Saturday, January 31, 2009

2009 Laguna Youth Baseball Tryouts

Jack and I spent the middle part of the day at the Laguna Youth baseball tryouts for 10 year olds. This will be Jack's seventh year of organized baseball. Additionally, he played a season of summer ball and fall tournament baseball last year. It is the third year that he has gone to the tryouts.

There were more than 40 kids. They had each boy catch two fly balls in the outfield and throw to second, field two grounders at shortstop and throw to first and then take two throws at first. After the fielding, they lined up all of the kids, gave them three pitches against a pitching machine and then had them run the bases after the third pitch.

Jack looked very smooth taking balls in the outfield and the infield. The two grounders ate him up a little, but they stayed with both and made strong throws. At the plate, he swung at the first pitch, drove the second pitch in left center and fouled off the third pitch.

I was surprised how uncomfortable most of the kids looked. While Jack looks and moves like a baseball player, most of the kids acted like they had never seen a glove, ball or bat before.

I spend some time talking with one of the assistant coaches from the Gunners tournament team. He is planning on coaching majors this year and noted that most of the 11 year olds looked just as awkward. He also made the point that we have spent the last six months watching tournament baseball against the toughest teams in Northern California. As a result, our reference point for judging players has changed. I spent most of the rest of the tryout talking to Cunningham; his son was also participating.

This year, the league is starting a new division called Minor. It is between Majors and AAA. The Minor division is supposed to include 8 teams stocked with 11 year olds and some 10 year olds. I am pretty sure that this is where Jack will end up.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Camino de Cruces

As I have mentioned before, on the mornings that I drop Jack at school, he and I will often listen to PRI's The World Geo Quiz Podcast.

This morning's Geo Quiz titled the Gold Road talked about the Camino de Cruces. This is the shortest land route across Panama to get from the Caribbean to the Pacific. Built by the Spanish over 500 hundred years ago, Spanish conquistadors hauled off South American gold and other loot along this route to their awaiting treasure fleets. Pirates used it to flee to the Caribbean. It was even traveled by gold prospectors heading for the California Gold Rush.

It is also on the path that my Great, Great Grandfather took to get from Holland to Sacramento in 1868. I told Jack that someday we are going to hike on this trail.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Map of Royal Gorge Cross Country Skiing

Sharon and Janie cross country skied at Royal Gorge earlier this month. Using data from the Garmin Forerunner 201, I put together the following google map, topo map and screens shots from google earth. Sharon and I are planning to take a week day in early February to go cross country skiing at Royal Gorge.


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Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Emiliana Torrini - Big Jumps

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Emiliana Torrini - Big Jumps

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

California Historical Landmark #614

Jack and I stopped here on the way back from Gunner's batting practice in Natomas.

Stanford-Lathrop Home
California State Historical Landmark #614

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

This landmark is located at 800 N Street, Sacramento, California. There are 57 other California State Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 34.584 W 121° 29.866.

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


The house was originally designed in 1857 by Seth Babson and was purchased by Leland Stanford in 1861. It served as the state executive office from 1861 to 1867, before the completion of the State Capitol. It was later extensively remodeled and enlarged. In 1900 Jane Lathrop Stanford gave the house to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento to create the Stanford-Lathrop Memorial Home for Friendless Children.

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Weather Station Back On-line

From late 2001 to the fall of 2007, there was a small weather station running in our backyard. Partly through neglect and partly due to the ravishes of the elements, the monitors started to fail. I eventually took the system off-line.

For my birthday, Sharon gave me a replacement system. I got everything back and up and running the following weekend.

The system posts data to the internet in two places. A summary page showing graphs for the last 24 hours is available here; it is updated every 30 minutes. Data from the weather station is also posted on a Weather Underground site here.

Big Tree at Cakeshop

[Morgan's band is appearing in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Thursday night.]

Friends! Come hear Big Tree's first show of 2009 at Cakeshop this Thursday night. We're playing with Brooklyn indie rockers The Art of Shooting! This is the first NYC show where we'll have our new record for sale, so come by and check it out!

We're playing at 9 o'clock at Cakeshop, which is on Ludlow between Stanton and Rivington in the lower East side.

We're very excited for this show - don't miss it!

Also cake is tasty.

Much love to you all from Big Tree!

Monday, January 26, 2009

NBA Power Rankings 2008-2009 Week 13

At 10-35, these Kings are on pace to challenge for the worst record in franchise history that is held by the Cincinnati Royals of 1958-59 (19-53 in a 72-game season) and the 1959-60 Royals (19-56 in a 75-game schedule). They are also on pace to become the worst team in the Sacramento era – the 1989-90 Kings went 23-59.

The Kings dropped two spots to 30th in Marc Stein's weekly power rankings of NBA teams; they are ranked as the worst team in the league.

NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association - ESPN
The good news: Brad Miller hasn't done his trade value any harm by averaging a passable 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds in January. The bad news: Kings opponents in January are rumbling for 113.8 points per game.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

2009 PAL JV Rec Basketball Game #3


Jack played in his third JV Rec Basketball game of the 2009 PAL season. They played against Our Lady of Assumption (Blue). All of the games this year are played at the Our Lady of Assumption school in Carmichael.

The Eagles won by a score of 32 to 16. Jack continues to play the 2 in the first line. He played the first and third periods and had 4 points on 2 for 5 shooting. Jack missed his first three shots. Several of these were nice looking wide open jumpers that were down in the cylinder and bounced out. The last two baskets that he made were runners in traffic. The last basket climbed up and over the rim.

The first line spread the floor a little better this week. On a number of plays, the ball actually got swung back to Jack on the weak side of the court. Jack had a couple of nice rebounds, passes and assists.

It appears that the other team was made up of all sixth graders (Jack's team is all fifth graders), including three very large kids. Jack spent the first quarter guarding a player that was at least six inches taller and 35 pounds heavier.

At the end of the first leg of the tour

From Heringer's Blog

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Celebrating Sharon's Birthday


Tim, Kathy, Erin, Tom, Becky, Eric, Sharon, Jack and I went to Rudy's Hideaway for dinner to celebrate Sharon's birthday. I have driven by this restaurant for more than 30 years but had never been to dinner there. Sharon said that she liked it well enough that she would go back again.

Afterwards, we went to Tom's for some German chocolate cake.

Pale Rider

Running on the treadmill, I watched the second half of Pale Rider as an HD rental on the AppleTV. The title is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as the rider of a pale horse is Death.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Life of Brian

Running on the treadmill, I watched Monty Python's Life of Brian as a rental on the AppleTV.

Disneyland!

Sharon flew to Burbank Thursday night. She and Janie spent Friday at Disneyland celebrating Sharon's birthday. They had a great time in spite of pouring rain in the morning and larger than expected crowds.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

California Historical Landmark #613

Site of the Congregational Church
California State Historical Landmark #613

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

This landmark is located at 915 6th Street, Sacramento, California. There are 57 other California State Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 34.942 W 121° 29.904.

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

 

Sacramento's first church was built across the street from this site in 1849. It was replaced at this location in 1854, when the original building was destroyed by fire. Services were held here until the 1920's.

The Pioneer Memorial Congregational Church is presently located across the street from Sutter's Fort.

The founder of the First Congregational Church was the Rev. Joseph A. Benton. He began his long career in Sacramento in July 1849. Rev. Benton's interests included education as well as religious activities. He taught at one of the first schools in Sacramento.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Jennifer O'Connor - Always In Your Mind

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Jennifer O'Connor - Always In Your Mind

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

5th Grade: Art Lesson E

Sharon spent last Friday afternoon working as the art docent for Jack's class. The lesson examined how artists tell stories with art. The class examined the works of several African American artists, including: Banjo Player by Henry Tanner; Domino Players by Horace Pippen; and, Boy with Tire by Hughie Lee-Smith.




The art project focused on creating texture in a picture. Jack drew a picture of two boys playing marbles.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Skiing at Northstar Video #1

For Christmas, Jack's uncle Tim gave him an Oregon Scientific video camera that includes mounts to be used on bikes and helmets. We used it when he was tubing with the boy scouts.

When I went to North Star, I mounted the camera on the top of my helmet and skied with it all day. I have about 20 minutes of video from four different runs. One of the four runs in embedded below.

The video is rough in spots. I tend to wear the strap on my helmet a little loose. I think that the video would be steadier if I tightened my chin strap.

We run into Hunter at the end of the video. Meeting Hunter starts in motion a chain of events that leads to our biggest excitement of the day!

NBA Power Rankings 2008-2009 Week 12

The Kings dropped one spot to 28th in Marc Stein's weekly power rankings of NBA teams. They are now ahead of only the Wizards and Clippers.

NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association - ESPN
The Arizona Cardinals of the NBA? According to ESPN Research, it's the Kings. This franchise, dating to its Royals days, has persisted for 57 seasons without a title, just shy of the Cards' 61-season title drought.

Skiing at Northstar Pic #5

Sunday, January 18, 2009

2009 PAL JV Rec Basketball Game #2

After spending a couple of hours at Gunners practice in the morning, Jack played in his second JV Rec Basketball game of the 2009 season in the afternoon. The Eagles played against St. Joseph.

The Eagles won by a score of 41 to 17. Jack jammed his fingers diving for a ball early in the first period and ended up playing parts of the first, second and third periods. He was 0 for 2 from the field and 0 for 2 from the free throw line. Jack had three very nice assists.

There were a large number of hard fouls by the other team. Combined with the fact that they are playing on a very small court and the other team would swarm the ball, it was a ragged game.

As a team, the Eagles missed a huge number of free throws. I think that they were something like 3 for 15 from the charity stripe.

Jack remains a little frustrated with the first platoon. He feels like he never gets the ball in the offensive sets.

To Royal Gorge

Sharon and Janie spent the day cross country skiing at Royal Gorge.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Friday, January 16, 2009

Cento Cocina Mexicana

Sharon, Jack and I finished the day by going to dinner at Centro Cocina Mexicana to celebrate my birthday.

Lunch with Wong to talk about the Gunners

I had lunch with Randy Wong at the Mission Rogelio Mexican Restaurant in Rancho Cordova. I think that the restaurant has actually changed names.

His son came to one of the Gunners try-outs. Randy is still considering having Aaron play with the team and he wanted to pick my brain on a list of issues before deciding.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Man Down [2009 Northstar Day 2]

Larkin and I got up about 7:30 a.m. We wandered down to the village, got our lift tickets and some coffee and tea at Starbucks. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., we were on the gondola heading up the mountain. The base of the gondola is in building with Hunter's condo. We put on ski boots on in the room, took the elevator to the lobby, collected our skis from a locker and walked 10 steps to load into the gondola. very cool...

Larkin and I had a great two hours and a half hours of skiing. Hunter called and we met up with him at the bottom of the Comstock Express Chairlift in the middle of the mountain about 11:30 a.m. Unfortunately, things went south from this point.

On our second run on the backside on the Polaris trail, Hunter had a nasty fall.

There is some confusion about what actually happened. I was very far behind Larkin and Hunter, Larkin only saw part of the crash out of the corner of his eye and Hunter does not remember what happened very clearly.

As I skied towards Larkin, he was gathering up skis and poles and I can remember thinking "what is he doing?" since he had his skis on. Larkin started waving and pointing downhill. As I cleared the next rise, I saw Hunter along the tree line about 150 yards below us.

I was the first person to Hunter. He was face down, unconscious and bleeding from his mouth, nose and cuts on his face. He was laying with the pole under his throat which was making it difficult for him to breathe. Without moving him, another skier and I made a decision to dig the pole out. This helped his breathing. At this point, I was very worried about his right arm; it seemed to be at an odd angle.

Larkin eventually skied down with Hunter's skis and one pole. We kept talking to him. Although it is difficult to judge, it was four or five minutes before he started to respond to his name and open his eyes. We told him to lay still and not move.

Within about 10 minutes, the ski patrol was there. After checking him out to make sure that there were no spinal injuries, they got him sitting up. He had a bad concussion; he did not know where he was or what day of the week it was. The ski patrol loaded him into a sled and took him to the bottom of the hill. From there, they loaded him onto a different sled behind a snowmobile and took him to meet an ambulance which transported him to the hospital.

I was able to get Robbie's (Hunter's oldest son) cell phone number from Hunter as they were loading him in the sled. Larkin and I took the chair to the top of the backside and left a message for Robbie.

The ski patrol told us they would call and let us know which hospital they were taking Hunter to. At this point, Larkin and I stopped for some lunch and a beer.

Trading messages with Robbie, they figured out where Hunter was and they headed to the hospital. Larkin and I decided we would continue skiing until we heard from them once they got to hospital.

We ended up skiing until 4:00 p.m. We stopped back at the condo to change and pack up our gear. We headed to the hospital to check on Hunter. Hunter ended up with two broken ribs and a punctured lung. He also had a bad case of road rash on his face and the side of his head.

We headed back to Sacramento. I got home about 7:30 p.m. The kids were able to get Bobbie out of the hospital and back to the condo that night.

There are a couple of postscripts on the day. Larkin and I ski with helmets. Hunter was not wearing a helmet.

Larkin is retired and has worked as a ski instructor the last two years. He has skied over 130 days in the last two years. I have skied with Larkin for 27 years. Larkin skis hard and fast. I always have to work to keep pace with him.

On the run that Hunter crashed, I actually pulled up and stopped chasing them several minutes before Hunter crashed. In all of the years that I have skied with Larkin, it is only time I can remember actually thinking we are moving too fast.

Skiing at Northstar Pic #2

Skiing at Northstar Pic #2

Skiing at Northstar Pic #1

Larkin on the left side of the picture and Lake Tahoe in the distance.

Skiing at Northstar Pic #1

The view from Hunter's Condo

The view from Hunter's Condo

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

2009 Northstar Day 1

Larkin and I took off Wednesday night after work and headed to Northstar. Hunter has a condo there at One Village Place. The plan is to start early and ski hard on Thursday.

We rolled into Northstar about 8:45 p.m. and got settled into the condo. In addition to Hunter, Loren, Danny and Robby are there for the week. Hunter, Larkin and I finished the night having a beer at Baxter's Bistro & Lounge. By the time we got back to the condo and in bed, it was after midnight.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Joshua Radin - One of Those Days

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Joshua Radin - One of Those Days

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

2009 Kings versus Magic

Larkin and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Orlando Magic NBA Basketball Game. The Magic won by a score of 139 to 107. Orlando won its fifth straight game and improved to an NBA-best 15-5 on the road. The loss was the 12th in 14 games for the Kings. The Kings are now 7-13 at Arco Arena and are on pace to have their worst home record in franchise history.

The Magic went 23-for-37 from 3-point range. This is the most 3-pointers made in a game in NBA history. The Raptors had the previous record with 21 made 3-point field goals on March 13, 2005 versus the 76ers.

Despite spending the entire fourth quarter on the bench, Dwight Howard had 25 points and 15 rebounds.

At halftime, we went and visited with Liz and her sister Anna.

ARCO Arena

Monday, January 12, 2009

Pony Express St George Hotel

Pony Express
St George Hotel

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

This landmark is located at 400 J Street in Sacramento, California. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 34.937 W 121° 30.081.

A list of Pony Express Waymarks that I have visited can be found here. You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

 

 

 

The back of the marker reads:

The St. George Hotel was on this corner with the main entrance on fourth street.

The following ad ran on March 19, 1860 in the Sacramento Union Newspaper:

Men Wanted!

The undersigned wishes to hire ten or a dozen men, familar with the management of horses, as hostlers or riders on the Overland Express Route via Salt Lake City. Wages, $50 per month and found. I may be found at the St. George Hotel during Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
William W. Finney.

This was the only ad ever run for Pony Express riders. On March 20 The Sacramento Union reported We understand that about two hundred men have responded to the advertisement of the agent, Mr. Finney, for post riders on the Overland Express. The requisite number have been engaged.

NBA Power Rankings 2008-2009 Week 11

The Kings climbed one spot to 27th in Marc Stein's weekly power rankings of NBA teams. They are now ahead of the Thunder, Wizards and Clippers.

NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association - ESPN
Kevin Martin is back in a big way. Pete Carrill is back, too. Throw in a big comeback at home over Dallas -- taking a cue from Memphis' home rout of the Mavs -- and they're starting to look a little like the Kings again.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

2009 PAL JV Rec Basketball Game #1

Jack played in his first JV Rec Basketball game of the 2009 season. They played against Our Lady of Assumption (White). All of the games this year are played at the Our Lady of Assumption school in Carmichael.

The Eagles won by a score of 30 to 6. Jack played the first and third periods and had 2 points on 1 for 6 shooting. He missed a couple of fast break lay-ups and had a couple of jumpers bounce off the back iron. Jack had a couple of nice assists. Jack was also very disruptive on defense. The other team did not score a point while Jack's group was on the floor.

Unlike the Little Dribblers of the past four years, this resembles real basketball. They play four 6 minute quarters. There are two referees for the game. They call fouls and shoot free throws.

The Eagles dressed 11 players. Jack played shooting guard or 2 with the first team that includes Joe at 1, Andy at 5, Jake at 4 and Connor at 3 with David substituting for Connor. Jack was a little frustrated after the game. His and Joe's game are very similar. Typically, they have played them on different groups in past years. I am interested to see how this group plays together over the course of the season, particularly against a more competitive team.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Celebrating Tom's Birthday

Sharon and I went with Timmy, Kathy, Becky and Tom to the L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen to celebrate Tom's birthday.

Tubing with the Boys Scouts

In March, Jack will be making the jump from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. One of the last things that he needed to do to complete his Arrow of Light [the highest rank in Cub Scouting] is attend one Boy Scout outdoor activity.

Jack, Tim, Chad, Cody and Johnny went tubing with Troop 59 to Tubes-R-Us at Cisco Grove. The boys had a great time. The place has a moving sidewalk to carry people and their tubes up the hill. Towards the end of the session, they started going down the hill as group all tied together.

 

 

 

 

Friday, January 09, 2009

Liz, Sharon, Laura and Mary

On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Sharon went out to dinner with several of her friends from high school. Mary sent a couple of pictures earlier this week from the evening.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Snowmobiling Map

Last Saturday, we went snowmobiling. We covered a lot of ground. Using data from my Garmin 305, I put together the following maps and screen shots of the ride.


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13 companies hiring this year

13 companies hiring this year - CNN.com
11. Company: Sutter Health

Who they are: A family of doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health-care service providers that share resources and expertise to advance health-care quality and access, says Mike Helm, senior vice president of human resources.

Whom they are looking for: 'Health care is about people and at Sutter Health, our commitment is to put the patient at the center of everything we do. Our aging population and Sutter Health's continued investment in technology are two important forces that are fueling our need for skilled employees,' Helm says. '[We] seek to hire individuals who embrace our values. From providing care at the bedside to implementing lifesaving technology and administrative professionals, there are a variety of positions available throughout our Sutter Health network.'

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Dinner with Wallen, Becky, Hunter and Robbie

I met Wallen, Becky, Hunter and Robbie for dinner at Mason's. Although Sharon has been there for lunch and dinner before, this was the first time I have been to this restaurant. I had a spinach and endive salad and swordfish.

Last month, I had dinner with Jill and Becky when they were in Sacramento looking for an apartment for Becky. Becky starts work at her new job in Roseville tomorrow. Wallen is here helping her unload the moving van and get settled in her new apartment.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Blind Pilot - One Red Thread

The list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Blind Pilot - One Red Thread

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Monday, January 05, 2009

1,925 Miles!?!

On our trip to Florida in Summer of 2004, I started to play with the idea of running the American River 50 in April of 2007. I committed myself and started to train.

In 2005, I ran slightly less than 1,630 miles.

In 2006, I ran slightly less than 1,680 miles.

In 2007, I ran 1,721 miles. This included successfully completing the American River 50.

In 2008, I ran more than 1,925 miles! I realized in the fall that I had a chance to break the 1,900 mark and pushed towards it through last four months of the year. Combined with screwing around on the Wii Fit for a couple of months in the middle of the year, my right knee is not happy...

I enjoy physical challenges and need to find something different for 2009.

NBA Power Rankings 2008-2009 Week 10

The Kings climbed one spot to 28th in Marc Stein's weekly power rankings of NBA teams. They are now ahead of the Clippers and the Thunder.

NBA Basketball Power Rankings - National Basketball Association - ESPN
I know Kevin Martin is back and looks deadly already ... but it's been several weeks since we mentioned Bobby Brown in this space. So let us get away with it in the first batch of Power Rankings in the new year.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Where the Hell is Matt?


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

California Historical Landmark #31

Jack and I spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving waymarking historical sites in Western Amador County in the rain. This was the 21st of twenty-one places that we stopped.

Drytown
California State Historical Landmark #31

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

This landmark is located on State Highway 49, 0.2 miles north of Drytown, California in Amador County. There are 24 other California State Historical Landmarks in Amador County. The GPS coordinates for the plaque are N 38° 26.529 W 120° 51.460.

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

 

Founded in 1848, this is the oldest town and first in which gold was discovered in Amador County. Its venerable town hall and other picturesque structures remain. The town was not 'dry,' as the name implies-it once contained 26 saloons.

 

At the Gunner's Scrimmage


At the Gunner's Scrimmage, originally uploaded by heringermr.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Snowmobiling

Sharon, Morgan, Jack and I went snowmobiling. Driving up for the day from Sacramento, we went to Lake Tahoe Adventures in South Lake Tahoe. They put us on a bus to the Hope Valley off of Highway 88. We spent a little more than two hours covering more than 20 miles with a couple of stops to enjoy the great scenery. With the snowfall on Friday, the trees were covered. The weather cooperated; it was mostly sunny and with a very light wind.

Sharon has been wanting to try snowmobiling for a long time. Unfortunately, Sharon got cold and was a little miserable. I really enjoyed the trip. It was a interesting way to see a lot more area than you could on snowshoes or crosscountry skis.

I carried the Garmin and will generate some maps and views of the terrain in Google Earth in the next couple of days. Given how far we went, I am very interested in exploring the area in Google Earth.



Thursday, January 01, 2009

For Your Eyes Only

Sharon, Jack and I watched For Your Eyes Only. Released in 1981, this is the twelfth spy film of the British James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the British secret agent James Bond. The screenplay takes its characters from and combines the plots of two short stories from Ian Fleming's collection For Your Eyes Only: the title story and Risico. It also includes elements inspired by the novels Live and Let Die (the keelhauling sequence), Goldfinger (the identigraph sequence) and On Her Majesty's Secret Service (the opening at the graveyard).

After killing Blofeld in the opening sequences, Bond becomes tangled in a web of deception spun by rival Greek businessmen against the backdrop of Cold War spy games. After a British spy ship sink off the coast of Albania, the world's superpowers begin a feverish search for its valuable lost cargo: the powerful ATAC system, which will give its bearer unlimited control over Polaris nuclear submarines. Bond's investigations leads to Greece where he meets Melina Havelock, out for revenge for the murder of her parents.

In addition to Roger Moore as James Bond, the cast includes Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock, Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos and Chaim Topol as Milos Columbo.

The movie includes some great scenery in Italy and Greece. The climatic scenes are filmed in Metéora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Greece is definitely on my short list of countries to visit.

Bowling at Strikes in Elk Grove

Strikes Bowling is located in the Elk Grove Sports Center at 3443 Laguna Blvd. The phone number is 916-226-2695. The three of us bowled there for hour in the boutique section that features leather couches.

geotagged



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