USA Rugby Players Stephen Tomasin Tee

Neighborhood Book Club

Sharon is part of a neighbor book club that meets about every two months. Thursday night, they met at Debi's house to discuss Force of Nature by Jane Harper. Sharon also read The Dry by the same author.

Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II

My book for July is Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II by Phillip Eade. After watching the first two season of the The Crown, I walked away thinking that I have to read a book about Prince Phillip and found this one in Amazon.

I came away from the book with three general observations. First, the names and interrelationships of all the European royal families in the 19th and early 20th century are a little overwhelming. There were so many people in and out of Phillip and his parent's lives that it was hard to keep them all straight. It is really amazing how the European royal families were related!

Second, I didn't appreciate the extent of Phillip's World War II service and his naval career after the war. While it is mentioned in passing in The Crown, he saw some serious action in the Mediterranean during the war. Additionally, Phillip had a serious naval career as an officer before marrying Elizabeth.

Finally, in the series, you do get a sense that Phillip's parents abandoned him at fairly young age. Nevertheless, the degree to which he moved around and lived with different families in different countries is astonishing. His parents left his upbringing to other people.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it. It is a great supplement to the Netflix series The Crown.

Kayaking on Lake Folsom

Sunday afternoon while Sharon was in Washington DC, I kayaked from Rattlesnake Bar to the end of the lake and back. A number of years ago, Sharon, Jack and I put the kayaks in at Rattlesnake Bar. I have always wanted to go back and get all the way to the end of the lake!

2018 Sharon in DC - Day 4

Sharon and Jack spent the morning on campus visiting a couple of The Corp businesses where Jack is working this summer, including Vital Vittles and Uncommon Grounds. I am jealous; I haven't had a chance to visit Uncommons Grounds!

They had an early lunch at The Tombs. The three of us ate lunch there over two years ago when we were visiting Georgetown for the GAAP weekend!

After lunch, Sharon wandered back to the hotel and checked out. She was originally planning to do some more shopping in Georgetown, but decided that it was just too hot.

She took off early for the airport via an Uber. She boarded a 5:15 pm nonstop United flight from Dulles to Sacramento. The flight was a little delayed due to thunderstorms. It eventually took off about 5:35 pm. She was back in Sacramento at 8:14 pm. Upgrading her seat in the morning, it was an easy flight and she was one of the first people off the plane. Her luggage came off quickly and we were home a little after 9 pm.

Sharon had a great visit with Jack!

2018 Sharon in DC - Day 3

Sleeping late, Sharon eventually connected with Jack. They headed to the Lucky Bar near Dupont Circle to watch the World Cup final. The place was packed. They ended up having breakfast and standing for the whole game. In an entertaining game, France beat Croatia by the score of 4 to 2. Jack and I watched France lose the World Cup final to Italy in Paris in 2006!

Heading back to Georgetown, they spend some time shopping, including the Nike store. At one point, they wandered up to the bar at the top of the Graham Hotel. Sharon and I discovered this spot when we helped Jack move in for his sophomore year.

In the late afternoon, Sharon and Jack walked up to the Safeway on Wisconsin. They stocked up on some groceries for Jack.

For dinner, they headed to the Fig and Olive near the White House. Sharon had PAELLA NOIR [Squid Ink Rice, Diver Scallop, Jumbo Shrimp, Clams, Spanish Chorizo, Artichoke & Fennel Salad, Saffron Aioli]. Sharon was underwhelmed by the meal.

They finished the day wandering the mall from the War World II Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial to the Korean War Memorial. They caught a cab back to the hotel.

2018 Sharon in DC - Day 2

Sharon started the day with juice and a breakfast burrito at Jaco Juice and Taco Bar. Jack joined her there.

From there, Sharon and Jack walked into Georgetown and rented bikes. They rode up the Rock Creek Parkway to the zoo. Sharon and I hiked this section last fall when we were there for parent weekend. They dropped the bikes at the zoo. Admission to the zoo was free. They wandered in, got a cold drink and visited a few animals.

Eventually, they took an Uber back to the hotel. After a short break, they took an Uber to Bobby Flay's Burger Palace for lunch. Sharon said that the burgers were very good.

After lunch, Sharon and Jack explored the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Located on the mall, I haven't been to this museum. It was conceived as the United States' museum of contemporary and modern art. The Hirschhorn focuses its collection-building and exhibition-planning mainly on the post–World War II period.

From there, they walked to the National Portrait Gallery. Although we visited it during our visit in 2011, Jack didn't remember going there. New to the collection are the portraits of Michelle and Barack Obama.

Heading back to the Georgetown, they finished the day with dinner at the Peacock Cafe. Sharon had ROASTED SCOTTISH SALMON [Grilled Sweet Potato, Asparagus, Salsa Verde], while Jack had an AHI TUNA SALAD [Arugula and Endive Salad, Sesame-Lemon Dressing].

2018 Sharon in DC - Day 1

Sharon and I left the house just after 6:20 am. Dropping Sharon at the old terminal, she breezed through the luggage check and security in less than 15 minutes. Sharon caught a 8:10 am United flight nonstop to Dulles.

She was on the ground just before 4:00 pm. It took an hour to get her luggage and then another hour in an Uber to get to Georgetown. Breaking with our tradition, Sharon is staying in the heart of Georgetown at the Georgetown Inn.

After getting cleaned up, Sharon walked a couple of blocks to the house where Jack is spending the summer. After a quick tour, they headed to dinner.

Sharon and Jack had dinner nearby at Cafe Milano. They split ASSORTMENT DI SALUMI E PROSCIUTTO TERRA DI SIENA CON PECORINO E BRUSCHETTA [Assorted “Terra di Siena” Cured Meats, Pecorino Cheese, Tomato Bruschetta] and CAPELLINI ANN HAND [Angel Hair Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Sauce]. For entrees, Sharon had BRANZINO DEL MEDITERRANEAN AL ROSMARINO E VERDURE PRIMAVERILI [Roasted Imported Whole Mediterranean Sea Bass with a Rosemary White Wine Sauce], while Jack had OSSOBUCO ALLA TOSCANA, FAGIPOLI CANNELLONI E SPINACH [Tuscan Style Veal Shank in a Tomato and Vegetables Sauce, Cannelloni Beans and Spinach]. Sharon was underwhelmed by the meal...

After dinner, they walked down to the Georgetown waterfront. Sharon said that it was zoo. Sharon eventually crashed, while Jack headed to a Corp mixer.

California Historical Landmark #1043

With my job change in the fall of 2016, I haven't been traveling quite as much. Taking advantage of Sharon and Janie being in Wichita, I decided to spend the afternoon tracking down a number of historical markers. I ended up visiting eight markers, including: Hooker Oak [#313]; Old Suspension Bridge [#314]; Bidwell's Bar [#330]; Last Yahi Indian [#809]; Posted Water Notice Site [#831]; Chico Forestry Station and Nursery [#840.2], and; Mother Orange Tree of Butte County [#1043].

Mother Orange Tree of Butte County
California State Historical Landmark #1043
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 400 Glen Drive, Oroville, California in Butte County. There are 10 other California State Historical Landmarks in Butte County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 39° 30' 40.1" N 121° 30' 15.0" W.

Judge Joseph Lewis planted this Mediterranean Sweet Orange seedling near the toll bridge at Bidwell’s Bar, Butte County, in 1856. It has survived hard times and is the oldest living orange tree in California. “From its example and largely from its offspring, a new industry was started in a new section hundreds of miles north of a known citrus region. It was a true Pioneer.” – Dr. H. J. Webber, Director, Citrus Experiment Station, Riverside, 1927. The Mother Orange was moved from Bidwell Bar during the construction of Oroville Dam in 1964 to protect it from inundation.

Sharing a house in Georgetown for the summer

In early June during my trip to Washington DC, I helped Jack move his stuff out of storage to a house four blocks from campus. He will be sharing a basement in the house while he is working for The Corp this summer.

All the Money in the World

Saturday night while Sharon was in Wichita, I watched All the Money in the World. Sharon had watched it on the flight back from New York at Easter. This is still part of my continuing effort to see all of this year's Oscar nominated films.

The movie is based on John Pearson's 1995 book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. The film depicts J. Paul Getty's refusal to cooperate with the extortion demands of a group of kidnappers from the organized crime Mafia group 'Ndrangheta, who abducted his grandson John Paul Getty III in 1973.

It stars Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, and Timothy Hutton. For his performance as Getty, Christopher Plummer received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Kevin Spacey originally portrayed J. Paul Getty. After multiple sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against Spacey, the role was recast with Plummer. Scenes were reshot just a month prior to the film's release.

This is a solid movie. I enjoyed and recommend it.

To Bakersfield and back

I spent the day winding my way to Bakersfield and back. I caught an 8:30 am Southwest flight from Sacramento to Burbank. Boarding with A46 from the rear of the plane, I wasn't able to get an exit row. This is the first time in at least eight flights on Southwest that I wasn't able to get an exit row... The flight left Sacramento about 20 minutes late.

A coworker picked my boss and I up at Burbank and drove us to Bakersfield. We had lunch with the market IT team. Afterwards, we spent some time visiting with the CFO and President separately.

At the end of the day, we drove back to Burbank. After some Mexican food in the airport, we caught a 8:10 pm Southwest flight back to Sacramento. Boarding with A19, I was the fourth person on the plane. I got one of the exit rows... It was a very empty flight with only 50 people aboard. I was home just before 10 pm.

Selected 2018 College Baseball Statistics

Last year, I started wondering how some of the boys that Jack played baseball with and against were doing in college. I updated the table for the 2018 season.

2018
		G	GP	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
Alex Isola	Yavapai Valley JC	55	42	128	22	47	11	2	8	39	24	22	0.367
Nick Sogard	Loyola Marymount	53	53	185	31	60	5	1	2	21	30	26	0.324
Tanner Dodson	Cal	54	54	228	40	73	12	-	1	27	19	40	0.320
Mychael Goudreau	Azusa Pacific	52	52	199	56	62	15	2	-	35	30	35	0.312
Matt Clarke	American River	39	39	154	19	36	7	-	-	18	4	14	0.301
Aaron Wong	Chapman	48	47	178	42	53	9	-	1	16	27	22	0.298
Joe McNamara	Sacramento City	52	48	174	47	49	5	-	-	21	27	24	0.282
Matthew Cantelme	CSU East Bay	50	30	95	11	26	5	1	-	11	9	28	0.274
Darren Baker	Cal	54	44	172	29	47	6	-	1	23	7	18	0.273
Jared Alameda	Cosumnes River	40	36	126	24	34	6	-	1	10	6	24	0.270
Brian Morley	Old Dominion	50	44	131	20	35	3	1	6	25	12	31	0.267
Bret Little	Stanislaus State	50	6	8	1	2	-	-	-	-	1	4	0.250
Greg Vaughn	LIU Brooklyn	57	55	201	42	48	9	1	3	23	33	43	0.239
Joey Mejia	UOP	51	8	11	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	6	0.000
Nick Iwasa	On Sacramento State roster
Niko Dugay	On Menlo College Club baseball roster
Alex Dailey	Not on Stevens Institute roster
Sam Stitlner	Not on UOP roster
Trevor Zscheile	Not on Simpson University roster
Chris Loeb	Missing in action

The Devil Wears Prada

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched The Devil Wears Prada. Someone mentioned the movie on one of the Ringer.com podcasts and it piqued my interest.

The 2006 film is based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a powerful fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway as Andrea (Andy) Sachs, a college graduate who goes to New York City and lands a job as Priestly's co-assistant. Emily Blunt co-stars as co-assistant Emily Charlton.

Streep's performance drew critical acclaim, including her record-setting 14th Oscar bid. Streep was nominated for best Actress. The film was also nominated for Best Costume Design.

I enjoyed the film and recommend it. Looking at the list of films nominated for Oscars in 2007, there are a couple of movies that I don't recognize. I need to go back and watch a couple of them...

On the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta

Sharon, Janie and Janie's niece Stacy spent the day on a patio boat on the delta. They rented a boat from Sugar Barge RV Resort & Marina. Compared to past trips (almost getting swamped and destroying a propeller), it was a relatively uneventful day.

We finished the day barbecuing steaks at a late dinner at our house.

California Historical Landmark #809

With my job change in the fall of 2016, I haven't been traveling quite as much. Taking advantage of Sharon and Janie being in Wichita, I decided to spend the afternoon tracking down a number of historical markers. I ended up visiting eight markers, including: Hooker Oak [#313]; Old Suspension Bridge [#314]; Bidwell's Bar [#330]; Last Yahi Indian [#809]; Posted Water Notice Site [#831]; Chico Forestry Station and Nursery [#840.2], and; Mother Orange Tree of Butte County [#1043].

Discovery Site of the Last Yahi Indian
California State Historical Landmark #809
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 2547 Oroville-Quincy Highway, Oroville, California in Butte County. There are 10 other California State Historical Landmarks in Butte County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 39° 30' 43.2" N 121° 31' 17.3" W.

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

Ishi, a Yahi Yana Indian, was the last of his people. Prior to European contact, the Yana population numbered approximately 3,000. In 1865 Ishi and his family were the victims of the Three Knolls Massacre, from which approximately 30 Yahi survived. The remaining Yahi escaped but were forced into hiding after cattlemen killed about half of the survivors. Eventually all of Ishi's companions died, and he was discovered by a group of butchers in their corral at Oroville, August 29, 1911. Alfred L. Kroeber and T. T. Waterman, anthropologists at the University of California, Berkeley, brought Ishi to San Francisco where he helped them reconstruct Yahi culture. He identified material items and showed how they were made. Ishi's death in 1916 marked the end of an era in California.

2018 Fourth of July

After spending the night at the Sawyer Hotel, Sharon and I eventually went out for a walk/run through Old Sacramento and along the Sacramento River to Discovery Park. We covered 4.2 miles in 1:08:02.

Looking for somewhere to have breakfast, we checked out the menu at Echo & Rig in the hotel. After getting cleaned up, we wandered back to the restaurant, but they had stopped serving breakfast at 9:30 am!

Eventually, we found our way to Sacramento Cafe & Brew. Sharon had a CHORIZO OMELETTE [Beans with chorizo, sour cream & avocado slices], while I had a MOTHER LODE OMELETTE [Stuffed with bacon, mushrooms, tomato and shredded cheese]. Sharon raved about her omelette.

We packed up the room and checked out of the hotel about 11 am. I can't say enough about the positive impact of the arena on the downtown. We will definitely stay at the Sawyer again in the future.

In the late afternoon, we headed to Sharon's brother Tom's house to celebrate the Fourth of July. It was a big group, including: Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia; Eric and Ashley; Erin and Cormac; Timmy and Kathy; Teri and Steve; Tom; Jim; Mary; Janie and her niece Stacey; and Sharon and I. Tom barbecued a tri-tip and a lamb roast for dinner.

Once it got dark, we set off fireworks in the driveway. Sharon and I got home in time to watch most of the Rancho Cordova fireworks from the upper balcony.

California Classic

In May, the Kings sent me a ticket offer for the California Classic. Over the course of three days, Golden 1 Center is hosting four teams [Kings, Warriors, Lakers and Heat] featuring rookies selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, sophomores and athletes competing to make the NBA and G League regular season rosters. On a whim, I bought two tickets for Tuesday night; they were pretty cheap.

Sharon and I decided to make an evening out of it. After work, we headed downtown and checked into the Sawyer Hotel. The hotel opened last year right next to the arena.

After getting cleaned up, we went down for a drink in the bar at Echo & Rig. You could literally throw a baseball from there and hit the arena! We had an early dinner in the restaurant. I had Sea Bass a la Plancha [wild, crispy skin, watercress & olive oil dipping sauce], while Sharon had a Rib-Eye [Creekstone All Natural], We split a baked potato and brussels sprouts [pistachio & fresh lemon].

We wandered from the restaurant to the Golden 1 Arena. We got to our seats at start of the fourth quarter of the Lakers versus Heat game. The Heat looked very athletic and rolled the Lakers by the score of 89 to 74.

The Kings played the Warriors in the second game of the night. The Kings roster is here. It was an ugly game. The Kings lost by the score of 71 to 54.

Second year player Justin Jackson looked solid. Jackson finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting with five rebounds and an assist. Frank Mason III had 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. He started at point guard with De'Aaron Fox (sore left Achilles) sitting out.

Marvin Bagley III and Harry Giles struggled. Bagley shot 3 of 16 and finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Giles shot 2 of 9 and had four points and three rebounds. Neither player had an assist. In spite of their struggles, I am impressed with the athleticism and energy of both players.

After the game, Sharon headed back to the hotel. We wandered through a couple of the bars in hotel before crashing for the night.

De'Aaron Fox to join Giles, Bagley for summer league in Sacramento

All five draft picks from the last two years are on the Kings roster for the California Classic summer league that begins Monday at Golden 1 Center.

De'Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, Harry Giles, Frank Mason III and rookie Marvin Bagley III are all on the team. Practice for the three days of games next week begins Friday. Assistant coach Larry Lewis will coach the team.

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat also will play in the classic.

Monday's game against the Lakers will be the first appearance in a game of any kind for Giles, who was the 20th pick in last year's draft but was held out to recover from knee injuries. It also will be Bagley's first game action. He was drafted second overall last week in the NBA draft.

Another familiar name on the roster is Elston Turner Jr. He is the son of Kings assistant coach Elston Turner and a former prep standout at Roseville High School.

The Kings' first summer league game in Las Vegas is next Saturday against Phoenix.

Kings California Classic roster

No.	Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Last Team	Yrs.
5	De’Aaron Fox	G	6-3	175	Kings	1
10	Frank Mason III	G	5-11	190	Kings	1
13	Marcus Foster	G	6-3	205	Creighton	R
36	Allerik Freeman	G	6-3	200	NC State	R
18	Daxter Miles Jr.	G	6-3	200	West Virginia	R
31	Elston Turner Jr.	G	6-4	210	Texas A&M	R
25	Justin Jackson	F	6-8	210	Kings	1
19	Brandon Austin	G	6-6	185	Oregon	R
33	Cam Reynolds	G-F	6-8	225	Tulane	R
35	Marvin Bagley III	F	6-11	234	Duke	R
40	Nigel Hayes	F	6-8	255	Kings	1
32	Wenyen Gabriel	F	6-9	213	Kentucky	R
20	Harry Giles III	F	6-10	240	Kings	R
30	Zach Auguste	F	6-10	243	Panathinaikos	R
42	Devin Williams	F	6-9	255	G League	R Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article213993724.html#storylink=cpy