Field 7 (now 9) GORC Park Odenton, MD April 26, 2024
It was there, empty.
I walked by one of the baseball fields where I spent many hours coaching. I could still see, in my mind, the field full of boys and families cheering during games and also the many hours of practice working to transform the raw talent from players of baseball into baseball players.
The hours I spent there were many, but rewarding and I have to admit that I miss the practices and seeing the boys develop their skills. Some days it was cold, others hot, and then there were the rainstorms which drenched everything and I caught myself wondering why was in out in the cold rain?
I was able to attend the 60th Anniversary of the organization that I used to work for and have been retired from for the past almost 2 1/2 years.
It was great to be back on the campus and noting the changes which have occurred, although I could not actually go into my old offices. But most importantly, I was able to meet with many of my old bosses, friends, and colleagues while learning how the organization has grown since my fairly recent departure.
Decade anniversaries provide an important moment in an organization's life. They are useful in reflecting on the past and charting a course for the future. That is what I heard yesterday. The organization in which I enjoyed working for the non-military portion of my adult life continues to be thriving, vibrant and relevant.
It was great meeting my friends and fellow retirees as well as the current members of the organization. I especially enjoyed meeting with so many of the former directors who came. I was very happy to have traveled from Florida to be part of the celebration.
It was a shock to my system yesterday after arriving in Baltimore when I stepped outside of the airport and the temperature was 53 degrees headed for a high in the 60s.
Pollen on the Pond Odenton, MD April 25, 2024
Cold--that is the only way to describe my feeling. I had appropriately dressed for the occasion by wearing jeans and shoes while toting a heavy pullover to ward against the cold in my backpack. But still--the last time I had worn jeans was during my last visit north, since then it has been shorts and sandals.
Well, at least I was prepared.
It is hard once I get used to temperatures in the 80s to return to colder days. At least it appears that I brought warmer weather with me from Florida as there will be high 80s over the weekend!
I am enjoying the bright sunshine! And the green. The Springtime green of the new leaves is very refreshing and seeing the culmination of Spring is enjoyable. I noticed the green as the plane broke through the clouds on final approach to BWI yesterday. I remembered the Winter-brown and gray of my last visit.
But, what comes with Springtime? Pollen! Yup and I saw the pollen laying atop the water in the holding pond yesterday.
Sign at Unlimited Carwash Tequesta, FL April 24, 2024
It was a travel day; Chris and I have returned to Maryland for a week.
Yesterday I spent some time at the local carwash, as both my bug-covered truck, from the drive back from Tampa, and Chris's car needed cleaning. The carwash has a very important sign designed to protest the safety of the patrons, except that I'm not sure what they were really saying. It seems to lose some of its value when an important word is misspelled. I actually got a pretty good image of the sign.
Southwest Airline Napkins April 25, 2024
On our Southwest Airlines flight from PBI to BWI this morning, I happened to look at the napkins.
There were witty phrases on both of the napkins. Now, I have to confess that I'm not sure whether the phrases have been on the napkins of other Southwest flights, but I never noticed them before this mornings bleary-eyed flight.
Chris and I were up early, like 4:45 AM to get out the door and to the airport to board our 7:05 scheduled departure. As an aside--it was a great flight. The aircraft lifted off the runway three minutes before our schedule gate departure time and we arrived in Baltimore 28 minutes early. Additionally, the flight was only about 1/2 full. Why can't flying always be like that?
Manatee Loxahatchee River, Tequesta, FL April 23, 2024
As I biked across a Loxahatchee River bridge yesterday, I spied a manatee grazing along the shore. I bike across this bridge most days when I ride and this was the first time that I had seen a manatee.
I stopped and watched the manatee from the bridge.
I have been lucky to see quite a few manatees this year while boating, but this was the first I had seen while not actually out on the water. I stood and watched for a while and then continued on my ride. I posted 16.82 miles as I continue training for the upcoming Greater Allegheny Passage ride.
There is something fascinating about watching these large water mammals just going about their business and not being concerned about almost anything. This stretch of the river is narrow and the low bridge means that most motorized boats cannot disturb the ecosystem there.
I managed a couple short videos of the manatee, which I put together.
Tomorrow is a travel day as Chris and I head back to Maryland for a week to enjoy the Springtime and family, friends, and of course baseball and wine!
It was the first night of the tour. The summer concert season was beginning. The crowd was amped and the bands were equally as excited.
So here are some observations of the event.
The doors to the stadium opened at 4 PM and the first act, Uncle Kracker, was scheduled to be on at 5 PM. Amazingly, Uncle Kracker was onstage right at 5 PM and the evening began under a bright blue sky and hot sun with temperatures in the high 80s.
The stadium was mostly empty when the show began. People continued arriving right up until Kenny Chesney took the stage at 9 PM.
Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker
Great performance. Lot's of energy and a lot of fun. He sand songs we knew and could sing along with. He was in a tough spot, being the first act of the evening with a mostly empty stadium, but he handled it very well. I was glad he got to return with Kenny later in the show for a couple songs.
Uncle Kracker Grade: A
Megan Moroney
Megan Moroney
Megan Moroney is a solid musician and sings enjoyable songs accompanied by an excellent band. I was disappointed that she came across as a Taylor Swift wannabe. The way she dressed and sang suggested she was imitating Taylor's style to expand her audience.
She showed a great stage presence during her performance. I enjoyed her and her band, I especially loved their tee-shirts which read EMO Cowgirl. I think she would have done better to stick with that identity rather than emulate the Taylor Swift look.
Megan Moroney Grade: B
Zack Brown Band
Zac Brown Band
What is not to love about the Zac Brown Band? They put on a great show and are headliners in their own right. Their music was superbly performed and the tribute to Jimmy Buffet, Pirates and Parrots, was well done.
I enjoyed their well-known songs and was able to really sing along as the crowd grew and sunset approached. They performed a full show and I was left fully appreciating the band and their songs as well as their versatility. I was most impressed with the cover of Charlie Daniels's The Devil Went Down to Georgia. I never would have believed anyone could play it faster or as good as the original, but I was wrong. I was mesmerized by the fiddle and the overall execution of the song.
The band also covered U2s, With or Without You, which was a lot of fun to sing with them.
Zac Brown Band Grade: A
Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
What to say. Kenny was fantastic! The energy and the song selection was perfect for the evening. I had thought we would hear more songs from the new Born album, but I think there was just one: Take Her Home.
I was amazed at his energy and command of the stage. This is the third time I have been to a Kenny Chesney concert and they each seem to be better. His music has evolved, but the real crowd pleasers are all fast moving songs that speak to the No Shoes Nation mentality.
Kenny's band was fabulous and each member had a showcase moment.
The set began about 9 PM and continued until almost 11 PM--without a stop. The two songs with Uncle Kracker were great and well done. It was fun being part of and watching the crowd respond to Kenny and his music. The Come Monday tribute to Jimmy Buffett was excellent.
Being the first show of the series, there were some small miscues, especially the handoff between the Kenny and the stage hand with the guitars. Late in the show Kenny displayed some evidence of tired voice--but it was a long day for all of us.
One other note--the encore could have included some of the songs not in the program, like Boys of Fall and Anything but Mine. I'm not sure if the encore was truncated by a stadium imposed hard stop at 11 PM.
Restroom Facilities for Floor Seating Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL April 20, 2024
I wish I had positive comments for Raymond James Stadium, but sadly the venue leaves a lot to be desired, especially given the cost of the tickets.
Arrival was smooth as I had secured parking in advance.
Parking was the easiest part of the evening. We were seated on the floor and that meant we got the worst in terms of food and restroom facilities. Using the restroom, the port-a-potty area, meant fighting the crowd streaming in or trying to get food to get back outside the stadium. It was not pleasant. The food area was too small and located in the same hallway as the entrance and the passage to the relief area. That meant it was always too crowded. Drinks were readily available, however. During the break between Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney there was not enough time to use the restrooms due to the apparent under planning by the stadium staff.
But the tragedy of the evening was departing the parking, for which we paid $50 plus tax. It took 45 minutes to get out of the lot because no one was directing traffic. Then, once out of the lot we were forced to drive away from our desired destination for miles before being able to hop onto an interstate and drive back through the stadium departing traffic to get to our hotel. In the end, the 3 mile journey back to the hotel turned into a 10 mile drive.
Raymond James Stadium Grade: D-
I have attached a 3 minute video of portions of the evening just to give a sense at how great was the evening we enjoyed.
1. Welcome to the fourth Monday of April. Where is the month going? There is one Monday remaining in the month and there are just 36 Mondays remaining in the year. I hope your taxes are filed.
2. A stadium concert etiquette question:
A person spills an adult beverage onto the people in front of them which leaves puddles in their seats and drenches their concert merchandise. What is the correct response?
a. Say "I'm sorry" and nothing more
b. Assist in getting napkins to help clean the mess
c. Offer to buy a beer later during the concert after feeling guilty for not helping clean the mess
d. Do nothing at all, it is a hazard of attending stadium concerts
e. Offer to replace the damaged merchandise
Answer: Apparently it is a combination of "a" and "c".
Kenny Chesney Concert Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL April 20, 2024 at 4:42 PM
3. Chris and I went to the opening concert in Kenny Chesney's summer series Saturday. It was far more than we expected with almost 6 hours of music from four performers/bands. We were exhausted as we left the stadium just about 11 PM. We entered when the gates opened at 4 PM and the music began at 5 PM. It was our first ever stadium concert.
4. I hope I never get tired of blue skies and almost perfect weather.
5. Protect the planet. We all must do our parts to help the Earth survive the onslaught of humans. As we strip resources and fill the atmosphere and oceans with pollutants and excess heat, we are changing the planet and potentially making it uninhabitable. Go Green!
6.Today in History.Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches and educational programs across the country.
Earth Day was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, a staunch environmentalist who hoped to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness. “The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy,” Senator Nelson said, “and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.”
We are in Tampa and Uncle Kracker the opening act just left the stage. It is 86 degrees, low humidity, and clear skies. A beautiful afternoon/evening for a concert.
Wow it has been a while. We definitely do not know how to tailgate before a concert.
The beautiful weather continued yesterday. I headed out for a ride and wound up doing just over 19 miles bringing my total for the month to over 150 miles.
I am continue training for the 150 miles in 3 days GAP ride planned for mid-June.
Across the Loxahatchee River Jupiter, FL April 18, 2024
I changed-up my route a bit yesterday and tours an area that I don't frequently visit. I enjoy the ride, but parts of it cross some bridges, one of which I call suicide bridge because there is no sidewalk or bike lane and traffic sometimes gets too close.
I enjoyed the ride and am preparing to try a 40 or so mile ride in the near future. I want to check out how things go in the over 30 mile region. I know I got a bit tired about the 16-mile point yesterday, but got my speed back by the 18th mile, but then the promise of getting home was a reality.
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