkridge, MD March 23, 2019 |
6. The temperatures finally warmed into the 60's yesterday and Chris and I were able to celebrate the weekend and the ending of the day around the fire pit with our trusty dogs in attendance.
7. I am finding that I enjoy watching the news less and less lately. The same themes keep coming up: murder in Baltimore, ineffectiveness in Washington, fires and flooding, and the Mueller investigation. Well, maybe the Mueller Investigation will fall out of the top three finally.
8. Traffic in this region on Sunday's is more noxious that traffic on a normal weekday. At least on a normal weekday everyone seems to know where they are headed and how to get there. On Sundays everyone seems lost on the highway.
9. Today in History. In one of the darkest moments of America’s industrial history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory in New York City burns down, killing 146 workers, on this day in 1911. The tragedy led to the development of a series of laws and regulations that better protected the safety of factory workers.
The Triangle factory, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, was located in the top three floors of the 10-story Asch Building in downtown Manhattan. It was a sweatshop in every sense of the word: a cramped space lined with work stations and packed with poor immigrant workers, mostly teenaged women who did not speak English. At the time of the fire, there were four elevators with access to the factory floors, but only one was fully operational and it could hold only 12 people at a time. There were two stairways down to the street, but one was locked from the outside to prevent theft by the workers and the other opened inward only. The fire escape, as all would come to see, was shoddily constructed, and could not support the weight of more than a few women at a time.
Headlines
Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction - The New York Times
‘A State of Emergency’: Native Americans Stranded for Days by Flooding - The New York Times
Six spots where you can enjoy the cherry blossoms around D.C. — without big crowds - The Washington Post
'Flashing amber': Global stocks tumble, bonds rally on U.S. recession risk - Reuters
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week
- Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
- (Reagan during his gubernatorial campaign in 1965)
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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