2025 Frame Family Fourth of July

After playing golf at Ancil Hoffman, we headed to Sharon's brother Tim's house for a Frame Family 4th of July. The group totaled twenty-one, including: Sharon and I, Tom, Eric, Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia, Tim and Kathy, Will and Eileen, Erin, Cormac and Mave, Cromac's mother and her husband, Brun, Kim and Velta and Jim.

Tim barbecued burgers and hot dogs for dinner. We brought devil eggs.

We finished the night with a selection of fireworks in Kathy and Tim's cul-de-sac.

When we got home, we saw the last part of the second night of the Rancho Cordova fireworks display.

At Ancil Hoffman

Friday morning, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman with Jim and Debbie. Teeing off at 10:44 am, we walked the course.

After feeling good on the driving range on Thursday afternoon, I was very uneven on the range before the round. I had a rough first hole, but settled down. I feel like I am striking the ball more consistently. Although I was chippintg better after my lesson on Wednesday, I really struggled with my putting. Between the trees and the sand trap, I made a mess of the sixth hole. I ended up using one mulligan off the tee and no gallery losses. I played the whole round with one ball!

I enjoyed the round. I didn't get frustrated. I shot a liberally scored 58. Sharon said that she shot a 54.

Lunch with Larkin

Larkin and I met for lunch at the Fair Oaks Brew Pub.

Golftec

I had a Golftec lesson on Wednesday morning. We spent the session working on chipping. Several times in the last two rounds, I have made two solid shots to end up in the front of green on a par four, but then made an absolute mess with my chipping.

With no lesson after mine, we ended up working for almost hour. I need to keep the back swing short, hands back to the right pocket, my head and shoulders still and a slight sway in hips.

A new project

For years, one of the projects that I wanted to undertake was to go to the UC Davis library and research the 1951, 1953 and 1954 Aggie football teams. I know that my dad played football for UC Davis in those years, but really don't know much esle.

In the last month, I stumbled on the fact that the California Aggie, the college newspaper, is now on-line. I have started to organize all of the articles that I can find that mention Dick Heringer. It turns out that he is mentioned in articles beyond the football team. Additionally, I have started to find a few articles that mention my mother, Joyce Abbott.

A work in progress index of this project is here.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

What is this?

Aggie of the Week - Dick - California Aggie, Volume 53, Number 5, 14 October 1954

Aggie of the Week - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 53, Number 5, 14 October 1954

Aggie of the Week

The Aggie of the Week, this week, is Dick Heringer, veteran Aggie guard, who played an outstanding game, both offensively and defensively, in the Aggie win over Sac State Saturday. Dick got down fast under the Aggie punts and kickoffs and was almost always at the bottom of the pile. The Aggie of the Week is a 5’ 10”, 210 pound junior from Clarksburg. He has one year of varsity experience behind him and should have a lot of good football left in his big frame. It is a safe bet that Aggie rooters will see a lot more of Dick this season.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

A Psalm for the Wild-Built: A Monk and Robot Book

Looking for something lighter after slogging through the history of the Ottoman Empire, my book for June was A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I previously read her first four books: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet [July 2017], A Closed and Common Orbit [April 2018] and The Record of a Spaceborn Few [January 2019] and The Galaxy, and the Ground Within [September 2021].

A Psalm for the Wild-Built has received several accolades, including Hugo Award for Best Novella (2022) and the Stonewall Book Award (2022). It was also a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2021 and was long-listed as an NPR Best Book of the Year in 2021.

Dix, a disillusioned tea monk, feels a growing sense of discontent with their seemingly idyllic life, yearning for a purpose beyond serving tea to human settlements. They decide to leave their comfortable existence and venture into the wilderness, hoping to hear the "crickets" – a metaphorical call to a new, fulfilling path. During their journey, Dix unexpectedly encounters Mosscap, a robot, marking the first time humanity and robots have met in centuries. This chance meeting leads to a unique partnership as they embark on a journey together, each seeking to understand their place in a world where nature and technology have long been separated.

I have enjoyed Becky Chambers' books for their characters and world building. While I enjoyed this book, the philosophical amusing towards the end didn't ring true with my current state of mind. There is a sequel. I will probably read it.

Almost Famous

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched Almost Famous. It is #47 on the New York Times list of the 100 best films of the 21st century.

Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

It stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. We have seen a younger Frances McDormand in two movies in the last week; she was in Something's Gotta Give.

Almost Famous tells the story of William Miller (Fugit), a 15-year-old aspiring music journalist in the early 1970s. He lands a dream assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to tour with the up-and-coming rock band Stillwater. During his journey, William navigates the complexities of the rock and roll lifestyle, including the band's internal conflicts and his developing relationships, particularly with the groupie Penny Lane (Hudson). The film is a coming-of-age tale that explores themes of innocence lost, finding one's place, and the allure and disillusionment of the music industry.

At the 73rd Academy Awards, the movie won Best Original Screenplay (Cameron Crowe). Both Hudson and McDormand were nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film was nominated for Best Film Editing. At the Golden Globes, the film won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Hudson won Best Supporting Actress. It also won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

I have heard a lot about the film over the years, but had never seen it. Kate Hudson was 20 years old when the movie was filmed. Although she looks very young, Hudson had already done several movies. Both Sharon and I enjoyed Almost Famous. Sharon gave it an "8" out of "10". I recommend it.

2025 Donner Lake - Day #4 - Tahoe Donner Golf Course

The plan for the day was golf at the Tahoe Donner Golf Course. We had a 10:10 am tee time.

I felt good warming up on the range, but I am struggling to translate this to the course. Over the course of the day, I was very inconsistent. I had a number of very solid shots, but I can't seem to string a set of good shots together.

On the par three 7th, I hit my tee shot on to the green, pin high, about 15 feet to the left of the flag. I was pretty proud of myself until Sharon stepped up and hit her tee shot to within 10 inches…


I didn't do as well controlling my frustration as I did on Wednesday. As hitting two very solid shots to the front of the green on eight, I screwed up two chips and lost my cool. My problem of driving the ball to the left as I tire about twelve or thirteen also raised its ugly head.

I ended up with a liberally scored 111. I used one mulligan of the tee, but had fewer gallery losses than Wednesday...

Given how expensive the Tahoe Donner Golf Course is, I am not sure we will ever go back there. It is just not that unique or picturesque.

After golf, we headed back to Holly and Van's condo. We packed up the cars. SHaron and I were on the road about 3:30 pm and back in Carmichael about 5:15 pm.

It was a very nice getaway. We are going to be staying closer to home for the next two months.

2025 Donner Lake - Day #3

After breakfast, Holly, Van, Sharon and I loaded up my SUV with our inflatable kayaks and drove to the condo's private beach. [Note to self], Holly and Van have a very nice two person Advanced Elements inflatable kayak. We spent almost an hour and a half exploring Donner Lake. I particularly enjoyed paddling up Donner Creek and looking at the homes on the Southern shore. The wind started to come up as we were heading back to the dock. In total, we covered just over three miles.


After a light lunch, the four of us headed to Donner Memorial State Park. I had picked out a hike on AllTrails, but when we parked in the day use area, we pivoted to a walk on an interpretive trail along the lake. Using AllTrails, I was able to put together a loop on the fly. We ended up hiking three miles in an hour and a half. It was a nice combination of walking along the lake and through the forest.


Heading to downtown Truckee, we finished the day with dinner at Planeta Ristorante. It was the first Truckee Thursdays of the year. They had several streets closed off. I was shocked at the number of people.

Sharon and I split Winter Caprese [fresh mozzarella, grilled eggplant, roasted sweet red peppers, dry cured olives, pesto & balsamic reduction]. For entrees, I had Grilled Sausage & Tagliatelle [spicy fennel & mild tuscan style sausage, savory marinara sauce], while Sharon had Pasta di Olio [angel hair pasta, garlic & olive oil, trio of mushrooms, tomato, spinach, pine nuts, grated parmesan & fresh basil with prawns].

2025 Donner Lake - Day #2 - Coyote Moon

The plan for the day was golf at the Coyote Moon Golf course. The course has only been open for the summer since last Friday, five days! We had a 10:20 am tee time. When we play with Holly and Van, I always ride with Van.

The course doesn't have a driving range. It has a set of nets where you can hit. Although it is hard to judge hitting into a net, I felt ok on the driving range.

Although I didn't score that well, I enjoyed the day. The course is beautiful. There are several difficult holes. Overall, I feel like I am making some progress with my game.

The greens were difficult and very slow. No one made a long putt. I didn't one putt a single green...

I ended up with a very liberally scored 110. I used one mulligan off the tee and more than a few gallery losses. More importantly, I didn't get frustrated.

Holly, Van, Sharon and I finished the day with dinner at Moody's Bistro, Bar & Beats in Truckee. I had elk chops, while Sharon had a hanger steak.

2025 Donner Lake - Day #1

Two years ago, we spent a few days at Holly and Van's family condo at Donner Lake. We are headed back for a couple of days of golfing, hiking and kayaking.

Rolling from Carmichael about 6:30 pm, we got to the condo by 8:00 pm. Afer getting the SUV packed and settled in the condo, we spent some time catching up. We crashed early.

We are playing golf at Coyote Moon on Wednesday. I am really interested in seeing how that goes. I played very well with Sharon and Jack ten days ago, but hitting at the Haggin Oaks driving range today I felt like I had never hit a golf ball before...

Adventures with Lee

Oura Ring Six Month Anniversary Data

For Christmas in 2022, Sharon gave me an OURA ring. It is a smart ring used to track sleep and physical activity.

Over the last two and a half years, my superpowers have always been training volume and the timing of my sleep cycle [June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024]. My kryptonite has switched from recovery index to restfulness and back to recovery index.

Something's Gotta Give

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 23, ‘Something’s Gotta Give’

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. They discuss Nancy Meyers’s Something’s Gotta Give, the 2003 romantic comedy starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, which featured some of the most realized and developed characters of the century. They highlight and celebrate Meyers’s auteurist vision, argue why it’s the last great studio romantic comedy, and remember one of Jack Nicholson’s final performances, which featured an incredible balance of his powerful charisma and uglier, stranger side.

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched Something's Gotta Give. We are planning to listen to the podcast about the movie later this week.

Something's Gotta Give is a 2003 romantic comedy drama film written, produced, and directed by Nancy Meyers. It stars Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Keanu Reeves and Amanda Peet co-star, with Frances McDormand, Paul Michael Glaser, Jon Favreau, and KaDee Strickland playing key supporting roles.

For her performance, Keaton received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. At the 61st Golden Globe Awards, Keaton won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, while Nicholson received a nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

In the movie, Harry Sanborn (Nickolson), a wealthy and aging music mogul with a penchant for younger women, suffers a heart attack at the beach house of his latest girlfriend's mother, Erica Barry. Erica (Keaton), a successful playwright, is initially annoyed by Harry's presence but slowly begins to fall for him as they spend time together. Their budding romance is complicated by the presence of Harry's young girlfriend (Peet) and Erica's charming doctor, Julian Mercer (Reeves). The film explores themes of aging, love, and self-discovery as both Harry and Erica confront their preconceived notions about relationships and happiness.

Looking for something light to watch, Sharon and I enjoyed the movie. Both Keaton and Nicholson's performances are very good. It was a little slow in a couple of spots. I give it a lukewarm thumbs up.

2025 Napa - Day #2

Moving slow after a late night, Marlene, Phil, Sharon and I had breakfast in the M Club. Afterwards, we checked out the bikes. The hotel used to provide bikes and helmets at the front desk. Now, there is a bike rental station behind the spa.

We decide to walk rather than bike. We drove to Yountville and parked in the parking lot of the Vinter's Golf Club. We hiked two miles along the Vine Trail bike path.

Back at the hotel, we checked out and loaded the car. Phil and I dropped Marlene and Sharon at the Outlets to shop at Cabi and Michael Kors, while we looked for a deli. With some false starts, we ended up getting sandwiches at the Genova Delicatessen after we picked up the girls from shopping.

The plan for the afternoon was wine tasting at Bouchine. Sharon and Marlene are both wine club members there. We have been wine club members at Bouchine since 2010. It is a amazing how much the property has changed in the last fifteen years!

We ate our sandwiches in the garden and then had a leisurely tasting on the terrace. The host's name was Mark.

We rolled from the winery a little after 3 pm. It was 2 1/2 hours back to Carmichael. While the traffic was heavy, it was not as bad as it could have been.

2025 Napa - Day #1

Explore Experience

Indulge in an exclusive, in-depth exploration of the wine, land and art of the Donum Estate with this 2-hour private experience—perfect for guests seeking an immersive and personalized adventure. The experience begins with a splash of one of our award-winning wines, followed by a guided all-terrain vehicle tour of our expansive art collection, working farm and surrounding vineyards. After the tour guests will enjoy a private tasting of seasonal, Estate wines, paired with Chef-prepared small plates featuring Estate-grown ingredients.

When we were in Las Vegas visiting Marlene and Phil, we made plans to go to Napa for a couple of days. Marlene and Phil pulled up at our house at 12 pm. After a tour of the new kitchen, we headed out at 12:30 pm. I drove.

It was an easy hour and 45 minute drive to Donum Estate. Sharon and Marlene are both wine club members. The first time that we stopped at Donum was on way to Sea Ranch with Marlene and Phil in 2017.

We did the Explore tasting. Sharon and I have done this tasting twice before. Once with Jack and once with the Tomasins. The property has changed a lot since our last tasting with the additional of several new art pieces.

After the tasting, we headed to the Napa Valley Marriott. Given that I spent most of 2015 and 2016 working out of the Napa Valley and staying at this Marriott, it is always a little odd for me to come back there.

After checking in and getting settled in the room, we had a drink in the bar. We had an interesting set of interactions with the restaurant manager (Bobby). He was born and raised in Harlem.

We took an Uber to A16 for dinner. Sharon and I split a squash blossom antipasti and a Funghi pizza [mixed mushroom, caciocavallo, fior di latte, grana padano, garlic, chili, oregano with sausage added].

Taking an Uber back to the Marriott, we walked in just as they were closing the bar. The four of us ended up sitting in the lobby and sharing a bottle of Donum sparkling wine. It was midnight by the time Sharon and I wandered back to the room and crashed.

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm

Nearly 60 years after The Beatles performed their final concert at Candlestick Park, Beatlemania is back in the Bay. Featuring more than 250 personal photographs by Paul McCartney, along with video clips and archival materials, this exhibition offers a behind-the-scenes look at the meteoric rise of the world’s most celebrated band. The images capture the period from December 1963 through February 1964 and the band’s journey to superstardom, from local venues in Liverpool to The Ed Sullivan Show and worldwide acclaim. Photographs of screaming crowds and paparazzi show the sheer magnitude of the group’s fame and the cultural change they represented. More intimate images of the band on their days off highlight the humor and individuality of McCartney and bandmates John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Rediscovered in the artist’s personal archive in 2020, these images offer new perspectives on the band, their fans, and the early 1960s, as seen through the eyes of Paul McCartney.

Sharon and Brun went to the Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm Exhibition at the de Young Museum.

They had a late lunch at Socma's of Sausalito (crab louie).

With Waze winding them along some back roads, it took almost 3 1/2 hours to get back to Sacramento.

Happy Birthday, Carmen Heringer!

My Life 2018

From the late 1990s to 2020, a large group would go to Spring Training every year. We had tickets and hotel reservations in 2020 when Spring Training was suspended just as I was scheduled to fly to Arizona. Unfortuantely, the trip has not been restarted since the pandemic. I am still hoping to go with Sharon in the next couple of years. My Spring Training Game Log is here.

Like the Lake Almanor pictures, it is fitting that the My Life series includes a Spring Training Picture.


All of the My Life Photos can be found here.

Father's Day 2025

A nice Father's Day including:

• Jack and Sharon got bagels for breakfast from Noah's Bagels;
• Sharon and I took Tiber for a neighborhood walk;
• Jack and I went to the Ancil Hoffman driving range and both hit a big bucket of balls;
• I had looked for a morning tee time for the three of us to play nine, but couldn't find anything;
• A Peloton core workout;
• A Peloton 45 minute Just Ride workout on the bike watching the US Open;
• Father's Day presents: a new coffee pot from Sharon and a couple of Peloton shirts and a jacket from Drew and Carmen;
• Facetimed with Drew and Carmen;
• Watched the rainy fourth round of the US Open at Oakmont with JJ Spaun winning;
• Barbecued filet mignons, corn and vegetable kabobs for a nice dinner on the deck;
• Drove Jack back to San Francisco, leaving a litte after 7 pm it took me three hours and forty minutes roundtrip; and,
• It took me three and a half hours just to get home from the city on Thursday afternoon.

Mikuni

After watching the US Open Golf tournamentin the afternoon, Jack, Sharon and I went to dinner at Mikuni.

We finished the day watching the first two episodes of Stick starring Owen Wilson on AppleTV.

Heavy Petty

Friday evening after golf, Jack, Sharon and I went with a large group of our neighbors to the Ancil Hoffman Clubhouse to see the Tom Petty Tribute Band Heavy Petty. With our old neighbors Rod and Kathy in town, the group included Jill and Mike, Judy and Tom, Glen, Jim and Debbie, Greg and Michelle, Ed and Mary Lou, Jack, Sharon and I.

The band and the sound system were not very good.

Sharon and I finished a late night with dessert at Greg and Michelle's house.