Lightning

Lightning Lit Storrmy Night Sky
Elkridge, MD
May 26, 2021

 The storms blew through last evening providing a spectacular display of lightning. It was fun to watch. Our dogs and cats also joined us for the shows, compliments of nature. I learned, however, that it is very hard to actually get an image of lightning. 

I tried.

My camera has a night mode that meant it wanted to make the scene bright--but I wanted it dark. 

I missed the actual lightning bolts streaking across the sky.

I need to do some research about how best to capture lightning on camera.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wednesday

 

Jupiter Island Beach
Jupiter, Florida
October 6, 2020

It is one of those mornings.

My laptop is restarting and I am not getting anything accomplished. 

I love my Apple Mac, but some mornings when it loads new software it is just painful. I am on my iPad trying to recollect my thoughts to no avail. 

I was supposed to play racquetball this morning, but I had to call it off because I was up late last evening. 

And it is a gloomy day outside. 

So I went to my happy place for respite. 

Enjoy the view.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Sunday Morning at the Ballpark

Jax Swings and Misses
Pasadena, MD
May 23, 2021

 Well, it wasn't really a ballpark, it was a field with fences and dugouts behind a middle school in Pasadena, MD. That is where Chris and I found ourselves in the heat of Sunday morning watching baseball with other parents and relatives. And that is probably the truest form of baseball--a rough field, two teams, boys living a dream that may not be their own, and dedicated fans.

As Chris and I walked across the dry grass of the adjoining playgrounds to the baseball field, I though about the many other players and parents across the country who are doing the same thing this morning, other mornings, and evenings to enjoy the game of baseball. And I do enjoy baseball. The boys are getting to the age where the game is much more than try to hit the ball and hope something good happens. There are plays and calls and strategy. And often just plain old good hustle will turn into a great play. It is fun and frustrating because we want the boys to play like professional baseball players and sometimes forget that they are still boys who are learning. 

But it was on this Sunday morning that I realized how special it was to be able to enjoy the game of baseball as it was being being played on a hot, dusty field full of hopes and dreams.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - May 24, 2021

 

1. It is the fourth Monday of May 2021. There is one Monday remaining in the month and that will be celebrated as Memorial Day. There are 31 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. Hot weather has been awesome the past few days. Too bad today is supposed to be 20 degrees cooler. 

Finnegan Changing Floaties in the Pool
Elkridge, MD
May 23, 2021

3. Next Monday we celebrate Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of the summer season. Gas prices are up but the country is reopening.

4. We hosted our first pool party of the season yesterday and had a great time. It was good to have the family together to celebrate the heat in the refreshing atmosphere of our pool. Finnegan demonstrated his ability to change floaties in the middle of the pool without concern.

Cicadas Brood X in the Garden
Elkridge, MD
May 22, 2021

5. Brood X has arrived. Brood X has arrived. The Cicadas, Brood X have arrived and they are both everywhere and noisy. Very noisy. At least they are quiet at night.

6. The Orioles have managed to take the escalator straight to the bottom of the standings. They are 12 games below .500 and 11 games out of first in the division. They are tied with the Twins for the worst record in baseball.

7. The NHL playoffs have become interesting. Two teams are now out of there playoffs: the St Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. The Penguins continue to play and are tied 2-2 in their series with the Islanders. 

8. Today in History. May 24, 1883. After 14 years, the Brooklyn Bridge over the East River opens, connecting the great cities of New York and Brooklyn for the first time in history. Thousands of residents of Brooklyn and Manhattan Island turned out to witness the dedication ceremony, which was presided over by President Chester A. Arthur and New York Governor Grover Cleveland. Designed by the late John A. Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge was the largest suspension bridge ever built to that date.

Belarus Forces Down Airliner Carrying Dissident and Seizes Him - The New York Times

U.S. Virus Cases and Deaths Drop to Levels Not Seen Since Last Summer - The New York Times

Lawmakers worry the toxic mood on Capitol Hill will follow them home - The Washington Post

Fear of the ‘next round’: Why many Israelis who live near Gaza oppose the cease-fire - The Washington Post

Phil Mickelson Wins the PGA Championship - The Wall Street Journal

Cable-Car Crash Kills 14 In Italy - The Wall Street Journal

Healthcare & PharmaceuticalsWuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed - Reuters

Asia PacificU.S. waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy - Reuters

Ronald Reagan Quote for the Week

Memorial Day is a time to take stock of the present, reflect on the past, and renew our commitment to the future of America.

Today, as in the past, there are problems that must be solved and challenges that must be met. We can tackle them with our full strength and creativity only because we are free to work them out in our own way. We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have given their lives that we might be free.

I don't have to tell you how fragile this precious gift of freedom is. Every time we hear, watch, or read the news, we are reminded that liberty is a rare commodity in this world.

This Memorial Day of 1983, we honor those brave Americans who died in the service of their country. I think an ancient scholar put it well when he wrote: "Let us now praise famous men . . . All these were honored in their generation, and were the glory of their times. Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.'' As a tribute to their sacrifice, let us renew our resolve to remain strong enough to deter aggression, wise enough to preserve and protect our freedom, and thoughtful enough to promote lasting peace throughout the world.

Message on the Observance of Memorial Day - May 26, 1983

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Lighting the. Night

Chris and I completed a lighting project yesterday for the pool area of the house. 

New Lighting
ELkridge, MD
May 2, 2021

Previously, we had rope lights on the fences, but over the years some portions of the strands had gone dark. It didn't look good and so we took them down earlier this year.

But, of course, we needed to replace them with something and so we decided to place lights on the deck itself. Amazingly the lights come in packages measuring 48 feet and the area we needed to cover was 47 feet, which meant that there was a foot at the end for the cord to come down. I admit, I never usually get that lucky. 

We installed the lights yesterday, after the heat of the day had passed, and I snapped this image last evening with the screened porch lights also illuminated. It does brighten the areas. And, as an added benefit, it also attracts Brood X cicadas and mosquitoes. 

We are hopeful that it will add fun to an already enjoyable area.

BTW, the pool is open and I actually swam in it yesterday! Yes! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Reopening

 

It is happening right before our eyes--the country is reopening. 

Finally!

I can tell because the morning and afternoon traffic jams are becoming routine again on I-95 and Route 100. What took 10 minutes to travel just a short two months ago at 4:30 PM now takes 20 minutes. 

As I wrote yesterday, Chris and I enjoyed dinner at a restaurant where no one was facially covered and there was no requirement to wear a facial covering to enter. 

People are getting vaccinated and that shows a definite impact because the infection rates are dropping--just as predicted. 

Outstanding questions:

When I will actually attend a movie in a theater?

Will I feel safe on a cruise?

When will the mask mandate be dropped in airports and aircraft?

Can I trust people to be honest about their vaccination status?

When will I attend a concert in a building? (I am going to an outdoor concert Friday night)

When will I play racquetball on an indoors court?

When will wineries reopen for tastings like they were before Covid?

When will Southwest Airlines begin serving more than four Beverages on a flight? (They don't even serve coffee)

When will Orioles Park have a full-capacity sellout?

At least the reopening is coming and happening. It has been a very long almost year-and-a-half. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Escaping the Week

 

The Pointe Crab House Docks
Magothy River, Arnold, MD
May 20, 2021

Yes, Friday has arrived again. I am happy for that. 

Chris and I, however, decided to begin the weekend a day early by heading out for dinner last evening to a place I cannot remember visiting since the COVID epidemic began. We headed off to The Pointe Crab House in Arnold, MD. 

We enjoy The Pointe because it is situated on the Magothy River and provides a unique and enjoyable dining experience. I especially like the boat-up to the restaurant docks which provide a constant source of amusement and awe.

It was great to get out and we were in a facial-covering free environment for the first time in well over a year. It was freeing. The restaurant is open air and the light breeze and strong sun made the experience even more enjoyable. 

It is good to get out, midweek, to escape the house and to enjoy the great weather which has moved into the area.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Cicadas Arriving

Brood X, 17 Year Cicada Nymph Shell
Elkridge, MD
May 19, 2021

They are arriving.

I found solid evidence that the Brood X, 17-year cicadas are beginning to arrive in my yard yesterday. The shells of many nymphs were found across the yard and on the house. 

They are beginning to emerge and that means that soon we will hear the noisy bugs as they begin to bate and then die.  

It is an exciting time as we greet these underground dwellers upon their emergence. I am going to hate them before they finally go away, but to have experienced one of the really fascinating and rare occurrences in nature for a second time is something that I will remember. It is not as rare as say, Halley's Comet--but, it will definitely be memorable as these big bugs begin to sing. 

With the warmer weather they will are finally emerging.

Be afraid, be very afraid!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

As the Weather Turns

 And it is here!

Elkridge, MD Forecast
May 19, 2021

The warm weather is finally arriving. The temperatures have turned over the past few days and we are now looking at highs in the 80s and 90s with lows in mostly in the 60s. 

The pool should begin heating up to swimming temperature as the outside temperatures also heat up to support swimming. No one wants to swim when the outdoors temperatures are in the 60s and low 70s. 

Sunday should be especially nice with temperatures in the 90s! It may be the first 90 degree day of the year!

Things are looking very good for Memorial Weekend! The unofficial start of the summer season.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

It is Electrifying

 

Owning a home means dealing with crisis. And things generally break when it is most inconvenient to repair them causing an elevated sense of crisis. 

That happened on Friday. Just before Chris and I were to head off to the airport for our weekend in Houston, for some inexplicable reason the electricity in the master bedroom stopped working. It was weird. The circuit breaker did not pop, it was just part of the circuit stopped working--of course that included the closet and the main part of the bedroom. Fortunately, the TV still functioned, turns out it is on a different circuit. 

I spent a few minutes trying to troubleshoot the problem and almost made us late for our flight. It was the first time is a very long time that I arrived at the gate and the boarding process was underway and actually past our position in line. 

Upon returning home Sunday night, I was able to get a better handle on the problem and determine that it was a neutral wire problem. I spent about an hour working the problem, to no avail. But the effort got my mind turning on how that circuit runs through the house and where the problem might lie. 

I was fortunate to remember that, strangely, one particular outlet in another bedroom was on the circuit. Yesterday afternoon I began my troubleshooting with that outlet, which was, as best as I could figure, the first plug on the circuit. Turns out I was correct and also, lucky! After confirming the outlet was, in fact, part of the circuit and was also working I began my investigation. I found three wires in the outlet box and one loose neutral wire. I reconnected the loose wire, whereupon, electricity was restored to the bedroom. 

You cannot imagine my excitement. While it was not the first place I had looked, it certainly was not the last possible place I could have been searching to find the issue. 

Problem solved. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD