Monday Musings - February 20, 2023

 

1. Welcome to the 3rd Monday of February. Scary! There are only 44 Mondays remaining in the year. And it seems as if the year only just began.

2. Happy Presidents' Day. I hope, that if you work that you have the day off to celebrate the presidents. 

3. I am amazed that I can remember that it is Monday!

Arti Gras
Northern Palm Beach
February 18, 2023

4. It was festival weekend! Chris and I went to two very different festivals and enjoyed very different weather conditions each day. The first was Arti Gras, a gathering of 300 juried talented artisans. It was fun to walk the grounds and marvel at the art and sculptures on display. There is one piece that we are seriously considering--actually, we have been considering since we first saw it last year at an artisan show. Maybe we'll pull the trigger. The day was cool and overcast. Temperatures were in the low 70s and the breeze was cool. Rain threatened all day, but never materialized.

Jupiter Seafood Festival 
Jupiter, FL
January 19, 2023

5. Sunday we visited the annual Jupiter Seafood Fest. How can you not enjoy seafood? There were mountains of seafood and also many marine related vendors. The weather was very different from Saturday. Temperatures were in the mid-80s with a sunny sky. It was hot! The festival had a great band playing solid country music and we enjoyed visiting the vendors as well as stalking the seafood. I had pulled pork even though the seafood looked delectable. I did come home with a new sun shirt from our favorite vendor.

6. Take a moment today, Presidents' Day, to consider the life and presidency of Jimmy Carter. In my opinion, he was a greater leader after being president by demonstrating how much a person can accomplish by doing good for others.

7. Today in History. In a highly controversial vote on February 20, 1985, the Irish government defies the powerful Catholic Church and approves the sale of contraceptives.

Up until 1979, Irish law prohibited the importation and sale of contraceptives. In a 1973 case, McGee v. The Attorney General, the Irish Supreme Court found that a constitutional right to marital privacy covered the use of contraceptives. Pressured by strong conservative forces in Irish society, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the government was slow to change the law to reflect the court’s decision, and a number of proposed bills failed before reaching the books.

Biden walked the streets of Kyiv during surprise visit - CNN

Some in GOP worry DeSantis has overstepped against 'wokeness' - CNN

Water levels rise, covering reservoir's 'bathtub' ring - CNN

North Korea fires two more missiles into its Pacific 'firing range' - Reuters

Even a weak Russia is a problem for Europe - Reuters

Infected in the first wave, they navigated long COVID without a roadmap - Reuters

Debt-Ceiling Backup Plans Have Plenty of Hurdles - The Wall Street Journal

Google Case Heads to Supreme Court With Powerful Internet Law at Stake - The Wall Street Journal

A nuclear reactor was melting down. Jimmy Carter came to the rescue. - The Washington Post

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Sunday Funnies

 With the demise of newspapers and newsprint, I realized that I have not been reading the Sunday comics in many many years. 

A friend sent a a number of single frame thought provoking items that might have once been used in the papers and I though I would pass on two this morning.

They come from an email labeled cartoons for intellectuals. 

This one made me laugh. How often has this been true. The the tongue cuts deeper than we often believe.

Read carefully for context!

Enjoy!

Oh yes, thanks to Mary for these and others which I may share in the future!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Busy Days Even in Retirement

I grasped Friday firmly and ensured that the day did not pass with a whimper.

The day began with a great 21-mile bike ride. I added a few new twists and turns to an existing 17-mile route and enjoyed the best part of the day cruising through Jupiter and Tequesta. The route has more traffic than I like and so I do not ride it often, but I enjoy the loop down Loxahatchee River Road and then along Indiantown Road and back towards home along Island Way which continues to have wild and open spaces that I enjoy riding past. It felt good to be out on the bike for a significant ride after a couple of short workout days. 

During the middle part of the day, Chris and I went to our storage room to sort and repack. It seems that with every visit we reduce the amount of items stored there, even though we continue to add boxes to the mix. In an important side note we have replaced all of the cardboard boxes with solid containers. Some items are there for the long haul. Our storage room is convenient to the recycling center and we take the cardboard directly for recycling. The box containing Easter-themed decorations was bright home in anticipation of decorating for the holiday. As a side note, Ash Wednesday is next week. I didn't write that it was next Wednesday intentionally.

And then last evening Chris and I went to see A Man Called Otto, finally. The movie was a good as I had hoped it would be and it represented my first trip to the theater since Top Gun Maverick!

It was a full Friday, even without a trip to the beach to enjoy the 86 degree temperatures, and today promises to be a busy day as well.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

 

Trying New Places - Dive Bar Restaurant

Dive Bar Restaurant
Jupiter, FL
February 16, 2023

 We did not make it to the beach yesterday, even though it was a beautiful day, but we did enjoy Happy Hour at a new location, the Dive Bar Restaurant,  along the Intracoastal Waterway.

In an effort to widen our knowledge of local watering holes, Chris and I are trying some new places for Happy Hour and possibly dinner. Happy Hour is a creative way for restaurants to bring people in and have them stay to enjoy dinner. Although we did not order dinner last evening, the apps that we enjoyed became our last meal of the day. 

Being on the waterway, the bar was very enjoyable. There was a lot of activity and both the apps and service was great. This place is definitely a keeper and that explains why it was so busy. The Happy Hour prices are fantastic. 

The restaurant also boasts very nicely presented salt water aquariums. 

For a great Happy Hour to head off into the evening, I recommend this place.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Hump Day and the Beach

Morning Pelican Fly-over
Carlin Park Beach, Jupiter, FL
February 15, 2023

 Yesterday was a more normal South Florida day. The weather moderated a bit, the temperatures were warmer and the winds were calmer. The better weather meant that there were two visits to the beach and a shortened bike ride, 12 vs 15 miles.

Sanderling Gathering
Jupiter Island Beach, FL
February 15, 2023

At the beach, both in the morning and at Happy Hour, we were greeted by birds. The morning fly over of pelicans was very enjoyable while in the afternoon the sanderlings gathered at our feet. As we went to a less visited beach in the afternoon the sanderlings seemed to be less wary and more aggressive. Chris of course baited them with some crackers, bet even before that they came within two feet of us to see if there were and morsels of food being shared.  

At one point yesterday afternoon on Jupiter Island Beach, Chris and I were the only people on the over one-mile long expanse of beach. It is always enjoyable to have the entire beach to ourselves.

Although the winds were calmer and Chris and I decided to head out for a bike ride, the wind was still strong and we cut out one 3 mile loop. We still managed over 12 miles and enjoyed the beauty of the day. This morning the winds seem to have returned and the sky has a rainy gray appearance and so we will have to see what develops as the day progresses. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Hearts and Roses and Valentine's Day

Flowers for Chris
Tequesta, FL
February 14, 2023

The day of cards, wine, flowers and expensive dinners, not to mention chocolates, is past.

Chris and I had a full day, but mostly wasted day waiting for another shipment of wine from UPS. It was another mess, but at least the wine arrived, finally. UPS really needs to get their act together on deliveries. Yesterday's delivery was not on the truck for which they continued to send me tracking information. I know, because as the day got late I tracked the truck down and talked to the driver. Fortunately, the truck with the wine finally came and made the delivery.

Gopher Tortoise
Tequesta, FL
February 14, 2023

I enjoyed a 15 mile bike ride, while Chris stayed home waiting for the wine. Along the way I spied a tortoise which kept a watchful eye on my as I took an image. That was early in the day.

Instead of going out for an expensive dinner, Chris and I celebrated the event with a home grilled salmon dinner and a very nice bottle of wine. We find dining together to be far more enjoyable that being out in public fighting for a table in an overcrowded and understaffed restaurant. 

And so it was Valentine's Day 2023. 

Whew. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Valentine's Day 2023

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yup, it is mid-February and the day none of us dares forget is upon us. 

I bought a card! Well, and there might be some flowers this afternoon.

It is a good day to remember the ones we love and also our close friends who help us over the hard times. 

Sometimes it is good to review the history of the days we celebrate. I invite you to read about Valentines Day on Wikipedia. A short excerpt follows:

Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.^[16] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).^[17] Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in 269 and was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Gelasius I in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of St. Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which "remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV [1288 - 1292]".^[18][19] The flower-crowned skull of Saint Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics are found at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.^[20]

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - February 13, 2023

 

1. It is the second Monday of February. The Month is approaching the halfway mark. There are 45 Mondays remaining in the year.

2. Important safety tip: Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Enough said.

3. And it was Super! The third highest scoring Super Bowl (combined) with 73 points was a great game. Neither team had a lead of more than 10 points and it was clearly a game between two talented teams both led by gun slingers. Congratulations to Patrick Mahomes on winning the MVP after turning in a gutsy and brilliant performance.

4. Chris and I got out for our 15-mile base bike ride yesterday. We have developed a complicated route that covers 15 miles around Tequesta and passing through parts of both Palm Beach and Martin counties. 

5. Now that the NFL season has concluded, let's begin planning for baseball. Pitchers and catchers report this week.

6. Today in History. On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing roughly 25,000 people. Despite the horrendous scale of destruction, it arguably accomplished little strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender.

Among the conclusions reached at the February 1945 Yalta Conference of the Allied powers was the resolution that the Allies would engage in concerted strategic bombing raids against German cities known for war-production and manufacturing, in an effort to bring the Nazi war machine to a crashing halt. The tragic irony of the raid on Dresden, a medieval city renowned for its rich artistic and architectural treasures, is that during the war it had never been a site of war-production or major industry. Both Allies and Germans alike have argued over the real purpose of the firebombing; the ostensible “official” rationale was that Dresden was a major communications center and bombing it would hamper the German ability to convey messages to its army, which was battling Soviet forces at the time. But the extent of the destruction was, for many, disproportionate to the stated strategic goal—many believe that the attack was simply an attempt to punish the Germans and weaken their morale.

Chinese ship aimed laser at Philippine vessel, temporarily blinding crew, officials say - CNN

Thin details make an unusual episode even more bizarre - CNN

The controversial penalty call which played a decisive role in Super BowI outcome - CNN

Russian forces claim gains along Ukraine frontline - Reuters

Earthquake could cost Turkey up to $84 billion - business group - Reuters

Analysis: Loans to Russian soldiers fuel calls for European banks to quit - Reuters

Death toll passes 36,000; key Turkish airport reopens to aid shipments - The Washington Post

One day. One city. Three lives in the shadow of Myanmar’s military rule. - The Washington Post

China Says U.S. Sent Balloons Through Its Airspace More Than 10 Times - The Wall Street Journal

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Celebration Week

 

United on the Ground
West Palm Beach, FL
February 11, 2022

It is Super Sunday. The culmination of the NFL season is today when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles for the Lombardi Trophy and bragging rights as the best team in football for the next year.

Yesterday was a travel day. Chris and I enjoyed a pleasantly routine flight from Houston back to West Palm Beach and then home. The trip was made more enjoyable as it was a direct flight and once we took off we knew that we would be sleeping in our own bed at night. 

Today, however, will be consumed with preparations for the Super Bowl. We are not hosting a party, but will be attending one. I was amazed at the mixture of baked items in the store yesterday for Valentines Day AND the Super Bowl. It was quite a sight, but Key Lime Pie is always good and covers both celebrations.

Remember, Valentines Day is Tuesday. It is a busy week of celebrations. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Spring Arriving

 

Japanese Magnolia in Bloom
Weston Lakes, TX
February 9, 2023

It is mid-February and in Texas Spring is arriving. Since we have been here I can see that the leaves are beginning to reappear on many of the trees. There is a definite green hue to the seemingly bare tree branches. 

The Japanese Magnolia Tree in the yard here in Weston Lakes is in bloom. I was able to capture a few images of this early Spring flowering tree. 

Of course, today I return to Florida where Spring is also in full swing, although not quite so noticeable since more trees retain their leaves during the winter and of course the palms are always green.

Enjoy the day.

-- Bob Doan, Weston Lakes, TX