Funeral Mass for Julie Tomasin

Sharon and I spent the day winding our way to the funeral Mass for Julie Tomasin and back. There was a great group of the Davis Mafia in attendance, including: Rehlich and his wife; Geselbracht and Barb; Lindsey and Maria, Wilson and Karen; Greene and Jeanie; Moore and Patty; Wallen and Jill; Chabrier; Nooter; Gribi; Hunter; and Sharon and I. Drew, Robbie and Gail were also there. I was surprised to see Bob and Jim Wallen and Kyle and Mary Rose.

2026 Palm Desert - Day #3

Up and moving earlier, I did a 10 minute bodyweight Peloton workout.

The plan for the day was golf at the Escena Golf Course. We had a 9:15 am tee time.

The golf course didn't have a driving range; you hit into nets. While I felt like I was striking the ball well into the nets, it didn't translate over the first couple of holes. It has been a pattern lately that I really struggle over the first few holes and then start to settle in.

While I enjoyed the round, I remain frustrated with my inconsistency. I ended up with a liberally scored 109.

We had a late lunch at the restaurant at the grill at the golf course. Sharon split a burger with Holly, while I had a seared ahi tuna salad.

After lunch, we headed to back to the VRBO. Sharon and I showered and packed up our bags. Holly and Van dropped us at the Palm Springs Airport.

We caught a Southwest Flight back to Sacramento. Scheduled to take off at 6:15 pm, it was over half an hour late. Boarding with A4 and A14, we were able to get a very nice two seat exit row on a 737 Max 8.

We were on the ground about 8:15 pm. Collecting our bags and golf clubs, we were home about 9:15 pm.

It was a very nice trip. I wish that we had been able to stay a couple of more days...

2026 Palm Desert - Day #2 [Celebrating my Birthday]

The plan for the day was golf at the PGA West Dunes Course. The four of us teed off at 9:54 am. As usual, I rode with Van and Sharon rode with Holly.

I had a very uneven round. I feel like I am making better contact, but I am still inconsistent. I ended up with a birdie, a par, three bogeys and seven double bogeys, but also an eight, nine and a ten. I had at least five pitches that landed nicely on the greens, but rolled off. The greens were sloped and fast.

I continue to struggle with my emotions. I had a gallery loss around the first green that took me a couple of holes to keep back on track.

I ended up with a very liberally scored 110. I birdied the par three 13th hole with a six iron over the water within four feet of the pin.

With temperatures in the low 80s, the weather was gorgeous.

Jack called to wish me happy birthday as we were driving to a golf superstore after the round.

We finished the day with dinner at Jillians. I had a lobster bisque and the Double Cut Pork Chop [Grilled rib chop of pork stuffed with apples, sausage, and Chef Jorge’s dates, presented with a port wine demi glace]. Sharon split a brussel sprout salad with Holly and had a lobster pasta. Celebrating my birthday, I had Blueberry Cheesecake [Luscious citrus scented cheesecake napped with sweetened creme and fresh blueberries] for desert.

2026 Palm Desert - Day #1

With Holly and Van in Palm Desert fpr the week, we planned to fly down and spend a few days playing golf with them. When Julie's funeral was scheduled for Saturday, we moved everything around and shortened the trip to be back on Saturday.

Sharon and I caught a 3:30 pm Southwest flight to Palm Springs. Boarding with A8 and A10, we were able to get the two seat exit row on an older 737. The flight had 40 to 50 empty seats. We were on the ground just before 5:00 pm.

I was an easy short flight. After we collected our luggage and golf clubs, Holly and Van picked us up at the curb. We are spending two nights at a VRBO in the Desert Falls Country Club Community. Holly and Van are here for the week.

After dropping our luggage, the four of us headed to dinner at the Lavender Bistro in La Qunita. Sharon and I both had WILD MUSHROOM SOUP [Truffle oil, chives] and SOY SAUCE MARINATED CHILEAN SEA-BASS [Japanese white rice sauteed sugar snap peas, unagi beurre blanc, crispy leeks].

Back at the condo, we crashed just before 10:00 pm. We are playing the PGA West Dunes Course tomorrow.

I have only been to Palm Springs once. It was early 1980 [February?] when I was working for California Farm Bureau; 46 years ago. Sharon was here once since we have been married.

Wicked: for Good

Saturday night, January 3, Sharon and I watched Wicked: for Good as a rental on the AppleTV. We saw Wicked Part One last December. Jack, Sharon and I saw the play Wicked in San Francisco in December of 2009.

Wicked: For Good is a musical and fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu. It was written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The sequel to Wicked (2024), it adapts the second act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman. The play and the films are loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation.

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum return from the first film. Set in the Land of Oz before and during the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film follows Elphaba and Glinda in their new identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

Both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute listed Wicked: for Good among the top-ten films of 2025. It received five nominations at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, including: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy; Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture; Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and; Best Original Song. The film received seven nominations at the 31st Critics' Choice Awards (including Best Picture).

We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. Although Sharon lamented not seeing the movie in the theater at the beginning, this is not a good movie. The plot is a mess. It includes a number of original songs not from the play; the new songs are not good. I will be surprised if it is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar...

Dinner with the Gainsleys

Sharon and I met the Gainsleys for dinner at the Butterscotch Den. It is described as Sacramento’s Finest Grill-Your-Own Steakhouse.

Sharon and I both had a new york strip steak. We split a baked potato and broccolini.

2026 Kings versus Rockets

Larkin and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Houston Rockets NBA Basketball game. We sat in Drew's seats [section 218, seats 19 and 20].

It was a close game most of the night; no team had a lead larger than five points through three quarters. At the end of the third quarter, the Kings led 78 to 76. With Westbrook and Monk hitting a couple of key three pointers down the stretch, the Kings outscored the Rockets 33 to 22 in the fourth quarter and won the game by the score of 111 to 98.

DeMar DeRozan was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 22 points on 8 for 13 from the field and 6 for 6 from the free throw line. He became the 23rd player in NBA history to reach 26,000 points,

Amen Thompson was the high scorer for the Rockets. He had 31 points on 11 for 17 from the field, 0 for 1 from three and 9 for 12 from the free throw line.

I getting more comfortable in Drew's seats. I enjoy being able to see the whole floor. When he was in the game, I focused on just following the rookie center, Maxime Raymaud.

The Kings have 2 wins and 2 loss in games that I have seen in the 2025-2026 season. Although I didn't get to a game in December, my goal continues to be to see one game a month.

Celebrating Tom's Birthday

Saturday night, Sharon and I went to her brother's Tom house to celebrate his birthday. The group included: Tom; Eric; Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia; Sharon and I. Tom made a nice dinner of seafood paella. For gifts, we got him a copy of Grisham's The Widow and a subscription to an App.

Tom - Over the Years

Back from Windsor

After spending the night at Tomain's house, I had breakfast with Tomasin and David.

With a birthday party for Sharon's brother Tom scheduled, I started for Carmichael about 9:50 am. I was home just before noon.

To Windsor

With Julie's passing, I am trying to do what I can to support Tomasin. I took off for Windsor at 11:30 am. With two long stops, I was there by 2:30 pm. The traffic was surprising light.

We went out to the Bar at the Dry Creek General Store for a beer.

We watched the College Football Playoffs semifinal game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Oregon Ducks. The Hoosiers dismantled the Ducks by the score of 56 to 22.

David ordered pizza and salads for dinner.

We watched the Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors NBA basketball game. With the Warriors leading by one point at the 6:36 mark of the third quarter, the Warriors outscored the Kings by 33 points and won the game by the score of 137 to 103.

Jury Duty

I had Sacramento County jury duty this week, but my group wasn't called. The last time I got a jury summons was 2022. The last time I was called was 2017.

Bannister Park Hike

Late Thursday morning, Sharon and I hiked from Bannister Park to the Sunflower Drive-In in Old Fair Oaks for a late lunch. We both had nutburgers [nutmeat patty served on a whole wheat bun with sauce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, romaine, and sprouts]. With the north wind blowing, it was a brisk, sunny day. We covered 5.6 miles in just over two hours and fifteen minutes.

Dawson!

Sharon and I spent the afternoon in Orinda meeting Dawson Michael Heringer.

Adventures with Clem

Tuesday morning, I drove to Pollack Pines. I needed to fix a Christmas gift snafu; I wrapped the wrong gift for Morgan and Daniel. I had a nice visit with Morgan and Clem.

Christmas Ornaments 2025

2025 marked the 31th Christmas that Sharon and I have celebrated together. I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since that first Christmas.

This year, I bought her one ornament at the Colter Bay Village to commemorate our Wyoming Ro@d Trip. I got her a second ornament in Zimbabwe when we were on the trip to Africa.

Frankenstein

On New Year's eve, Eric, Tom, Sharon and I watched Frankestein. We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Frankenstein with the fourth best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Frankenstein is a gothic science fiction horror drama film produced, written, and directed by Guillermo del Toro [Nightmare Alley, Shape of Water]. It is based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. Del Toro had long imagined a faithful Frankenstein film as a "dream project".

The film stars Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the Creature. Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz appear in supporting roles.

I was pleasantly surprised; the movie exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed it. Tom noted that unlike most of the Frankenstein movies that he had seen over the years that it was fairly faithful to the book. I haven't read the book. Sharon complained that it was too much like the Shape of Water...

Taking down the Christmas Decorations

Sharon and I started the process of taking down the Christmas decorations. I went over and got six of the larger boxes from the storge unit.

We spent the morning taking the ornaments off the Christmas tree. I love our collection of Christmas ornaments. The two of us were able to get the tree out of the stand and through the front door. I cut the tree up with my chainsaw and stuffed it into the green barrel.

Sharon got a couple of downstairs boxes packed in the afternoon. Ahead of the Deterding Ranch Neighborhood Christmas Party, Sharon added a number of new decorations this year. It is going to take us until at least Monday to get everything packed up and back to the storage unit.

While I really enjoy the house at Christmas, it is time.

To San Francisco and Back

Rolling from Carmichael about 9:50 am, we were in San Francisco about 12:15 pm with two stops. Rather than hunting for a parking spot on the street, we parked at the SFMTA - Sutter Stockton Garage.

From there, we walked to the Matador to meet Jack for lunch. A present for Jack's girlfriend was delivered to our house on Monday. Last weekend, we planned to bring it and meet him for lunch.

The three of us split nachos [housemade tortilla chips, beans, pico de gallo, crema, queso, cotija, jack cheese, nacho cheese]. Jack had a super burrito [rice, beans, pico de gallo, jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream], Sharon had enchiladas [grilled chicken, jack cheese, pico de gallo, crema, salsa verde] and I had two tacos [carnitas: pork shoulder confit, guacamole, chile de arbol salsa, pickled onion and borracho uno: modelo negra battered shrimp, mango salsa, cabbage slaw, guacamole].

We had talked about dropping some presents at Drew and Carmen's house in Orinda on the way. At one point, we thought that they would be home from the hospital in the afternoon. The hospital ended up keeping them an extra night. I punted on the idea of dropping the presents and we headed for home.

While we were driving home, we ended up talking to Drew for about 20 minutes. He was running home to pick up some things for an extra nights stay.

With one stop to change drivers in Dixon, we were back in Carmichael about 4:00 pm.

New Year's Day 2026

Up late on New Year's Eve, we slept late and were moving slow. The excitement for the morning was the birth of Dawson Michael Heringer! He was born at 8:24 am. Dawson was 8.8 pounds and 22 1/4 inches long.


We had talked about hiking with the Larkins in the American River Canyon. With heavy rain over the last day, we decided to stay closes to home. In the afternoon, we hiked 4.3 miles around Effie Yeaw Nature Center and Ancil Hoffman Park. We hiked down the river towards the Sarah Court River Access Park.

We finished the day watching Wicked for Good. I will post my thoughts on the movie in the next week.

New Year's Eve 2025

Sharon's brother Tom and nephew Eric came over about 6:45 pm. Tom has joined us for dinner and a movie on New Year's Eve in 2018 (Roma), 2019 (The Irishman), 2022 (Tár) and 2024 (Substance).

Sharon made a great dinner of wedge salads, prime rib, roasted potatoes, asparagus and yorkshire pudding.

I had thrown out a couple of movie choices to the group on Tuesday, including: Guillermo del Torro’s Frankstein; It Was Just an Accident; Train Dreams; and Jay Kelly. Eric and Tom pushed for Frankenstein. My thoughts on the movie are here.

The movie finished up about 11:30 pm. I walked Tiber to the end of the neighborhood and back. The four of us went up to the master balcony at midnight to watch the Rancho Cordova fireworks, but there weren't any!?!

I spent some time screwing around with the lock on the garage door; it was beeping. I was about 12:40 am by the time we crashed.

Marty Supreme

Continuing our Christmas Day tradition, Eric, Tom, Jack, Sharon and I saw Marty Supreme at at the Cinemark Century Greenback Lane. We are on our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Marty Supreme with the third best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Marty Supreme is a sports comedy-drama film produced and directed by Josh Safdie. He co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein. The film is loosely inspired by the life and career of American table tennis player Marty Reisman.

Timothée Chalamet stars and was the co-producer. The film also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher in supporting roles.

Set in 1950s New York, the film follows Marty Mauser, a hyper-confident shoe salesman and motor-mouthed hustler who is obsessed with becoming the world's greatest table tennis champion. To escape his provincial Lower East Side life, Marty schemes and grifts his way into international competitions, eventually entangling himself with a wealthy socialite and an eccentric ink tycoon who bankrolls his journey to Japan. As his ego and relentless ambition push him toward a climactic world championship match, Marty must navigate the chaotic fallout of his own impulsive choices and the dark side of his pursuit of fame.

At dinner, Jack said "I wanted to like the movie more." He also said that he needed to see it again. Tom said that "it was tedious" in the middle. We eventually all agreed to give the movie a "B". Given some of the hype that Jack and I saw, we were expecting a little more. The movie is very frenetic.

On the way to lunch with my sisters, Jack, Sharon and I listened to the Big Picture podcast "‘Marty Supreme’ Is the Moment, With Josh Safdie!". After listening to the podcast, we increased our grade for the movie to a "B+". The podcast provides some insights into some of the nuances that I missed when we saw it...

Julie Tomasin Obituary

more pictures

Juliann Babette Tomasin (née Fiorio), 70, of Windsor, California, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2025.

Julie was born on May 18, 1955, to Mario and Ines Fiorio. The oldest of five children, she grew up in a close-knit Italian family on a ranch outside Gilroy, California, where she developed a lifelong love of the land, gardening, family traditions, and hard work.

Julie attended St. Mary's School in Gilroy and Notre Dame High School in Salinas. She continued her education at Gavilan College and Sacramento State, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Biology. She later completed a master's equivalent certification in laboratory technology at UC Davis. Her professional career led her to work in in-vitro fertilization laboratories, a field she found deeply rewarding as she helped others build families.

Julie met her husband, John, at a rugby tournament in Monterey. Although they did not reconnect for two years, fate reunited them at UC Davis Medical Center, where Julie worked in the emergency room lab and John was a fourth-year medical student. Their courtship was fast and furious and when John matched for his orthopedic residency in Jackson, Mississippi, Julie made the bold decision to follow him, packing her life into a U-Haul and moving across the country. They were married on June 2, 1984, at Mission San Juan Bautista and shared more than 41 years of a loving and eventful marriage.

In 1986, they welcomed their first son, David. After John completed his residency, the family moved to Columbus, Georgia, for his sports medicine fellowship, then returned to the West Coast in 1988. They settled in Windsor, California, where they built their family and home.

In 1991, they welcomed their second son, Christopher, through adoption and Michael, their "miracle" baby, was born in 1994.

Julie was a fiercely devoted mother. She shared a special bond with each of her boys and was overjoyed to welcome her daughters-in-law, Lo and Cassie, and her beloved grandson, Harrison, into the family.

Throughout her life, Julie faced extraordinary health challenges. Despite these hardships, Julie rarely complained and never allowed illness to define her. She continued to focus on others, always offering help and comfort to those in need.

Julie was deeply involved in her community, serving on the boards of, For Pete's Sake, where she helped bring a rugby field to Santa Rosa and the Italian Catholic Federation, organizing silent auctions and raffles. She had friends everywhere, including lifelong friendships from high school.

Julie loved to travel and was fortunate to explore the world with John. They visited many countries, enjoyed cruises and took multiple cross-country road trips throughout the US and Canada. She also loved working in her yard and took great pride in designing and shaping the family home. John often said that everything beautiful in their home and garden existed because of her. Julie will be remembered for her resilience, generosity, deep love for her family, and the many lives she touched through kindness, friendship, and service.

She is survived by her husband, John, sons, David (Losalini), Christopher (Cassie), Michael, grandson, Harrison and her four siblings, Francine Vorhees (Jon), Carol Duncan (Arliss), Danny Fiorio (Dina) and Richard Fiorio (Anne), as well as her numerus nieces and nephews.

A rosary will be held on Friday, January 16, 2026, 6:00 p.m and a funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, January 17, 2026, 11:00 a.m. at St. John's Catholic Church, Healdsburg.

49er Game plus to San Francisco and Back

Sunday night, Jack, Sharon and I watched the San Francisco 49er versus Chicago Bears NFL football game. In a thrilling back and forth game, the 49ers held on to win the game by the score of 42 to 38.

After the game, I took Jack back to the city. He and I listened to the live Bill Simmons podcast on YouTube on the drive. With the traffic fairly light, I dropped Jack at his apartment about 10:40 pm. I was back home by 12:20 am. A three and a half hour round trip.

We had a very nice visit with Jack from the last five days. We are planning to have lunch with him in the city on Friday.

Lunch Adventure with Clem and Lee