Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Parents Behaving Badly by Scott Gummer

I finished reading Parents Behaving Badly by Scott Gummer. I saw the book on a summer reading list of sports books put together by NPR. With Jack's baseball team traveling to San Diego for a tournament in July, I bought it and threw it into the bag. I didn't start reading it until we were at Lake Shasta in August.

I was hoping for a book that focused on the antics of parents at Little League Baseball games. Instead I got a story that focused on the marriage of a 40-something couple, particularly the trials and tribulations of the husband.

From the opening kid's birthday party, it is a story largely told though the eyes of the father. While the plot includes a season of baseball and the running amok of Little League baseball parents, this is one of several secondary story lines.

I was hoping for a book that focused on a team and a league for a season. Unfortunately, the baseball season does not really start until page 85 of a 210 page book.

The book is a light, quick read. Setting aside that the book was really not what I was expecting, it is just not a very good book. I recommend skipping it.

Monday, August 29, 2011

2011 Back to School Night

With Sharon traveling back from New Mexico, I went to the 13th Annual Back-to-School Night for Jack's school. For the first time, they are holding the program on two separate nights: one night for grades K through 5 and another night for middle school. After attending for nine straight years, it is hard to believe that we will not be back next year and this will be Jack's last year at the school. By January, Jack will be taking entrance exams for high school!

The general session was held in the parish center. It included a prayer by the priest, a welcome by the principal, short speeches by the chairs of the school board, the parent association, the auction chair, and the head of the extended day program. Each of the teachers [science, English, social sciences, mathematics and electives] got up and spent about 10 minutes talking about their curriculum.

Afterwards, we headed to Jack's classroom. His home room teacher spent about 20 minutes talking about the coming year and encouraging parents to volunteer for various upcoming activities.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

51.14 miles

Since July of 2004, I have been keeping a detailed running journal. Anchored by the 10 mile run last Sunday, I ran 51.14 miles this week. This is only the fourth time in more than 7 years (368 weeks) that I have run more than 50 miles in a week. I ran 52.47 miles during the week of December 25, 2005, 53.16 miles during the week of April 17, 2007 (when I ran the American River 50) and 50.16 miles during the week of September 6, 2008.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Special Olympics Volunteer

Jack spent the morning volunteering at a Special Olympics Softball tournament at Freedom Park. Along with the rest of the Outlaws Baseball players and coaches, he groomed the fields, kept score, announced the batters and served as a bat boy. Arriving at 7:30 a.m., it was after 12:30 p.m. by the time he left.

While Jack worked the event, I ended up following the railroad tracks all the way to Auburn. I had originally intended just to look for the transcontinental railroad historical marker in Roseville, but ended up leapfrogging from Roseville to Rocklin to Newcastle to Auburn. Along the way, I also stopped at California Historic Markers for the Griffin Quarry, the town of Ophir and the City of Auburn.

California Historical Landmark #780-1

While Jack worked at a Special Olympics softball tournament, I ended up following the railroad tracks to Auburn. I had originally intended just to look for the transcontinental railroad historical marker in Roseville, but ended up leapfrogging from Roseville to Rocklin to Newcastle to Auburn. Along the way, I also stopped at California Historic Markers for the Griffin Quarry, the town of Ophir and the City of Auburn.

First Transcontinental Railroad - Roseville
California State Historical Landmark #780-1

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This landmark is located in Old Town Roseville on the southeast corner of Church Street and Washington Boulevard, Roseville in Placer County, California. There are 20 other California State Historical Landmarks in Placer County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 45.058 W 121° 17.159.

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

California Historical Landmark 780-1

Central Pacific graders arrived at Junction on November 23, 1863, and when track reached there on April 25, 1864, trains began making the 18-mile run to and from Sacramento daily. The new line crossed a line reaching northward from Folsom that the California Central had begun in 1858 and abandoned in 1868. Junction, now called Roseville, became a major railroad distribution center.

California Historical Landmark 780-1

Friday, August 26, 2011

California Historical Landmark #886

The Pullman family figures prominently in Appetite for America which I finished reading this month!

Carolands
California State Historical Landmark #886

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This landmark is located at 565 Remillard Road, Hillsborough, California. There are 33 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Mateo County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 37° 33.305 W 122° 22.251.

You can log your site to this site at waymarking.com!

California Historical Landmark #886

Harriet Pullman Carolan, heiress to the Pullman railroad car company fortune, constructed this lavish mini-palace in 1915-16, the focal point of a fully landscaped 500-acre estate. Willis Polk supervised construction of the American Renaissance-design residence, which is an adaptation of Vaux le Vicomte, also prototype for the Palace of Versailles. In the early 1950s, Countess Lillian Remillard Dandini acquired the chateau and the six remaining acres of land.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Appetite for America by Stephen Fried

While we were at Shasta Lake, I finished reading Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire that Civilized the Wild West by Stephen Fried. I had seen the author on the Jon Stewart Show and ordered it from Amazon. The book has been sitting in my pile since April of 2010.

Rarely do I pick up a book that surprises me as much as this one did. I will start rather than finish by saying that I enjoyed this book a lot.

The book looks at the life of Fred Harvey. Harvey is credited with creating the first restaurant chain in the United States. He developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and several other railroads. The book continues the story with Harvey's son and grandson.

Harvey was also a leader in promoting tourism in the American Southwest in the late 19th century. He and his son built the La Fonda in Santa Fe and the Le Tovar at the Grand Canyon and were instrumental in developing the Grand Canyon as a tourist destination. They are also credited with popularizing Navajo jewelry.

Sharon and I enjoyed a week in Northern New Mexico in 2007. With large parts of this book are set in the Southwest, I have added a number of places from the book to my list to visit in the future.

The majority of the story takes place over the 100 years from 1850 to 1950. Using Fred Harvey's company as the vehicle, the book is a particularly interesting look at the history of the Southwestern United States in the last half of the 19th century.

The story begins before the transcontinental railroad was completed. To someone who was raised in California in the era of cars and freeways, it is fascinating how large a role the railroad played in the growth and economic development of the United States.

A number of my favorite historic figures make cameos in the book, including General George Custer, Susan B. Anthony, William Randolph Hearst, Theodore Roosevelt and Charles Limbergh. Harvey's grandson flew in World War I and with Limbergh was one of the founders of the Transcontinental Air Transport which eventually became TWA.

The book is nicely paced and well written. It is a dynamic and splendid history.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Slideshow

This year's trip to the lake included lots of wakeboarding and pool, but no horseshoes or cribbage!


You can find the 2011 Lake Shasta photo album here!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Anniversary and Birthday Celebration for Les & Marge

After the Vine Crusher run on Sunday morning, I spent a couple of hours replacing a pump in the fountain on the west side of the house. From there, we went to an anniversary and birthday celebration for my Uncle Les and Aunt Marge. At 93, Les is the last living member of my dad's generation. He has been married to Marge for 68 years. To some extent, this was a continuation of the Heringer Family Reunion on Saturday. Arriving more than a little late, we had a chance to visit with my sister Lee Ann and her husband Dean and my sister Sharon and her boyfriend Mike.

Les and Marge's house on Netherlands Road backs up on Elk Slough. At one point during the party, Jack, Mike, Dean and I walked up on the levee behind the house. Their son Steve was talking about an article in Via Magazine about the slough that I need to find. Sharon and I are going to put the kayaks in Elk Slough at some point.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Third Annual Vine Crusher 5 & 10 Miler


View Larger Map

Sharon and I ran the Third Annual Vine Crusher 5 & 10 Miler at the McConnell Estates Winery on Sunday morning. The winery is owned in part by one of the parents from Jack's tournament baseball team. Patty and Alan were involved in putting on the race.

While Sharon ran the 5 miler, I ran the 10 miler. Although I am generally not crazy about double loop courses, it was a nice run through the vineyards. My garmin had me running 10.14 miles in 1:30:39 for a pace of 8:56 per mile. I would like to have been about 7 or 8 seconds per mile faster.

Afterwards, we tasted some of the wines. We ended up buying a bottle of Petite Sirah before heading home.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Heringer Family Wine Tasting

Sharon, Jack and I went to a family reunion at the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. My dad was the youngest of eight brothers. Additionally, he had five first cousins. I had a chance to talk to several of my first cousins that I have not seen for some time, including Pete and Steve. There were a lot of people who I have no idea how they fit into the family tree!

Friday, August 19, 2011

2011 Rivers Cats versus Isotopes


After our monthly IS leadership meeting, the CIO took the team to the River Cats game. We were in Suite 6.

I bought Sharon and Jack tickets for the game. After an adventure getting to the sold-out game, Sharon and Jack came up and joined us in the suite. They had passed Sharon's brother Tim with Kathy and Eileen in the parking lot. With a lot of the ISLT members leaving after the fifth or sixth inning, the Tim's ended up coming up and joining us in the suite after the seventh innning!

Chris Carter opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning as the River Cats defeated Albuquerque 7-0 before an announced sellout crowd of 14,014 at Raley Field. In his last five games, Carter is 7 for 18 with two home runs and five RBIs.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

First Day of Eighth Grade

First Day of Eighth Grade

First Day of Seventh Grade

First Day of Sixth Grade


First Day of Fifth Grade


First Day of Fourth Grade
 

First Day of Third Grade


First Day of Second Grade


First Day of First Grade


First Day of Kindergarten

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Twenty Years Ago Today

Twenty years ago today, I separated from my ex-wife. People question why I remember the date. August 16, 1991 was listed in every document as the date of separation during the ensuing almost two year struggle to finalize the divorce and consequently burned into my memory. It was a difficult divorce. I am not aware of many divorces that actually require a change of venue; we were thrown out of El Dorado County. The proceedings had to be moved from Placerville to the Placer County courthouse in Auburn.

Shortly afterwards our separation, I spent two weeks in Seattle finishing up my last year at the Pacific Coast Banking School. While I was there, I devoted a number of evenings to writing a long summary of the events of the proceeding nine months. I still have an electronic copy of this document. Someday, I am going to use this and some calendars from 1991 to write book.

During much of 1991, I was two different people. I have always envisioned a book with alternating chapters telling the story of two different lives. By the end of February of 1992, those two lives finally start to collapse into one. Poignantly, this was marked by Dave Hare's memorial service.

Between December of 1990 and March of 1992, I became a much different person. Someday, I am going to write a book about those fifteen months...

Monday, August 15, 2011

California Historical Landmark #345

Granville P. Swift Adobe
California State Historical Landmark #345

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This landmark is located on Old Highway 99W at Hambright Creek, 1.0 miles north of Orland, California. There is one other California State Historical Landmarks in Glenn County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 39° 45.616 W 122° 11.804.

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

California Historical Landmark #345

The first house in Glenn County. Built about 1848 by Granville P. Swift. A member of the Bear Flag Party who came to California from Oregon in 1844. The site is 150 yards east on the bank of Hambright Creek. The house was built of clay by Indians. He soon had herds of cattle ranging up and down the valley tended by Indian vaqueros and he made a fortune mining on the Feather River with his Indian laborers.

California Historical Landmark #345

Glenn County


California Historical Landmarks in Glenn County
{GPS Coordinates of Site Location}

NO. 345 Granville P. Swift Adobe - [map] - {39.760259,-122.196735}
NO. 831 SITE OF FIRST POSTED WATER NOTICE BY WILL S. GREEN - [map] - {39.7865,-122.048561}

List of California Counties

Sunday, August 14, 2011

2011 Back to School Ice Cream Social

We spent part of the afternoon at a back to school ice cream social at Jack's school. We missed last year's ice cream social when we were in Napa.

It is hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that Jack is starting eighth grade. This will be his ninth year at the school. In less than a year, we will be done with this school and moving on to high school!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 8


Three random comments about this year's trip... First, the Tsasdi Resort allows pets. As a result, everybody brought a dog. At one point, there were five dogs: Zoey, Ruby, Berke, Sadie and Pippin. I joked that I should have taken a group picture of all of the dogs. As a footnote, Jack is after us about getting a dog.

Second, there were no daughters this year. We had nine boys, including Jack, Nate, Mikey, Chris, Tomasin's nephew Stephen, Stephen's friend Michael, Craig, Keith and Keith's friend Casey. I miss Drew and Morgan. I think that this is the first time since 2004 that Drew has not gone for part of the trip.

Third, Jack got a chance to wakeboard six straight days. He is getting stronger and more confident.

In spite of a late night, I was up and moving before 7 a.m. The check-out time at the Tsasdi Resort is 9:30 a.m. I cleaned the cabin, packed up the car and loaded the bike. Jack and I drove down to the dock and loaded the kayak on top of the car.

We had some discussion on Friday when the Wallen's left about changing weeks, but when I checked out I reserved the same cabin for the same week next year.

After checking out, Jack and I helped Mikey take the boat to the boat ramp where Tomasin was waiting with the trailer. By the time the Tomasin's were packed, it was after 10:30 a.m. The Snipes, Tomasin's and Heringer's were finally on the road about 10:45 a.m.

I followed Tomasin to Corning where we stopped for lunch at Denny's. Jack and I finally got back to Elk Grove about 2:45 p.m.

This year marked the twenty-fourth straight year that I have spent a week with the group. With the kids getting older, it is going to be interesting to see how things change over the next several years.

Friday, August 12, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 7


In addition to the two person kayak, I bought my mountain bike this year. I took off Friday morning and rode south of the resort for about 75 minutes and a 12.5 mile round trip. The first 4 plus miles are paved. The road then turns to dirt. At about 5 miles, the road crosses Sugarloaf Creek and starts to climb. From about 1,100 feet at the creek, the road climbs to 1,650 feet over the next mile plus. This is roughly a 10% grade! I soaked in sweat when I decided to turn around. Next year, I am going to try to explore even farther.

When I got back to the cabins, I ended up going out in the boat with Craig, Keith, Keith's friend Casey, Jack and Tomasin. Kurt wanted me to go and take some pictures of Keith and Craig. I bought a new lens for our camera last week and put it to good use shooting pictures of the boys wakeboarding. We were gone a long time. Jack ended up going twice, first and last.

Tomasin and I sat in the boat and tried to fix healthcare after we got back to the dock. Eventually, Snipes wandered down to join us.

At some point, I decided that I was going to return the patio boat. Kurt and I were going to run the boat back to Anthers and Tomasin would pick us up. I made my second tactical error in two days. I untied the patio boat and Kurt and I jumped on. I then realized that I did not have the key. It was in my other backpack. With the wind blowing away from the dock, the patio boat quickly floated towards the shore. Tomasin with help from someone on the dock towed us back to the dock while Jack ran down with the key.

The rest of the trip to return the patio boat was thankfully uneventful. Tomasin picked up in the truck. We made a quick stop at the Basshole and then headed back to the cabins to clean up. The plan for the night was to take the remaining group to Tail O' the Whale Restaurant at Bridge Bay Resort for dinner. This is about 10 miles back towards Redding on Interstate 5. I did something that I rarely do; I actually had the prime rib special.

Heading back to the cabins after dinner, a large group went to the Basshole to play pool. While I played slightly better, the only person that really looked like he knew what he was doing was Tomasin. It was after midnight before I got home and to bed.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 6

I started the day with a 7 mile run south along the lake. Wallen ran this course last year. While I was out for the run, Jack went wakeboarding with Tomasin and Chris.

After I got back I went out on the boat with Tomasin, Mikey, Tomasin's nephew Stephen and Stephen's friend Michael. I got a bunch of great pictures, but it is going to take me a few days to sort everything out.

Back at the cabin, Wallen's brother Bob Wallen and his daughter Carol showed up. The Bob Wallen's have typically been part of the group, but decided not to come for the week this year. The Wallen's took off with their patio boat for Donkey Creek to barbecue for lunch.

I rallied the group to go check out the rope swing that I had seen when I took Sharon and Janie kayaking on Monday. We loaded up the patio boat and Tomasin's boat and headed north up the Antler's Resort. At this point, I made a tactical error. I knew that the patio boat was low on gas. Passing the wheel to Snipes, I went back and looked in the tank to see how much gas was left. It looked like I had enough to get to the rope swing and back. Less than five minutes later, we crossed over the wake of another boat and the engine on the patio boat died. We were out of gas. Tomasin towed us back to Antler's...

Once I got the tank refilled, we ended to the rope swing. The boys went on the rope swing, dove off the cliffs and played with the kayak. Everyone else took a dip in the lake.

With a slightly smaller group this year, we put together a dinner of left-overs anchored by hamburgers from the Tomasin's. I finished the night playing a couple more games of pool with Jack. This time I was more successful.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 5


Sharon and Janie got up very early. They packed the car and were on the road back to Sacramento by 6 a.m.

I showered and shaved and was on the road a little after 6:30 a.m. I got to work a little after 9:30. I spent the bulk of the day in the project leadership committee for our electronic health record implementation and our operations team meeting. I was back on the road a little after 3:30 p.m. and back to the Tsasdi Resort by 6:30 p.m. After all the driving that we did to San Diego and now on this trip, I am ready to stay closer to home.

While I was gone, Jack had a great day. Without me to brother him, he slept until 10:30 a.m. Jack went with a large group to the Basshole for burgers and to watch the Pirates versus Giants game. Tomasin described the game as batting practice for the Pirates; they beat the Giants by the score of 8 to 2. Jack then went wakeboarding in the afternoon.

Julie made pasta and salad for dinner. The group expanded to include Tomasin's nephew Stephen, his friend Michael, his mom Pat and his sister Kathy. Hunter and Debbie took off and headed back to Elk Grove during the day. Hunter is also going on the trip in September and was concerned about how much he is going to be away from his business over the next two months.

Jack and I finished the day playing pool and foosball. He beat me two of three at eight ball and four out of five at foosball. By the time we got to bed and turned off the light it was after 11:30 p.m.

2011 Outlaws Spring Pic #8

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 4


Up early, I spent about two hours working. I had originally planned to go back to work on both Tuesday and Wednesday, but decided to work remotely on Tuesday. I actually did a sync up with one of my directors using the video conferencing in OCS.

Afterwards, I started out for a run. Walking up the road, I ran into Tomasin. He suggested that we take the boat out. Grabbing Jack and changing into a swimsuit, Tomasin, Chris, Jack and I headed out on the lake. We all wakeboarded. Jack continues to make marked progress, me not so much. I am getting to the point where I can get up on the board consistently, but I am still struggling to get my hips and feet in the right direction.

Back at the dock, Tomasin and I spent some time sitting in the boat listening to music and discussing the meaning of life.

I did another conference call with work to check on the status of project. Then, in the early afternoon, Sharon, Janie, Jack and I went out on the patio boat with Jill and Wallen. We headed up Salt Creek Inlet under the railroad bridge and all the way to I-5.

Turning around, we parked the boat on the shore. We spent the afternoon barbecuing and swimming in the lake. Sharon and Jack floated across the inlet and back.

Hunter took this boat out of the water again. It appears that there a one or more teeth broken on the flywheel.

Back at the cabin, the Snipes made mojitos and served lasagna and salad for dinner. With Sharon and Janie planning to head back before 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning and me planning to work at Mather tomorrow, we had a quiet early evening.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Daniel Isaiah - High Twilight

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Daniel Isaiah - High Twilight

Code Expiration: November 5, 2011

Monday, August 08, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 3


The plan for the morning was for Sharon and Janie to go kayaking. We brought the large two person kayak with us. Jack and I unload the kayak from the car and loaded it on to the patio boat. When the girls were ready, we took the patio boat up the Sacramento River Arm past Anthers. I dropped them and they headed up river.

At the same time, Jack took off with Tomasin to go wakeboarding. The group included Craig, Keith, Mike and Chris. Both Tomasin and Chris told me afterwards that Jack was looking stronger and stronger.

While Sharon and Janie were kayaking, I headed back to the resort, had an early lunch and spent some time visiting with Wallen and the Snipes. Sharon sent me a text message saying that they were going to go a little longer than they originally scheduled. By the time I picked them up and got back to the Tsasdi, it was after 1:30 p.m.

The rest of the afternoon was very slow. Hunter took this boat out of the water and got the starter replaced. Unfortunately, when he put it back in the water, the new starter immediately broke.

Sharon and Janie decided to make dinner for the group. They headed into Redding to buy groceries. After making dinner for the group by myself for years, I was very glad that they made the commitment.

We made mango margaritas as a before dinner drink. Dinner was tacos and burritos.

After dinner, I washed all of the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. By then, it was after 10:30 p.m. and I headed to the Basshole Grill. There was a big group playing pool; we were the only patrons. Kurt and I played a couple of games as a team. I played horrible. it was probably the worst pool I have ever played. By the time I got home and to bed, it was after midnight.

Sunday, August 07, 2011

the annual towing of Hunter's boat [2011 Lake Shasta Day 2]

Towing Hunter's boat

After a very late night, we were up early. Sharon, Janie, Jack and I headed down to Antlers to pick up a patio boat for the week. Jack and I ferried the boat back.

Back at the resort, Mikey, Tomasin, Jack and I headed out on Tomsin's boat. Everybody wakeboarded. In past years, I have typically skied and only played at the wakeboard. With no one really skiing anymore, I am trying to get more serious about the wakeboard. I am not sure that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

For lunch, Jill, Wallen, Janie, Sharon, Jack and I took the patio boat to Donkey Creek. We swam and cooked turkey burgers for lunch. The barbecue was a little bit of an adventure because we forgot a spatula! Nate and a group of his friends pulled up on a second patio boat. Hunter and Debbie eventually joined us on Hunter's boat. At one point, Sharon and I drifted back and forth across the inlet sitting on life jackets.

As we needed back to the resort in the late afternoon, Jack transferred to the Hunter's boat. Debbie was going to wakeboard and they needed a spotter. This transfer led to some running amok and anxiety on Sharon's part.

When we got back to the dock, Chris had rolled up. As we were standing around visiting, Tomasin heard his cell phone ringing. Chris yelled that it was Hunter calling. I happened to look at my phone and realized that Hunter had just called me. As we were trying to call him back, Sharon was sure that something had happened to Jack! It turned out that Hunter's boat was dead in the water; it would not start.

Hunter has had this boat since 1989. It seems like every year something goes wrong with it and we end up towing it. Tomasin, Chris and I headed out in Tomasin's boat, but Hunter did not pick up when we tried to call him back to figure out where exactly he was. Shasta Lake is a lot bigger than Almanor Lake. Eventually, we found him south of the resort. Hunter was standing in the water working to keep the boat off the rocks.

The Snipes got to the resort about 7:45 p.m. I enjoy Kurt's company a great deal. As I have always said, he raises the average IQ of the men of the group by about 10 points.

The Wallen's cooked a great dinner of chicken and ribs, beans and bread for dinner. While we are missing a few people, it sure seemed like a big group.

Julie finally got there about about 9:30 p.m. Somehow, the Tomasin's ended up having three cars here...

We finished the night visiting on the deck outside Snipes' cabin. After a very late night on Saturday, I made it an early night; I crashed about 11 p.m.
early, quieter night.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

2011 Lake Shasta Day 1

For 24 straight years, I have spent a week every summer with the Tomasin's, Hunter's, Wallen's, Snipes and others. For the first 22 years, we stayed at the Dorado Inn at Lake Almanor. Last year, we switched to the Tsasdi Resort at Lake Shasta.

Jack and I left Elk Grove about 11:45 a.m. With one quick stop for a bite to eat, we rolled into the Tsasdi Resort a little before 3:00 p.m. After last Sunday's nine hour drive back from San Diego, this was a breeze. Sharon and Janie got to the resort about 20 minutes before we did.

The Wallen's were already there; they had already picked up a patio boat and were lounging on the dock. After getting both cars unpacked, we sat in our cabin and visited. After the studio last year, we shifted this year to a medium sized one bedroom (#18).

Tomasin rolled in a little before 6 p.m. Hunter was about 30 minutes behind him.

We eventually got the group pointed towards going to dinner at the Lakeshore Inn. We did not have dinner here last year. Unfortunately, the food was not very good; this is not a place that I recommend.

Tomasin, Wallen, Hunter, Debbie and I ended up playing pool in the bar. It was almost 1:30 a.m. by the time we got home!

This is going to be a little bit of a different year. Neither Drew or Morgan will be here. None of the Hunter kids will be making an appearance. Finally, the Bob Wallen herd are MIA. I have a longer trip planned in September so I am going to head back to work for a couple of days in the middle of the week.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

ESPN keeps spirit of '30 for 30' alive with new documentaries

I really enjoyed the 30 for 30 documentary series that ESPN ran in late 2009 and 2010. ESPN will follow up on the series with a new slate of films.

The new ESPN Films documentaries will air on successive Tuesdays starting September 27. Two of these films--Catching Hell and Charismatic--were originally announced as part of the original 30 for 30 series. The documentaries set for this fall include:

- "Catching Hell," will kick off the fall run on September 27. It's directed by Oscar winner Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side") and will delve into why Chicago Cubs fans were so eager to make Bartman -- a fan who's blamed for costing the Cubs a World Series spot in 2003 (never mind that Cubs pitchers went on to give up eight runs in the same inning) -- a scapegoat. Gibney, a Red Sox fan, then looks at his own anger at Bill Buckner's gaffe in the 1986 World Series.

- "Renee," about transgender tennis player Renee Richards' efforts to enter the 1977 U.S. Open and her life today. Airs October 4.

- "The Dotted Line," directed by Morgan Spurlock, which profiles two sports agents, Peter Greenberg and Eugene Lee. Airs October 11.

- "Unguarded," about former high-school star and NBA player Chris Herren's struggles with addiction and his road to recovery. Airs October 18.

- "The Real Rocky," a profile of former heavyweight boxer Chuck "The Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner, whose 1975 fight with Muhammad Ali helped inspire Sylvester Stallone to write "Rocky." Airs October 25.

- "Charismatic," about the horse that nearly won the Triple Crown in 1999 but sustained a career-ending injury in the Belmont Stakes. Airs November 1.

- "Roll Tide/War Eagle," about the deep roots of the rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Airs November 8.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

California Historical Landmark #425

Jack and I stopped here after lunch when he was playing baseball in Lakeside.

La Cañada de Los Coches Rancho
California State Historical Landmark #425

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

This landmark is located at 13468 Old Highway 80, Lakeside, California. There are 71 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Diego County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 32° 50.182 W 116° 54.016.

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

California Historical Landmark #425

Commemorating Cañada de Los Coches Rancho, smallest Mexican grant in California, granted in 1843 to Apolinaria Lorenzana by Governor Manuel Micheltorena. This is the site of the old grist mill.

La Canada de Los Coches Rancho or "The Vale of the Hogs" Ranch was only 28.39 acres in area. This was originally part of El Cajon Rancho of the San Diego Mission. Senorita Apolinaria Lorenzana held it for the Mission when all church lands were being distributed to land seekers.


California Historical Landmark #425

San Diego County


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


NO. 49 ADOBE CHAPEL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
NO. 50 BALLAST POINT WHALING STATION SITE
*NO. 51 Old Point Loma Lighthouse - [map] - (32.672,-117.240867)
NO. 52 MISSION DAM AND FLUME
*NO. 53 Casa de Estudillo - [map] - {32.754233,-117.19695}
NO. 54 FORT STOCKTON
NO. 56 CABRILLO LANDING SITE
NO. 57 LA PUNTA DE LOS MUERTOS
NO. 59 SAN DIEGO PRESIDIO SITE
NO. 60 CASA DE LOPEZ
No. 61 OLD LA PLAYA
NO. 62 FORT ROSECRANS
NO. 63 PLAZA, SAN DIEGO VIEJO (WASHINGTON SQUARE)
NO. 64 OLD LANDING, SITE OF EL DESEMBARCADERO
NO. 65 THE WHALEY HOUSE
NO. 66 CONGRESS HALL SITE
NO. 67 SERRA PALM (SITE)
NO. 68 El CAMPO SANTO
NO. 69 SITE OF FORT GUIJARROS
NO. 70 CASA DE PEDRORENA
NO. 71 CASA DE MACHADO
*NO. 72 Casa de Bandini - [map] - {32.754598,-117.196591}
NO. 73 CASA DE STEWART
NO. 74 CASA DE CARRILLO
NO. 75 SITE OF CASA DE COTA
NO. 239 MISSION SAN LUIS REY DE FRANCIA
NO. 242 MISSION SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA
NO. 243 ASISTENCIA SAN ANTONIO DE PALA
NO. 244 DERBY DIKE
NO. 304 VALLECITO STAGE DEPOT (STATION)
NO. 311 WARNER'S RANCH
NO. 369 CHAPEL OF SANTA YSABEL (SITE OF)
NO. 411 CAMPO STONE STORE
NO. 412 JULIAN
*NO. 425 La Canada de Los Coches Rancho - [map] - {32.836367,-116.900267}
NO. 452 MULE HILL
NO. 472 BOX CANYON
NO. 482 CAMP WRIGHT
NO. 491 THE EXCHANGE HOTEL
NO. 502 OAK GROVE STAGE STATION
NO. 523 SAN DIEGO BARRACKS
NO. 533 SAN PASQUAL BATTLEFIELD STATE HISTORIC PARK
NO. 538 FIRST PUBLICLY OWNED SCHOOL BUILDING
NO. 562 LA CHRISTIANITA
NO. 616 LAS FLORES ASISTENCIA
NO. 626 BANCROFT RANCH HOUSE
NO. 634 EL VADO
NO. 635 LOS PUERTECITOS
NO. 639 PALM SPRINGS
NO. 647 BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE
NO. 673 SAN GREGORIO
NO. 711 MONTGOMERY MEMORIAL
NO. 750 PEG LEG SMITH MONUMENT
NO. 764 SITE OF THE KATE O. SESSIONS NURSERY
NO. 784 EL CAMINO REAL (AS FATHER SERRA KNEW IT AND HELPED BLAZE IT)
NO. 785 SANTA CATARINA
NO. 793 SAN FELIPE VALLEY AND STAGE STATION
NO. 798 SAN DIEGO STATE COLLEGE, SITE OF FIRST DOCTORATE DEGREE GRANTED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGE SYSTEM
NO. 818 FIRST MILITARY FLYING SCHOOL IN AMERICA
NO. 830 OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO STATE HISTORIC PARK
NO. 844 HOTEL DEL CORONADO
NO. 858 PEDRO FAGES TRAIL
NO. 891 SPANISH LANDING
NO. 940 RANCHO GUAJOME
NO. 982 HISTORIC PLANNED COMMUNITY OF RANCHO SANTA FE
NO. 1020 LEO CARRILLO RANCH (RANCHO DE LOS KIOTES)
NO. 1023 NATIONAL CITY DEPOT TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD
NO. 1026 SANTA MARGARITA RANCH HOUSE
NO. 1030 STAR OF INDIA
NO. 1031 FERRYBOAT BERKELEY
NO. 1044 Giant Dipper Roller Coaster

List of California Counties

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Holcombe Waller - Hardliners

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Holcombe Waller - Hardliners

Code Expiration: October 28, 2011

Monday, August 01, 2011

The Civil Wars Northern American Fall Tour with Very Special Guest Milo Greene

Drew's new band--Milo Greene--will be opening for The Civil Wars on the their North American Tour this fall. The tour starts October 7th in Birmingham, Alabama and hits twenty-seven cities around the United States and Canada. The Civil Wars will be coming off of a month of sold out shows in England opening for Adele.

The cities and dates include:

Oct 07 - Alabama Theater - Birmingham, AL
Oct 08 - Bijou Theater - Knoxville, TN (SOLD OUT)
Oct 09 - Presser Hall - Atlanta, GA (SOLD OUT)
Oct 10 - Presser Hall - Atlanta, GA
Oct 11 - Mercy Lounge w/ Grouplove & Belle Brigade - Nashville, TN
Oct 13 - Masquerade w/ Grouplove & Belle Brigade - Atlanta, GA
Oct 19 - McGlohon Theater - Charlotte, NC
Oct 20 - Page Auditorium - Durham, NC
Oct 21 - The Norva - Norfolk, VA
Oct 22 - Jefferson Theater - Charlottesville, VA
Oct 23 - Lincoln Theatre - Washington, DC
Oct 25 - The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
Oct 27 - Town Hall - New York, NY
Oct 28 - Berklee Performance Center - Boston, MA
Oct 29 - Amphitheatre Du Gesu - Montreal, Canada
Nov 01 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Canada
Nov 02 - Michigan Theater - Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 03 - Lincoln Theater - Columbus, OH
Nov 04 - The Egyptian Room - Indianapolis, IN
Nov 06 - Vic Theater - Chicago, IL
Nov 08 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
Nov 09 - State Theater - Minneapolis, MN
Nov 13 - The Vogue Theatre - Vancouver, Canada
Nov 14 - The Neptune - Seattle, WA
Nov 15 - The Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
Nov 17 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
Nov 18 - The Lobero - Santa Barbara, CA
Nov 19 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
Nov 20 - The Marquee Theatre - Phoenix, AZ