The Sheep Detectives

Saturday night, August 1, Sharon and I watched the Sheep Detectives on Amazon Prime. When we saw the Odyssey, Tom said that he liked The Sheep Detectives more than the Odyssey so we were curious about the movie.

The Sheep Detectives is a mystery comedy-drama film directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin. It is based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.

The film features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun [Succession], Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson. The voices of sheep include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein.

The movie follows a flock of sheep whose shepherd reads them murder mystery stories every night, unaware that they actually comprehend every word. When their beloved shepherd is mysteriously murdered, the sheep put their detective knowledge to work, stepping outside their meadow to investigate the human suspects and help solve the crime.

Although it is has gotten good reviews, both Sharon and I thought that The Sheep Detectives is not a good movie. We found it very slow. While it has been compared to Paddington which we watched with Lee on Thursday night, I found it mundane. I don't recommend it.

Dinner with Laura

Sharon met Laura for dinner at Mikuni's by the Oaks. They haven't gotten together since last Thanksgiving.

2027 Oscar Favorites

Ploymarket Oscars 2027: Best Picture Nominations
Kalshi Oscars 2027: Best Picture Winner

Gold Derby predictions as of July 31, 2024

The current Goldderby Predictions are here.

Best Picture
✔ 1. Project Hail Mary
✔ 2. The Odyssey
3. Digger
4. Wild Horse Nine
5. Dune: Part Three
6. La Bola Negra
7. Fjord
8. The Debut
9. Obsession
10. The Invite

Best Director
✔ 1. Christopher Nolan - The Odyssey
2. Alejandro G. Inarritu - Digger
3. Martin McDonagh - Wild Horse Nine
4. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo - La Bola Negra
5. Cristian Mungiu - Fjord
6. Denis Villeneuve - Dune: Part Three
✔ 7. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller - Project Hail Mary

Best Actor
1. Tom Cruise - Digger
2. John Malkovich - Wild Horse Nine
✔ 3. Ryan Gosling - Project Hail Mary
4. Sebastian Stan - Fjord
✔ 5. Matt Damon - The Odyssey

Best Actress
1. Julianne Moore - The Debut
2. Renate Reinsve - Fjord
3. Michelle Williams - A Place in Hell
4. Inde Navarrette - Obsession
5. Sandra Hüller - Fatherland
6. Mikey Madison - The Social Reckoning
7. Emily Blunt - Disclosure Day

Best Supporting Actor
1. Paul Giamatti - The Debut
2. John Goodman - Digger
3. Sam Rockwell - Wild Horse Nine
4. Steve Buscemi - Wild Horse Nine
5. Edward Norton - The Invite
✔ 6. John Leguizamo - The Odyssey
✔ 7. Colman Domingo - Michael
✔ 8. Robert Pattinson - The Odyssey

Best Supporting Actress
✔ 1. Anne Hathaway - The Odyssey
2. Penelope Cruz - La Bola Negra
3. Mariana Di Girolamo - Wild Horse Nine
4. Sandra Hüller - Digger
✔ 5. Samantha Morton - The Odyssey
6. Parker Posey - Wild Horse Nine

Best Adapted Screen Play
✔ 1. Project Hail Mary
2. La Bola Negra
3. The Invite
✔ 4. The Odyssey
5. The Social Reckoning

Best Original Screen Play
1. Wild Horse Nine
2. The Debut
3. Digger
4. Fjord
5. Obsession
6. Behemoth!

Overnight Adventure with Lee - Day #2

With Lee staying over night, our plan for the morning was hike around Ancil Hoffman Park. With stops at the river and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, we covered 3.4 miles in just under two hours.

As we were passing the par three 5th hole, a runner coming towards said that he had passed a couple of rattlesnakes. This caused quite a bit of discussion over the next mile.

I was very impressed with the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. They had a large room full of displays that I don't remember seeing before; a lot of stuffed animals displayed nicely.

Before and after lunch, Lee spent some time playing with the Thomas Trains.

I took him back to Pollack Pines about 1:00 pm and dropped him off at 2:00 pm. East of Placerville, there were a lot of people heading towards Tahoe. It was after 3:00 pm before I was home.

We had a great time with Lee! He is at a wonderful age. I feel blessed to have the kids and grandkids close by.

Overnight Adventure with Lee - Day #1

I picked Lee up after his swim lesson in Placerville.

The day included:

• lunch at the house;
• taking Tiber on a bridge walk;
• mini golf at Underground Mini Golf in Old Sacramento;
• swimming in the pool;
• playing with Thomas trains;
• pizza from Serritella's;
• watching the movie Paddington, and;
• taking Tiber on an end of day bridge walk.

Travel Priorities

At dinner in early May, Holly asked me what my travel priorities were. This is the first stab at a working list. Drew and I talked about the list while we were hiking at Sea Ranch. I need to spend some more time with Sharon working on the priortization.

• Ireland
• Paris and Provence [Viking Lyon & Provence?]
• Japan
• Camino Francés
• Portugal [Viking River of Gold?]
• Bilbao, Spain
• Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia (Angkor Wat) [Viking Magnificent Mekong?]
• South America [Viking Chilean Fjords & Scenic Shores?]
• Rome Lenten Pilgrimage
• New Zealand [with Rothchilds?]
• China
• Hong Kong
• Southern Spain and Morocco
• India
• Switzerland
• Tahiti
• Sicily

Lunch with Larkin

I met Larkin for lunch at the Fair Oaks Coffee House and Deli in Old Fair Oaks.

Dinner with Marlene and Phil

Sharon and I met Marlene and Phil for dinner at happy hour at Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Sharon and I have a lot of history with this restaurant...

The Odyssey

Monday, July 20, Eric, Kevin, Tom, Sharon and I saw The Odyssey at the Regal Delta Shores IMAX. I read Emily Wilson's translation in June.

The Odyssey is an epic action fantasy film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. He produced it with his wife Emma Thomas. It is an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem the Odyssey

It stars an ensemble cast including Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Odysseus (Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, undergoes a long and perilous journey home after the Trojan War and encounters mythical beings as he attempts to reunite with his wife Penelope (Hathaway).

Eric, Kevin, Sharon and I all gave the movie an "A-", while Tom gave it a "B" to "B+". Tom said that he liked The Sheep Detectives more!?! I am not sure how to take his comments sometimes. He said that his favorite movie last year was Anaconda.

I really enjoyed the movie. I recommend seeing the movie in IMAX! It is going to be interesting to see what Oscar nominations come out of the film. Golderby.com currently has The Odyssey ranked second behind Project Hail Mary for Best Picture.

Adapting a book to the big screen obviously involves trade-offs. I thought that Nolan's approach to the Trojan Horse was inspired. I was not as enthusiastic about the choice of having Odysseus tell the story of his journey to Calypso. I didn't agree with the having Odyssey rescue Telemachus at the temple; I liked the pace of the end of the book more. I was also surprised how little the Greek gods appeared in the movie, particularly Athena. I had expected to see a lot more of Zendaya.

A footnote. I have been to Troy. Standing on the hilltop watching ships enter the narrow Dardanelles Strait, you can really get a sense of how the city could control the trade routes.

2026 The Sea Ranch Iterum - Day #4

Drew made pancakes for breakfast. Afterwards, he, Sharon and I went out for a hike along the bluffs. We had talked about driving to another spot to start our hike, but Sharon punted on that idea...

We ended up walking to the Sea Preserve before we turned around. Drew and I took a detour on the Sea Meadow Trail as we headed back to the house. We covered 3.4 miles in just under an hour and a half.

Sharon and I got cleaned up, packed and loaded the car. We rolled from Monette just after noon.

Avoiding the cliff section, we took Timber Cove Road to Seaview Road to Fort Ross Road to Meyers Grade Road. We stopped for lunch at the River's End in Jenner. While Sharon and Janie ate there once, I had never been to this restaurant. It took just about an hour to get there.

We split River's End Clam Chowder [light and herbaceous]. For entrees, Sharon had Lemongrass Halibut [grilled alaskan halibut set over forbidden black rice, red, green and yellow pepper confetti finished with a fragrant lemongrass broth], while I had Kicking Ahi Salad [pan seared ahi tuna and set on organic mixed greens, thin slices of cucumber, avocado and mandarin oranges finished with asian vinaigrette and crispy wonton strips].

We left the Jenner about 2:15 pm. Heading towards Guerneville (a mistake!), we finally got cell reception. Waze took us on the Bohemian Highway to Grafton Road. It was windy; Sharon was not pleased. Eventually, we dropped on Highway 12 to get to Highway 101.

Going through Napa rather than Highway 37, we were home at 5:30 pm without a stop.

We really enjoyed getting a chance to spend time with Dawson, Carmen and Drew!

2026 The Sea Ranch Iterum - Day #3

The plan for the morning was for Drew, Sharon and I to play nine holes at the Sea Ranch Golf Links. We teed off about 9:30 am. Drew and I rode together, while Sharon had a cart to herself.

I was pretty happy with how I played. I had a liberally scored 53. I would have been really happy if I hadn't melted down on the par five 6th hole. I started with two fantastic shots. I was lying four under a greenside tree. I proceeded to screw up two chips and ended up with an ugly nine.

I feel more consistent, but I have to continue to work on my concentration and the pace of my swing. I get in trouble when I don't focus.

After golf, Dawson and Carmen met the three of us at Trinks Cafe in Gualala. Sharon and I both had a BBLT [Bacon, local Point Reyes blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, on a sliced sourdough].

The five of us explored Four-Eyed Frog Books. Eventually, Drew took Dawson back to the house, while Carmen and Sharon continued to shop in the Cypress Village. After a quick stop at Red Stella and the Surf Market, we headed back to Monette.

Sharon and I babysat Dawson, while Drew and Carmen went to dinner at the Vue Coastal Kitchen.

After Dawson went down for the night, the four of us played Burgle Bros. The goal is to infiltrate a multi-floor building, crack the safe on each floor, grab the loot, and escape via the roof helipad—all while avoiding patrolling security guards and tripping alarms. Because it is a strictly cooperative game, everyone wins together. If even a single player runs out of Stealth tokens and gets caught, everyone loses.

2026 The Sea Ranch Iterum - Day #2

When we were at Sea Ranch in February, I was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to go out for a run. As I have said repeatedly, with fifty miles of trails, The Sea Ranch is my favorite place in the world to run.

Taking off before breakfast, I ran north from Monette. I covered 5.03 miles in 1:10:48. I forgot to stop the timer when I stretched at the halfway point. My body, particularly my right knee, felt better than I expected.

After late, lazy breakfast, we got everyone organized for a hike. Drew, Carmen and Dawson drove to the Pebble Beach parking lot. Sharon and I hiked to the parking lot and met them there.

The five of us hiked along the bluffs from there to the seal preserve. We passed the Sculpture Point house where we stayed in 2020. It seemed like there weren't as many seals at the preserve as there has been in the past...


Drew, Carmen and Dawson headed back to the car. Sharon wanted to keep going. We ended up going all the way to the White Barn Recreation Center before starting back. Essentially, we covered the same route that I had run in the morning.

Sharon and I ended up hiking just over five miles in two hours and twenty-three minutes. Combined with my morning run, I covered more than ten miles! My leg are going to be trashed.

Sharon and I had a late lunch of smoked salmon that we bought at the Tides Market in Bodega Bay.

Sharon made massage appointments for her and Carmen in Gualala. While they were gone, Drew and I took advantage of the hot tub. Dawson, Drew and I spent some time in the living room hanging out and listening to music, including an artist that Nooter had recommended: Stephen Wilson Jr.

The five of us had dinner at the Sea Ranch Lodge. Trace was behind the bar. With all of the bar stools taken, we didn't get a chance to visit with him.

We split King Salmon Sashimi* [nori-sesame crunch, white soy, garlic brown butter crumble, trout roe, avocado purée]. Sharon and I split a TSRL Farm Lettuces [carrot, cucumber, watermelon radish, “Sea” Ranch dressing]. For mains, I had Honey Glazed Duck Breast [beet puree, braised red cabbage, pickled berries, toasted hazelnuts], while Sharon Grilled NY Steak [6oz Snake River Farms beef, cauliflower puree, coffee soil, mushrooms, green garlic oil, charred scallion]. Drew and Carmen had the same mains.

Our waitress was Amber. We had here when we were there in February.

We ended the day watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.

2026 Sea Ranch Iterum - Day #1

We both slept later than we planned. Eventually, we got organzied and had breakfast at the lodge [granola, oatmeal and a muffin].

The plan for the morning was to hike the Estero Americano Coast Preserve. This is a new area that only opened in 2025. It was seven minutes from the hotel.

We ended up hiking three miles in an hour and a half. Given our late start, we didn't make it all the way to the beach. Sharon talked about coming back in the fall.


Getting back to the lodge, we packed up the car and checked out. We made a quick stop at the Tides Market. From there, we headed north. Rather than driving the cliffs, on Highway 1, I took Meyers Grade Road to Fort Ross Road to Seaview Road to Timber Cove Road.

We stopped and had lunch at the Timber Cove Resort. Although I have passed it dozens of times, I had never stoped there. We split a very good SMOKED TROUT CHOWDER [Potato, Fennel, Clam, Cream, Micro Greens] and both had SALMON BURGER [Lettuce, Tomato Confit, Pickled Red Onion, Lemon Aioli, French Fries, Brioche].

We rolled up to Monette at Sea Ranch about 2:10 pm. Drew and Carmen have rented the house for a week. This is the sixth time that we have stayed at this house at Sea Ranch!?!.

Drew and I went out for a walk in the afternoon. I wanted to check out the lodge, but it was closed for a private party. We looped back by Moonraker Recreation Center. We ended up covering almost two and a half miles in fifty-two minutes.


Drew and Carmen made a nice dinner of barbecued salmon, rice and roasted cauliflower.

After dinner and getting Dawson to bed, We played Love Letter after dinner. I ended up winning.

The four of us walked out to bluff to watch the sunset. Although it was cloudy when we got there, it started to clear off over the course of the afternoon.

Drew and I finished the night playing cribbage. Drew beat me handily; I just avoided the skunk.

We all crashed about 10 pn.

Bodega Bay

Heading to the coast for a few days, our original plan was to try and leave from Sharon's appointment in midtown. I just couldn't get organized.

We ended up pulling away from the house about 11:10 am. We stopped and had lunch at Jersey Mike's in Cordelia.

We had planned to hike at Tolay Lake Regional Park off of Lakeview Highway. Stopping there briefly, it was just too hot; temperatures were in the 90s. We will probably come back and hike there in the fall.

Continuing to Bodega Bay, we got to the Lodge at Bodega Bay about 2:30 pm. Our room was ready. We are spending one night.

After getting settled in the room, we hiked from the hotel to the Cheney Creek and Bird Walk trail. On the way back, we walked on the beach. In total, we covered 2.7 miles in just over an hour and fifteen minutes. The weather was gorgeous.


We finished the day with dinner at Drake's resaurant at the hotel. We split Asparagus Salad [arugula, radish, deep-fried egg, pecorino, pickled shallots, lemon citronette]. For entrees, I had Halibut [broccoli rabe, potato puree, pancetta chili butter, lemon], while Sharon had Pan-Seared Black Cod [cannellini beans, pea tendrils, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, scallions, red miso broth].

Kevin - Over the Years

FaceTime with Nooter

Monday morning, I spent an hour catching up with Nooter.

FaceTime with Drew, Carmen and Dawson

The Madison - Season One

Sharon and I finished watching season one of The Madison. Donna and Kevin had mentioned it at lunch and we started watching the series.

The Madison is a contemporary Western television series created by Taylor Sheridan [1883, 1923, Yellowstone and Landman] for Paramount+. Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell lead the series, alongside main stars Beau Garrett, Patrick J. Adams, Elle Chapman, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence, and Matthew Fox.

The first season of The Madison was released in two batches of three episodes each on March 14 and 21, 2026. The Madison has been renewed for a second and third season.

The series follows the wealthy Clyburn family as they relocate from New York City to the Madison River valley of southwest Montana. Led by matriarch Stacy Clyburn (Pfeiffer), the family seeks emotional recovery and a fresh start in the wake of a major life-changing tragedy that permanently changes the family.

I enjoyed the series. I recommend it. We will definitely watch the next season.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet

My book for July is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet. Looking around for a science fiction book to read, I settled on this book. It won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Set in an eccentric, bio-engineered empire where massive, toxic behemoths occasionally threaten the coastline, the book follows a brilliant but erratic investigator named Ana Dolorca and her long-suffering assistant, Din. The duo is tasked with solving a locked-room mystery after an engineer dies from an agonizing contagion that causes a deadly tree to burst directly from his chest.

This is really not my cup of tea. It is more fantasy than science fiction; it also won the 2025 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the story. It is a Sherlock Holmes and Watson–style detective story. It is well written and nicely paced. The Tainted Cup is the first book in author's Shadow of the Leviathan series. There are actually two sequels. I will read the sequels.

I mentioned the book to Carmen and Morgan at dinner last Friday. Carmen had read the first two books. She was very enthusiastic about them and was looking forward to the third book.

2026 Lake Almanor - Day #5

I need to pull together some musings about Lake Almanor. This trip had a lot of nostalgia for me.


A lazy morning. We had to be out of the VRBO by 10 am. We packed up the cars and then headed to the Lake Almanor West Golf Course. Even more golf!

We had a 11:30 am tee time. Sharon rode with Holly, while Van and I walked.

I felt solid on the driving range. I was very happy with how I played. My ball striking was consistent. My chipping was solid and didn't cost me any strokes! I just didn't putt as well as I could have. I ended up with one bogey, seven double bogies and one triple bogies. I didn't have a hole where I fell apart.

I carded an honest 54. The last time I played this course three years ago with Nooter I had a 67!?!


Although I have probably played the Almanor West Golf at least five or six times before, I didn't have a picture in my head of any of the holes. The fairways weren't as narrow as I remembered. I enjoyed the course; I liked it more than the Lake Almanor Country Club.

After the round, the four of us had a late lunch at the Almanor West Grill. I had a CLASSIC COBB [Fresh greens, purple cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, bleu cheese, bacon, boiled egg, chicken breast your way], while Sharon had a FRENCHIE WITH FLAIRE [Hot roast beef with provolone, mozzarella cheese and saute'ed veggies on a hoagie roll, served with au jus].

Heading home, we rolled from the course about 2:45 pm. With three short construction stops, we were back in Carmichael just before 6:30 pm. Although we talked about taking 36 to Red Bluff, we took 32 into Chico. Sharon drove the whole way; we didn't stop once.

2026 Lake Almanor - Day #4

The plan for the day was playing golf at the Lake Almanor Country Club Golf Course. We have been coming to Lake Almanor since 1988. I didn't realize the course was open to public play. Asking at the pro shop, the woman that it has been open for public play was long as she can remember!

We teed off at 10:10 am. Sharon rode with Holly. Van and I rented pull carts and walked.

It is a nine hole course. There are a different sets of tees if you want to go around second time to play eighteen holes. We ended going around twice.

I was happy with how I played the first nine. I parred the par four 3rd hole. I made a mess of the 9th hole; it is a long uphill par four back to the clubhouse. If I hadn't three putted four holes, I would have had a very solid score.

I was more inconsistent the second time around. It was hot and I was walking. While the score for the first nine is fairly honest, the second nine was more liberally scored.

We finished the day with dinner at the Red Onion Grill. The restaurant and bar has been there since 2009. Tomasin, Snipes, Hunter and I played pool there in 2012. Sharon and I split Roasted Beets & Burrata [warm roasted organic red beets, burrata, maldon sea salt, olive oil, balsamic gastrique]. For entrees, I had Pork Osso Buco [pork shank braised cacciatore style with tomato, onion, garlic and white wine; cheesy grits], while Sharon had Meyer Lemon Ravioli.

2026 Lake Almanor - Day #3

Holly, Van, Sharon and I spent the morning cruising Lake Almanor. We rented a 20' patio boat from Knotty Pines Resort and Marina. We made a loop around much of the lake, including: Hamilton Branch where the Hamburger Hut used to be; the Dorado Inn where we have stayed off and on for the last 39 years; the Charbier's old property; the dam, and; Plumas Pines.


We had lunch back at the VRBO. Getting organized to take off for the afternoon, we had another adventure with a bat. A bat came in through the front door as Holly was leaving. I herded it out of the back sliding door with a broom.

After lunch, we took off for the Rocky Point Campground. While Holly and Van rode their bikes, Sharon and I hiked four miles along the Lake Almanor Recreational Trail.


From there, we drove into Chester to the Holiday Market. We actually got some thunder and lightning and then a brief downpour just as we got to the market.

Holly and Van made a great dinner to finish the day. Van barbecued some rib-eye steaks and vegetables. They made some pasta with homemade pesto. Van had made a peach cobbler for dessert.

At dusk, there were an enormous number of bats flying from south to north behind the house. I wonder where they were coming from and where they were going...