Thursday, March 31, 2011

Christmas Ornament 1999

I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since the first Christmas we celebrated together. Wandering through the Monterey Aquarium, Sharon was fasincated by the ocean sunfish in the outer bay tank. When she wasn't looking, I brought her a sunfish christmas ornament in the gift shop.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

where late the sweet birds sang by Kate Wilhelm

On the trip back from spring training, I finished reading where late the sweet birds sang by Kate Wilhelm. Looking through the list of Hugo award winners recently, the book caught my eye. It won the 1977 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1976. The title of the book is a quotation from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 73.

In the story, massive environmental changes and global disease, attributed to large-scale pollution, cause the collapse of civilization around the world. Through an experiment in cloning, an isolated post-holocaust community built around an extended family tries to survive. This is a book about individualism; it is an examination of the struggle between individualism and collectivism.

Unless you are trying to check off a list of award winners like I am, it is not a book I recommend. It is an interesting look at science fiction before William Gibson's paradigm shifting Neuromancer was published in 1984. Unfortunately, the plot is simplistic and it seems to me that the science is bad.

Interestingly, the cover art on the first edition hardback is by M. C. Escher.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Third Season of Ally McBeal

Ally McBeal: The Complete Series (Includes Soundtrack)Sharon and I finished watching the third season of Ally McBeal on DVD.

We finished watching the second season in July of 2010, more than 8 1/2 months ago.

We finished watching the first season in September of 2007, almost 3 1/2 years ago!

Although the DVDs are now available domestically, I bought Sharon a box set in June of 2007 through Amazon from a reseller in China. It has had some quality problems. Sharon bought me the fourth season on DVD for my birthday in January.

In the Batting Cage

Bat Cave II

Jack at the Bat Cave II

Working out in the batting cage with coach Boyle

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Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Say Hi - Dots On Maps

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Say Hi - Dots On Maps

Code Expiration: June 24, 2011

Monday, March 28, 2011

2011 Management Symposium

I spent the day at the Sutter Health Management Symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center. The two day event includes more 2,000 managers from across the system. Traditionally held in September, they skipped last fall's symp@sium and moved the meeting up to March this year.

The opening session by the CEO was titled "To Boldly Go..." This was followed by a presentation from one of the regional CEOs titled "Improving Our Value to Enhance Our Mission." This second presentation was an expanded version of a presentation that we saw at the Leadersh1p Symposium.

In the place of the break-out sessions that previously followed the general session, they held three one hour management training sessions titled "Putting All The Leadersh1p Pieces Together to Drive Outcomes in Your Organization." These sessions were surprisingly engaging.

The day finished with a general session titled "Inspired Leadersh1p" by Studer Group coach Rich Bluni.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #4


The Outlaws played in the Super Series Spring Training Tournament. Originally planned as a two day tournament, the tournament was bracketed into a one day event due to the rain on Saturday.

The Outlaws played TABU 11U team in the first game. Playing up, TABU won the last 12U tournament that they entered.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 1 with a walk, one RBI and one run scored. In the bottom of the first with the bases loaded and no outs, Jack drove the first pitch through the right side for a single and to score Cooper from third. Jack went to second on Josh's sacrifice bunt and then scored on Breyton's home run. Jack walked on four pitches in the his second plate appearance, but got caught leaning the wrong way and was thrown out at second.

In the field, Jack played two innings in centerfield and three innings at third. He had one assist. In the third inning, Jack charged a slow roller on the left side and threw the runner out at first.

The Outlaws flattened TABU by the score of 9 to 0 in five innings. The box score is here.

The Outlaws played the Solano Dragons in the second game of the day. This was an odd team. They had a mishmash of jerseys and batted 13 players.

At the plate, Jack was 2 for 3 with two runs scored, four RBIs, a home run and reached on an error. In his first at-bat, Jack grounded a 1 and 0 pitch to the shortstop. The first baseman dropped the throw and Jack went to second. He went to third on a passed ball and then scored when the first baseman dropped the throw on Josh infield grounder. With one out in the third inning and runners on second and third, Jack lifted a soft fly ball into left center for a single and two RBIs. He went to second on the throw to the plate. Jack advanced to third on another error by the first baseman on Josh's infield grounder, but ended the inning there. In the bottom of the fifth with the Outlaws leading 5 to 3 and Jeremy on third, Jack crushed a 3 and 2 pitch in right center for home run.

In the field, Jack played four innings at third, one out in left field in the fifth inning and two outs at first baseman in the fifth inning. He had a put-out and an error. In the first inning, Jack took the throw from the catcher to tag out a runner trying to steal third. In top of the third, Jack fielded a grounder to the left side, but his throw pulled Josh off the bag for an error. On the next play, Josh caught a pop-up on the right side and doubled the runner off first to erase the error.

The Outlaws won the game by the game of 7 to 3 and advanced to the championship game of the tournament. The box score is here.

The Outlaws played the Hitmen in the championship game. They rallied to beat the Hitmen in an elimination game of a tournament last fall.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. In his first at-bat, Jack drove a 2 and 0 pitch down the first base line. The shortstop handled the ball and tagged the plate for the out. Jack lifted a soft fly ball into left center on a 0 and 1 pitch in his second plate appearance. He stole second, but ended the inning there. In his third at-bat, Jack walked on four pitches. He stole second and scored on Josh's double.

In the field, Jack played sixth innings at third base. He had two assists. Jack handled two grounders to the right side and made the throw to first for the outs.

Leading 8 to 4 in the top of the sixth, the Outlaws pitcher walked three batters. The Outlaws escaped with a 8 to 7 win to claim the championship. The box score is here.

The Outlaws have 9 wins and 7 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Tom and Becky for Dinner

We had Tom and Becky over for dinner. Sharon made her much requested cornflake chicken and scalloped potatoes. Sharon and Becky spent the evening planning a Frame Family trip to Disneyland.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Scottsdale Grammar School

I wandered by these waymarks as we were winding our way back to buca di beppo after the Giants game.

Scottsdale Grammar School
National Register of Historic Places #1994000571
Arizona Historical Marker

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This historic place is located at 7333 E. Scottsdale Mall, Scottsdale in the county of Maricopa, Arizona. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 33° 29.580 W 111° 55.416.

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

Arizona Historical Marker - Scottsdale Grammar School

Dedicated February 26, 1910
on the 73rd birthday of Scottsdale's Founder

CHAPLAIN WINFIELD SCOTT

The building served the
people of Scottsdale as

SCHOOL
COMMUNITY CENTER
CITY HALL AND JUSTICE COURT
LIBRARY

rededicated in 1976
as a building on the State
Register of Historic Places

This plaque donated by the school children of Scottsdale


Scottsdale Historical Museum


Monday, March 21, 2011

2011 Spring Training Day 4

Over the last couple of years of spring training, we have shifted from coming back on Sunday night to returning on Monday morning. It is just too hard to see a game on Sunday and then get to the airport to catch a flight.

I got Jack and Drew up about 5:45 a.m. on Monday morning. We packed up the room and got gas in the rental car. After some fun with cell phones [we left Jack's phone charging in the hotel room], we headed to the airport.

We had a quick breakfast at the Fox Sports Bar in the concourse. Jack and I caught an 8:15 a.m. flight back to the Sacramento, while Drew had a 9:20 a.m. flight back to Burbank. Jack and I had an uneventful trip home and were back at the house by 11:30 a.m.

It was a nice weekend. I really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with Drew. Jack really seemed to particularly enjoy Drew's company and was Drew's shadow for much of the weekend. After being the Wallen Family and Friends tour for a number of years, the trip has tilted back a little to being a Davis Mafia trip. I always enjoy getting a chance to catch up with Tomasin, Wallen, Hunter, Bachman and Moore.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

2011 Spring Traning Day 3


After some struggles getting boarding passes for Monday morning, I ran for an hour on the treadmill at the hotel. Tomasin spent some time on the bike. While we worked out, we watched part of Live Free or Die Hard.

The group headed to U.S. Egg in Scottsdale for brunch. Although we had a long wait for a table, the food was good.

We left the cars parked near the restaurant and walked towards Scottsdale Stadium to watch batting practice. The game for the day was the Giants versus the A's.


Madison Bumgarner started the game for the Giants. He ran into trouble in the second inning. After walking two batters, Bumgarner fielded a ball hit to the right side and tried to throw to third. The ball sailed to the right of the third baseman and two runners scored. This was the difference in the game. Starting in left field, Aubery Huff had a three run homer in the bottom of the eighth to make the game interesting. Rookie Brandon Belt started at first for the Giants and went 1 for 3.

The Giants lost the game by the score of 6 to 4.

After the game we headed back to the hotel and hung out at the pool. The group enjoyed the hot tub and the pool. I played Jack in cribbage, while Drew played a couple of games against Marcus.

Wallen and I had talked about finding an italian restaurant that we had been before, but Carol talked the group in going to My Big Fat Greek Restaurant in downtown Tempe.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011 Spring Training Day 2


Wallen and I started the day with an early morning run along a branch of the San Francisco Canal. As I have said for years, part of the reason that I train hard is so I can run with Wallen a couple of times a year. I ended up running a little more than 6 miles. While Wallen and I were running, Drew and Jack worked out in the exercise room at the hotel.

After getting cleaned up, most of the group headed to Harlows for breakfast. Jenny found this place years ago and it continues to be a regular stop for us every year.

There was a wheelchair rugby team staying at our hotel. Instead of going to breakfast, Tomasin and Bachman took a cab into Mesa to watch them play. After we finished breakfast at Harlow's, we headed there and spent some time watching the game. I am still trying to figure out the rules!

The baseball game for the day was the Texas Rangers versus the Seattle Mariners at Surprise Stadium. Surprise is about 45 miles west of the downtown.


Neftali Feliz, last year's American League Rookie of the year, pitched five innings for the Mariners. It was a wild game. Jack Cust homered in the top of the tenth to give the Mariners the win by the score of 9 to 8. The game included 6 home runs, 17 runs and 29 hits.

After the run, we headed to Luke and Brea's for a barbecue. We watched BYU wipe out Gonzaga in the NCCA Tournament. Drew, Jack and Danny spent much of the evening playing Ladder Toss in the backyard.

Friday, March 18, 2011

2011 Spring Training Day 1

Up early, Jack and I headed to the airport to catch a flight to Phoenix. This is the sixth straight year that Jack has gone to spring training with me. After an uneventful flight, Drew met us at the gate. He had flown in earlier from Burback. This is the third straight year that Drew has joined us for spring training.

After some fun with rental cars, we headed to old town Scottsdale to meet up with the rest of the group. Parking the car across the street from the stadium, we wandered on foot into Old Town Scottsdale. Catching up with the group, we settled in the bar at a buca di beppo to watch the NCAA games.

After Wallen got back from the airport with Tomasin and Bachman, the group headed to Scottsdale Stadium to watch the Giants play the Dodgers. This is the first time since 2001 that we have gone to Scottsdate Stadium. Part of the reason that we have avoided Scottsdale is that it is very hard to get good tickets for a large group...


The Giants lost the game by the score of 6 to 3. The Dodgers' minor league player of the year last season, De La Rosa threw four hitless innings. The stadium was packed; the announced attendance was 12,188.

After the game, the group headed back to buca di beppo. I made a short side trip to a waymark in the Scottsdale Mall. After a bite to eat, we headed to the hotel to check in. We are staying at a Holiday Day Inn Suites near the airport this year. With part of the group from Seattle, we finished the night in the hotel bar rooting for Washington to beat Georgia in the NCAA tournament game.

To Phoenix

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Christmas Ornament 2001

I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since the first Christmas we celebrated together. In the 2001-2002 season, the Kings won 61 games and lost the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

California Historical Landmark #470

Plymouth Trading Post
California State Historical Landmark #470

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This landmark is located on Main Street, between Mill and Mineral Streets, next to Wells Fargo Bank, Plymouth, California in Amador County. There are 24 other California State Historical Landmarks in Amador County. The GPS coordinates for the plaque are N 38° 28.877 W 120° 50.804.

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

California Historical Landmark #470

This building, constructed entirely of brick, was built by Joe Williams in 1857. In 1873 the many small mines of the area were combined to become Plymouth Consolidated, and this building became the new company's office and commissary.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

I finished reading Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton. This novel was found on the hard disk of his computer after he died in 2008. Like Tom Clancy and John Grisham, I have read a lot of Michael Crichton's books over the last twenty years. I have read twelve of his books, but interestingly not The Great Train Robbery or The Andromeda Strain.

Pirate Latitudes is a pirate novel set in late 17th century in Port Royal, Jamaica. It is a light fast moving adventure tale that hits the pirate story from all angles, including life in the town and abroad ship, a raid on a Spanish treasure ship and the loose code of rules by which the pirates lived.

Several years ago, I read Under the Black Flag. This book provided a factual look at the pirates active in the Caribbean and the Atlantic Coast in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Pirate Latitudes seems reasonably consistent with the history laid out in this book.

I enjoyed the book. I picked it out of my pile of books because I was looking for something light to read after the Roosevelt biography. With so many good books in the world, it is not a book that I strongly recommend. There appears to be some debate about whether or not Crichton really ever intended it to be published. Reading this book reminded me that I wanted to read Treasure Island. Additionally, I have added The Great Train Robbery and the The Andromeda Strain to the growing pile of books on my nightstand...

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Adele - Rumour Has It

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Adele - Rumour Has It

Code Expiration: June 10, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

El Retiro San Inigo 2011

Sharon and Janie spent the weekend at El Retiro San Inigo, the Jesuit Retreat House of Los Altos. They attended a silent retreat for members of the legal profession; this year's session is titled Encountering God in All Seasons. Sharon has gone to this retreat every year since 1994, except the year after Jack was born; 17 out of the last 18 years.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #3 Day #2


Back at Woodland for the second day of the Super Series Spring Fling Tournament, the Outlaws were seeded fourth out of nine teams. They played the Sutter Storm in the first game of the day; they have not played this team before. With the time change, the 8:00 a.m. game felt really early.

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 1 with two walks and a run scored. In his first at-bat, Jack grounded a 1 and 2 pitch to right side for an out. Fouling off the fifth pitch to stay alive, Jack walked on seven pitches in his second plate appearance. He ended the inning there. In his third at-bat, Jack walked on four pitches. He stole second, went to third when J.J. was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then scored on Joe's bunt single.

In the field, Jack played five innings in center field. He fielded a couple of line drives in left center, but did not have any put outs or assists.

The Outlaws broke the game open with 7 runs in the fifth inning to end the game and win by the score of 10 to 2. The box score is here.

With the win, the Outlaws advanced to the semi-final game of the tournament against the Sluggers. They had been flattened by the Sluggers in the last two games that they had played against them.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 3 with a single and a run scored. In his first at-bat leading off the second inning, Jack drove the first pitch through the right side for a single. He stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and then scored on Joe's bunt. This turned out to the game winning run! Jack grounded a 2 and 1 pitch to the right side for an out in his second plate appearance. In his third at-bat, Jack struck out swinging on a 1 and 2 pitch.

In the field, Jack played six innings at third. He had four assists on grounders to the left side and throws get the runners at first.

Behind a complete game by Josh, the Outlaws clung to a one run lead for four innings and won the game by the score of 2 to 1. The Sluggers had runners on third in both the fourth and fifth innings, but were unable to score. The box score is here.

The Outlaws advanced to championship game of the tournament against the Patriots. This is the fourth time that they have played the Patriots in the last month. The Patriots pitched their ace: James Biles.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 2 with a triple. In his first at-bat, Jack struck out looking a 3 and 2 pitch that was low and outside. Jack hit the first pitch of his second plate appearance for a looping fly ball down the first base line. Rounding third, the coach waved him home. The throw from the cut-off was a little short and the catcher had to go out to get it. When the catcher caught the ball, he dove back towards the base line and Jack hurdled him. Unfortunately, he landed about 18 inches past the plate. Going full speed, he tried to stop and scramble back to touch the base, but was tagged out before he could get back.

In the field, Jack played two innings at third and two innings in center field. He had no assists or put-outs, but was charged with one error. With the bases loaded, a grounder was hit at him. He fielded the ball tried to tag Biles going from second to third and then make the throw to second for the double play. Unfortunately, Biles stopped, dodged Jack and was safe at third.

Finishing the tournament just like they started it, the Outlaws lost a sloppy error filled game by the score of 13 to 1 to finish in second place in the tournament. The box score is here.

The Outlaws have 6 wins and 7 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #3 Day #1

The Outlaws played in the nine team Super Series Spring Fling Tournament at the Woodland Sports Complex. The Outlaws played the Sluggers in the first game. Although they have beat the Sluggers in the past, the Outlaws got flattened by the Sluggers in the semi-final game of a tournament two weeks ago.

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 1 with a walk and a run scored. In the second inning, Jack grounded an 0 and 2 pitch to the first baseman for the out. Jack led off the fifth inning. He ran the count to 3 and 2 and drew the walk. Jack stole second and when to third when Bailey was walked to load the bases. Jack scored on Jordan's ground out to the right side. This is the only run that the Outlaws scored in the game!

In the field, Jack played three innings in center field and then DH'ed two innings. Jack had two put-outs. The first pitch of the game was hit in front of him and he tried to make a sliding catch, but missed.

This may be the worst game that I have seen the Outlaws play in almost two years. They had 9 errors and no hits. The final score was 10 to 1 in five innings. The box score is here.

The Outlaws played the Patriots in the second game of the day. This is another team that they have faced several times in the last two months.

At the plate, Jack's struggles continued. I did not play baseball as a kid so I have no idea how to help him. Randy Wong mentioned that it was all mental. Jack was 0 fo 2 with two strike-outs and a sacrifice bunt. In his first at-bat, with no outs and Josh on first, he laid a 2 and 1 pitch down the first baseline for a sacrifice bunt and moved Josh to second. Jack struck out swinging on three pitches in both his second and third at-bats. After the game as we were walking to the car, Jack said that he was taking too many early strikes and putting himself in a hole.

In the field, Jack played six innings at third. He had one put out and two assists. In the second inning, Jack took a throw from Jeremy at catcher and tagged out a runner trying to steal third. He had two assists on grounders to the left side that he handled and threw the runner out at first.

The Outlaws exploded for six runs in the third inning and won the game by the score of 8 to 2. The box score is here.

The Outlaws have 4 wins and 6 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

In spite of the ugly first game loss, the Outlaws ended the day seeded fourth out of nine team and will play the Sutter Storm in the first game of the elimination round on Sunday.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Fourth 7th & 8th Grade Dance

Jack went to his fourth 7th and 8th grade dance [first, second, third] on Friday night. As part of the St. Anthony's Middle School Club, St. Anthony's hosts five dances over the course of the year.

I was scheduled to direct traffic in the parking lot after the dance was over, but ended up working the door instead. My job was to make sure that kids did not wander off without a parent.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Pony Express Morgan House

Pony Express
Morgan House

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This marker is located at 802 Main Street, Martinez, California. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 01.065 W 122° 08.135.

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.

Pony Express Morgan House

Pony Express Morgan House


The first Pony Express rider through Martinez was Thomas Bedford on April 23, 1860. Heading for Pacheco, Benicia at this time was the home station where the rider from Sacramento exchanged the mail with a new rider and horse for San Francisco.

On April 16, 1861, the new western agent for the Pony Express was Wells, Fargo & Co. and on July 1, 1861 they operated the Pony Express from Placerville to San Francisco under their name.

After April 15, 1861 the new agent and future operator of the Pony Express moved the home station from Benicia to Marteniz. The new home station was the Morgan House and was located at this corner. One of the new riders was David W. Swain, the Marteniz telegraph operator and Wells, Fargo & Co. agent.


Pony Express Morgan House

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

ESPN iScore Basketball


During January and February, I scored twenty-two of Jack's basketball games using ESPN iScore Basketball on the Apple iPad. The application has two different scoring modes called game mode and coach mode. I used the coach scoring mode exclusively and focused on keeping complete statistics for Jack's team. Except for keeping track of the baskets and free throws, I mostly ignored the other team. The only exception was when there was someone on the other team that I knew and wanted to track. For example, against St. Patricks, I kept some statistics for Cooper who plays with Jack on the Outlaws Baseball Team. Next year, I will attempt to keep more complete statistics for both teams.

I am extremely pleased with the output from the program for each game; you can find an example here. I particularly enjoyed being able to look at the shot charts after each game. The program supports uploading all of the statistics and game information to a web site. The web provides a great view at the season to date statistics for each of the players, as well as the box score and the statistics for each game.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with how well the program worked.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - R.E.M. - Oh My Heart

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - R.E.M. - Oh My Heart

Code Expiration: June 3, 2011

Monday, March 07, 2011

Sea Ranch Run on January 15, 2011

Using data from my Garmin 305, I generated the following maps in Google Earth and Google Maps of my run on Saturday when we were at Sea Ranch. I covered a little more than 7 miles down to the Gualala River Beach and back.

As I said at the time, in almost 40 years of running, this was probably the most spectacular run I have ever had. The views and the weather were absolutely amazing.



View Larger Map

Sunday, March 06, 2011

2011 SEAS Dinner and Auction

Saturday afternoon, Sharon and Jack rushed home from the Academic Decathlon. After getting cleaned up, we headed to the Sanborn's for a quick drink and some hors d'oeuvres. Leaving Jack with Tim, Marlene, Philip, Sharon and I headed to SEAs dinner and silent and live auctions at the Good Shepherd Parish Hall. With the church finished last March, this is the first year that the event has been held at Good Shepherd, rather than at the St. Joseph's Parish Hall.

The dinner and auction are one of the main fund raisers for Jack's school. It is the twelfth year that they have held the event and the ninth year that we have attended [2004, 2005, 2006, 200720082009 and 2010].

I bid on one live auction item, but didn't win it. Sharon won a couple of silent auction items. We had a very nice evening.

Saturday, March 05, 2011

2011 Sacramento Diocese Academic Decathlon


I regularly chronicle Jack athletic adventures in this space. He has played baseball, basketball and flag football over the last few years. Jack is a much better athlete than I ever was. I am constantly amazed to see him do things athletically that I would never have been capable of doing.

Jack is probably a better student than athlete. He has been working over the last five months with a team preparing for the Jr. High Academic Decathlon. The competition included 25 schools from the Sacramento Diocese and was held at Christian Brothers High School.

The competition included teams events in logic and super quiz and individual events in religion, english, science, math, social studies, fine arts, literature and current events. Jack competed in the current events individual competition as well as the team events.

SEAS did very well! The team tied for first in the super quiz and finished second in logic. Overall, SEAS placed second out of the 25 teams, just behind St. Ignatius. Jack placed third in current events!




Friday, March 04, 2011

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

I finished reading Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris in February. This is the third book in Morris' trilogy about the life of Theodore Roosevelt. A number of years ago, one of the people that I worked with asked what are my top five books. The list included The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, the first book in the trilogy. Since then, I have also read The River of Doubt [an amazing book!] and Alice [a biography of Roosevelt's oldest child].

Roosevelt became president at the age of 42. After serving two terms, he left office at the age of 50. Roosevelt only lived 10 more years; dying at the young age of 60. I have been fascinated about the arc of his life during those last 10 years and the fact that he died so young. This books covers that period.

In the ten years from 1909 to 1919, Roosevelt spent a year hunting in Africa, an extended period traveling and speaking on the European continent, formed a third party--the Progressive Party--and ran for president under its banner in 1912, traveled across South America and down the River of Doubt and was very involved in the politics of World War I. The last was a surprise. I did not realize that the last part of his life was so involved in the politics of World War I. All four of his sons and one of his son-in-laws fought in Europe in World War I.

I was also surprised how ignorant I was about World War I. While I think that I have a pretty good understanding of World War II after reading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, I was unclear on the sequence of events surrounding WW I and America's role in the war. I am going to find an overview to read at some point.

I give the book a B+.  There are parts of the book were the author strays off into political and social philosophy that I did not find as readable as the biographical sections.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed finally filling in the gaps of the last ten years of Roosevelt's life.  Theodore Roosevelt led a truly remarkable life!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Christmas Ornament 2003

I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since the first Christmas we celebrated together. In 2003, Sharon and I celebrated our anniversary in Las Vegas. I brought this ornament at the Venetian Hotel. In addition to the trip journal, there is an old photo gallery here.

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

2011 Kings versus Trail Blazers

I went to an entertaining Sacramento Kings versus Portland Trail Blazers NBA basketball game at Power Balance Pavilion. With the game tied at 95 with 3:14 left, Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace scored two quick baskets for the Blazers and Portland held on to win by the score of 107 to 102.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 28 points on 10 for 17 from the field and 8 for 10 from the free throw line. He added 11 rebounds and 4 assists. I was very impressed with several of the passes that Cousins made.

Marcus Thornton added 26 points for the Kings. He was 11 for 18 from the field and 4 for 7 from the free throw line. I am dumbfounded at his shooting ability. Since being acquired from New Orleans for Carl Landry four games ago, Thornton has averaged 21 points a game and shot 52% from the field.

Wesley Matthews scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and led the Trail Blazer with 21 points. Gerald Wallace came off the bench and scored 12 points in 33 minutes. Starting Batum, Aldridge and Camby, Portland has a tall front line.

Late in the game, Drew texted me asking "how's the crowd size tonight?" The box score lists the attendance at 12,286. My guess is there was maybe 10,000 people in the stands.

The Kings now have 2 wins and 6 losses in games that I have seen in the 2010-2011 season.

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Pony Express Solano Hotel Station

Pony Express
Solano Hotel

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This marker is located at 501 First Street, Benicia, California. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 02.897 W 122° 09.587.

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.

Pony Express Solano Hotel Station
Pony Express Solano Hotel Station

Sacramento to San Francisco - Solano Hotel Station Site

Passing Cordelia the Pony Express rider Sam Hamilton could see Suisun Bay as he approached Benicia. Riding down First Street he passed California's third capitol building and arrived at the Solano Hotel at 6:25 a.m. He rode the 63.3 miles from Sacramento in 5 hours and 10 minutes at an average speed of 12.25 MPH. He had now covered 119 miles since leaving Sportsman's Hall 12 miles east of Placerville.

The mail was exchanged with a new horse and rider by the name of Thomas Bedford. He was a 34 year old livery stable keeper at the Solano Hotel's stable right across First Street. He roder to the foot of First Street where the Ferry Carquinez would take him to Martinez.


Pony Express Solano Hotel Station

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - The Belle Brigade - Where Not to Look for Freedom

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - The Belle Brigade - Where Not to Look for Freedom

Code Expiration: May 27, 2011