Fire Pit World

Chris at the Gas Fire Pit
Elkridge, MD
October, 30, 2021

Chris and I are blessed with a gas fired pit and a wood fired pit. For evenings when we just want to spend some time around a fire, the gas fired pit is perfect--as in last evening. 

Last evening was one of those evenings. We retreated to our pool deck, surrounded by lights to chase away the darkness and enjoyed the warmth of a fire and some good conversation. We ordered a veggie pizza and enjoyed some wine and conversation basking in the glow of the fire. 

We stayed out until by the fire until it was almost time to retire for the evening. A warm fire, a calm night after the storms of Friday, good pizza, and great wine! Of course there was wine involved. What a great way to celebrate the last Saturday of October.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

A Tale of Two Fridays

Morning After the Storms
Elkridge, MD
October 30, 2021

The yesterday's rains reminded me how differently days can play out.

Last Friday, I went to work for a few hours and then left for a golf outing on a beautiful Autumn day. The skies were generally clear and the weather was warm enough to golf comfortably in a short-sleeved shirt. After golf, I arrived home and prepared a large fire and celebrated happy hour with friends into the night. As Autumn Fridays go, it was perfect!

Yesterday, however, there was no golf. I remained at work for the entire day and the rain made drive home slow and tortuous. The evening was celebrated with friends around a raging fireplace as the rains eventually subsided. And it was cold! Too cold for a short-sleeved shirt without a jacket. Water was everywhere. The roads were a mess.

How different the two days were--even though both were Friday. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rain

 Today is a washout.

It is supposed to rain all day and into the evening which will effectively rainout the ballgame scheduled for tomorrow because youth fields do not drain. The water puddles and the field becomes a muddy mess. It can take days to dry out. 

If that happens, it appears we will be playing Tuesday night as a make-up.

The youth baseball season is ending, just as the MLB season is ending. Winter is on the horizon--but, at least I will be wintering in Florida and enjoying the sun and sand instead of the clouds and snow! I had heard, however, in contrast to the woolly worm prediction that I posted during August, that the winter in the Mid-Atlantic region is supposed to be mild!

But today--rain!

A cold Autumn rain that portends the Winter.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fall Classic

The final MLB games, there are at most 5 remaining, of the season are being played. The series is ties 1-1 between Atlanta and Houston. Each of the games thus far have been full of offense. I am not believing that there will be a 1-0 or 2-1 final score in the series. These teams can hit!

I wish the Severn Seminoles 14U could hit! The team came up short in a game last evening against Crofton 6-4. And it was close, we had the bases loaded and were poised to tie the game when the final out was recorded on a solid play from the outfield.

The fortunes of the Seminoles are a series of painfully close losses. The boys are in every game, but just fall a few runs short. There are three games remaining on the season and I expect that they may soon break out and get back onto their winning ways. 

And the World Series will be over soon as well--and then it is a baseball hiatus until the Spring, when we get to do it all over again. Hope springs eternal at Spring Training when the teams show up and prepare for the grueling 162 game season. 

On to Atlanta for the next games of the Series!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Fall Ball (yup, baseball)

It was cold last evening--in the 50's. Yet, we held baseball practice for the Severn Seminoles 14U, why? Because it is Fall Ball and if it is not raining that means we practice!

The field was a disaster from the torrential rains the night before and so we confined practice to the batting cage. I felt bad for some of the boys because their hands hurt when they hit the ball because the bats were cold. 

Another Example of Fall Ball

The first game of the World Series was played last evening as well and it was a slug fest with 20 hits. I especially likes the statement the lead-off hitter for the Braves made as he hit the first-ever top the First Inning of the Game 1 of the World Series leadoff home run.  I found it hard to believe that no one before. It is also a difficult record to comprehend.  

Sadly, the Astros have now disappointed their faithful fans by losing the last 5-straight home World Series games. My view? At least they are in the World Series--the Orioles, by contrast, have been watching every World Series form their living rooms since 1983!

By the way, I am officially cheering on the Braves in their quest to with the World Series.

Play Ball! Who cares that its is in the 50s and the leaves are falling form the trees?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rainy Evening

Rain at Night on the Pool Cover
Elkridge, MD
October 25, 2021

The rain rolled in promptly as expected at 6 PM last evening just as the weather forecasters predicted. 

We need the rain. It has been very dry and the lawn is suffering as well as the trees. It is hard to believe how dry it has been. 

Well, the downside is that the baseball field may be too wet for practice tonight. Especially if it rains most of the day. But the field was like a desert dustbowl that last time we played on it, until the rains came then and turned it into a mud bowl. 

I like to hear the rain as it falls. And it fell last evening, long and hard. The new pool cover holds the water on it before it percolates down. The rain also hits the pool cover like it is a drumhead making a pleasing rhythmic sound. I probably should make a recording of the sound.

We slept with the windows open so we could enjoy the sound of the rain falling. I know I went to sleep very quickly enjoying the calming sound and cool breeze under and additional blanket on the bed. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - October 25, 2021

 

1. Welcome to the last Monday of October 2021. There are but 9 Mondays remaining in the year. Next Monday is the 1st of November!

2. In one week we will be able to say that Christmas is next month.

Compass Pointe Golf Course
Pasadena, MD
October 22, 2021

3. We get to celebrate four holidays between now and the end of the year (plus one day).

4. Golf on Friday is something I need to spend more time doing. It was a great way to spend a Friday late-morning and afternoon on a beautiful October day..

5. I saw the movie Dune. It was great--but ended abruptly. A sequel is definitely required. 

6. Drivers in Maryland need to:

    -- learn how to drive up hills

    -- Use signals to change lanes

    -- Be less impatient

    -- Develop courtesy

    -- Merge without stopping in the on-ramp

7. Today in History. October 25, 1929. During the Teapot Dome scandal, Albert B. Fall, who served as secretary of the interior in President Warren G. Harding’s cabinet, is found guilty of accepting a bribe while in office. Fall was the first individual to be convicted of a crime committed while a presidential cabinet member.

As a member of President Harding’s corruption-ridden cabinet in the early 1920s, Fall accepted a $100,000 interest-free “loan” from Edward Doheny of the Pan-American Petroleum and Transport Company, who wanted Fall to grant his firm a valuable oil lease in the Elk Hills naval oil reserve in California. The site, along with the Teapot Dome naval oil reserve in Wyoming, had been previously transferred to the Department of the Interior on the urging of Fall, who evidently realized the personal gains he could achieve by leasing the land to private corporations.

Millions of Workers Stay Home to Watch Young Children as Daycares Stay Dark - The Wall Street Journal

Turkey’s Erdogan Threatens to Expel 10 Western Ambassadors, Including U.S. Envoy - The Wall Street Journal

Inside Amazon’s Worst Human Resources ProblemInside Amazon’s Worst Human Resources Problem - New York Times

An Unexpected Pandemic Consequence Frustrates Florida’s Biggest CityAn Unexpected Pandemic Consequence Frustrates Florida’s Biggest City - The New York Times

Americans abroad search for a first vaccine dose as millions at home get their third one - The Washington Post

More frequent outages afflict U.S. power grid as states fail to prepare for climate change - The Washington Post

Melbourne to ease more COVID curbs as 80% vaccination rate nears - Reuters

Dune' Opens to $40 Million at the Box Office. Strong Enough for a Sequel? - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Is there a Simple Repair?

Completed Replacement
Elkridge, MD
October 23, 2021

The Damaged Board Removed
Elkridge, MD
October 23, 2021

It seemed simple enough: remove and replace a board on the deck which had not held up and had become a safety hazard.

OK, Chris put her foot through it on Friday. We used pressure treated lumber when we rebuilt the deck a couple years ago, but it seems that this particular piece may not have been completely treated. I checked all of the other boards in the area for similar deterioration and found none. 

So the project seemed easy, unscrew board, pull it up, measure the replacement and install! Not so fast! The heads of the screws were deteriorated and could not be turned so I had to cut the board on both sides of the support beam and chip the remaining piece out and then use a vice grip to turn each screw out of the beam. I had to do this for place the board crossed a support beam. It was a slog! 

By the time it was done, I was amazed at how many different tools I used. And of course there were two obligatory trips to Lowe's. One for supplies and then another to get the right saw blades to complete the job after I broke the one remaining jig-saw blade that I had. 

I managed to make it an all-day project, but completed it before a late-afternoon downpour drenched everything. 

Another project completed on a Saturday. Next Spring, after the board dries, I will apply the stain and probably stain the entire deck just to freshen everything. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Around the Fire Pit

 

The Fire at 5 PM
Elkridge, MD
October 22, 2021

And another season around the fire pit begins as the days grow shorter. 

The beginning of a good evening around the pit is, of course, a roaring fire. And I was able to build a great fire that continued to warm the immediate area as nightfall descended and the temperature fell. 

Meeting around a hot fire with friends to recap the week behind and just enjoy being with each other. Of course, a couple bottles of wine help to set the mood. 

It truly was the perfect way to end an idyllic Autumn day. I only spent a few hours at work before heading out to play a round of gold under clear skies, low humidity, and temperatures which just allowed me to be comfortable in a short sleeved shirt. 

As Fridays go--this was one of the best. Of course, not being at work on a beautiful day is always preferred.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Autumn Evening

Autumn Sun in the Tree Tops
Elkridge, MD
October 21, 2021 

Chris and I were outside around the gas fire pit last evening enjoying a glass of wine together for the first time in two weeks. We marked the end of the family emergency which began two weeks ago and was the reason for our sudden/unplanned return from Florida after 38 hours there. 

We were also together again for the first time in about two weeks not facing a family crisis. I could feel Chris's adrenaline level dropping to normal. 

We watched the sun move up the trees and I could detect the signs of autumn in the leaves. Chris relayed that Autumn is in full color in Upstate New York with the reds of the Sugar Maples on display. She had completed the 5 hour drive home from there earlier in the day.

Life will, hopefully, return to normal, at least for a few weeks. Sitting tonight sipping a glass of wine together marked the first normal evening in two weeks. 

Here is to normal! May it last.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD