Perfect Weekend

 This past weekend was the most normal weekend that I have experienced in quite a while. 

Blooming Crocus
Ellicott City
March 14, 2021

The weekend started on Thursday evening with friends around the fire pit celebrating the warm temperatures. It was a fantastic start to the weekend and marked the first time we had all gathered together in many months. We are all vaccinated and took advantage of our new status to renew in person gatherings.

Then on Friday, Chris and I ventured out to a new place to enjoy a quiet happy hour together. I wrote of this before. It was very nice and a grand way to start the weekend. 

Saturday was a normal Saturday. I felled three trees in the morning, attended a baseball game, and spent the evening with Nicole and Mike and the boys. Wow. We have not done that in a long time.

Sunday was more of the same. Chris and I completed the forms to renew our passports in the morning and went to a winery in the afternoon. And to top it off, it was Pi Day!

Just like that--poof, the weekend was gone.

But it was just like weekends used to be--too much activity crammed into to too few days.

And along the way, I even stopped to see the blooming Springtime flowers!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 15, 2021

 

1. It is the third Monday of March and it is also the Ides of March! Beware the Ides of March!

2. I was reflecting that is is nice not to have to read Twitter every morning to understand what the lead story on the news would be.

3. If it is March, it is March Madness!

4. Yes, on this date in 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated. 

5. What is the definition of a perfect day? Drinking wine with friends at a winery and then sleeping all the way home--it gets no better than that. I didn't actually mean to sleep, it just happened that way since I was not driving. It made the trip go faster!

6. Does anyone else thing ewe are spending too much time on "Tell All" stories? Do I really care about an internal family squabble (even if they are Royals?) or an unruly dog? 

7. Do you feel stimulated this morning? All I know is that I hope this stimulus package actually stimulates the economy. The last one didn't seem to do the trick. Most forget it was a $2.2 Trillion relief act passed by Republicans and fraught with pork during March 2020. 

8. Today in History. On March 15, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson addresses a joint session of Congress to urge the passage of legislation guaranteeing voting rights for all.

Using the phrase “we shall overcome,” borrowed from African American leaders struggling for equal rights, Johnson declares that “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.” Johnson reminds the nation that the Fifteenth Amendment, which was passed after the Civil War, gave all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color. But states had defied the Constitution and erected barriers. Discrimination had taken the form of literacy, knowledge or character tests administered solely to African Americans to keep them from registering to vote.

“Their cause must be our cause too,”Johnson said. “Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.”

Chinese Factories Burn in Myanmar’s Deadliest Weekend of Protests Since Coup - The Wall Street Journal

Year of Living Remotely: When 365 Days Went ‘Poof’ Into the Cloud - The Wall Street Journal

On Mexico’s Border With U.S., Desperation as Migrant Traffic Piles Up - The New York Times

Fauci Says Ending Mask Mandates Is ‘Risky Business - The New York Times

U.S. and Iran warily circle each other over reactivating nuclear deal - The Washington Post

Massive Facebook study on users’ doubt in vaccines finds a small group appears to play a big role in pushing the skepticism - The Washington Post

China will remove capacity limits of entertainment venues in low-risk areas of COVID-19 Reuters

Recovery bets support stocks as Fed comes in focus Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: ``We the People.'' ``We the People'' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. ``We the People'' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which ``We the People'' tell the government what it is allowed to do. ``We the People'' are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past 8 years.

Farewell Address to the Nation,January 11, 1989

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Jax at the Plate

Jax at the Plate
Kinder Farm Park
March 13, 2021

The slow, lurching progress towards normalcy took a big step forward yesterday. I did something that I did not do last Spring and that was to attend a youth baseball game. I was supposed to coach a a team that was planning to attend a tournament in Cooperstown.

COVID canceled the season and the tournament. 

Yesterday, Chris and I attended a youth baseball game during the Springtime! We had been to a few Fall-ball games during September and October, but Spring is when the games get serious.

It was a cool, but beautiful Spring day. I know that spring does not officially begin until next Saturday, but yesterday felt like Spring had already arrived. It was a nice day for a baseball game. Yes, there were face masks and physical distancing--but nonetheless, it was Springtime baseball. 

Life is returning, slowly and cautiously.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Did We Really?

Cured Table & Tap
Columbia, MD
March 12, 2021

Last evening Chris and I were out enjoying there late afternoon. Since we had hosted Happy Hour the previous night, we really didn't have anything to do, which is rare for a Friday evening. 

As we were driving in Columbia we came upon a restaurant and bar that we has heard about, and it being Friday evening, Happy Hour time, and we have both been fully vaccinated we chanced visiting the place. 

The watering hole was Cured Table & Tap. We felt that it is time to begin getting out again in a safe and responsible manner. We enjoyed a glass of wine and a small appetizer as part of our spontaneous Happy Hour celebration. 

We were pleasantly surprised. The bar was carefully enforcing physical distancing and it was a fantastic experience. They had a nice Happy Hour menu and a great selection of wines and what they seem to be known for: Scotch, Whiskey, and Rye!

Did we really just do that? Yup. It was fun and something different.

And we were very careful!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Friday-eve Happy Hour

What do you get when you add together great weather, good friends, no particular reason to get together, a roaring fire and a bit of wine and food?

Fun!

Last evening we celebrated Friday Eve by hosting a Happy Hour around the fire pit. It was a great time and a great way to prepare for the weekend. We changed up the routine this week because the weather was going to be so fantastic on Thursday, but not Friday and there were some possible Friday conflicts we were able to avoid. 

My view--it was a great success. 

The food was great--pulled chicken with Cole Slaw,  deviled eggs, and potatoes with a fantastic dessert of cupcakes with fudge topping covered in ice cream and whipped cream. 

We almost didn't need the variety of wines we enjoyed to make it a special evening. No wait! Did I really write that? I mean--the fantastic wines we enjoyed just added to the ambiance of the warm evening around the fire reconnecting after the long, cold, COVID Winter. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Welcome Spring

It has been almost a year since the COVID-19 quarantines began. Everyone is using a slightly different date for their start, but I will be using March 18th. I distinctly remember that I was at work on St Patricks Day and then the weird schedules and quarantines began. We thought it would last a couple weeks.

Now, a year later there is finally hope. Some places are opening--perhaps too soon. 

As I raised the Springtime flag outside our home, I was encouraged by the bright colors that remind me that Spring is close and almost here. I looked as some of they mages that I took last Springtime and noticed that last year the leaves and blossoms seemed to be ahead of where we are now. But that is OK--they will come and the rebirth of the world will be underway for another year. 

And as an added benefit this year, we will have the 17 year cicadas! I remember their noise from the last time that the brood appeared. 

I will enjoy the near 80 degree temperatures today, before the plunge back into the 40s to begin the week--but I know with every passing day the weather will trend warmer and the days longer.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fire, Friends, Wine

 

Chris at the Fire Pit
Elkridge, MD
March 9, 2020

Spring is only a a short 10 days away. 

Last evening we celebrated the return of warm weather by hosting a fire pit evening for friends in the neighborhood.

The evening was beautiful and most importantly, warm.

The fire in the pit was crackling and hot--it kept the inevitable chill that announced the arrival of nightfall from driving us inside. We enjoyed stories, conversation, and wine around the fire and dreamed of coming out the other side of the pandemic unscathed. There remains a long way to go, but as more and more of our friends and family are vaccinated, we can begin to resume more normal relationships.

Last evening was the beginning of what we hope are many more evenings around a roaring fire reflecting on life and planning for the future. 

Thanks to our friends who joined us last evening. We are looking forward to enjoying more evenings together.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Art on the Windshield

Sunday night there was a heavy frost. 

Ice Crystals on the Windshield
Elkridge, MD
March 8, 2021

The ice laid heavy across the grass and on the cars. It was especially evident on my windshield.

Given that the morning was clear, bright, and cold I could not help but notice the pattern of the ice crystals on my windshield as I crawled up into the driver's seat of my truck. The crystals were intricate and beautiful.

I attempted to capture an image of them before the defroster melted and then evaporated them back into the moist air from whence they came. 

The pattern on the windshield almost looks as if the ice crystals were ornaments prepared to adorn a Christmas tree, although against the bare trees in the background they added depth to the scene.

All of the transient beauty and then, in a moment, they were gone as I hit the sprayer to clear the scene so that I could safely navigate the truck out of the drive.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - March 8, 2021

 

1. Well, here it is--the second Monday of five in March. The month is cruising by.

2. Hard to believe, but the weather is getting better. We may even see 70's this week. I wish I was cleared to play golf--but I am only just over three weeks post-surgery and still recovering.

3. Baseball is back. The Orioles are currently a dismal 2-4 in Spring Training games, but at least the sport is being played. 

4. Why are Republicans apparently devoted to limiting the ability of voters to express their preferences?

5. Apparently there is some thawing in the trade war with Europe. The tariffs on wine are being paused. Yay.

6. The blue skies of the past few days have lifted my spirits and Chris and I prepared the pool area yesterday by setting up the tables and chairs. Pool opening day is still two months off--but it will soon be here.

7. I am beginning to dream about traveling again. Maybe I am hoping the COVID pandemic is beginning to abate. 

8. Today in History. March 8, 1917, in Russia, the February Revolution (known as such because of Russia’s use of the Julian calendar) begins when riots and strikes over the scarcity of food erupt in Petrograd. One week later, centuries of czarist rule in Russia ended with the abdication of Nicholas II, and Russia took a dramatic step closer toward communist revolution.

Russians Mount Campaign Against Vaccines, U.S. Says - The Wall Street Journal

Xi Jinping’s Eager-to-Please Bureaucrats Snarl His China Plans - The Wall Street Journal

Amid the Rubble of Mosul, Pope Francis Offers a Salve for Iraq’s Wounds - The New York Times

At Least 15 Feared Dead After Blast Hit Military Base in Equatorial Guinea - The New York Times

Biden signs executive order promoting voting rights on 56th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ - The Washington Post

Houthis strike Saudi oil giant’s facilities in the kingdom’s east - The Washington Post

South Korea to boost funding for U.S. troops under new accord: State Department - Reuters

Australia halts defence ties with Myanmar, redirects aid - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

What is true for families in America is true for America in the family of free nations. History is no captive of some inevitable force. History is made by men and women of vision and courage. Tonight freedom is on the march. The United States is the economic miracle, the model to which the world once again turns. We stand for an idea whose time is now: Only by lifting the weights from the shoulders of all can people truly prosper and can peace among all nations be secure. Teddy Roosevelt said that a nation that does great work lives forever. We have done well, but we cannot stop at the foothills when Everest beckons. It's time for America to be all that we can be.

Address Before a Joint Session of Congress on the State of the Union - February 4, 1986

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Confusing? Yes

Directional signs that make no sense are the bane of my existence. Well, not really, but they do make for freakishly exciting moments when trying to travel along the highways. 

I ran across one the other day that made me just want to stop and take a picture of it--but I was in traffic and could not either stop or grab my cell phone camera. 

But think of it--there you are, in an unfamiliar place cruising at 65 MPH trying to divine the correct path and a series of roadsigns appears. Moving in traffic you have maybe three seconds to read all of the signs and determine the correct path. Good luck.

And then of course there us the all too often sign combination that makes no sense at all. 

Good luck when you run into situations like this. My view is that when it happens and you can't make a decision, just keep going and if you have to turn around and make a do-over, that is better than causing an accident.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD