California Historical Landmark #760

When Sharon and I visited Yosemite in 2009, I was irked that I couldn't find this historical marker. I spotted it right away when Jack, Sharon and I stopped at the Visit Center on this trip.

Yosemite Valley
California State Historical Landmark #790
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This landmark is mounted on entrance wall of auditorium building at the Visitor Center in Yosemite National Park. There are 7 other California State Historical Landmarks in Mariposa County . The GPS coordinates for this location are 37° 44' 55.7" N 119° 35' 14.2" W.

On June 30, 1864, in an act signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the United States granted the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the State of California to 'be held for public use, resort, and recreation . . . inalienable for all time.' This, the first federal authorization to preserve scenic and scientific values for public benefit, was the basis for the later concept of state and national park systems. In 1906 the State of California returned the land, considered the first state park in the country, so that it could become part of Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite Hike to Nevada Falls

Using Runkeeper on my iPhone, I built the following map from our hike to the top of Nevada Falls in Yosemite.

2018 Yosemite - Day 3

Although my alarm went off at 6:30 am, it took me until after 7:00 am to get everyone up and moving. We packed up the room and loaded up the car. After checking out, we grabbed some breakfast burritos and sandwiches at the store in the main lodge.

Heading back to Yosemite Valley, we parked at the Ahwahee Hotel. Unlike Saturday afternoon, there was lots of parking!

The plan for the day was to ride bikes around the valley. We brought three bikes with us. It took me a while to unload all of the bikes and get everything put together. It was about 9:30 am when we hit the trail.

Sharon and I rode bikes around the valley when we were here in 2009. It is a very cool way to explore the valley. We made stops at the Visitor Center, Yosemite Falls, Yosemite Lodge (to buy a lock), the Curry Village store and Mirror Lake.

We parked the bikes at Mirror Lake. To my surprise, we ended up hiking more than three miles to the Tenaya Creek Bridge and Back. Sharon and I did this hike in 2009.

After the hike, we biked back to the Ahwahnee. We were able to get a nice table outside for a late lunch. Sharon and I had taco salads, while Jack had lamb chops.

We left the valley about 2:00 pm. It was an easy drive back to Carmichael. With a quick stop for gas, we were home a little before 6:00 pm. It was a great gateway. Sharon and I both enjoyed having a chance to spend some time with Jack!

2018 Yosemite - Day 2

I set an alarm for 6:30 am. We were up and moving pretty quickly. We had breakfast in the restaurant (pancakes!). We were on the road to the Yosemite Valley a little after 8:00 am. It was about a 35 minute drive from the hotel into the valley.

The plan for the day was to hike to Nevada Falls. Parking in the Curry Village Parking lot, we were on the trail about 9:10 am. Sharon and I hiked this trail in August of 1997 when she was training for the Half Dome hike. We also hiked the first mile or so with Drew and Morgan; my best guess was that this was Spring of 1997.

On the way up, we hiked the Mist Trail. The section below Vernal Falls was very wet. After some debate about continuing to Little Yosemite Valley, we stopped and had lunch at the top of Nevada Falls. Jack and I both would have liked to go a little further. After lunch, we hiked down the John Muir Trail. In total, we covered about 9.5 miles in just over five hours. A map of the hike is here.

Given that it has been twenty years since I did this hike, I was surprised by a couple of things. When we did the hike before, we went up the John Muir Trail and down the Mist Trail. I had forgotten how steep the sections just below both Vernal and Nevada Falls are. For some reason, I remembered the steel staircase as being at Nevada Falls rather than Vernal Falls. Finally, I remembered the exposed section on the John Muir Trail as further down from Nevada Falls.

As we got back to the car, it was amazing how many people were on the lower section of the trail. Additionally, there were lots of cars circling the parking lot looking for a spot.

Once we got packed up, Sharon wanted to head to the Ahwahnee Hotel for an adult beverage. There were people everywhere. I circled the lot while Sharon went in to get a table. I eventually tried to get the car valeted parked, but they would only take hotel guests. We eventually gave up and headed back to the Rush Creek Lodge.

After getting cleaned up, we went to a beer tasting that the lodge was holding. They poured a selection of California beers. In addition to the three of us, there was a family from England.

We had dinner again in the Tavern. I had a Greek Salad and a Mushroom Flatbread, while Sharon and Jack both had burgers.

We finished the night with a couple games of darts and tabletop hockey and smores. I like the hotel. I just wish it was just a little closer to Yosemite Valley...

2018 Yosemite - Day 1

With Jack only home for a couple of weeks, Sharon made a decision in early May that we should spent a weekend at Yosemite. Sharon and I haven't been to Yosemite since 2009. Jack has never been to Yosemite!

Sharon, Jack and I took off from Carmichael about 1:30 pm. With a quick stop for gas, we got to the Rush Creek Lodge by 4:30 pm. Waze took us via Highway 99 to Highway 4 and through Copperopolis to Highway 120.

The Rush Creek Lodge is new. It opened in June 2016. The lodge is located just a mile outside the Yosemite North Gate on Highway 120.

After getting settled in the room, we relaxed and played a couple of games of cribbage. We eventually wandered to an early dinner in the Tavern. Jack had a Trout BLT, Sharon had salmon and I had Chicken Curry.

The lodge is set up with lots of activities and a big game room. We ended up playing three games of electronic darts after dinner. We finished the night with a trip to the hot tub.

System-wide failure hits Sacramento area Sutter Health clinics

System-wide failure hits Sacramento area Sutter Health clinics

May 15, 2018 12:01 PM

A system-wide failure is causing problems at Sutter Health locations, a spokesman for Sutter Health Valley Area said.

Throughout the morning, employees have been unable to access patients’ electronic health records, emails and use the phones, Gary Zavoral confirmed. Some patients are being contacted to reschedule appointments.

The root of electronic failure has been linked to “the activation of the fire suppression system in one of our information services buildings,” Zavoral said. He did not immediately have more details about the incident.

Local facilities impacted include the Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, as well as clinics in Roseville and Davis. Patients are being asked to reschedule nonemergency surgeries and lab testing. Zavoral did not know how many people were affected.

Those who have not been contacted by a Sutter facility about their appointment should arrive as planned.

“Any type of emergency services, patient care, (there’s the) same quality as usual,” he said. “They have a backup procedure when their system goes down.”

Patients of the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation clinics in Modesto also reported not being able to schedule appointments with doctors and being told to call back in two hours, per The Modesto Bee.

Zavoral said Sutter Health is working to fix the issue.

Pat and Bernard for dinner

We had Pat and Bernard for dinner. Sharon made a great dinner of spatchcock chicken, rice and green beans.

GolfTec Lesson

After work, Sharon and I headed to GolfTec on Tuesday night. This is my fourth lesson. Talking about my experiences playing Ancil Hoffman, we ended up working on pitching and chipping for the whole lesson. I was chipping the ball into a screen and then a monitor would show where the ball ended up on the green.

The lessons are doing me some good. I feel like I am striking the ball much better...

Lambs Club

Sharon, Jack and I had brunch at the Lambs Club on Easter.

Lambs Club
Also known as Church of the Nazarene
National Register of Historic Places #1982003382
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This building is located at 128 West 44th Street, New York, New York. The GPS coordinates for this location are 40° 45' 23.9" N 73° 59' 04.1" W.

The Lambs Club, a private social group that presented plays and satirical theatrical revues, built this clubhouse in 1904-05. The Eastern half of the this fine Neo-Georgina style building was designed by the prominent architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, whose senior partners were club members. Architect George A. Freeman, Jr., was responsible for adding the Western half in a seamless ca. 1915 addition that displays similar brickwork, marble, terra cotta, and classical ornament. Sold in 1975, the former clubhouse has subsequently been used as an off-broadway theater and church. The building was renovated and converted into a hotel in 2010.

Mother's Day 2018

With Jack home from college on Saturday, we had a very nice Mother's Day. Sharon, Tiber and I started the morning with a three mile loop around Ancil Hoffman.

After getting cleaned up, Sharon, Jack and I headed to Arden Hills for a Mother's Day brunch. I am not sure exactly what I expected, but this event exceeded my expectations. They set up a very nice buffet in one of the banquet rooms. The room was nicely decorated. If we keep the club membership, this is an event that I would consider doing again; Sharon and I talked about going for Father's Day.

After brunch, we headed to the St. Mary's cemetery to put some flowers on Sharon's mom's grave. I was surprised at the number of people at the cemetery. Lots of people leaving flowers and even some large groups picnicking.

In the late afternoon, we planted some additional plants in the front of the house. We finished the day with barbecued steaks and corn and green beans.

Jack is back!

With his last final on Friday, Jack spent the morning scrambling to get his stuff packed and into storage. He caught an Uber to BWI. For future reference, the travel time was one hour and seven minutes. Jack boarded a 2:50 pm nonstop Southwest flight to Sacramento. Unfortunately, they were missing the pilots... As a result, the plane sat on the ground for about 45 minutes. He finally got to Sacramento just about 6:00 pm. Sharon and I met him at the train in the new terminal.

Jack has finished his second year at Georgetown University! It is hard to believe.

Cafe Bernardo

Sharon and I finished the week with an early dinner at Cafe Bernardo at Pavilions. After splitting a Mushroom & Jarlesberg Cheese salad, we both had an Ahi Tuna special paired with a nice Navarro Vineyards 2016 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.

Means of Ascent by Robert Caro

My book for May is Means of Ascent by Robert Caro. For Christmas, Drew gave me The Passage of Power, the fourth book in Caro's planned five book biography of Lyndon Johnson. I decided to buy the first book and start at the beginning. I finished the first volume [The Path to Power] in March. This is the second volume. This book fits into my long term project to read books about all of the presidents.

The book covers just seven years of Lyndon Johnson's life. It examines the period from the aftermath of his first run for the Senate in 1941 to his election to the U.S. Senate in 1948.

I was fascinated by his brief stint in the military in World War II. Enlisting and getting a commission in the Navy, he wandered the West Coast and then ended up touring the Asia theater. Johnson actually flew a mission in a bomber in Indonesia. As I remarked recently, while I understand the events of World War II in Europe, I don't have a clear picture of the events in Southeast Asia.

About one half of the 500 page book deals with Johnson's bitterly contested 1948 Democratic primary for the Texas U.S. Senate seat against Coke R. Stevenson. Several chapters provide a fairly comprehensive biography of Stevenson. Stevenson is portrayed as an honorable statesman and reluctant office-seeker, in contrast to the venal and intensely ambitious Johnson.

Johnson's use of a helicopter to campaign in the primary is an interesting side note. The helicopter was a very new technology at the time and people flocked to see it.

With more than a million votes cast, Johnson won the 1948 election by 87 votes. The section covering the battle over the vote count is very good. The book covers the Box 13 scandal in astounding detail. The battle between Truman and Strom Thurmond for President played a role in ensuring that Johnson won the primary.

I enjoyed the book. I grade it an "A-." Like the first book, it paints a very unflattering picture of Lyndon Johnson.

Apple Watch Series 3

Two years ago, Sharon bought me an Apple Watch for Father's Day. Although I had never worn a watch before, it quickly become a key part of my life. I am literally never without it. With the battery in the watch getting long in the tooth and the screen getting very beat up (cracked, but still functional), I decided to upgrade to an Apple Watch Series 3.

As an aside, this is the longest I have gone in almost eleven years with the same iPhone. I have got almost 20 months on an iPhone 7 that is still going strong...

Ancil Hoffman Scorecard

Golf at Ancil Hoffman

Sunday afternoon, Sharon and I played golf at Ancil Hoffman with the Sanborns. With the course hosting a tournament until 1:30 pm, we teed off at 1:48 pm. A twosome went off in front of us, but we essentially had an open course in front of us all afternoon.

I ended up shooting a liberally scored winter rules 111. I got in trouble on the back nine in the trees on 15 and 16. Still trying to incorporate the G0lfTec lessons into my swing, I feel like I am hitting the ball more consistently. In addition to the problems in the trees, I gave away a bunch of strokes chipping near the greens! The scorecard is here.

It took us about four hours and fifteen minutes to play eighteen holes. Although I didn't play that well, I really enjoyed the afternoon. We ran into our neighbor Mike working the cart barn at the turn and at the end of the day.

Although the course is literally a stone's throw from the house, this is the first time that I have played Ancil Hoffman since November of 2013.

We finished the day barbecuing at our house. We had steaks, baked potatoes and green beans for dinner. We stayed up way too late for a school night!

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Saturday night, Sharon and I went to our neighbors Greg and Mitchell's house to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. The group included Mike and Jill, Jim and Debi, Greg and Mitchell, friends of the Greg and Mitchell (Mary Ann and ??) and us. Rod and Kathy stopped by after dinner.

The evening started with pickleball. There was an attempt at horseshoes. After dinner, there was music and dancing. It was after 11 pm by the time we walked home.

Morgan's Birthday!

Happy Birthday! Morgan

Adventist Health sees net income jump 36% in FY 2017

Adventist Health sees net income jump 36% in FY 2017

Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health recorded revenue of $4.1 billion in the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2017, up 5.8 percent from $3.9 billion in fiscal year 2016.

Here are three takeaways from the 19-hospital system's recently released bondholder documents.

1. The nonprofit system saw operating income rise 11.6 percent in 2017 to $203.9 million, up from $182.8 million a year prior.


2. At the same time, Adventist saw expenses increase 5.5 percent to $3.9 billion, compared to $3.7 billion reported in the previous fiscal year, due in part to rising labor and supplies costs.


3. After including non operating gains, Adventist achieved net income of $229.8 million in 2017, a 36 percent hike compared to the $169.1 million it generated in 2016.

Luna

Luna was one year old on April 27. We got her in Southern California last July.

Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site

Sharon and I visited Puʻukoholā Heiau when we were on the Big Island for Becky's wedding.

Pu'ukohola Heiau
National Register of Historic Places #196607001173
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This church is located at 62-3601 Kawaihae Road, Kawaihae, Hawaii. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 20° 01.592 W 155° 49.203.

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

This National Historic Site is home to one of the largest restored heiau (temple) in Hawaii and is part of the National Park System. Heiau were sacred places of worship for Native Hawaiians, and Puukohola Heiau was a site built to fulfill a historic prophecy.

North Kohala-born Kamehameha the Great was advised by his kahuna (priest) to build and dedicate Puukohola Heiau to the war god Kukailimoku to help in his efforts to unite the Hawaiian Islands. The fortress-like heiau was constructed overlooking the Kohala Coast between 1790 and 1791. King Kamehameha ultimately fulfilled the kahuna’s prophecy when he united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810.

This massive stone temple was built without the use of mortar. It is also believed that the lava rocks used to build the structure were passed hand-by-hand in a human chain all the way from Pololu Valley, some 25 miles away. The 224 by 100-foot structure is surrounded by 16- to 20-foot walls and has been carefully preserved and restored. It is believed to be one of the last sacred structures built in the Hawaiian Islands before western influence. Puukohola, which means “hill of the whale” in Hawaiian.