Friday Eve Again

Sign Along I-95
Fayetteville, NC
January 23, 2022

Happy Friday-eve. I am approaching the end of my first month of retirement. Chris and I still have not hit our retirement stride yet--but that is to be expected since we started the new year planning to be on a cruise and then spending a week in Houston before returning to Maryland to close the house there and relocate to Florida becoming "snow birds." We had a very busy first three weeks of retirement planned and it felt like a vacation. I confess, it still feels like a vacation.

I like the thought of being away from the freezing temperatures that I experienced during the week I was in Maryland. It will be cold here this weekend, in the 30s as a reminder of what I'm missing, but today will see temperatures in the high 70's. 

Even with the cold expected here this weekend, I am happy that I do not expect to see signs along the highway indicating that there are icy spots as I saw on Sunday while driving past Fayetteville, North Carolina. And the cold will be temporary for two days and then back to shirt-sleeve weather.

I have to confess, I have not yet been to the beach. We have been busy in the condo and the weather has not been either warm or dry enough for a morning beach walk. Hopefully, today that will change. 

The whole concept of Friday-eve has certainly changed during the past four weeks of retirement. I don't see it as a means to get through Friday and then to the weekend. Someone told me that everyday is a weekend when retired--and that is mostly true. I have noticed that. I do not like shopping on the weekend because it is better early on a weekday. We sojourned to Costco the other day and it was not nearly as bad as trying to shop there in a weened.

For those who still need the greeting Happy Friday-eve to smile and think on the impending work break--I wish you the best.  

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Settling In

Flamingo Room w/Riordin on the Bed
Tequesta, FL
January 24, 2022

The process of converting our condo into a full-time residence from a vacation home is more extensive than I had believed possible. It turns out that the small things that we lived with have now become important issues since I am retired and have nothing else to do but work on projects. 

There is also the fear of over-stuffing the condo--which has less storage space than our Maryland home--even though we are not nearly close to maxing out the capacity. But, Chris and I are cognizant of the "collection syndrome" and working hard avoiding gathering "things" just because. One way we are doing this is by evaluating the function of each item being considered for inclusion in the home--be it decoration, furniture, kitchen ware or whatever.  

One thing we have done is to theme each of the bedrooms. Using a theme helps in deciding whether a particular item has a place in the house. Currently the three bedrooms are the Flamingo, Turtle, and Pelican rooms. As one might suspect, my favorite room is the Flamingo room and the recent additions to this room are the large freestanding Flamingo statue in the corner of the room (which we brought with us from Maryland) and the three-piece art over the bed. The stairs at the foot of the bed? They are for Finnegan, our Yorkie. 

It is all part of the process of settling into the condo and living here for more than one or two weeks at a time. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Cold Followed Me

 

Christmas Gift Wine Glass

Two weeks ago, when I was last in Florida, the daily highs were in the high 70s and low 80s. It was idyllic. Yesterday the high managed chilly 62 degrees with a cold 40 degree start to the day. Who turned off the heat? At least it was not 16 degrees as it had been when I departed Maryland on Sunday.

But, the temperatures were OK because by the afternoon I was outside in just a shirt enjoying the day. I confess, I did not make it to the beach as Chris and I were busy transitioning the condo from a vacation home to one more suited for long-term living. Today I get to tackle the garage.

During the evening we enjoyed a quiet Happy Hour and Chris was able to use one of her Christmas gifts--a Beach Life wine glass. While we were not actually on a beach, but sitting on our patio, it was a time to relax and enjoy the sun leaving the sky and reflecting on a productive day. 

I might be getting used to retirement, although I still have this nagging concern in the back of my mind that the vacation is going to end.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

The Arrival - Not Monday Musings

We arrived in Tequesta last evening after a 14 hour 27 minute uneventful trip. We departed Elkridge about 3 AM and had the roads almost entirely to ourselves until about 11 AM when traffic began to build. I used a new weather forecasting trip tool called Drive Weather and it perfectly predicted the conditions except at the very end when the expected overcast conditions turned into a light misting situation. I was mostly concerned about snow and ice in the Carolinas and the roads there were dry and clear!

I definitely recommend Drive Weather for long-distance travel. I paid for the yearly subscription which enabled me to look at the weather more than two-days ahead and find the best window to make the drive from Maryland to Florida between the expected storms. The app is pretty simple to use, but it gives a wealth of information. The screen at the left shows generally overcast for the projected trip leaving at 2AM Tuesday the 25th. No precipitation until Georgia when the rains begin and get heavy around Jacksonville. For my actual trip, for which I failed to take an image, we had blue/clear skies for the trip except the last hour when the skies became overcast as predicted. There are many other features including temperature, wind conditions, and a radar projection. The screen also zooms in and out and has a pretty good map when zoomed in. 

It is good to be here for the long-haul. We have been planning this for so long and even the 42 degree temperatures that greeted me this morning when I let the dogs out did not dampen my spirits. It is January, after all and the high temperature will be in the 60's. 

The truck was emptied as we watched Tampa lost its playoff game and I have to admit we were too tired to see the Bills-Chiefs game to the end. 

Where is Monday Musings? Taking the week off. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Escape to the Land of the Palms

North Carolina
January 23, 2022

 We escaped Maryland under the cover of darkness this morning and are at this moment preparing to cross into South Carolina.  Chris and I, accompanied by two dogs and a very unhappy cat are making good time. 

There has been snow along the highway, but no ice.  It was very eerie driving through DC with no cars on the road in many places except us.  Driving through Virginia I was often using high beams to find the road which in places was not well marked. Even now, on this Sunday morning, the roads are pleasantly empty of traffic.

We are almost 6 hours into a 14 hour trip. Well, with the animals along it will likely be a bit longer with the required bio-breaks. 

There was some concern that the high in Jupiter today was supposed to be only 66, but that is 50 degrees warmer than when we left and even now at almost 9 AM just leaving North Carolina it is only 24 degrees outside of the car. Sixty-six sounds balmy.

Hey, there is South of the Border.

Goodbye North Carolina.  

And the exodus continues.

— Bob Doan, writing from I-95 in South Carolina

How Do You Spell Relief?

 

I thought it was one of the more creative commercials when I was a kid, the voice from the television was asking asking the viewing audience how to spell relief and then substituting the spelling for the product.

It is similar to the phrase we use today: in the dictionary with the definition of "pick a word" is a picture of ___. 

Well this morning when, for the fifth day in a row, I let the dog out and was slapped in the face by the arctic blast of frozen air I realized that I spell relief: F-L-O-R-I-D-A.

Yesterday, I also came to the understanding, as I was laying under Chris's car putting air in the spare so that the check tire light would go out, that when I finally do escape to the south that I probably will have enjoyed the coldest stretch of the Maryland 2021-2022 Winter season--it can't be worse than this period has been, right?

Yesterday the high never reached above freezing. It is hard to believe that three days ago we were sitting around the fire pit in the evening during as brief respite. The lawn even thawed, briefly.

Relief. That is what we need.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Oysters, Beer, and Cold

 A surprise phone call last evening from Patrick had Chris and me rushing out of the house to meet at a local watering hole for some great conversation and food.

I like surprises like that.

When we arrived there was a beer on the table for me and a glass of wine ready for Chris along with six oysters to get the evening started. 

I love oysters I the half-shell. I do not get to enjoy them often and over the course of the evening the six grew into another dozen oysters while Chris enjoyed some wings and fries. 

The weather, however, is another story. Temperatures bottomed out this morning around 15 degrees. I think converting the temperature to Celsius more aptly represents how it feels: -9C,  or in a word, COLD! I really do not need this weather. At least we are not getting the ice that is plaguing the Carolinas and delaying my departure for Florida. On the upside, the departure delay gives me more time to enjoy family and friends before enjoying my new found retirement and heading south. My golf clubs are ready to see some Florida action!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

January Fire Pit Evening

 

Fire Starting in the Pit
Elkridge, MD
January 19, 2022

Amazingly, after a week of freezing temperatures, it rose to 52 degrees yesterday.

That meant an evening around the fire pit with neighbors to celebrate a mid-Winter break from the cold. It was a gathering to connect after being isolated by COVID and the weather for almost the past month.

The conversation never lagged as the sun set and darkness fell. We enjoyed wine and light munchies connecting and updating the activities of the past few weeks. The respite from the frigid weather was  much needed as we prepare for another winter's blast today. 

I am closely watching the travel weather and I even found a travel weather application to help me plan my escape from Maryland after or in-between the storms that are ravaging the country. 

But the idea of sitting around a roaring fire in Maryland on a January evening with friends, while it may seem strange, was truly great. We need to be aware of the  possibilities that present themselves to us. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Not Everything on the Beach is Friendly

 

Portuguese man o' war
Jupiter Island Beach, Jupiter, FL
January 5, 2022

Life lessons come from beaches. 

Take for instance the morning beach walk to improve my cardio--a good thing. But, hidden among the sargassum one morning was a Portuguese man o' war--definitely not a good thing to blindly stumble upon while walking barefoot on the beach. 

There are, likewise, many things lurking in the world which can cause pain if we are not careful and observant. Take for instance yesterday, I was reviewing the monthly statements and found erroneous charges. One from a closed account, one from something that I didn't even know about, and then one from a company that apparently likes to slide in an annual membership hidden in the fine print when groceries are delivered--which we took advantage on once in Florida. These charges were lurking in the statements like a Portuguese man o' war hiding in the sargassum. Perhaps one sting will just hurt, but over time they become a larger problem.

Lesson? Like the sargassum on a beach--you need to dig through things it carefully to ensure nothing harmful is hiding. Not everything on the beach is friendly!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Holiday Again

 

White Christmas Celebration
Elkridge, MD
January 16, 2022

I crawled out of bed this morning at 6:30 AM. Coming to consciousness I realized that this was the first workday since I retired that I have been in Maryland and therefore would normally been up at 5 AM to go to work. So I guess it is real, this retirement gig. But, I want to reflect upon the weekend Christmas celebration do-over. 

As I wrote previously, the family celebrated Christmas on Sunday since we could not gather on the actual holiday due to COVID concerns. It was good to have the entire family together for the first time in months to enjoy some holiday cheer and to exchange gifts--in person.

Riordin Enjoying the Fireplace
Elkridge, MD
January 16, 2022

The winter weather held off until the afternoon, but we were treated to a White Christmas with snow falling and covering the lawns and streets. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace and we had allowed the Christmas decorations to remain until the family completed it celebration. Alexa even treated us to Christmas music as gifts were exchanged. 

What did we learn from the experience? Holidays are for family and the actual date is less important than the gathering. 

The tree and decorations are now down and put away for another season, but the memories of Christmas 2021, completed during 2022, remain.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD