Saturday, April 30, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #6 Day #1

The Outlaws played in an All World Sports Four Game Grab Tournament at Fair Oaks Park. This was a five team tournament. The Outlaws played the Chico Aces in the first game.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 2 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI. In his first at bat, Jack ran the count to 3 and 2 and drew a walk. He went to second on defense indifference; Jack was trying to draw the throw so that Jeremy could go home. He went to third on Josh's single and scored on a passed ball. Jack hit the first pitch to the left side for a fielder's choice in his second plate appearance. Jeremy was forced out at second. Josh hit a pop-up in short right center. The first base coach thought it was going to drop and told Jack to go. Jack got doubled off first. He was not pleased. Rod said later that Jack would not talk to him for two innings... In his third at bat, Jack singled up the middle on a 0 and 2 count. He went to third on Josh's single to right. Jack tried to score on a passed ball, but was called out for dodging the pitcher and going out to the base line. It was a horrible call.

In the field, Jack played four innings at third and one inning at shortstop. This is the first time I have seen Jack play shortstop for the Outlaws. He had one put out, one assist and an error. In the second inning, Jack took the throw from first base to tag out a runner trying to go to third. In the third inning at shortstop, he handled a routine ground ball to the left side and threw to first for the out. Both teams struggled with the infield; the Outlaws had 3 errors, while the Aces had 2. In the fourth inning, Jack had a ground ball to his right that I thought he should have handled. I charged him with an error. Scott said later that the ball took a two short hops and then bounced up as it got to him.

Jumping on the Aces for 6 runs in the top of the first, the Outlaws held on to win by the score of 11 to 9. The box score is here.

The Outlaws played the River City Outlaws in the second game of the day.

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. In his first at bat, Jack grounded a 1 and 2 pitch to the shortstop and was thrown out at first. Jack popped the first pitch up to the second baseman for an out in his second plate appearance. In the fourth inning with the bases loaded and one out, Jack walked on six pitches to bring in a run. He went to second on Josh's single and to third on Breyton's walk. He scored when Joe was hit by a pitch. Jack hit a 1 and 0 pitch for a grounder on the right side in his fourth plate appearance. Trevor was forced out at third to end the inning.

In the field, Jack played third base for three innnings and pitched an inning. At third, he had one put out. In the top of the first, Jack took a throw from Trevor and tagged out a runner trying to steal third.

With the Outlaws leading by the score of 17 to 0, Jack pitched the bottom of the fourth. He struggled with his control. Jack threw 39 pitches, including 18 balls and 21 strikes. After striking out the first batter, he walked the next two batters and then gave up a single to load the bases. Jack struck out the fifth batter, but then gave up a double to score three runs. With a full count on the seventh batter, the runner on second tried to steal third and was thrown out to end the inning.

The Outlaws won the game by the score of 17 to 3. The box score is here.

The Outlaws play the Bay Area Black Sox and Stealth tomorrow morning before the tournament seeds the top two teams for a championship game.

The Outlaws have 14 wins and 9 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Anne Cochrane McFarlane

Drew and Morgan's maternal grandmother passed away on Sunday. Morgan's remembrance of her grandmother is here.

Carmel, CA - Anne Cochrane McFarlane departed this life on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 surrounded by family at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Born on December 27, 1928, she was a descendant of the Lester family, agricultural pioneers in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Anne attended Fresno State College where she was a Kappa Alpha Theta. She married William McFarlane in 1948. They had five children.

In Clovis, California, Anne was a member of PEO and a founding member of the Los Rancheros Guild of Valley Children's Hospital. She served on the University of California Agricultural Advisory Council and the Republican State Central Committee.

A participant in the Carmel community for over half a century, she was influential in the founding of Mozart in Monterey Festival. Anne served on the Boards of Directors of the Bach Festival, Monterey Opera, Art Asia, Carmel Music Society and Heritage Garden.

Anne was a devoted supporter of military personnel active in theatres of war. She wrote thousands of postcards and arranged for military care packages to servicemen, beginning in World War II and continuing through present day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Surviving Anne are her children, Susan Harper and her husband, Chip of Paris, Texas; Sayre Miller and her husband, Byron of Clovis; Jane Gamble of Pacific Grove; Alison McFarlane of Carmel Valley and James McFarlane and his wife, Darla of Clovis; her grandchildren, Holland Harper, Jordan Harper, Anne Biard, Alix Putman, Evan Miller, Whitney Miller, Darcy Biagioni, Shannon Yager, Brice Gamble, Ashley Gamble, Andrew Heringer, Morgan Heringer, Kaitlyn McFarlane and Madison McFarlane; and 11 great-grandchildren. She also leaves her dear friend, Foye Walkup.

Services were held at St. Mary's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Pacific Grove on Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her honor to the Carmelite Monastery, 27601 Highway 1, Carmel, CA 93923.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

home from Las Vegas

2011 Zion National Park Day 7

For breakfast, we walked across the street to Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel. This French bistro offers dining outside on the Strip.

From there, Sharon wanted to head back to the shops at the Forum in Caesars. While she shopped, Jack and I played in the Sony store.

Although we talked about trying to spend a little bit of time at the pool, we never made it. We hustled back to the room to pack up and start the return trip home. We dropped the rental car and breezed through the check-in line and security. The flight took off a little late and we were back in Sacramento about 3:40 p.m. and home by 4:30 p.m.

It was a great trip!

2011 Zion National Park Day 7 Pic #1

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 6 Pic #1

View from our room at the Bellagio

2011 Zion National Park Day 6

I set the alarm for 7 a.m. After a quick run to the Mean Bean Coffee Shop for some muffins and croissants, we loaded the rental car and headed back towards Las Vegas.

It is a little over a 165 mile drive, but the first 80 miles from Springdale through the Virgin River Canyon in Arizona to Mesquite, Nevada is slow. With a short stop in St. George, Utah, it took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Given all of the recent publicity surrounding the Maloofs, both Sharon and I were interested in having lunch at the Palms. We walked around the Palms Casino looking for somewhere to eat. I was very underwhelmed. It seemed like an old, run down casino. Bill Simmons has a column this week on the Kings and the Maloofs that I will post in the next couple of days, but the feel of the casino solidifies some thoughts that I have on the Maloofs.

We decided to punt and head for the Bellagio where we will be staying. Parking in the self park lot, we had a very nice lunch at the Cafe Bellagio [crab salad, cobb salad & omelet].

After trying to check in early only to find the room was not ready, we picked up our tickets for a show at will call and then looked for the restaurant in Caesars where Sharon made reservations for dinner. From there, we wandered through the shops at the Forum making our way towards the Venetian.

We have been talking about taking all of us [Drew, Morgan, Jack, Sharon and I] to Italy next year. I have been adamant about wanting to return to Venice. When I mentioned that Venetian Hotel had some of the features of Venice, Jack latched onto the idea. Once we got there, he wanted to take a gondola ride.

After the gondola ride, we wound our way back to the Bellagio to get ready for an early dinner. Sharon had made reservations at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Sharon had New York Strip Steak, I had Coffee Rubbed Filet Mignon and Jack had Venison. When we were in New York in 2009, we had dinner at Bobby Flay's American Cafe.

After dinner, we headed back to the Bellagio and saw the Cirque du Soleil Show "0". With world-class acrobats, synchronized swimmers and divers performing in, on, and above water, it was a very cool show. Sharon had gotten some third row seats when we first started planning the trip a couple of months ago.

When the show finished, we wandered to the Mirage to watch the volcano and then to Treasure Island to watch the pirate show. With Sharon starting to fade with a cold, we caught a cab back to the Bellagio. We watched the fountains from our room before crashing a little before midnight.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 5

After a couple of long ambitious days, we slept late. We had a late breakfast at the Mean Bean Coffee House. While I went for 6.3 mile run on the Pa'rus Trail and up the Scenic Drive, Sharon had a massage at the spa at the hotel.

We spent the early afternoon wandering through Springdale, including the David West and David Pettit galleries. Sharon bought a print from the David West gallery; he was actually there and signed the print.

We had a late lunch at the Whiptail Grill. This was across the street from Flaningan's Inn. Sharon and I had summer squash enchiladas, while Jack had fish tacos. I would highly recommend this restaurant; the food was very good.

The plan for the day to take an excursion with the Zion Adventure Company. We took a three hour tour of the cliffs and canyons skirting the south of the park in a custom Mercedes Benz Unimog. This included a stop at the Grafton historic site. A scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was filmed here.

We had a very late dinner at Parallel 88. Sharon had a steak, I had lamb and Jack had ahi tuna. On the way back to the room, Jack got the Fantastic Four DVD from the front desk. By the time, it was done it was almost midnight.

2011 Zion National Park Day 5 Pic #3

On the mesa above Rockville, Utah

2011 Zion National Park Day 5 Pic #2

Grafton, a National Register Historic Site in Southwestern Utah

2011 Zion National Park Day 5 Pic #1

Along my morning run on the Pa'rus Trail in Zion National Park

Starbucks ITunes Pick of the Week - Diego Garcia - You Were Never There

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Starbucks ITunes Pick of the Week - Diego Garcia - You Were Never There

Code Expiration: July 22, 2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 4


The plan for the day is to head to Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce is about a two hour drive northeast of Zion. After a quick breakfast buffet at the Spotted Dog Cafe, we headed out of town. To get to Bryce, you climb out of Zion Canyon via a series of switchbacks to the mile long tunnel towards the south gate of the park. Given my love of heights, Sharon drove this section...

While Zion Canyon is mostly enjoyed from the valley floor, Bryce Canyon is meant to be seen from the rim of the canyon. After stopping at the visitor's center to get our bearings, we stopped at Bryce Point and Inspiration Point. Afterwards, we had lunch at the lodge (bison burgers again!).

The ranger at the visitor center recommended the Queen's Garden Trail as the best way to get into the valley. After lunch, we went to Sunrise Point and started down the trail. Sharon described the hike as an extremely unique experience. The rock formations have to be seen to be believed. We hiked down to the Queens Garden and continued on to the trail junction with the Navajo Loop Trail before turning back. The Navajo Loop Trail was closed. In total, we covered about 3.6 miles in an hour and 45 minutes. Sharon probably took 100 pictures...

As an aside, I was amazed at the number of foreigners. We heard Spanish, German and French being spoken. A Swedish couple stopped me to ask directions. It felt like Americans were a minority on the Queens Garden Trail. Sharon and I often talk about how Europeans travel the world, while American's stay much closer to home.

On the way home, we stopped in the Butch Cassidy Draw in Red Canyon for a couple of pictures. By the time we got back to the hotel in Zion, it was after 7:30 p.m.

We had a late dinner of pizza at The Flying Monkey. Sharon and Jack got the Will Ferrel movie Blades of Glory DVD from the front desk of the hotel. By the time we finished watching the movie it was a long day.

2011 Zion National Park Day 4 Pic #2

Hiking on the Queens Garden Trail at Bryce Canyon National Park

2011 Zion National Park Day 4 Pic #1

Inspiration Point in Byrce Canyon National Park

Sunday, April 24, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 3 Pic #2

Hiking on the Lower Emerald Pool Trail in Zion National Park

2011 Zion National Park Day 3

Rolling out of bed before 7 am, we drove into the park for the first time. Parking at the visitor center, we caught the shuttle to Zion Lodge for an Easter Mass. It turned out to be a Catholic SCAP (Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest) service; This was a new experience for Sharon.

After the service, we grabbed a bagel and jumped on a shuttle back to the Visitor Center. We had signed up for a two hour tour interpretive tour of the canyon with a ranger. Starting at the Visitor Center, this tour made four stops, including the Human History Center, the Court of the Patriarchs, the Grotto and Big Bend. At each stop and during the shuttle ride, the ranger talked about the history and ecology of the area.

Heading back to the room, we made a quick stop and then headed into town for brunch. We ate at Oscar's Cafe. This is definitely some place that I would recommend. Jack and I had pancakes, while Sharon had huevos rancheros. Sharon actually said afterwards that it was the best huevos rancheros that she had ever had!

After a quick stop at a rock shop, we packed up and headed back into the park. The plan for the afternoon was a couple of hikes. From the Zion Lodge, we hiked the Lower Emerald Pool Trail to the Upper Emerald Pool Trail and then back down the Kayenta Trail to The Grotto. In total, we covered about three miles. I am not fond of heights. The Kayenta hugs the cliffs above the Virgin River before descending to the Grotto. There a couple of nice pools and waterfalls on the Emerald Pool hikes.

Back on the shuttle, we went up to the Weeping Rock stop and made the short hike up the Rocking Rock Trail.

Just as we got off the shuttle at the hotel, it started to rain. Over the next hour, there was thunder, lightning and heavy rain. We hung out in the room, watched the rain and tried to plan the next two days.

With it still raining hard, we had dinner at the Spotted Dog again. Sharon and Jack had lamb shank, while I had gourmet meatloaf.

2011 Zion National Park Day 3 Pic #1

View down the Zion Canyon from the Kayenta Trail

Saturday, April 23, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 2


After a quick buffet breakfast at the Spotted Dog, we headed to the Zion Cycle Bike Shop to pick the bikes that we rented on Friday. The plan for the day is to ride up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive. With short stops at Court of the Patriarchs, the Zion Lodge and the Weeping Rock, we covered more than 9 miles to the Temple of Sinawava where the road ends. From here, we hiked about a mile to the Narrows. When the water is lower, you can continuing hiking up the canyon in the river. Based on the pictures that I have seen, this is a spectacular hike. It is something that I would like to return and do some day.

Back on the bikes, we started back. We stopped for a late lunch at the Zion Lodge; everyone had bison burgers. The trip back was downhill. We covered the next 8 miles fast with Jack leading the way. By the time that we were back to the bike shop, my garmin indicated that we had biked and hiked over 23 miles.

After scouting a couple of places for dinner, we headed back to Flaningan's Inn. The three of us spent some time in the jacuzzi and lounged in the room.

We finished the night with a late dinner at Bit & Spur. Jack had duck carnitas, I had sweet potato tamales and Sharon had a combination plate.

After two long days and a very active Saturday, we crashed hard after dinner.

2011 Zion National Park Day 2 Pic #1

Cycling up Zion Canyon Scenic Drive

Friday, April 22, 2011

2011 Zion National Park Day 1

Up very early, we caught a 6:45 a.m. flight from Sacramento to Burbank to Las Vegas. Picking up a rental car Hertz, we headed east across Nevada. After a quick stop for lunch at Mesquite, Nevada, we crossed into Arizona and up the Virgin River Canyon. There is a about 15 mile stretch in the river canyon between Nevada and Utah with some amazing scenery.

We stopped for a second in Hurricane, Utah to scout a Catholic church for Easter Sunday and rolled into Springdale a little before 3:00 p.m. We will be spending the next five nights at Flanigan's Inn.

After getting settled into the room and checking out an outfitter next door to the hotel, we jumped on a shuttle bus and headed into the park. You have to transfer buses once you get to the park. We checked out the visitor center and then boarded a shuttle up the scenic drive.

We stopped at the Zion Lodge to scout the dining room and the bar. After initially making a dinner reservation for Sunday from the visitor's center, we decided to punt after seeing the dining room; there are better options in town.

From there, we wound our way back to the hotel via a series of shuttle bus. I was surprised by the number of people. There were lots and lots of people, including a large number of families with small kids and a surprising number of Europeans.

Back at the hotel, we picked up the rental car and headed out to look for a market and a bike shop. We decided to rent bikes for all day Saturday. Afterwards, we picked up some supplies at local market.

We finished the night with a late dinner at the Spotted Dog. Sharon and Jack had trout for Good Friday, while I had a vegetable pasta dish.

To Las Vegas

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Dinner with the Hood's

On their way to North Shore for a long weekend, the Hood's stopped and had dinner with us on Wednesday night. We have not seen them since we went to the AT&T Pro Am in 2006. For a while, we were spending a weekend with them every year in February during the golf tournament. I have always liked this picture of the three kids from 2005.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Sports Show with Norm Macdonald

I watched the first and second episodes of the Sports Show with Norm Macdonald on Comedy Central. Years ago, Norm did the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live. The first third of the show is essentially Weekend Update focusing on Sports. While the show is a little uneven in spots, it is good for a couple of laughs. The humor is definitely rated R is some spots and is something that I can't watch with Jack.

Bill Simmons interviewed Norm McDonald on a podcast on April 12 and talked about the show.

The Sports Show with Norm Macdonald is available in iTunes.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - k. d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang - A Sleep with No Dreaming

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - k. d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang - A Sleep with No Dreaming

Code Expiration: July 15, 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

ESPN Films - The Fab Five

Running on the treadmill, I watched The Fab Five. From the producers of ESPN's 30 for 30 series and Jalen Rose, The Fab Five takes a look back at the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball team recruitment class: Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. A class considered by some to be "the greatest ever recruited". They reached the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games as both freshmen and sophomores.

In 1992, Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, defeated the Michigan Wolverines by the score of 71–51 to claim their second consecutive national championship. Bobby Hurley of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

In 1993, North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith, won the national title with a 77–71 victory in the final game over Michigan. The most memorable play in the championship game came in the last seconds as Michigan's Chris Webber tried to call a timeout when double-teamed by North Carolina. Michigan had already used all of its timeouts, so Webber's gaffe resulted in a technical foul. There is footage in the documentary that shows someone on the bench signaling to Weber to call a time-out as he is bringing the ball up the court.

The film is told in chapters. One of the most poignant things about the film is the difference between the players in their freshman and sophomore years. As sophomores, they became much more jaded. The players looked around at everyone who was making money off of them and they did not have a dime to their name. While their jerseys were selling for $60, Weber talks about not have money for a hamburger.

"Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me," explains Jalen Rose in the film. "I felt that they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms. ... I was jealous of Grant Hill. He came from a great black family. Congratulations. Your mom went to college and was roommates with Hillary Clinton. Your dad played in the NFL as a very well-spoken and successful man. I was upset and bitter that my mom had to bust her hump for 20-plus years. I was bitter that I had a professional athlete that was my father that I didn't know. I resented that, moreso than I resented him. I looked at it as they are who the world accepts and we are who the world hates."

—Jalen Rose
Based on comments that Rose made, the film sparked a verbal war between Jalen Rose and Duke University's Grant Hill through the media regarding issues of race in sports and education. Hill published an open letter to Rose in the New York Times responding to the comments made during the film.

Four of the Fab Five participated in the making of the film; Chris Weber declined. It would have been a stronger film if Weber had participated. Weber played 6 1/2 seasons for the Sacramento Kings from the start of 1998 season to February of 2005. Both Sharon and I enjoyed watching him play for the Kings. We were at Arco when they retired his jersey.

I enjoyed the film and recommend it! It does a very nice job of telling the story.

The film is available on Amazon and in iTunes.

Bill Simmons also did a podcast with Jalen Rose talking about the film. It available on the ESPN web site here.

One footnote, the reference to Bobby Hurley winning the tournament outstanding player caused a flashback. When Hurley graduated in 1993, he was drafted by the Sacramento Kings. I can remember sitting in the Tower Cafe with Larkin talking about whether or not we should review our Kings season tickets. We decided to punt largely based on the our feelings about the Hurley draft pick...

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Outlaws versus Sierra Storm Scrimmage

The Outlaws had a nine inning scrimmage against the Sierra Valley Storm at Morse. They scrimmaged against this team two years ago as Gunners.

I was surprised to see a number of the Storm players wearing metal cleats. Someone suggested that they must be playing up as 13 year olds. Apparently, at that level, metal cleats are allowed.

At the plate, I am scoring Jack as 2 for 5 with an infield single, a triple, reached on an error, an RBI and a run scored. He grounded out to the third baseman in his first bat-bat. Jack grounded out to the shortstop in his second plate appearance to drive in Jeremy for the RBI. In his third at-bat, he hit a ground ball right up the middle. With Jeremy running from first, the second baseman took his eyes off the ball for an error and everyone was safe. Jack hammered a two strike pitch over the right fielder's head in this fourth plate appearance for a triple. The ball dropped just short of the fence. With the wind blowing in from right field, I am sure that the ball is over the fence if the wind is from any other direction. Jack scored on Jordan's sacrifice bunt. In his fifth at-bat in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, Jack hit a slow roller between third and short. With a good jump out of the box and a dive to reach first, Jack was safe. The throw was high and may have pulled the first baseman off the bag. I am scoring it as an infield hit. Jack was thrown out trying to steal second on a pitch out to end the game.

In the field, Jack played one inning at third, shortstop, first base and pitcher and five innings at second base. He had three assists and four put-outs. At first base, Jack had one put-out on a throw from shortstop. At second base, he had two put-outs and two assists. Jack fielded two balls to the right side and threw the runner out at first. On a slow roller to the right side, Breyton went after the ball and Jack covered first base to take the throw and make the out. Jack also had a put-out on a runner trying to steal second. At shortstop, Jack handled one ball to the left side and threw to second for the force. At third, a line drive was hit into right center field. The runner tried to stretch the hit into a triple. Josh was playing second and went out to take the relay. Josh throw a rocket to Jack at third and the runner was out by two or three steps.

Jack pitched the seventh inning. He gave up one run.

With the Outlaws leading 6 to 4 in the top of the ninth, the Storm scored two runs to tie the game. The scrimmage ended with the score tied 6 to 6 after nine innings.

Mikuni's

Mikuni's

Mikuni's (Elk Grove, CA)

Dinner with the Sanborn's

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby


Sharon, Jack and I watched Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby on the AppleTv.

I surprised how much Sharon enjoyed the movie.

The movie had quite a cast, including Jane Lynch [Glee and Two and a Half Men], Jack McBrayer [30 Rock], Greg Germann [Ally McBeal], Amy Adams, Molly Shannon [Saturday Night Live], Sacha Baron Cohen [Borat], and Rob Riggle [John Stewart Show].

Friday, April 15, 2011

Pony Express Ferry Carquinez

Pony Express
Ferry Carquinez

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

This marker is located at 400 Ferry Street, Martinez, California. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 01.164 W 122° 08.235.

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 Ferry Carquinez

Pony Express Ferry Carquinez


Captain Oliver C. Coffin and his brothers ordered the Ferry "Carquinez from an Eastern shipyard where it was framed and fitted. The double end dual paddle wheel was modeled after the New York-Brooklyn ferryboats.

It was dismantled and then shipped around Cape Horn as ballast in the hold of a sailing ship. It was then reassembled and in 1854 launched. The ferry operated between here and Benicia. At night, it docked on the wharf at the foot of Ferry Street 250 feet north of this site.

Pony Express rider Thomas Bedford boarded the ferry at Benicia on April 23, 1860. On this ferry he found that his horse had thrown a shoe. Casemore Briones, a Martinez blacksmith, was on board and agreed to loan his horse. Bedford left this wharf for San Francisco at 7:33 a.m.


Pony Express Ferry Carquinez

Tribute to the Navigators Who Trained at Mather AFB


I’m at Tribute To The Navigators Who Trained At Mather AFB (Mather, CA)

“Along my lunch time run ”
Tribute To The Navigators Who Trained At Mather AFB
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Thursday, April 14, 2011

Christmas Ornament 1997

I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since the first Christmas we celebrated together. In 1997, Sharon and I celebrated our first anniversary with a diving trip to Grand Cayman. I brought this ornament while we were wandering through the downtown.

Outlaws Baseball Practice


Outlaws Baseball Practice, originally uploaded by heringermr.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Planned Elk Grove Civic Center


It's meant to startle - and it does

The center would include a library, a hotel and conference center, a children's museum, retail and restaurant space and up to 40 acres for a sports complex. It would be located at the corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Big Horn.

At Bat Against the Albany Thunder

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey

The Fifth FloorI finished reading the The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey. This is a retro-noir crime novel. Although I can't remember what prompted me to originally buy the book, I read Harvey's The Chicago Way about three years ago. I enjoyed that novel enough that I ordered his second book and put it in my pile.

Set in Chicago, Harvey's second thriller to feature private investigator Michael Kelly has the ex-cop taking on what he thinks is a simple domestic violence case. Coming across the murdered body of a historian, Kelly realizes he's stumbled onto a scandal that began with the great Chicago Fire of 1871.

After reading The Colonel, I read this book and a couple of others as a light change of pace. I enjoyed the book. In the back of the book, the author recommends a number of books to learn more about the Chicago Fire. I am going to add at least one of these to my ever growing pile of books to read...

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Paul Simon - The Afterlife

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Paul Simon - The Afterlife

Code Expiration: July 8, 2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #5 Day #2

Back for the second day of the All World Baseball Bring The Funk Tournament at Riverfront Park in Martinez, the Outlaws played the Concord Hawks. In order to be one of the top four teams and advance to the championship round, the Outlaws needed to win.

At the plate, Jack was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a strike-out. In his first at-bat, he hit a 2 and 2 pitch for a line drive right at the second baseman for an out. With Jeremy on second, Jack drove a 0 and 1 pitch into left center for a single and a RBI in his second plate appearance. He stole second and went to third on a passed ball, but ended the inning there. In his third at-bat, Jack tried to check his swing on a high 0 and 2 pitch, but was called out. With Cooper on third and Trevor on second in the fifth inning, Jack drove a low 1 and 1 pitch into right center to drive in two runs and end the game. There is a 8 run rule after five innings.

In the field, Jack played four innings at third and pitched an inning. He had one put-out. Jack made a nice catch on a pop-up in foul territory.

Jack pitched the fifth inning. The first batter hit a line drive through the right side. The second batter popped out to the second baseman for the first out. The third batter grounded one to the third baseman who bobbled the ball; everyone was safe. The fourth batter hit a line drive through the right side to load the bases. With the bases loaded and one out, Jack struck out the fifth batter. Playing first base, Breyton made a remarkable catch on a foul line drive to end the inning.

Jack threw 23 pitches, including 15 strikes and 8 balls. He threw three or four knuckle balls. Jack says that it is a variation between a two finger and four finger knuckle ball. The batters swung wildly at almost all of them and the catcher had a very hard time tracking the ball.

The Outlaws won the game by the score of 11 to 2. The box score is here.

With a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, the Outlaws were seeded 2th out of the 9 teams into the championship single elimination round. They played the Albany Thunder in the semi-final game. Everyone was feeling optimistic for two reasons. First, the Outlaws had beaten the Thunder on Saturday. Second, and more importantly, the Outlaws had gotten through the first four games without using their best two pitchers!

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 3 with an RBI. In his first at-bat with one out and Trevor on third, Jack lined a 0 and 1 pitch into left field for a single and an RBI. Jack hit a 2 and 1 pitch for a hard ground ball up the middle in his second plate appearance. When it was hit, I was sure that it was a single. The shortstop made a great diving stop and threw Jack out at first. Protecting with two strikes, Jack grounded back to the pitcher for an out in his third plate appearance.

In the field, Jack played six innings at third. He had an assist and a put-out. In the top of the second with runners on second and third and no outs, Jack fielded a grounder to the left side, set his feet and threw a strike to the plate to get the runner trying to go home. In the top of the six, the batter hit a line drive to the fence. Trying to stretch the hit into a triple, Jack took the relay throw from the shortstop to tag out the runner at third and end the game.

With a couple of errors by their catcher and shortstop, the Outlaws got behind and started to hang their heads. The Thunder took advantage of the sloppy play and won the game by the score of 8 to 2. The box score is here.

The Outlaws have 12 wins and 9 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

In spite of getting knocked out in the semi-final game, there was a lot of good from the weekend. With only 9 kids on the roster for the weekend, the Outlaws pitched 8 of the boys. Only Trevor didn't pitch. The Outlaws played 24 innings of solid baseball and probably 5 innings of really sloppy baseball. With the Easter weekend in two weeks, the Outlaws are off until the end of month; I am not sure where they are playing next.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

2011 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #5 Day #1

The Outlaws played in the All World Sports Baseball Bring The Funk Tournament at the Riverfront Park in Martinez. This was a nine team tournament. The Outlaws played the Walnut Creek Bulldawgs in the first game.

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 1, hit by a pitch twice and scored a run. In his first at-bat, he was hit in the leg by a 2 and 1 pitch. Jack scored from first on Josh's double to right center. He hit a 0 and 2 pitch for a soft grounder to the left side and was thrown out at first in his second plate appearance. In his third at-bat, Jack was hit on the helmet by a 1 and 0 breaking ball. He stolen second and went to third on a wild pitch, but ended the inning there.

In the field, Jack played 6 innings at third base. He had one assist and one error. In the third inning, Jack charged a sacrifice bunt and threw the runner out at first. He fielded a grounder on the left side cleanly in the fourth inning, but airmailed the throw about two feet over Breyton's head at first. Two pitches later, the runner was caught stealing at second and the error was wiped clean.

The Outlaws scored four runs in the fifth inning to break open a close game and win by the score of 6 to 2. The box score is here.

After a two hour break, the Outlaws played the Albany Thunder. This was the team that the coaches thought would be the stiffest competition.
At the plate, Jack was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. With Cooper on third, Jack fell behind 1 and 2 in this first at-bat. He fouled off the next two pitches and then drilled a line drive up the middle for a single and an RBI. Jack ended the inning there. He hit a fly ball on a 0 and 2 pitch right at the right fielder in his second plate appearance. With Jeremy on third, Jack popped a 1 and 2 pitch behind the first baseman for single and an RBI in his third plate appearance.

With Jack on first, Josh was the next batter. Josh hammered a line drive that hit the rubber on the pitcher's mound and bounced straight up in the air. With the third baseman and the pitcher trying to track the ball down, Jack rounded second and realized that there was no one on the left side of the infield. He never slowed down and raced for third. With the third baseman scrambling to try and get back to cover the base, Jack was just able to dodge the tag and make it to the base.

In the field, Jack played six innings at third base. He has four assists, 1 put-out and an error. Jack cleanly handled four grounders to the left side and made the throws to first for the out. In the fifth inning with a runner on second, a ball was hit to Jack's left. With the runner charging him, he took his eyes on the ball and bobbled it; everyone was safe. Jack finished the fifth inning with a great catch on a low line drive to his left. Sharon described as a lizard catching a fly.

The Outlaws scored six runs in the fourth inning to break the game open and win by the score of 9 to 4. The box score is here.

The Outlaws turned right around and played the Vacaville Rattlers. Three games is a lot to play in one day...

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 2 with a sacrifice bunt and an RBI. In his first at-bat, with Cooper on third and Trevor on second, Jack laid a sacrifice bunt down the first base line on the first pitch to score Cooper. He hit a 1 and 1 pitch for a hard fly ball into right field for an out in his second plate appearance. In his third at-bat, Jack popped a 1 and 0 pitch up to the first baseman for an out.

Jack played five innings at first base and for the first time since last fall pitched an inning. He had 2 assists and 2 put-outs. Jack handled two grounders to the left side and threw the runner out at first. He also took throws from the catcher and pitcher to tag out runners at third.

For the first time since September 2010, Jack pitched in a tournament. With runners on first and second and no outs, he came in to pitch in the fourth inning. The first batter hit a sharp ground ball through the right side for a single to load the bases. The second batter hit a sacrifice fly to center for the first out and to score a run. The third batter hit a grounder to Breyton at first for the second out. Jack coaxed a ground ball from the fourth batter, but it ate up the shortstop for an error and two runs scored. The fifth batter hit a line drive to the second baseman for the third out. Jack threw 16 pitches, including 9 strikes and 7 balls.

The Outlaws were playing with fire in this game from the start. The starting pitcher walked 7 batters over the first fourth innings. Leading 3 to 0 in the fourth, it finally caught up with them and the bottom fell out. Making a mistake on a fielder's choice and committing three errors, they gave up four runs in both the fourth and in the fifth to lose by the score of 9 to 3. The box score is here.

This is a four game guarantee tournament. The Outlaws will play the Concord Hawks on Sunday morning. The top four teams in the nine team tournament will then be seated for the championship round.

The Outlaws have 11 wins and 8 losses for the Spring 2011 season. The game log is here.

Most of the families ended up spending the night in Martinez at the Best Western. We had a team dinner at Straw Hat Pizza. Afterwards, the boys spent some time in the pool and the spa. I finished the night in the lobby of the hotel with about 10 of the parents. Eventually, we got kicked out of the lobby, partly because my voice tends to carry.

Friday, April 08, 2011

California Historical Landmark #434

I wandered by this waymark when we were in San Jose to see the Sharks play. The farm that I grew up on included more than 600 acres of this type of prune.

Site of City Gardens
Nursery of Louis Pellier

California State Historical Landmark #434

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This landmark is located in the 100 block of West St. James Street, San Jose, California. There are 42 other California State Historical Landmarks in Santa Clara County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 37° 20.259 W 121° 53.758.

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

California Historical Landmark #434

Pellier, native of Saint-Hippolyte, France and founder of California's prune industry, came to California in 1849. In October 1850 he established a nursery called City Gardens. Here, aided by his brothers Pierre and Jean, who came over from France at a later date, he introduced the French prune-la petite prune d'Agen-into California during the winter of 1856-57.

California Historical Landmark #434

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Milo Greene write-up in the deli magazine Los Angeles

From the deli magazine Los Angeles - "1957" video and free download
It’s serendipity really. I stumbled across Milo Greene’s video for their song “1957” and I was hooked; I had their song on repeat for the following hour. Then I found out they were playing along with Honey Honey for the last night of their Bootleg Theater residency and I couldn’t pass that up.

What I attended ended up being the quintet’s first official show. Deep locked-in percussion created the anchor to four part layered melodies and instrument switching fun. For a new band, I was pleasantly surprised they injected sweetly crafted interludes into what would have been an abbreviated set; I can only hope that these are seeds of songs to come. It’s not quite indie, it’s not quite folk, and it’s not quite pop but a blend of all three that conjures memories of spending time on a sun drenched porch of an east coast home.

You can download “1957” via the band’s BandCamp page or check out the video for a slightly different version.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Dr. Norman Eugene Payne

I worked directly for Norm for several years after he started as COO at the Western Farm Credit Banks. He had a significant influence on both Sharon's and my professional careers.

LEESBURG, Fla./WELLSVILLE, N.Y. — Dr. Norman Eugene Payne, 74, went to be with the Lord on Saturday (Feb. 19, 2011) at his home, under hospice care.

Born in Wellsville, on Aug. 19, 1936, he was the son of Gordon and Loretta (Metzler) Payne. After graduating from Alfred-Almond Central School in 1954, and obtaining an associate’s degree from SUNY at Alfred in poultry science, he married his high school sweetheart Gladys E. Pierce on June 16, 1956. He was employed by Alfred State College until 1967. Returning to school, he received his B.S., M.S., and PhD. in marketing and business management from Cornell University in Ithaca. While in Ithaca he came to know Christ and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for many years. Leaving Ithaca he joined Farm Credit Banks in Springfield, Mass. as Sr. VP as Director of the Research and New Product Development Department. While there he completed the Advanced Management Program at the Graduate School of Business Administration at Harvard University. In 1989 he joined the Western Farm Credit Banks in Sacramento, Calif. as COO.

In 1998 he retired and moved to Leesburg, Fla. Norman had diverse interests and was always ready to expand his experiences. For years he enjoyed fishing with family and friends whether at Keuka Lake and the Adirondacks in New York, or Sunset Lake in Massachusetts. He started playing tennis at the age of 35, took up golf at 62, and had two hole-in-ones in his playing career. He loved traveling the world and visited such diverse destinations as Africa, Egypt, the Panama Canal, and multiple places within Europe and the United States. He provided numerous and cherished family reunions at Atlantic Beach, N.C. where he would spend hours jumping waves. His sharp wit and humor kept friends and family alike laughing while playing board and card games.

Besides his parents he is predeceased by his granddaughter, Ruth Bauder.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gladys (Pierce) Payne; two daughters, Deborah (Larry) Bauder of Cary, N.C., Cynthia (Duane) Fish of Newington, Conn.; one son, Ross (Julie) Payne of Knaphill, England; grandchildren, Nathan (Gretchen) Bauder of Cary, N.C., Danielle (Anthony) Trussoni of Louisville, Ky., Anna Bauder of Cary, N.C., Joshua Bauder of Cary, N.C., Christina (Brandon) Wiens of St. Catherines, Canada, Brian Fish of Newington, Conn., Charlotte Payne of Knaphill, England, Emily Payne of Knaphill, England; two sisters, Carol (Paul) Hyland of Andover, Judith (Gerald) Perry of Andover; one brother, David (Nancy) Payne of Walworth; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. April 16 at the Alfred Station Seventh Day Baptist Church, Alfred Station. A private burial was held at the Alfred Rural Cemetery, Alfred.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to the Alfred Station Seventh Day Baptist Church, 587 Rt 244, Alfred Station, N.Y. 14803, the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.
Online Condolences may be left at www.beyersfuneralhome.com

Arrangements entrusted to Beyers Funeral Home and Crematory, Leesburg, Fla.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Lanu - Beautiful Trash

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Lanu - Beautiful Trash (featuring Megan Washington)

Code Expiration: July 1, 2011

Monday, April 04, 2011

Outlaws versus Longhorns Scrimmage

On Sunday, the Outlaws scrimmaged the Elk Grove Longhorns in double header. With the wind blowing out of the north, it was surprisingly cold.

Jack has played with several of the Longhorns players in the past, including Keaton, Austin and Dillon. They all played together on the Gunners team that went to Cooperstown in 2009.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 4 with a single up the middle, a fielder's choice on a grounder to third and two strike-outs. He stole second and would have scored from third if Josh was a little faster!

In the first game, Jack played three innings at first and one inning at second base. I can't remember him playing second base any time in the last four years. In the second game, Jack played two innings in center field and pitched one inning.

Unfortunately, Jack's three innings at first base were an adventure. I was not scoring, but in a normal game, I would have probably charged three or four errors. Trevor fielded a ball at second, he hesitated and then threw wide left of the bag. From my angle, I couldn't tell if Jack should have been able to knock it down. Cooper fielded a ball at deep short and threw a one hopper to Jack that he couldn't dig out. Jack had several throws from pitchers and in a run-down that he got by him and allowed the runner to advance.

At second base, Jack handled a grounder to the right side and threw to first for the out. In center field, Jack made a nice sliding catch on looping fly ball in right center.

Jack pitched the first inning of the second game. He give up a lead-off double on the first pitch. At this point, Jack got pissed; he always pitches better when he is a little angry. Doing a nice job of holding the runner on second, Jack struck out the next two batters swinging. He then hit the fourth batter in back. With runners on first and second, Jack coaxed a grounder to the right side from the fifth batter for the third out.

It will be interesting to see if the Outlaws start to pitch him. In 56 tournament games since Memorial Day of 2010, Jack has only pitched 1 2/3 innings. He pitched in a consolation game against the Northern California Grizzlies last September. In that outing, he was very wild and walked 5 batters. Jack has changed his pitching motion since then. He has a very deliberate wind-up with a higher leg kick. If Jack does pitch, it will be interesting to see if he is effective in holding runners.

The Outlaws lost the first game by the score of 7 to 5 in four innings. They turned around and won the second game by the score of 2 to 1 in sixth innings. Jack and I left in the top of the fourth inning of the second game to head to the Kings game.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

My Last Kings Game?!? [2011 Kings versus Jazz]


After spending most of the day at an Outlaws scrimmage, Jack and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Utah Jazz NBA Basketball game. I suspect that this is the last time that I will see the Kings play in Sacramento. In less than three weeks, they will probably announce that they are moving to Anaheim. At some point, I will estimate how many Kings games I have seen in the last 26 seasons!

After leading by more than 20 points in the first half, the Kings held on to win by the score of 106 to 97.

Tyreke Evans led all scorers with 24 points on 10 for 16 from the field, 2 for 4 from three point range and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. He added 10 assists. DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals.

Utah was missing starters Andrei Kirilenko (knee), Devin Harris (hamstring) and Raja Bell (calf). Paul Millisap led Utah with 21 points, but I really enjoyed watching Gordon Hayward. Hayward played for the Butler NCAA Final Four team last year. He scored 19 points on 8 for 14 from the field, 2 for 3 from three point range and 1 for 2 from the free throw line.

The box score shows the attendance at 17,215, just short of a sell-out. Compared to some of the games that I have been to this year, it was a very nice crowd.

Hunter, Debbie and Snipes were also at the game. I had a nice chance to visit with both of them at half-time. I have not talked to Snipes since his car was totaled and Hunter was just back from visiting Robbie in Mississippi.

The Kings now have 3 wins and 6 losses in games that I have seen in the 2010-2011 season.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

How I Spent My Saturday Morning...

Sometime in the first couple of years that we lived in Elk Grove, the wing fence on the side of house blew down. One of the posts snapped in a storm. I replaced it with a redwood post set two feet in the ground in cement. I thought that I would never have to worry about it again.

While we were in Arizona for spring training, the post snapped again during a storm with a very strong wind out of the south.

I spent Saturday morning digging out the old post and replacing.


Friday, April 01, 2011

California Historical Landmark #952

I wandered by this waymark when we were in San Jose to see the Sharks play.

Site of the World's First Broadcasting Station
California State Historical Landmark #952

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

This landmark is located at the southwest corner of First and San Fernando Streets, San Jose, California. There are 42 other California State Historical Landmarks in Santa Clara County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 37° 20.075 W 121° 53.442.

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

California Historical Landmark #952

On this corner stood the Garden City Bank Building, where Charles D. Herrold established Station FN, the first radio broadcasting station in the world. As a pioneer in wireless telephony (radio), Herrold established the first station in 1909 to transmit radio programs of music and news to a listening audience on a regular basis.

California Historical Landmark #952