Flowers and Bees

 

Bumble Bee in Crab Apple Blossoms
Elkridge, MD
April 14, 2022

My allergies started acting up the day after arriving back in Maryland. While I enjoy looking at the Springtime flowers and trees springing to life, they have caused my allergies to go into overdrive. 

Despite the inconvenience of sniffling every few minutes and loading myself up on antihistamines and other allergy drugs, I do enjoy the rebirth happening all around me.

The dark season is over and I am enjoying at least five rabbits racing around my yard in addition to the blooming flowers and buzzing bees. It seems that life is erupting everywhere. I was very surprised to see our Bleeding Hearts in full glory upon our return to Maryland. I have even mowed the lawn, mostly to remove the debris and prepare for tomorrow's Easter egg hunt. 

It is Easter! 

Enjoy the weekend and the Springtime as you celebrate the holiday.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Springtime and Memories

Redbud Tree in Bloom
Elkridge, MD
April 13, 2022

 The redbud tree in our yard is blooming. I know redbud trees across Maryland are in bloom right now, but this one is special. Mom, who passed during December, bought it for Chris and it has been growing larger and more beautiful each year.

And also our gardens host a large plot of Lily of the Valley. We brought these to Maryland years ago from Mom's garden to have something from home with us.

I guess with the celebration of life service for Mom coming next week, I have been thinking more about her and the flowers and trees cause me to remember. As we prepare to sell the house later this year, I know that these memories will remain and that those who move in will not understand their significance. They will become just another redbud tree and a patch of Lily of the Valley. But, Mom's hand will always be there.

We may have to smuggle some Lily of the Valley to Florida--I'm sure the agricultural inspectors will love hearing the explanation for that. 

Oh yea--Happy Easter, today is Good Friday.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Birthdays!

Chris and Ethan
Odenton, MD
April 13, 2022

We enjoyed a birthday celebration last evening. 

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States was born April 13, 1743! Most people don't remember his birthday, but I do

because . . . 

sharing a birthday with the 3rd President is our own oldest grandson. They are a few centuries apart, fortunately.

So we enjoyed an April birthday party and watched the Orioles snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. 

But more importantly, Happy Birthday Ethan!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Signs of Spring

Peony's in the Yard
ELkridge, MD
April 12, 2022

Robin in a Budding Tree
Elkridge, MD
April 12, 2022

I have made the transition from tropical to temperate. The signs of Spring are everywhere. Budding trees and flowers, birds singing the night away outside of my window, and cold temperatures.

There is not a palm tree in sight. 

The lawn is green and we picked up twigs and branches blown in from the Winter's storms. 

I guess I'm happy to be able to enjoy the Springtime. 

We have a lot of family and friends with which to visit and reconnect. Although we had only been gone three months, in some ways it seems longer. 

And then there is getting the house ready for the season and getting the pool open. 

Lot's of stuff to do and no beach upon which to celebrate Happy Hour!

Sure signs of Spring.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Arrived--Safe

Newly Replanted Backyard
Tequesta, FL
April 11, 2022

 Just before noon the truck, loaded with the animals, a lot of stuff, and Chris and me, arrived in Elkridge after an almost 15 hour trip from Florida.

Yes, we departed about 9 PM last evening from Tequesta and drove through the night. I have not driven an all nighter in a long time and it was easier than. remember. Chris helped with the driving and we were excited to see the sun rise over South Carolina this morning. Timing wise--we missed the heavy traffic parts of the day. We had planned to leave about 1 AM, but decided to hit the road since we were fully awake.

The animals were good, although we did lose some time tending to their needs. 

The house looks great and we are getting unloaded and prepared for the upcoming events. 

We were lucky to have been able to see the replanted backyard behind our condo before we left. It looks much better than the gray sand we had before. Hopefully the new drainage will keep the mulch in place.  Time will tell as we will likely not see it again until sometime in August.

And so it begins--a very busy Spring and Summer downsizing and preparing the Elkridge residence for sale.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - April 11, 2022

 1. Greetings again. It is Monday and it is the second Monday of the month. There are just 37 Mondays remaining in the year!

Sailing on a Choppy Ocean
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
April 10, 2022

2. For my final Happy Hour on the beach until likely August--or maybe June in St. Maarten, I saw a sailboat illuminated by the sun in the distance. It was sailing away much like my time remaining in Florida. 

3. The Master's is over. Tiger made his return to competitive golf and that was amazing. Sadly, the weather was not kind to him and his scores were well below what he would have liked, but he made the cut and completed the four-day event. Congrats to the winner. 

4. I was reminded over the weekend that words can cut and hurt. Too often I read emotion into texts, but even so sometimes even the emotionless words typed into a text without further context can drive a knife into the soul of a reader who was not the intended recipient--or then again, maybe I was.

5. Congrats to the Severn Seminoles 14U (wow, I have a Florida connection even in Maryland) who won their first game of the season and should have won both games of the doubleheader they played yesterday. Hats off to Jax who went 2 for 3 at the plate with a stolen base in the second game--which the team won.

6. Today in History. On April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba.

Ukraine’s Zelensky Calls for More Military Aid Ahead of Battles in Eastern Regions - The Wall Street Journal

Everything Costs More, and That’s Disrupting Retirement for Many - The Wall Street Journal

Russians Cope With Ukraine War’s Fallout: Bulk Buying, Jobs in Limbo - The Wall Street Journal

Ukraine repulses attacks in east as Russia presses to control Mariupol - Reuters

Chechen chief Kadyrov says Russian forces will take Kyiv - Reuters

Russian oil embargo could be part of next EU sanctions package, ministers say - Reuters

North Korea celebrates 10 years of Kim Jong Un as top party leader - Reuters

What to know about Russia’s new top commander in Ukraine - The Washington Post

In a major reversal, Elon Musk won’t join Twitter’s board of directors - The Washington Post

Russia defaults on debt as Ukraine braces for assault - CNN

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Palms Against the Evening Sky

 

Palms Against the Evening Sky
Tequesta, FL
April 9, 2022

I will miss the palms.

Chris and I are preparing our return to Maryland and I know that I will miss the palms against the sky and the warm temperatures in addition to the beach, the sand, the ocean, and the sun. We were greeted this morning by temperatures in the low-50s. I can sum up the experience in one word: cold. However, I am mindful that the expected high today in Elkridge is one degree higher than the low this morning in Tequesta. The weather will be something we will need to learn about all over again: how to be warm when it is cold. 

The trip begins soon and there are many tasks to complete before we close up the condo for a few months. It is a process and it takes patience and thoroughness to ensure everything is complete and nothing critical is forgotten.

In other news, I failed to reach 100 miles on my bike for the week. I finished at a solid 95 miles--which is a personal record. Chris and I completed our biking for the week with a very enjoyable ride through a local state park near Jensen Beach. I expect my weekly biking mileage to fall off significantly upon returning to Maryland as I will be adding in activities such as golf and racquetball at the expense of bicycling. This week, however, was a week of 100 percent bicycling.

Today I will veggie out watching the Master's. I have been impressed with Tiger's return--which stalled yesterday due to the cold conditions, but still was amazing considering the adversity he overcame. He is currently tied for 41st at +7, and not only did he make the cut, but is certainly not the worst remaining on the course. 

Bottom line though, I still need to get my palm tree fix in before we depart. Maybe Happy Hour on the beach will be a possibility if the temperatures rise as expected. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Osprey in Flight

Osprey
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
April 8, 2022

Osprey with Boat
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
April 8, 2022

I sat on the beach, during Happy Hour, last evening trying to capture an Osprey in flight as it was hunting. It was hard to get the camera to focus in the correct spot as the osprey flew overhead. The focus was slow and the osprey was agile on the light wind. 

I did finally get one image that is passable; the osprey with its wings outstretched in flight--but that is all that can be seen. I had tried to get something else in the field of view to make the scene more exciting, but the sun angle and the flight of the osprey made that difficult. 

But I did manage a couple others that show what I wanted--just not exactly what I was trying to image.

It was fun, and I was actually very lucky because at one time there were three ospreys in flight within my field of view. The evening was perfect.. The lighting was low on the horizon as the sun was beginning to set. And the ocean was nearly flat. A perfect Friday Happy Hour on the beach to celebrate the end of the week.  

Osprey on the Cloud
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
April 8, 2022

It was a very good week and I will miss the ability to enjoy a perfect ending to the day on the beach. The turtles have not started nesting in great numbers yet--but I expect that when I return in August there will be many turtle nests along the stretches of sand that I most enjoy.

Wintering in Florida has been idyllic. I have a lot to do as I prepare to return to Maryland and get into a new rhythm there for my retired life. I have been there only 8 days thus far during this year and have not developed a daily rhythm as I have here in Florida. 

Mundane tasks await me in Maryland such as mowing lawns, opening and maintaining the pool, and preparing the house for sale. Downsizing is going to be difficult--but, necessary. I also want to play golf--more golf than I have played here in Florida, but then,  Have really been enjoying riding my bicycle and I don't want to push my stamina too much by riding a bike AND playing golf on the same day. 

But today, I want to enjoy the beach, the sun, the sand and the ospreys soaring overhead.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

From the Saddle of my Bike

The Half-way Point of a 20 mile Ride
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Preserve, FL
April 6, 2022

Closing out my last full week in Florida for a couple of months, I am also having a record week of riding my bicycle. I am really putting the miles on the tires and seeing many places in the area. When I summed it up, I have ridden over 70 miles since Sunday with rides planned both today and tomorrow. I doubt I will ride over 100 miles--but 90 is a definite possibility.

Earlier in the week I completed a ride that I had been hoping to get in--riding all the way to the Hobe Sound Wildlife Preserve beach. It was a 20 mile ride, I actually shortened it a bit by parking on Jupiter Island at a public beach park and riding from there. I estimate that I shortened the ride by about 4 miles and avoided riding both ways across one of the local drawbridges.

I have already come to realize that biking in Maryland will be quite different from Florida. There are not nearly as many hills in Florida as Maryland. But, I do know the B&A Trail is relatively flat! I have ridden it in the past.

I was happy to get my ride in yesterday because I spent most of the reminder of the day watching Tiger play at The Master's. Today life is even more complicated because it is opening day for the Orioles who are protected to finish in the bottom three of MLB.

What a great Friday!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Beach Day!

 

Coral Cove Park Beach Conditions
Jupiter Island, FL
April 6, 2022

So as we have access continued to the beach, Chris and I are becoming a bit more selective about our beach days--looking for the perfect conditions. 

Yesterday, during the early afternoon our conditions were met. With the temperature soaring to 85 degrees and calm winds our conditions were met. It was just after high tide and the water was relatively calm when we walked onto the beach about 1:30 PM. I was happy to see the info on the be a ch sign that the water temperature has already risen to 77 degrees. Like most other beach days, we had the area almost all to ourselves. 

Chris on the Beach
Jupiter Island, FL
April 6, 2022

It had been a busy morning with the usual dog walk and I completed a 20 mile bike ride along beach road from Coral Cove Park all the way to Hobe Sound Nature Preserve and back. We were also fortunate in that we departed the beach after a couple hours and returned home before the afternoon thunderstorms arrived. 

Funny thing about the afternoon thunderstorms--they arrived rather suddenly and Chris was walking Finnegan at the time. She had not taken her cell phone with her and just as I heard the first peal of thunder and was calling her, I received a call from an unknown number which was her calling from a local shop to ask me to come retrieve her. So I headed out into the thunderstorm to retrieve the duo. 

Today? Did I mention that it is MLB Opening Day AND the first round of the Masters. I doubt that I will be outside this afternoon when the temperatures may exceed 90.

Just another day in Florida!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD