2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS versus St. Roberts

The SEAS Eagles played St. Roberts in their second league game of the season. They beat St. Roberts last weekend in the Presentation Tournament. The Eagles were very short-handed and missing three of their starters and one reserve.

With only six players on the roster for the game, Jack played 28 minutes of the 28 minute game. He had 15 points on 6 for 10 from two point range and 1 for 3 from three point range. Jack added 15 rebounds and 2 assists with 5 turnovers and two fouls.

Missing their starting center, power forward and one of their guards, I was very worried that the Eagles were going to struggle. St. Roberts is probably the second best team in the Southern Division. I didn't need to worry. While St. Roberts has one very good player [Jacob], he doesn't have much help. In addition to Jack's 15 points, Joe scored 18 points for the Eagles, while Jacob added 17, including 4 for 4 from three point range. Jacob who has been averaging less than 10 minutes a game for the Eagles as a reserve took advantage of his opportunity to start!

SEAS won the game by the score of 62 to 35. This is the most points that they have scored in a game this season. The box score is here.

The Eagles now have 6 wins and 3 losses for the season. The game log is here.

Milo Greene Pics

Milo Greene, a set by Danielle Supola on Flickr.

Fort Taiaroa

On Tuesday, September 13 while we were in New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Tomasin, Hunter, Debbie and I toured Fort Taiaroa.

Fort Taiaroa
(Including six-inch Armstrong Hydropneumatic Gun
and Underground Chambers)
New Zealand Historic Places Trust #389
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This historic place is located at the end of Harrington Point Road, Taiaroa Head, Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand. The GPS coordinates for this location are S 45° 46.468 E 170° 43.686.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.



The Russian war scares of the 1880s caused the New Zealand Government to erect batteries overlooking the harbours of the four main centres. The strategic position at Taiaroa Head gave excellent control over ships approaching Otago Harbour. Local stone was used by prison labour with outstanding skill to form the underground galleries and storage for the gun emplacement. The six-inch Armstrong hydro-pneumatic disappearing gun is still in sound condition except for incomplete breech mechanism. Fort Taiaroa is an excellent example for a military fortification of a bygone era and in its dramatic siting is most worthy of preservation.

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 4

On day four, I rode from Pollack Pines to Strawberry on Highway 50. There is a lot of downhill from Pollack Pines to Ice House Road. From there, the road climbs steadily with the grade mostly between 4% and 6% and a few steeper sections topping out at 11.5%.

I am not looking forward to the next section. Leaving Strawberry, there is a very steep grade up to the summit before dropping down to Lake Tahoe.

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Celebrating Sharon's Birthday

After Jack's basketball game on Monday night, the three of us went to Ruth Chris to celebrate Sharon's birthday. We went there for her birthday last year. Afterwards, we headed home and enjoyed a chocolate cake with fluffy white icing that I made on Sunday night. I got her some flowers, a subscription to the Wine Spectator magazine, a bottle of Sea Smoke Pinot Noir and a couple of very large coffee cups.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - The Little Willies - I Worship You

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


A bluegrass classic revived by an all-star cast that includes vocalist Norah Jones.

Code Expiration: April 17, 2012

2012 PAL Varsity Comp SEAS versus St. Ignatius

The SEAS Eagles played St. Ignatius in the Championship game of the Presentation Tournament. They have struggled to best this team over the last three seasons. SEAS lost to St. Ignatius in the semi-final game of the Jesuit Tournament last week. SEAS did not face St. Ignatuis last season, but lost to St. Ignatius in the finals of the St. Ignatius Tournament two years ago.

Jack played 23 minutes of the 28 minute game. He had 9 points on 3 for 8 from two point range and 1 for 2 from three point range. Jack added 6 rebounds and 1 assist with 3 turnovers. He was the SEAS leading scorer and rebounder for the game. In a different defensive twist, they had him guarding St. Ignatius' best player at the top of the key one on one most of the first half.

The Eagles kept the game close through three quarters. St. Ignatius led by the score of 20 to 15 at half-time and 29 to 22 at the end of the third quarter. SEAS went on a five minute scoring drought in the fourth quarter and got outscored 14 to 6. Like last week's game, turnovers and three point shooting killed the Eagles; they had 19 turnovers against only 2 steals and shot 2 for 12 from three point range.

SEAS lost the game by the score of 43 to 28. The box score is here.

The Eagles took home the second place trophy. The boys were not satisfied with the result... Jack and Joe were named to the All Tournament Team.

The Eagles now have 5 wins and 3 losses for the season. The game log is here. Two of the losses have been to St. Ignatius.

The Eagles play St. Roberts on Friday in a league game.

2012 PAL Varsity Comp SEAS versus St. John Norte Dame

The SEAS Eagles played St. John Notre Dame in the second round of the Presentation Tournament. SEAS beat SJND in the Presentation Tournament last year and in the St. Ignatius Tournament two years ago. SJND has a number of taller players. Watching the teams warm up, I was concerned because SEAS was short handed this weekend and missing their back-up center and a power forward.

Jack struggled with this shot. He was 0 for 4 from two point range. Jack added 7 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists with 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. He ended up playing only 13 minutes of the 24 minutes game.

My concerns about the taller SJND players were unnecessary. SJND did not have the guards to effectively use the big men. Addtionally, they struggled with full court pressure from the Eagles. SEAS ran out to a 13 to 4 first quarter lead and was never really seriously threatened.

SEAS won by the game by the score of 40 to 24. The box score is here.

The Eagles now have 5 wins and 2 losses for the season. The game log is here.

SEAS will face St. Ignatius in the championship game of the Presentation Tournament on Monday. They lost to St. Ignatius last week in the Jesuit Tournament.

Second 7th & 8th Grade Dance

As part of the St. Anthony's Middle School Club, Jack went to his second 8th grade dance on Saturday night. St. Anthony's will be hosting four dances during this school year.

Jack invited six of the boys from his class over to the house before the dance [Joe, Jacob, Jake, Andy, Eric and Aiden]. The boys had pizza and then Sharon and I took them all to the dance.

After dropping off the boys, Sharon and I had a light dinner at the bar at Scott's on the River. I finished the night working traffic control in the parking lot after the dance.

High School Placement Test

Jack spent the morning taking the High School Placement Test [HSPT] at Jesuit.

It seems like just yesterday that we were shopping for kindergartens!

2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS versus St. Roberts

The SEAS Eagles played the St. Roberts Rebels in the first game of the Presentation Tournament. The Eagles lost to the Rebels in the Jesuit Tournament last year, but beat them in league.  They will meet again next Friday in a league game.

Jack was the high scorer for the Eagles. Playing 20 minutes of a 24 minute game, he had 14 points on 6 for 9 from the field and 2 for 4 from the free throw line. Jack added 16 rebounds with 2 turnovers and a foul. After six games, he is the team's leading rebounder averaging 8.5 rebounds a game and the second leading scorer behind Joe with 7.5 points a game.

Leading 15 to 11 at the end of the first quarter, SEAS outscored St. Roberts by 10 points in the second quarter to lead by the score of 31 to 16 at half-time. The Eagles never looked back.

The final score was SEAS 56, St. Roberts 34. The box score is here.

The Eagles now have 4 wins and 2 losses for the season. The game log is here.

The Eagles next play Sunday at noon in the second round of the Presentation Tournament in what is likely to be a rematch against Holy Spirit.

At Bear Creek Studio

Nevada Historical Marker #245

Sunday morning when I was in Reno for the Petersen Shootout, I spent an hour wandering around looking for five different Nevada Historical Landmarks, including; Reno #30; Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot #210; Lake Mansion #227; Frederick Joseph DeLongchamps #245; and Site of Nevada's First Public Library #247.

Frederick Joseph DeLongchamps
Nevada Historical Marker #245
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This marker is located Located on the U.S. Post Office grounds, South Virginia and Mill Streets, Reno, Nevada. There are 41 other historical markers in Washoe County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 39° 31.490 W 119° 48.732.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

Frederick Joseph DeLongchamps was Nevada's foremost architect of his time. Statewide, he was prolific in the number of buildings he designed. From this point one can see a group of structures that stand, collectively, as a monument to DeLongchamps: The United States Post Office, The Riverside Hotel, the Washoe County Courthouse and the First Federal Savings and Loan Association. The Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, dedicated to excellence in architecture, honors the memory of Frederick Joseph DeLongchamps.

Mayfly 2011

One of my passions is exploring the world.  Nevertheless, 2011 was a very unusual year. In total, I took almost 9 weeks of vacation. My Mayfly for 2011 reflects a number of extraordinary adventures!

The Mayfly project, 2011

Sea Ranch • Spring Training • Zion • Bryce • Disneyland • Washington D.C.: Fireworks! • USTSA World Series • Tsadi • New Zealand: Milford Sound, Queenstown • Santa Barbara • Milo Greene 1957

You can find my previous Mayfly summaries here!

What is this?

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 3

On day three, I rode 24.82 miles from Rescue to Pollack Pines. From Green Valley Road, I rode through downtown Placerville and then out Carson Road past the entrance to the Apple Mountain Golf Course to Camino. I headed east along the Pony Express Trail from Camino to Pollock Pines and ended up on Highway 50 east of Pollock Pines. There were several short sections where the grade got to 12.5%.

One interesting observation is that the software will not let you ride on the freeway.

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Tetris [app]

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: April 10, 2012

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - First Aid Kit - King of the World

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: April 10, 2012

2012 PAL Varsity Comp SEAS versus OLA

Playing their fourth game in four days, the SEAS played OLA in the third place game of the Jesuit Jr. Classic. The Eagles did not face the Cougars last year, but were knocked out of the play-offs by OLA in 2010.

For the first time in five games, Jack did not score. He was 0 for 3 from 2 point range and 0 for 1 from 3 point range. Jack added 7 rebounds, a steal and a block with 2 turnovers and 2 fouls. He played 21 minutes of a 28 minute game.

The Eagles led by the score of 19 to 17 at half-time. Late in the third quarter, OLA opened a 6 point gap that the Eagles were never able to close. SEAS lost to OLA by the score of 38 to 30. The box score is here.

The Eagles hurt themselves in a number of key areas. Their two centers went 1 for 18 from point blank range. Combined with 2 for 11 from three point range, 2 for 8 from the free throw line and 20 turnovers, the Eagles were lucky the game was as close as it was. They are athletic enough to compete with all of the other top teams, but they are going to have to improve in these areas if they want to go deep in the play-offs at the end of the year.

The Eagles now have 3 wins and 2 losses for the season. The game log is here.

The Eagles next play Friday night in the Presentation Tournament.

Celebrating My Birthday

After Jack's basketball game, Sharon, Jack, Tommy, Becky and I went to Centro Cocina Mexicana to celebrate my birthday.

I was frankly disappointed by the food. We had gone there three years ago for my birthday and remembered being happier with the meal.

Sharon, Jack and I finished the night at home with cake and presents.

2012 PAL Varsity Comp SEAS versus St. Ignatius

The SEAS Eagles played the St. Ignatius Tigers in the semi-finals of the Jesuit Jr. Classic Basketball Tournament. SEAS did not face St. Ignatuis last season, but lost to St. Ignatius in the finals of the St. Ignatius Tournament two years ago.

Jack started at small forward and played 21 minutes of the 28 minute game. He had 4 points on 2 for 3 from the field. Jack added 7 rebounds. After four games, Jack is the team's leading rebounder. He is averaging 7 rebounds per game.

For the third night in a row, the Eagles played a very hard fought game. The Tigers led by the score of 20 to 19 at half-time. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles led by the score of 27 to 25. Jack took a hard fall at the end of third quarter, landing flat on his back. He did not play the first three plus minutes of the fourth quarter. The Tigers made 9 for 10 from the free throw line, including a number of 1 and 1's in the last two minutes of the game.

The Eagles got outscored 19 to 8 in the fourth quarter and lost by the score of 44 to 35. The box score is here.

The Eagles killed themselves from three point range and the free throw line. The team was 2 for 16 from three point range and 7 for 17 from the free throw line.

The SEAS Eagles now have 3 wins and 1 loss for the season. The game log is here.

With the loss on Sunday, SEAS will play OLA on Monday afternoon in the third place game. SJE will play St. Ignatius in the championship game.

2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS versus St. Mary's

Continuing the basketball weekend, the SEAS Eagles played St. Mary's in the second round of the Jesuit Jr. Classic. The Eagles lost to St. Mary's last year in the Christian Brothers Tournament. Cameron plays for St. Mary's. He and Jack played together on the Cal Ripken Laguna All-Stars in 2009.

Jack started at small forward and played 21 minutes of the 28 minute game. He had 15 points on 2 for 4 from 2 point range, 1 for 3 from 3 point range and 8 for 10 from the free throw line. Jack added 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and an assist with 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. Jack and Joe were the high scorers for the Eagles with 15 points each.

For the second night in a row, the Eagles played a hard fought back and forth game. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 9 to 9. St. Mary's pulled away in the last two minutes of the second quarter to lead by the score of 26 to 19 at half-time. Cameron killed the Eagles in the first half; he scored 15 of St. Mary's 26 points. St. Mary's maintained a 7 to 9 point lead through most of the third quarter. Then at the end of the third quarter, Joe took an inbound pass with one second on the clock and hit a long three. Early in the fourth quarter, Jack and Malcolm hit threes and all of sudden it was a 2 point game.  In an odd development, Jack pulled down a bushel of defensive rebounds, then kept getting fouled and sent to the free throw line. At one point, Jack hit 8 straight free throws before missing 2 at the very end of game. St. Mary's lack of size and depth hurt them down the stretch. SEAS outscored St. Mary's 20 to 9 in the fourth quarter. Playing the whole game, Cameron managed only 5 points in the second half.

The SEAS Eagles beat the St. Mary's Mustangs by the score of 48 to 43. The box score is here.

The SEAS Eagles now have 3 wins and 0 losses for the season. The game log is here.

With the win on Saturday, the Eagles will be playing at least two more games in the Jesuit Tournament this weekend. SEAS will play St. Ignatius in the semi-finals of the tournament on Sunday.

2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS versus Holy Spirit

Kicking off a weekend full of basketball, the SEAS Eagles played their first league game against Holy Spirit. This is probably the toughest team in their division. The Eagles have struggled against Holy Spirit over the last three years. Cole plays for Holy Spirit. Cole and Jack have played baseball, flag football and basketball on the same teams and against each other for the last nine years.

Jack started at small forward and played 23 minutes of the 28 minute game. He had 8 points on 4 for 6 from the field. Jack added 4 rebounds and 3 steals with a turnover and a foul. Jack was the second highest scorer for the Eagles behind Joe who had 14 points.

It was a very hard fought back and forth game. The Eagles ran out to a ten point lead in the first quarter, but Holy Spirit tied the game in the second quarter. SEAS then led 33 to 24 at half-time. Holy Spirit charged back to lead 41 to 39 at the end of third quarter. The teams swapped leads during the fourth quarter. With 1:30 to go and SEAS leading by 1 point, Jack took a pass in the corner and drove along the baseline for a nice lay-up to put SEAS up by 3. Jake added two more free throws to seal the 52 to 47 victory. The box score is here.

Holy Spirit was led by Bryce who had 18 points. One of the key strengths of the Eagles in the early season continues to be their balanced attack; 8 of the 10 boys scored.

The SEAS Eagles now have 2 wins and 0 losses for the season. The game log is here.

The Eagles will be playing at least two games in the Jesuit Tournament this weekend.

Nevada Historical Marker #247

Sunday morning when I was in Reno for the Petersen Shootout, I spent an hour wandering around looking for five different Nevada Historical Landmarks, including; Reno #30; Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot #210; Lake Mansion #227; Frederick Joseph DeLongchamps #245; and Site of Nevada's First Public Library #247.

Site of Nevada's First Public Library
Nevada Historical Marker #247
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This marker is located Located on the U.S. Post Office grounds, South Virginia and Mill Streets, Reno, Nevada. There are 41 other historical markers in Washoe County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 39° 31.489 W 119° 48.735.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

In 1895, Washoe County District Attorney Frank H. Norcross, later a Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court and a Federal Judge, began a drive to establish Nevada's first free public library in Reno. That year, he persuaded the Nevada Legislature to enact a law establishing Nevada's public libraries.

Nevada's first public library building was erected on this site in 1904 with $15,000 donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie on land originally donated to the City of Reno by pioneer Myron C. Lake. It remained in service until 1930, when growth forced its relocation to the site where the Pioneer Theatre Auditorium now stands. The library was sold for $1 and demolished in 1931.

In 1966 the library was relocated to a new building at Center and Liberty Streets, three blocks south of this site.

ESPN Films: The Marinovich Project

Running on the treadmill, I watched The Marinovich Project. The documentary is airing as part of a series of seven documentaries that ESPN Films was running late last year.

The film looks at the life of Todd Marinovich. Starting in the womb, Todd was raised by his father to be the perfect athlete. His father, Marv Marinovich, was a former USC Trojan and Oakland Raider. Marv was the first strength and conditioning coach in NFL history. He was obsessed with training methods and seeked out as much information as possible from other countries in an attempt to become the most knowledgeable on the subject; his practices were revolutionary at the time.

Todd become a very successful high school athlete. Playing quarter for Mater Dei and Capistrano High Schools, he set the national high school record by passing for 9,914 yards. Todd received numerous honors, including being named a Parade All-American and the National High School Coaches Association's offensive player of the year. His struggles with drugs and alcohol started in high school.

Todd played two years at USC. Although neither his coaches nor teammates believed that he was ready, Marinovich became the first freshman quarterback to start the first game of the season for USC since World War II. The Trojans went 9–2–1, won the Pac-10 conference, and defeated Michigan in the 1990 Rose Bowl. UPI and The Sporting News named Marinovich the College Freshman of the Year for 1989; he was the only freshman on the All-Pac-10 team and the first freshman quarterback named. Marinovich entered the 1990 season as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Battling with coach Larry Smith much of the year, Todd was arrested for cocaine possession a month after the season ended, left college and entered the NFL draft.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders [ahead of Brett Favre!], he spent two years with the team. In training camp before the 1993 season, Marinovich failed his third NFL drug test and his NFL career was over. He subsequently bounced around the Canadian and Arena football leagues.

Despite flashes of brilliance, Marinovich's professional career is widely considered to be a bust. In 2004, Marinovich was included in ESPN.com's list of The 25 Biggest Sports Flops, coming in at fourth on the ESPN.com editors' list, and seventh on the readers' list.

The unusual thing about the documentary is the final arc of the film. While it seems like the typical story of an athlete's struggles with drugs, it has a twist. With Todd and Marv participating in the making of the documentary and telling their story, the ending takes a somewhat unexpected turn. Overall, The Marinovich Project is a good, but not great documentary.

The Marinovich Project is available in iTunes.

2012 Best New Artists

Drew's band--Milo Greene--was highlighted by Esquire as one of eleven new artists poised for a big year!

JibJab 2011 Year in Review

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Lonely Planet: Best in Travel 2012

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Code Expiration: April 3, 2012

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Madi Diaz - Let's Go

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!


Escape and resilience inform "Let's Go," an entralling track from Nashville-based Madi Diaz, an emerging singer-songwriter who's toured with the Civil Wars and recorded with Joseph Arthur.

Code Expiration: April 3, 2012

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 2

On Day Two, I rode from Rancho Murieta to Rescue. The ride included a nice climb on White Rock Road into El Dorado Hills and then a tough series of rolling hills along Green Valley Road. On several short sections along Green Valley Road, the grade reached 9%.

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Virtually Biking Across America Trip Log

01-01-2012 - Elk Grove, CA - 0.0
01-08-2012 - Rancho Murieta, CA - 24.7
01-15-2012 - Rescue, CA - 49.1
01-22-2012 - Pollack Pines, CA - 73.9

2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS versus St. John Vianney

Finally, the 2012 PAL basketball season started! After literally eight weeks of practice and one scrimmage, the SEAS Eagles played their first game of the season against St. John Vianney in the first round of the Jesuit Tournament. The Eagles beat St. John Vianney last year in the Christian Brothers Tournament.

Jack started at small forward. He played 11 minutes of the 24 minute game. Jack had 4 points on 2 for 4 from two point range. He added 6 rebounds and 3 steals with a turnover and a personal foul. Jack made a nice steal and took the ball the length of the court for a layup.

Although St. John Vianney has given the Eagles some competitive games in the past two years, the Eagles ran away with the game. The Eagles led 23 to 6 at halftime. With a running clock in the fourth quarter and all of the Eagles players getting time on the floor, the Eagles won the game by the score of 40 to 12. The game was not even that close. The box score is here.

The Eagles had a balanced attack. Seven of the ten SEAS Eagles players scored 3 or more points.

I was very perplexed by the substitution patterns that the SEAS coaches were using. It is going to be interesting to see how they manage a more competitive game.

The SEAS Eagles now have 1 win and 0 losses for the season. The game log is here.

Next weekend is going to be busy. The Eagles face Holy Spirit on Friday in what will probably be their toughest league game and then will have games on Saturday and Sunday and hopefully Monday.

2012 PAL Varsity Comp Basketball SEAS Eagles Game Log

Overall - 6 Wins and 3 Losses
League - 2 Wins and 0 Losses

01-27-2012 - SEAS 62, St. Roberts 35 - [box score] - League
01-23-2012 - St Ignatius 43, SEAS 28 - [box score] - Presentation Tournament
01-22-2012 - SEAS 40, SJND 24 - [box score] - Presentation Tournament
01-20-2012 - SEAS 56, St. Roberts 38 - [box score] - Presentation Tournament
01-16-2012 - OLA 38, SEAS 30 - [box score] - Jesuit Jr Classic Tournament
01-15-2012 - St. Ignatius 44, SEAS 35 - [box score] - Jesuit Jr Classic Tournament
01-14-2012 - SEAS 48, St. Mary's 43 - [box score] - Jesuit Jr Classic Tournament
01-13-2012 - SEAS 52, Holy Spirit 47 - [box score] - League
01-08-2012 - SEAS 40, St. John Vianney 12 - [box score] - Jesuit Jr Classic Tournament

2010 PAL JV Comp SEAS Eagles Game Log
2011 PAL Varsity Comp SEAS Eagles Game Log

Second ESPN 30 for 30 Documentary Series?

Starting in October of 2009, ESPN ran a series of documentaries that they called 30 for 30. I really enjoyed a large number of the films.

Twice in the last month, I have seen a reference to a second 30 for 30 series. In his week 17 NFL column, Bill Simmons predicts for 2012 that ESPN will launch a second 30 for 30 documentary series in October. At the 35:05 mark of his December 9 podcast with Michael Rapaport, Bill Simmons says that ESPN is starting the next 30 for 30 in October.

Elizabeth L. (Betty) Ellis

Sharon's parents lived around the corner from Jim and Betty Ellis. She and her brother Tim grew up and went to school with their son and daughter. We had dinner with their son when we were in Washington D.C. in July. Betty's husband Jim passed away in 2008.

ELLIS, Elizabeth L. (Betty) Passed away on 12/19/11 after a brief illness at the age of 81. Dear husband James W. (Jim) Ellis, preceded her in death; survived by son James W. Ellis III of Fairfax, Virginia, daughter Jane Ellis of Sacramento, and granddaughter Jacqueline Ellis, of Arlington, Virginia. Treasured niece Mary Hanson of Carmichael held her hand as she passed. Her other nieces and nephews always put a smile on her face and love in her heart.

Betty, a woman of incredible strength, love, and compassion, grew up in Walnut Grove, California where beloved grandfather and family patriarch, Joseph Gwerder, farmed the Delta. She spent many happy and peaceful days there with her adored aunts, uncles, and cousins, making many wonderful friendships that lasted faithfully to her dying day. Professionally, she held positions at the Pacific Fruit Exchange and Weight Watchers, International.

There will be no visitation and a Catholic Mass will be said on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 58th and M streets, Sacramento, beginning at 10 am. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Sacramento Food Bank and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Ma, I never thought I would say this but I will miss you telling me what to do!