Autumn Arrives

Autumn Colors Beginning in the Trees
Elkridge, MD
November 2, 2021

I feel like Autumn's arrival was delayed this year. 

I have this sense that on Halloween the trees should be devoid of leaves, dark, and making scary shadows in the moonlight. As can be seen in the image I took last evening, the trees are still mostly full with leaves and color is just beginning to show. There are places in the area where the rest and yellows of the Autumn colors are on full display, but in my backyard they are still in the early stages of transformation. Of course, it was raining when I took the image.

The cold rain and 40 degree temperatures yesterday, coupled with overnight lows in the 30s should encourage the colors to appear in the trees. 

Sadly, all too soon the trees will be bare and the grays of winter will arrive. But, I will enjoy the transformation.

Another season in the cycle of life which continues.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Game 6

Will it end tonight?

The World Series is an exciting slug fest. I wonder if the Astros can stave off defeat in their home park and force a game 7. There really is not much more exciting in sports than a Game 7 of a 7-game series to decide the champion. It brings everything into play. There is no tomorrow and the teams throw everything and everyone into the game. In baseball I have seen starting pitchers come in a relievers to help win the Game 7. 

I will likely stay up late to watch the game, but probably not all the way to the end. I get up too early in the morning to see the ending of evening sporting events. 

I hope the Braves win!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 1, 2021

 

1. Welcome to November! This is the first of five Mondays in the month! The year is sliding quickly to the finish line as there remain only eight Mondays in the year!

Halloween Preparing for the Trick or Treaters 
Elkridge, MD
October 31, 2021

2. I survived another Halloween! The neighbors at the end of the cul de sac gathered in the driveway last evening to hand our candy. The kids were a bit confused, but they received candy from six houses in one stop. I might add, the adult beverages were flowing freely and the trash can fire kept us warm.

Finn Wondering if he is a dog, 
or a plaything
Elkridge, MD
October 31, 2021

3. Sometimes, I don't think that our dog Finnegan appreciates the costumes he has to wear on holidays. Like last evening, for instance. An alligator, really?

4. NFL Family Scores

    Steelers (4-3) defeat Browns (4-4), 15-10

    Cowboys (6-1) defeat Vikings (3-4) 20-16

    Washington (2-4) lose to Broncos (4-4), 10-17

    Ravens (5-2), mercifully on a bye

5. The project for the weekend was the removal of the non-functioning pool heater. It was an interesting project that took most of the day before it was finished. I was most amazed, however, when we went to the scrap yard to sell the metal to learn that copper is being bought for $3.20 per pound and that brass fittings are $.95 per pound. The 300 pounds of sheet metal netted a total of $13.

6. Today in History. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, one of Italian artist Michelangelo’s finest works, is exhibited to the public for the first time on November 1, 1512.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists, was born in the small village of Caprese in 1475. The son of a government administrator, he grew up in Florence, a center of the early Renaissance movement, and became an artist’s apprentice at age 13. Demonstrating obvious talent, he was taken under the wing of Lorenzo de’ Medici, the ruler of the Florentine republic and a great patron of the arts. After demonstrating his mastery of sculpture in such works as the Pieta (1498) and David (1504), he was called to Rome in 1508 to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel—the chief consecrated space in the Vatican.

American Airlines’ Flight Cancellations Are Latest to Disrupt Travel - The Wall Street Journal

Shanghai Disneyland Suspends Operations as Visitors Queue for Covid-19 Tests - The Wall Street Journal

Former Afghan Spies and Soldiers Turn to ISIS After U.S. Exit - The Wall Street Journal

At Climate Talks, Biden Will Try to Sell American Leadership to Skeptics - The New York Times

What if Everything You Learned About Human History Is Wrong? - The New York Times

Southwest to probe pilot's use of anti-Biden insult during flight - Reuters

U.S. says it is in talks with allies on getting Iran to agree to nuclear deal - Reuters

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

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