The Fall Guy

Monday afternoon, Sharon and I went to see The Fall Guy at the Country Club Cinema. It was a little bit of an odd experience; we were the only people in one of the larger 150 person theaters!

The Fall Guy is an action comedy film directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce. It is loosely based on the 1980s TV series about stunt performers. The film stars Ryan Gosling [La La Land, The Big Short, Barbie] and Emily Blunt. It also features Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu [Everything Everywhere All At Once], Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Winston Duke.

The plot follows a stuntman (Gosling) working on his ex-girlfriend's (Blunt) directorial debut action film. He finds himself involved in a conspiracy surrounding the film's lead actor (Taylor-Johnson).

I enjoyed the movie. It's a perfect summer blockbuster with dazzling stunts, witty dialogue, and a charming cast. The chemistry between Golsing and Blunt is very good. Sharon noted in our Clan Heringa text thread that "I am now convinced beyond all doubt that Ryan Gosling is The Sexiest Man Alive."

Morgan's Birthday

We celebrated Morgan's birthday on Saturday at Drew and Carmen's house in Orinda.

Tearing apart the Woodshop

After a night with noisy neighbors at the hotel, Sharon and I slept late. Eventually, we got organized and checked out. We headed towards Orinda. With an accident in the Caldecott Tunnel and heavy rain, it was slow going. We stopped and got breakfast at the Starbucks in Orinda.

The objective for the day was to tear apart the woodshop on the bottom floor of house that Drew and Carmen bought. Daniel is taking everything and moving the stuff to their garage in Placerville. In addition to Drew, Daniel and I, two of Drew's friends--Dan and Sharon--showed up to help.

I spent most of the first two hours pulling down ducting. The ducting was part of an air handling system that was designed to draw the sawdust away from the wood working equipment.

During a late lunch break, we celebrated Morgan's birthday. She turns 37 on Sunday.

After lunch, we started moving stuff up from shop to the truck. There is a tram/trolley along the side of the house that we used to drag most of the stuff up. The tram was slow. We carried some of the smaller things up three flights of stairs just to keep us moving.

A number of the machines were pretty heavy. It took all of us to get them up the ramp into the truck. We ended up loading almost a dozen large pieces, including a work table and a air handler. I would guess that it was more than 2,500 pounds of equipment. Thankfully, it had stopped raining by the time that we started loading the truck.

It was after 6:30 pm by the time we got everything loaded in the truck.

Sharon drove us back to Carmichael. We stopped at Mesa Mercado for a late dinner. I had chicken enchiladas.

To Oakland

With a plan to meet Carmen, Drew and Jack near Jack London Square for dinner on Thursday night and then help tear apart the woodshop on Saturday, I made a hotel reservation at The Waterfront Hotel in Oakland. Sharon and I stayed here once before.

Leaving from Sharon's dermatology appointment about 2:50 pm with one stop to change drivers, we were at the hotel by 4:30 pm. We just missed getting stuck in a giant mess on 80. When we rolled by, the traffic was stopped eastbound near Cordelia Junction and we saw a large CHP officers with guns drawn. Apparently, they closed westbound 80 shortly after we passed by.

Getting checked into the hotel, we had a drink and an appetizer at Scott's Seafood. We met Jack, Carmen and Drew for dinner at the Salty Pearl. Drew knows the owner. We started with OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL, CRUDO, MARINATED OLIVES, BOQUERONES and ACME PAN AU LEVAIN dr BUTTER. For an entree, I had CLAM CHOWDER and BBQ OYSTERS, while Sharon had a ROCKY BURGER W/ CHIPS.

We walked back to the hotel and crashed. Unfortunately, people rolled into the room next door about 11 pm and were loud until almost 3 am when Sharon finally called the front desk...

Ancil Hoffman

Thursday afternoon, Debbie, Jim, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman. We trying to make this somewhat of a weekly tradition.

After playing horribly at Sea Ranch last Saturday, I decided that I needed to shake things up. I didn't use my driver, only five wood and hybrid four iron. I also went back to something that I was doing after my first Golftec lesson: starting my backswing with my hips. I felt better on the driving range than I did at Sea Ranch.

I ended up having more fun, but scoring poorly. Honestly counting every shot, I had a 64. For comparison, three weeks ago, I shot a 54!?!

I have got to get back and take some more Golftec lessons.

Afterwards, the four of us had a couple of cocktails on the patio.

Sea Ranch April 2024 Puzzle

Monday at Sea Ranch, Sharon and Donna finished this puzzle. Sharon's July 2022 Sea Ranch puzzle is here. Her February 2022 Sea Ranch puzzle is here.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #8

We spent the morning packing and cleaning up the house. Sharon and I took a two mile hike to Sculpture Point and back. We pulled away from Monette just after 10:30 am.

It has become somewhat of a tradition to wine taste at the Fort Ross Winery on the way home from Sea Ranch. This allows us to skip the worst of the cliff section of Highway 1 between Fort Ross and Jenner. I took the Timber Cove Road up to Seaview Road, rather the Fort Ross Road that we have used in the past; it is an easier drive. Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I had a nice tasting with a food pairing.

We rolled from the winery just after 1 pm. Waze routed us from Jenner on the River Road all way to Highway 101. It then sent us down 101 all the way to 37. It is a path that we have never really taken before. There was a lot of traffic on 37 and 80. We were back in Carmichael about 4:10 pm.

I enjoyed the week. I just wish that I had felt better. Starting last Wednesday, I struggled with a lingering head cold. In spite of this, I played golf three times, did two long hikes, went out to dinner twice and went for a long run. I could have used a little more down time...

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #7

A lazier day...

Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I walked down to the Sea Ranch Lodge for coffee. Getting back to the house, we had a large leisurely breakfast of bacon, eggs and biscuits.

My goal for the day was to go for a run. As I have said repeatedly, with a hundred miles of trails, Sea Ranch is my favorite place in the world to run. Being able to run along the bluffs on the ocean for miles and miles is so cool.

While Donna, Kevin and Sharon went to the pro shop at the golf course and the Surf Market in Gualala, I went for a run. Heading North from Monette, I essentially covered the same ground that we hiked on Sunday. I ran for six miles in an hour and twenty-two minutes. The first three miles were into the teeth of a 20 plus mph wind. Over the first two miles, I was trying to find the right combination of breathe, pace and heart rate.


We spent a chunk of the afternoon just hanging out in the house. Sharon and Donna went for a mile and a half walk that included the Sea Meadow Trail.

In the late afternoon, we started playing Mexican Train. We took a break to fix dinner: barbecued chicken and salad.

After dinner, we continued playing Mexican Train. I ended up winning by a lot! We crashed after 10:30 pm.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #6

After breakfast, Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I hiked north along the bluffs. We hiked as far north as Vista del Mar where Sharon and I stayed for our 20th Anniversary Dinner Party. Looping back, we stopped and had a leisurely lunch at the picnic tables near the Ohlson Rec Center. On the way back, I split off and explored the Sea Meadow Trail through Rock Meadow.

In total, we covered about 6.4 miles in two and a half hours of moving time. We probably sat for an hour at lunch...


We had a lazy afternoon back at Monette. I did a Peloton strength workout. We watched Clippers versus Mavs NBA basketball round one playoff game. The Mavs roared back from 31 points down, but fell short and lost by the score of 116 to 111. Sharon and Donna worked on a puzzle.

Eventually, we got cleaned up and drove to the Sea Ranch Lodge for dinner.

Kevin ordered a First of Bread + Castlevetrano Olives + Roasted Garlic & Balsamic Vinegar that we all shared. Donna had Carrot Ginger Fennel Soup and Grilled Focaccia.

For Middles, Kevin had Manila Clams [Green Garlic + White Wine + Tarragon]. I had a TSRL Farm Lettuces Salad [Seasoned Carrot & Pistachio + Herbed Yogurt + Lemon Vinaigrette + Feta + Dried Apricots]. Sharon had a Butter Lettuce salad [Sugar Snap Peas + Dill + Pecorino Romano + Tamari Roasted Seeds].

For Last, Sharon, Kevin and I all had the Ike Jime Local Halibut [Artichokes in Barigoule Broth + Spring Vegetables]. Donna had Housemade Wild Nettle Fettuccine [TSRL Oyster Mushrooms + Fiddlehead Ferns + Pesto of Nettles & Pine Nuts + Pecorino].

We finished the night playing Mexican Train. We played five rounds. In a fairly bizarre sequence, I won the last round and ended up winning the evening just barely over Sharon. It was after 11:30 pm by the time we crashed.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #5

The plan for the day was playing golf at the Sea Ranch Links Golf Course. This marked the sixth time that I played golf in ten days. I have never played this much golf!?!

After playing well and really enjoying the rounds on Tuesday and Thursday, I felt very out of sorts on the driving range. I was struggling on the range even worse than on Thursday.

Teeing off about 10 am, I rode with Sharon, while Kevin and Donna rode together.

Unfortuately, my struggles on the range carried over to my play. I made a mess of the first two holes. I stopped keeping my score by the third hole. I never stop keeping my score...

Although I had a few good shots over the course of the day, I felt like I couldn't do anything right. Sharon noted towards the end of the front nine that my swing was back to being more vertical; chopping wood. With the book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect stressing that you shouldn't think about your swing or work on your swing while you are playing, I was more than a little paralyzed about what to do.

I was an ugly day. I lost a lot of balls.

It got very windy over the course of the day; the wind reached 20 mph. It took us about 4 1/2 hours to play eighteen.

After golf, we headed into Gualala and got steaks for dinner. With Kevin barbecuing the steaks, we had a nice dinner of steaks, baked potato, aspargus and salad.

After dinner, we played Oh Hell. I had never played this card game before. Sharon ended up winning the night.

The four of us finished the day watching Bill Mahr. The interview was Robert Kennedy Jr. This is the first time that I have seen him talk or be interviewed. I was not impressed. Several of us fell asleep in front of the tv during the show. We shut things down and crashed about 11:30 pm.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #4

It has been a hectic week. A week ago Thursday, Sharon and I played golf. Afterwards, I went into the city to pick up Jack and got home at 1 am. Up early on Friday, Jack, Larkin and I drove to Nevada and played golf. Saturday, the three of us played golf a second day in the Peter/sen Shootout in Nevada. Sunday, we drove home with a quick stop to see Morgan, Daniel and Lee. Monday, I took Jack back to the city with a stop to tour Drew and Carmen's new house. Tuesday, we headed to Sea Ranch with a stop to play golf at Northwood. Wednesday, we hiked with Holly and Van at Sea Ranch. Yesterday, the four of us played golf at Sea Ranch Golf Links. On top of everything, I have been struggling with a cold over the last four days.

We had a lazy morning and a leisurely breakfast. With Holly and Van leaving, they packed up and loaded the car.

We drove to Olhson Rec Center. We planned to walk north along the bluffs. It started to rain lightly. After a short distance, Holly and Van decided to head back to Sacramento.

Sharon and I headed into Gualala to do some shopping. After a nice salmon salad for lunch, we had a lazy couple of hours at the house. After the last week, I needed some downtime. I did a peloton strength workout.

The Gainsleys rolled up at 2:15 pm. They unpacked and got settled into the house.

Eventually, the four of us walked to lodge for a cocktail. It was the same bartender [Trace] that we met two years.

We finished the day with dinner at house. Sharon made linguine with clams. Kevin barbecued some oysters.

The four of us crashed early.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #3

With a 9:30 tee time at the Sea Ranch Golf links, we were up and moving fairly early. I had made an earlier than usual tee time ahead of the men's league, rather than having us start behind them.

Lately, I have felt good on the driving range, but couldn't get it to carry over to the course. This was just the opposite. I was awful on the range, but was very happy with how I played. Using a couple of mulligans, I had a 50 on the front including several three putts. I was striking the ball well. I hit a seven iron to within 2 1/2 feet of the par three twelfth; I made the putt for a birdie. My concentration started to waver and I was wearing down on the back nine. I ended up with a liberally scored 104.

Holly and Van walked the course, while Sharon and I rode. I really enjoyed the outing.

Back at the house, I soaked in the hot tub and then took a nap. I am still fighting a cold.

Sharon and Holly ended up walking up to the lodge to listen to a jazz band and have a cocktail. They said that the band wasn't very good...

When they got back, we threw together a dinner with leftovers from last night's dinner at the lodge and Holly's enchiladas from the first night. The four of us finished the night playing Codenames. Sharon and I lost the first two games, but roared back to win the second two games. We crashed a little after 10 pm.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #2

Everyone was moving slow. We had a lazy breakfast. Eventually, we got organized for a hike. We headed north along the bluffs to the Ohlson Rec Center. From there, we crossed the road and headed up into the redwoods along Hugo's Ravine before looping back. In total, we covered 6.2 miles in two hours and forty-eight minutes.


We had lunch back at the house. The plan for the afternoon was pickleball. I was feeling under the weather and ended up taking a nap. Holly and Van went to the Moonraker Rec Center and hit the ball for a while.

We had an early dinner reservation at the Sea Ranch Lodge. Van and I walked from the house to the lodge, while Sharon and Holly drove. It turned out to be a very different experience. Once a month, the restaurant has a family style dinner with large tables for locals! The food was very good.

Back at the house, we crashed early.

2024 Sea Ranch - Day #1

After I had an early morning dermatology appointment, Sharon and I headed towards Sea Ranch. We met Holly and Van at the Northwood Golf Course along the Russia River. This is a nine hole course. We teed off just after 1 pm.


I was pretty happy with how well I played. I ended up with an honestly scored 58. I played with the same ball all afternoon. I made a mess of the par five ninth. After not hitting driver all day on the tight short course, I took it out; I shouldn't have. I was striking the ball pretty well. I really enjoyed the golf course.

From there, Sharon and I headed to Gualala to pick up the key to the rental house. We are staying seven nights at Monette. We stayed at this Sea Ranch rental twice in 2022: February and July.

After getting the cars unloaded and settled in the house, Holly made a nice dinner of enchiladas. The four of us finished the night played Hygge.

Taking Jack back to the City plus Drew’s new house

The plan for the day was to get Jack back to the city so he could work Monday afternoon. We rolled from the Carmichael a little after 8:30 am.

I had talked to Drew a couple of times over the weekend. He and Carmen had gotten the keys to their new house on Saturday. They did a walkthough with the previous owners. Drew invited Jack and I to stop by for a quick tour.

Taking 50 to 80 top 680 to 24, Jack and I pulled up to the new house about 10:15 am. It is on the opposite side of 24 from where they live now. Situated on a ridge, it has a beautiful view to the south. No one has lived in the house since November so the 1.3 acres is a little overgrown. They have some work to do.

Sharon and I are coming back in two weekends to help Daniel and Drew disassemble the wood shop.

Heading into the city, I dropped Jack at his apartment about 11:30 am and then headed home. I have done a lot of driving over the last five days!

2024 Petersen Shootout - Day 3

Up early, Larkin and I had breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. Jack, Larkin and I rolled from the hotel about 10 am [88 to 89 to 50]. We made a short stop to visit with Morgan, Daniel and Lee in Placerville; Clem was sleeping. After dropping Larkin in Folsom and going through a drive-through to get some lunch, Jack and I were back in Carmichael about 1:30 pm.

I had a nice time. It was great to have Ben and Josh in our foursome on Friday and Saturday, respectively. I loved riding with Jack on Friday. I always enjoy Larkin's company.

As I told the boys last year, the tournament has changed since Larkin and I started going. In the beginning, it felt much more intimate than it does now. There were some really interesting evenings in the suite in the first couple of years.

The size of the group explored from 65 last year to 85 this year. The group feels chaotic and disjointed. It is disappointing that they skipped making the first timers tell a joke. I miss the camaraderie that used to take place in the suite. It will be interesting to see if Larkin and I decided to continue to participate.

2024 Petersen Shootout - Day 2

Up fairly early, Jack, Larkin and I had breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. The package for the weekend included a $5.00 food voucher for use at the hotel.

The three of us headed to Genoa Bar. This is billed as Nevada' oldest thirst parlor. We ended up playing several games of pool. I have an interesting history with this bar...

The plan for the day was to play the Ranch course at Genoa Lakes. We have played this course once in the past: 2018. I had no recollection of the course!

Rod started with a chipping contest at 11:45 am. This was followed by a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. The format for the day was a shamble. Although we never caught up with them, Borja and his brother-in-law Scott were in the fivesome in front of us.

I rode with Larkin, while Jack rode with Josh. Josh and Jack played baseball on the Outlaws from 2009 to 2014. Josh was crushing the ball; he hit one drive 340 yards... I ended up with a 96 that included a 9 on one of the par fives [three shots to get out of the sand!].

I liked the course, particularly the back nine up on the hill west of the road. The pace of play was pretty good. We finished up about 5:30 pm.

Heading back to the hotel, we got cleaned up and drove to dinner. This year, the dinner was at JT Basque. Larkin and I have eaten there before by ourselves and with Jack and Drew. The dinner was disappointing. With 85 people stuffed in the back of the restaurant, it was loud and chaotic. Frankly, they didn't serve enough of the food. Everyone was scrambling to get a portion of the food as it was served family style.

One of the traditions of the tournament was that first timers had to tell a joke. With the number of people and the venue, they skipped it this year. It was just another thing that makes the event feel a lot less intimate...

Back at the hotel, Jack crashed early. Larkin and I spent a little bit of time in Rod's suite, really only Josh was there. Sitting by the elevators talking to Sharon on the phone, what was clearly a hooker wandered by. Larkin and I eventually crashed just before midnight.

2024 Petersen Shootout - Day 1

For the twelfth time in fifteen years, Larkin and I played in the Petersen Shootout [2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023]. We missed 2013 when Rod kept moving the date around and it finally landed on a weekend when Sharon, Jack and I were in H@waii. In 2015, Larkin wasn't available. I signed up with Borja as my wingman, but when he canceled at the last minute, I bailed. In 2020, the original dates for the tournament were cancelled due to the pandemic. Rod ended up having a taking a smaller group in late July, but both Larkin and I were uncomfortable with the idea. For the third year in a row, Jack played with us.

Jack spent Thursday night at our house. He and I rolled from Carmichael at 8:30 am. We picked Larkin up in Folsom. We rolled up the Silver Oaks Golf course just after 11:30 am [50 to 88 to 395]. Larkin and I played this course in 2019, 2016 and 2010.


This year's group is enormous. From the mid-twenties when Larkin and I first started coming, the group size has grown to more than 85 this year!

After a putting contest, at 11:45 am, Jack, Larkin, Ben Borja and I teed off on the fifth hole in a shotgun start. We played a shamble. With Jack struggling, we didn't have anyone in the group who was crushing their tee shots. I ended up with a 102; this may be the worst scramble score that I have ever had. I was striking the ball better than Thursday, but was still very inconsistent.

The course played very slow. It took us more than five and a half hours to play eighteen. We finished up after 5:30 pm.

After golf, we headed to the Carson Valley Inn. With Jack wanting a steak, we had dinner at the CV Steak Restaurant in the hotel. Larkin and I ate here once before in 2017. It turned into more than a little bit of a fiasco. I ordered the Elk special. My order didn't show up until almost 40 minutes after Jack and Larkin got their steaks. The manager ended up comping all of our dinners.

We had a booth next to a screen that allowed us to watch the Kings versus Pelicans play-in game. The Kings lost the game by the score of 105 to 98 and failed to make the playoffs.

Larkin and I wandered by Rod's suite. The size of the group has really changed the suite dynamics; it is just not as intimate as it once was. We crashed just after 11 pm.

Ancil Hoffman plus picking up Jack

Thursday afternoon, Sharon, Jim, Debbie and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman. We are trying to schedule this as a regular Thursday afternoon.

Feeling solid on the driving range, the round turned into a shitshow. It is probably the worst that I have played in years. I was not striking the ball consistently. It was doubly frustrating because I had played so well last Thursday. I have got to get back and get some lessons.

We have a lot of golf scheduled for the next ten days. Larkin, Jack and I are headed to Nevada for the Petersen shootout. Sharon, Holly, Van and I are then headed to Sea Ranch early next week. I am going to play at least five, maybe six times in the next ten days. It is going to be interesting to see if I can settle down.

Late Thursday, I headed to San Francisco to pick up Jack. It was a struggle. The freeway was down to one lane in a number of places both diretions. I was shocked at how much roadwork was taking place. I scooped Jack up on Pine about 10:15 pm. After a brief stop at his apartment, we were back in Carmichael about 12:30 am.

The Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher

My book for April is The Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher. Sharon and I saw her interviewed on the Bill Mahr HBO show. I was intrigued and bought the book.

Kara Swisher, a veteran tech journalist known for her sharp wit and incisive questioning, takes aim at the tech industry. Part memoir, part history, Burn Book chronicles the rise of Silicon Valley's elite and explores the motivations and ambitions that fueled the tech boom. Swisher weaves her own experiences covering the industry with profiles of tech's biggest names. Swisher holds these leaders accountable by highlighting the ways their pursuits of changing the world often resulted in unintended consequences.

For me, part of the book was a walk down memory lane. I bought a TRS-80 Model 1 in 1979. Over the next 45 years, I worked for financial services and healthcare companies working to implement technology. I was on business side of all the trends that she outlines; trying to sort out how to incorporate the consumer trends into the mainline business. One of the biggest impacts for me was how the consumer trends impacted business users expectations [read: just make it as easy as shopping on Amazon...]. The book isn't quite as a good as it vears into Swisher's profiles with the tech executives her personal history. Nevertheless, I recommend it to anyone who has worked in the tech industry over the last fifty years.

2024 Kings versus Warriors - 9/10 Play-in Game

Larkin and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors NBA Basketball 9/10 Play-in Game. Drew and Kyle were also at the game; we connected with them briefly in the arena before the game started.

The Kings led from the start. Golden State got within one early in the third quarter before Sacramento responded with a 19-5 run keyed by a pair of 3-pointers from Ellis and more big shots from Murray to build the lead back to 15 points. The Kings were never threatened after that. The Kings won the game by the score of 118 to 94.

Keegan Murray was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 32 points on 10 for 20 from the field, 8 for 13 from three and 4 for 4 from the free throw line.

As you would expect, Stephen Curry was the high scorer for the Warriors. He had 22 points on 8 for 16 from the field, 3 for 7 from three and 3 for 3 from the free throw line. Klay Thompson had no points in 32 minutes on 0 for 10 from the field and 0 for 6 from three.

It was a very fun game. The crowd was great. It was entertaining to watch the Warriors fans start to exit with a couple of minutes left to go.

Larkin and I connected with Drew and Kyle at half-time. I also meet them briefly outside the arena after game. Drew and Kyle are skiing at Sierra at Tahoe on Wednesday.

The Kings now have 6 wins and 2 losses in games that I have seen in person during the 2023-2024 season.