Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Halloween 2006

Jack and I went out about 6:20 p.m. to trick or treat in our neighborhood, while Sharon manned the door. We immediately met up with a group that included one of Jack's classmates. We spent about 40 minutes with the group hitting the houses on our block. Afterwards, Jack had a great time answering the door and giving out candy to other kids.

 

Halloween 2005

Halloween 2004

Halloween 2003

Halloween 2002

Halloween 2001

Sunday, October 29, 2006

A Bit of France in the Fall

Here is Sharon's menu from Saturday night's dinner party. The only thing that she was less than satisfied with were the two red wines that we served with the foie gras and the duck. We decanted both of them, but Sharon felt that they had an industrial taste to them.


Hors d'Oeuvres
~~~
Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut
Taittinger, Champagne


Pan Seared Foie Gras
With Figs & Essence of Figs Puree
~~~
Domaine Des Tours
Coté de Rhône


Cantaloupe, Procsciutto
& Mint Shooter


Crisp Roast Duck
With Confit of Sour Cherries
~~~
Baron De La Charriere
Red Burgurdy


Variety of French Cheeses
~~~
Grand Reserve Sancerre


Cherries Jubilee
~~~
Heerings Cherry Liqueur

Saturday, October 28, 2006

2006 Fall Dinner Party

Going back a number of years [2005, 2004, 2003, 2002], we have had an ambitious fall dinner party. We had a great group this year, including the Cunninghams, Gainsleys, and Sanborns. While we were getting ready for the party, both Sharon and I lamented the absence of the Bells and the Larkins.

Sharon made a great dinner with a French theme. We served French Champagne and wine and some French dishes that we had while we were traveling in France this past summer. I am going to post the menu separately.

The weather was so nice that the group ended up outside in the backyard after dinner. We had a great time with party breaking up a little after 11:30 p.m.

 
 
 

Champagne Flutes

Champagne Flutes
Champagne Flutes

2006 Soccer Season Game 8

Jack played in his sixth soccer game of the season. The game was at Rancho Murietta. He played fullback in the first quarter, forward in the second period, and goalie in the fourth quarter.

With the score tied at 0 in the second quarter, Jack scored the first goal of the game. One of his teammates made a shot which bounced off a defender and Jack pushed it into the goal. He had one other good shot opportunity, but sailed it wide. Jack also had an assist on the second goal that his team scored.

In the second half, the other team was unable to move the ball across midfield. As a result, Jack and his teammate who played goalie in the third quarter never touched the ball. Jack spent the whole fourth quarter digging a hole in the ground with shoe. He was not happy that he did not get to touch the ball.

The team's record is now 8 wins and no losses.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Wrigley Field

In June of 1989, Tomasin, Wallen, Nooter, Moore, Swedberg and I spent a long weekend in Chicago.

The trip included two Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field, a Saturday night listening to blues downtown and a Sunday morning wandering along Lake Michigan.

Wrigley field is very cool. Even for the causal baseball fan, it is an experience not to be missed. I also enjoyed the wandering the bars and restaurants in the neighborhood around the ballpark.

Saturday night includes one of my favorite vignettes. We were sitting in the back of one of the clubs listening to blues. At the break, the band and its entourage ended up squeezing into the same space. The drummer set his drumsticks down next to Nooter; he picked them up. The old black drummer quietly reached over and took the drumsticks from Nooter and handed him a different pair to play with...

Thursday, October 26, 2006

October 2006 Pack Meeting

Jack and I went to the October meeting of his cub scout pack. All of the kids wore their Halloween costumes. There was a short awards presentation and then the kids did a number of activities, including making slime, decorating cookies like eyeballs, building a spider out of pipe cleaners and a relay race to put together a skeleton.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

CA Historical Landmark #48

Anza Expedition Camp
California State Historical Landmark #48

The state web site shows this historical landmark at the corner of El Camino Real and Ralston in Burlingame, while the de Anza trail guide for San Mateo County points two blocks west to Heritage Park.

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps 

The Anza Expedition of 1776, on its way up the peninsula to locate sites for the Presidio and Mission of San Francisco, camped here on March 26 at a dry watercourse a short league beyond Arroyo de San Mateo.

San Mateo County Landmarks

California State Historical Landmarks in San Mateo County
{GPS Coordinates of Site Location}

*NO. 2 Portolá Journey's End - [map] - {37.447817,-122.170883}
*NO. 19 Brokerick-Terry Dueling Place - [map] - {37.708166,-122.484166}
*NO. 21 Portolá Expedition Camp - [map] - {37.4727,-122.44653}
NO. 22 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
NO. 23 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
NO. 24 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
NO. 25 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
NO. 26 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
*NO. 27 Portolá Expedition Camp - [map] - {37.589,-122.413166}
*NO. 47 Anza Expedition Camp - [map] - {37.5621,-122.328883}
NO. 48 Anza Expedition Camp - [map]
*NO. 92 Portolá Expedition Camp - [map] - {37.4835,-122.3165}
NO. 93 WOODSIDE STORE
NO. 94 PORTOLÁ EXPEDITION CAMP
NO. 343 OLD STORE AT LA HONDA
NO. 375 TUNITAS BEACH, INDIAN VILLAGE SITE ON PORTOLÁ ROUTE
NO. 391 SÁNCHEZ ADOBE
NO. 393 The Hospice (Outpost of Mission Dolores) - [map] - {37.56500,-122.32795}
NO. 394 SITE OF THE DISCOVERY OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY
NO. 474 SITE OF THE FORMER VILLAGE OF SEARSVILLE
NO. 478 SITE OF SAN MATEO COUNTY'S FIRST SAWMILL
NO. 816 UNION CEMETERY
NO. 825 CASA DE TABLETA
NO. 846 Burlingame Railroad Station - [map]
NO. 856 RALSTON HALL
*NO. 886 Carolands - [map] - {37.55508,-122.37085}
NO. 906 STEELE BROTHERS DAIRY RANCHES
*NO. 907 Filoli - [map] - {37.4705,-122.309834}
NO. 909 OUR LADY OF THE WAYSIDE
NO. 930 PIGEON POINT LIGHTHOUSE {37° 10.914′ N, 122° 23.58′ W}
NO. 934 Tanforan Assembly Center - [map] - {37.63555,-122.4193}
NO. 939 CAPIDRO
NO. 949 FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF PESCADERO {37° 15.273′ N, 122° 23′ W}
NO. 955 MENLO PARK RAILROAD STATION

List of California Counties

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

2006 Kings versus Hornets

Kurt Snipes and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets preseason game. After trailing most of the game, the Hornets won 84 to 81.

Stojakovic gave the Hornets an 82-81 lead on a fall-away shot from near the free throw line with 25.4 seconds left. It was Peja's first game back in Sacramento since being traded for Ron Artest last January. It was also fun to see Bobby Jackson playing for the Hornets; he played 20 minutes and scored 13 points.

Both coaches played the game like it was a regular season game. Artest and Martin played more than 40 minutes. Without Bibby or Miller in the line-up, Musselman started Salmons at point guard and Abdur-Rahim at center. I was not impressed with Salmons play at point guard. It is going to interesting to see what the Kings do over the next couple of weeks while Bibby is out.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Different Realities

With a number of different things going on at work, I sat and talked to one of my managers about the struggles of supervising people. Winding my way through a number of personal and professional life experiences, I have come to accept that people have different realities. No matter how hard you try or how long you talk, it is sometimes not possible to reconcile those different realities. After making a good faith effort, you have to stop agonizing over the differences and move on.
"The idea that one person's mind is accessible to another's is just a conversational illusion, just a figure of speech, an assumption that makes some kind of exchange between basically alien creatures seems plausible, and that really the relationship of one person to another is ultimately unknowable."

Pirsig, Robert. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Bibby to miss first two weeks

Kings' Bibby (thumb) likely to miss first two weeks:
Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby is expected to miss the first two weeks of the regular season after injuring his right thumb in an exhibition game Sunday night.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Sac Kings 2006 Forecast

ESPN -Hollinger's 2006 Training Camp Sacramento Kings Forecast
Sacramento can make a playoff run if nobody gets hurt in the frontcourt and Artest and Bibby perform near the top of their range, but everybody in the West can make an argument along those lines. The most likely scenario is that they limp home a couple games short of .500, and a couple games short of a playoff spot.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

2006 Soccer Season Game 7

Jack played in his fifth soccer game of the season. He missed last week's game while we were gone on our anniversary trip. Jack played forward in the second quarter, fullback in the third quarter and midfielder in the fourth quarter.

His team fell behind quickly with the other team scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game. The other team scored a second goal in first quarter and they were down by a score of 0 to 2. Jack's team scored two goals in the second quarter to tie the score at 2 to 2 at halftime. Falling behind 3 to 2 in the third quarter, his team scored 3 unanswered goals to win 5 to 3. While not as cleanly played as two weeks ago, it was an exciting game to watch.

Jack had two good shots in the second quarter, but did not get his foot on ball solidly enough to score. In the third quarter, he had an odd assist. Jack was playing fullback. While his team was attacking, the ball was kicked out to midfield. He got his left foot on the ball and centered it back into the other end of the field where his teammate with the strongest foot drove it into the goal.

The team is still undefeated. Their record for the season is 7 wins and no losses.


DUI charges for Musselman

New Kings coach Musselman arrested on DUI charges

Most Expensive Combo Meal

The Maloofs starring in The World's Most Expensive Combo Meal from Carl's Jr.

Friday, October 20, 2006

New Sutter Health CIO

It has been an interesting year at work. The Sutter Health CIO, my boss, quit in early January to work for Perot. In the ensuing nine months, three of my peers have left the company. In late September, a permanent replacement for the CIO was finally hired.

Sutter Health hires chief information officer

[The following story appeared on page D2 of the Business Section of the Sacramento Bee on October 12.]

Sutter names new CIO

Sutter Health announced Wednesday the appointment of Jonathan Manis as its new chief information officer.

Manis, who has over 20 years of experience in health care related information technology, spent the past five years at Illinois-based Provena Health, where he was system vice president of administrative services and also the CIO. Before that, he was vice president of information services at Advocate Health Center, another Illinois health system.

Manis will be in charge of Sutter Health's existing "administrative, operational and clinical support systems," according to a Sutter press release. In addition, he will oversee Sutter's future investments in patient safety technologies.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

3rd Grade: Art Lesson A

Sharon spent the afternoon as an art docent in Jack's class. The lesson introduced a more in depth look at portraiture. The kids examined a variety of portraits and distinguished them from other art forms. They also discussed why artists make portraits. The class examined and analyzed what visual clues reveal about the people in a variety of portraits.

When we were at the Louvre, Sharon and Jack bought a poster of the Mona Lisa; they planned to use it in one of the art docent lessons. She used it today as part of the lesson on portraits. Jack surprised Sharon by sharing with the class a long description of seeing the Mona Lisa.

The lesson looked at four other portraits: American Gothic by Frank Wood; Don Manuel by Francisco de Goya; and George Washington [shown below] and The Skater by Gilbert Stuart.


For their art projects, the kids created a personalized portrait.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

California Historical Landmark #724

Pioneer Ski Area of America
California State Historical Landmark #724

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This landmark is located adjacent to the lobby entrance of cable car building at base of mountain in Squaw Valley in Placer County. There are 20 other California State Historical Landmarks in Placer County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 39° 11.801 W 120° 14.150.

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



One thousand competitors from 34 nations came to Squaw Valley to compete in the VIII Olympic Winter Games of 1960. The games, brought here by Alexander C. Cushing, commemorated a century of sport skiing in America. By 1860 mining towns in the Sierra Nevada, particularly Whiskey Diggings, Poker Flat, Port Wine, Onion Valley, La Porte, and Johnsville, saw the first organized ski clubs and competition in the Western hemisphere.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Shirley Lake Hike Map

Using data downloaded from the garmin, I put together a topo map of Saturday's Shirley Lake hike. If you look at the larger copy of the map, you can see the Squaw Valley Tram across the bottom and the Shirley Lake chairlift dropping down to the lake on the left side.

About 0.50 miles from the lake, the hike gains about 600 feet in less than a quarter of a mile. We were scrambling up some granite sheets during this section of the hike.

click on the map for a larger copy!

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Squaw Creek Day 3

We had a bagel in the deli, packed up and checked out of the room. We rented mountain bikes at the hotel and rode to Sunnyside for brunch.

There is a bike trail the whole way from the hotel to Sunnyside. It was about 8.5 miles one way and almost 5 miles was along the banks of the Truckee River. In total, we covered 17.12 miles in in 1 hours and 51 minutes at an average speed of 9.3 miles per hour.



We were back to the car by about 1:30 p.m. and back in Sacramento by 3:30 p.m. Jack was staying with Sharon's brother. We showed up at their house just as they were kicking off an Octoberfest party. We spent the rest of the afternoon there and wandered home about 8:00 p.m.

Moblog Octoberfest

Moblog Sunnyside

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Squaw Creek Day 2

After the Shirley Lake Hike, we wandered through the Squaw Valley Village to check on bike rentals and then headed back to the hotel. Sharon had a massage at the spa. Afterwards, we sat in the lobby of the hotel and watched the sunset.

We finished the day having dinner at Graham's. Sharon had a filet of beef, while I had lamb chops.

Shirley Lake Hike

Map of the Shirley Lake Hike

We had breakfast in the Six Peaks Grille at the hotel, got some deli sandwiches and drove to the trailhead for the Shirley Lake Hike. The trailhead is just west of the Squaw Valley Tram.

We hiked almost exactly 2 1/2 miles with a climb of 1,300 feet in 1 hour and 45 minutes to Shirley Lake. The hike is a mix of terrain, including some easy forested trail, some bouldering and a section of scrambling over a sheet of granite. There were some nice sections along the creek in the first mile. Even this time of year, there were some small waterfalls and quiet pools.

The lake is at the bottom of the Squaw Valley Shirley Lake ski run. We sat in the sun on a rock that sticks out into the lake and had lunch. It took us almost 1 hour and 40 minutes to hike back down. We were both surprised that we did not make better time on the way back.

If you look at the bigger version of the first picture shown below, you can see the hotel that we were staying at in the distance! This picture was taken at about the two mile mark. You are looking back down the canyon that we had hiked up.

Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California 
Shirley Lake Hike Squaw Valley California

Moblog Shirley Lake Hike

Friday, October 13, 2006

Squaw Creek Day 1

Leaving Jack with his cousins, Sharon and I took off for Squaw Creek Resort to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

After checking into the hotel, we enjoyed a bottle of champagne that we had bought while champagne tasting outside Reims, France this summer. We ended up with several bottles of champagne and wine over the course of the trip that I carried around in my backpack and dragged back home.

We had a late anniversary dinner at the Plumpjack Cafe near the tram in Squaw Valley. Sharon had a duck breast entree that she loved, while I had lamb shank.

Moblog Squaw Creek

10th Wedding Anniversary

Sharon and I were married ten years ago today.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Unfold on iTunes

From: Andrew Heringer

Just a quick note to say:

that the new album "UNFOLD" is now up at the itunes store for you fans of the digital downloads... all 11 songs for $9.99.

you can follow this link or just search "andrew heringer" on itunes.

there are some reviews of the album going up at CDBaby by people who already have UNFOLD. take a minute and check out the great reviews at the bottom of the page...or if you already have the album write one yourself as well.

we got some shows coming up in san luis obispo in early november and hopefully some sac area shows will be lined up in december.

thanks for letting me rank
-da ringer

www.andrewheringer.com
www.myspace.com/andrewheringer

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

CA Historical Landmark #468

Michigan Bar
California State Historical Landmark #468

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This landmark is located 0.1 mile east of State Highway 16 (P.M. 22.4) on Michigan Bar Road. There are 57 other California State Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 29.176 W 121° 03.175.

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


Gold was discovered on the Cosumnes River in 1848 by two men from Michigan in the vicinity of the historic Nisenan settlement of Palamul. In the 1850s the town of Michigan Bar was the largest in Cosumnes Township, with as many as 1500 people. By 1880 the town had declined but retained its post office, Wells Fargo Office, and important pottery works. Little remained by the 20th century and much of the town was destoryed by hydraulic mining and dredging. The Michigan Bar School was in use until the 1940s.

The Michigan Bar Mining District

The Michigan Bar Mining District covered a vast area roughly between the towns of Michigan Bar and Sloughhouse. The district's placer gold deposits were mined extensively between 1849 and 1900, primarily by hydraulic and ground sluicing techniques. Dredging was another successful technique and extended the district's mining life in the 1950s. Total gold production is this district has been estimated at over 1,500,00 ounces.

Placer mining followed the typical sequence of starting with easily reached river deposits. Once those deposits were exhausted, miners turned to nearby gulches but had to haul their dirt to the rivers for processing. The construction of ditches made it possible to work deposits far from the water sources and the first in the Michigan Bar area was completed in 1851. The Prairie Ditch, still visible near here, was completed in 1858, and signaled the beginning of the hydraulic mining in the area.

Miners and their families were a diverse group from the United States and Canada, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific Islands. Native Americans continued to live in the vicinity for some years after the discovery of gold led to the loss of their homelands. Some no doubt worked for miners and ranchers in the Michigan Bar District. Several African American mining families also lived in Michigan Bar for many years.

This 1860s photograph of hydraulic mining in the Michigan Bar Mining District is presented courtesy of the California Department of Mines and Geology. If you look up from the photograph you'll see a remnant hydraulic scarp not unlike the one depicted. The power of the pressurized water against the hillsides, combined with additional water arriving from miles away through ditch systems, made it much easier to break down soils and process them for the gold they contained. But the technique also created tons of debris, much of which made its way into the river system, depositing silt and flooding croplands. Only after a major lawsuit filed by Sacramento and San Joaquin valley farmers was California hydraulic mining curtailed in 1884.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Serrano County Club

For the second year in a row, I played golf in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Charity Golf Tournament at Serrano County Club. The foursome included two of my peers and the CFO from one of our hospitals in the bay area.

We were 5 over for the day. We had six bogeys and one birdie.

This is probably the worst golf I have played in several years. Physically, I did not feel good and could never get myself on track.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

2006 Kings Ticket Draw

We held the conference call on Friday to split up this year's Kings season tickets. I used freeconferencecall.com to hold the call and it worked extremely well.

I have talked in the past about the odd composition of the group. I think that this is the tenth year I have participated.

With Sharon's ex-husband's death in January, the composition of the group has changed again. We added a parent of one of Jack's classmates who also works for the same set of companies as I do.

Jack drew some names out of a hat on Friday morning to set the order for the ticket draw: Mike, Sharon/Tim, me and Jeana.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

At Davis Ranch

Fall Decorations

After soccer, we went out to Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse to get decorations for the fall dinner parties. We finished the day watching The Wild.

2006 Soccer Season Game 5

Jack played in his fourth soccer game of the season. After missing last week's game recovering from an injury, Jack played midfielder in the first period and forward in the third quarter. The Cunningham's son was on the other team.

This was the best youth soccer game I have seen in the last three years. The other team scored first and it was a see-saw battle from there. At the end of the third quarter, it was tied at 4 to 4. Both teams passed the ball and maintained their spacing extremely well.

With their strongest player at forward in the fourth quarter, Jack's team broke the game open. They scored three goals to win by a score of 7 to 4. The team has a record of 5 wins and 0 losses.


Friday, October 06, 2006

CA Historical Landmark #365

Lockeford (Locke's Ford)
California State Historical Landmark #365

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It was on this hill that Dr. Dean Jewett Locke and his brother Elmer H. Locke built the first cabin of this section in 1851. Disturbed by grizzly bears, they spent their first nights in the oak trees. Dr. Locke, physician for the Boston and Newton Joint Stock Company, left Boston April 16, 1849, crossing the Plains. Arriving at Sacramento, Sept. 16, 1849 he built and maintained a ford across the Mokelumne River and because of this fact his wife, Delia Hammond Locke in 1859 named the town he layed out on his ranch Lockeford.

Luther Locke, his father, was postmaster of the first postoffice established in 1861. Dr. Locke was born in Langdon N.H. April 16 1823 and died at Lockeford May 4 1887.

Liquidate Tower Records

Group plans to liquidate Tower Records
After a lengthy auction stretching over two days, a federal bankruptcy judge on Friday approved the sale of California-based Tower Records to Great American Group, which plans to liquidate the music retailer.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

October District Roundtable

Last spring as I was finishing up the RCIA process, I told the leader of Jack's cub scout pack that I would be willing to help out next year. When I repeated the offer this fall, they assigned me the job of going to the monthly District Round Table Meeting. I attended this meeting for the first time tonight.

The round table is a meeting of representatives of all the boy scout and cub scout packs in the district. Jack's pack is in the Soaring Eagle District of the Golden Empire Council. The meeting started with a general session that focused on the rechartering process, leadership training and Webelos transition. The meeting then broke up into different groups; I attended the cub scout roundtable. The session focused on the theme for November, Cubs in Shining Armor.

Key bidder drops out

Key bidder drops out of Tower auction
One of the key bidders dropped out of the Tower Records bankruptcy auction Thursday. Radius Equity Partners, a Chicago investment firm that intended to revive Tower, said it couldn't obtain financing in time. The auction began early Thursday at Tower's law firm in Wilmington, Delaware.

Tower auction today

Tower Records hits auction block today
Tower Records should learn today whether it survives or goes out of business.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

My Father

My father, Richard (Dick) Heringer, was born in 1933. He was the youngest of eight sons of Stephen and Mable Heringer. He graduated from the University of California at Davis. After spending six months in the Army in Georgia, he returned to farm with his five surviving brothers [Frederick, Wilfred, Lester, James and Robert] and his five first cousins [Donald, John Jr., George, Ned and Jenette Heringer].

The 6 brothers and 5 cousins expanded the operation purchasing more land in the Delta and in Butte County. The main crops farmed in this generation where tomatoes, alfalfa, pears, peaches, prunes, corn, wheat, safflower, asparagus, and sugar beats. I was raised in Butte County on an 1,800 acre farm of peaches, pears and pears.

The family helped revolutionize tomato harvesting with the innovation and development of the mechanical Blackwelder tomato harvester. The ranch also developed a feed mill pelletizing alfalfa for sale to dairies in Petaluma and for export to Japan.

Richard sold out of the family business in 1976. He spent the next ten years pursuing his passions of duck hunting and fishing, particularly fly fishing. He died in June of 1986.

Stephen Heringer (My Grandfather)
Joseph Heringer (My Great Grandfather)
John Heringa (My Great, Great Grandfather)

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Raingutter Regatta Video

Here is a short video of Jack racing his catamaran at the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta on Sunday!

Monday, October 02, 2006

Cowtown Half Marathon Maps

Using the Garmin GPS, I generated topo and satellite maps from the Sacramento Cowtown Half Marathon run on Sunday. During the race, I was surprised how far we ran along the river on the levee.

click on the maps for a larger copy!

Sunday, October 01, 2006

2006 Raingutter Regatta

After I got home from running the half marathon, we took off for the cub scout picnic and raingutter regatta. The kids had a potato sack race, threw wet sponges at each other and played football before lunch.

After lunch, the pack held the raingutter regatta. As you can see from the picture of all the boats, Jack had the only catamaran. Originally, I was going to see if they would let Jack race both his traditional and catamaran boats. Due to the seeding, they made him pick one boat to race. He choose the catamaran.

Jack raced four times and won all four races. He got better and better with the boat as the day went on. In his second race, he blew into the sail and the boat went almost half way down the course; there was an audible grasp from the group. Jack won first place in his bear den.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the pack decides to institute rules that outlaw catamarans next year. One of the parents from our den kidded that there would be a "Heringer Rule" next year.

After the boats race, the kids had an ice cream sundae eating contest in which they were not allowed to use their hands!

 
 

2006 Cowtown Half Marathon

As part of training for some goals that I have for next year, I ran the Sacramento Cowtown Half Marathon. My garmin GPS showed that I ran 13.30 miles in 1:55:07 for an average pace of 8:39. The official results have me covering the half marathon distance of 13.11 miles in 1:55:09 for an average pace of 8:47.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with my time. I have been struggling with my speed in training and had some trepidation about what kind of pace I would be able to carry in a race.