Although not as impressive as Morgan's snow in New York, it was still fun.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Hail in Elk Grove
As reported on the local news, a one by three mile area of Elk Grove was blanketed by hail! One of our neighbors put together a slide show of pictures.
Although not as impressive as Morgan's snow in New York, it was still fun.
Although not as impressive as Morgan's snow in New York, it was still fun.
Monday, February 27, 2006
My Life 1999
Sharon and I were married in the church in 1999. I previously posted some other pictures from this ceremony. This is a great picture because it includes all of Sharon's family plus Drew, Morgan and Brun!
All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
1999
click on the picture for a larger copy!All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
2006 Blue and Gold Dinner
Sharon, Jack and I went to the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner. This dinner is held annually; the major focus of the evening is a ceremony to promote the oldest group of Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.
They also distributed the awards from the Pinewood Derby Race in January. Jack got his trophy for finishing third in his den.
Last, but not least, the evening includes a silent cake auction. Each Father & Son makes a cake to bring to the dinner to sell as part of a fund raiser for the pack. Jack and I made a cake in the shape of a soccer ball.
They also distributed the awards from the Pinewood Derby Race in January. Jack got his trophy for finishing third in his den.
Last, but not least, the evening includes a silent cake auction. Each Father & Son makes a cake to bring to the dinner to sell as part of a fund raiser for the pack. Jack and I made a cake in the shape of a soccer ball.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
2006 Basketball Game 6
In spite of being physically sick over night, Jack played in his sixth and final Little Dribbler Basketball game of the season. They played against Holy Spirit at the St. Joseph Hall. Although he was a little less aggressive than normal, he had a couple of good rebounds and passes. He also made a jumper from the left wing that I probably could not hit 1 out of 10 times. I helped referee the game.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Dinner Party
We had the Sanborne's for dinner; they have a son in Jack's class. Sharon made a great Beef Wellington for the entree and Baked Alaska for dessert.
2nd Grade: Art Lesson E
Sharon spent part of the afternoon as the art docent for Jack's class. The lesson focused on how an artist uses anticipated movement to depict motion in their works of art. They looked at three genre paintings: Snap the Whip by Winslow Homer; Skating in the Park by Berthe Morisot; and Ballet School by Edgar Degas.
For their art project, they did a rubbing of a figure in motion.
For their art project, they did a rubbing of a figure in motion.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Word Cloud
Brun sent me the image to the right and a link to a website. One of the services that the site provides reads a blog and creates a word cloud. A word cloud is a text-based depiction of words across a body of content to show frequency of word usage. In general, the more frequently used words are displayed with a larger font or stronger emphasis.I have ordered a t-shirt with this word cloud printed on the front.
Google releases Page Creator
Google has released Google Page Creator: a free online tool to create, publish and host web pages.
digg story
digg story
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
The Music Business is...
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
- Hunter S. Thompson
- Hunter S. Thompson
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
My Life 1998
Jack was born in 1998.
All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
1998
click on the picture for a larger copy!All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
On the slow ride from Soda Springs to Auburn on Sunday night, we listened to podcasts of the two most recent episodes of NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!. I have rarely seen Sharon laugh out loud that much. It has quickly become one of my favorites. I listened to Sunday's podcast of the show on the drive to Antioch and back this afternoon.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Sharon's Bike Ride plus
While Sharon went for a bike ride around Lake Natoma on the American River Bike Trail, Jack and I went to the driving range at Bing Maloney to hit golf balls.
click on the map for a larger copy!
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Soda Springs Ski Resort
Sharon, Jack and I spent the day skiing at the Soda Springs Ski Resort. We left the house at about 6:40 a.m. and with a quick stop for breakfast were at the resort before 9:00 a.m.
We put Jack in a group lesson in the morning. Jack said that he enjoyed the group lesson more than the private lesson that he had last year because they got to play follow the leader. Sharon and I spent the morning exploring the runs; I had never skied at Soda Springs before.
After lunch, the fun began. Skiing with the three of us on the first run after lunch, Jack took off down the hill. He was skiing much more aggressively than he was when we saw him in the class. Jack was also skiing with more speed than control. In one of the first couple runs, he had so much speed at the bottom that I made a split second decision to cut him off and slide tackle him to keep him from plowing full speed into the lift line.
Originally, Sharon and I had thought that we would ski a few runs after lunch. We ended skiing solid the whole afternoon and stopping only when they shut down the lift. Jack got stronger and steadier as the afternoon wore on.
The weather for the whole day was great. It was sunny and clear. A storm had dropped some new snow on Saturday so the snow was perfect.
After packing up the truck, we made a quick stop at Rainbow Lodge for a snack. The traffic on the way home was slow. It started snowing about 6:00 p.m. It appeared that Caltrans was pacing the traffic to keep the speeds down to 30 to 40 mph. Additionally, there were a lot of trucks out spreading sand.
We stopped in Auburn and had dinner at Tio Pepe.
It was 8:45 p.m. by the time we got home. A long, but great, 14 hour day.
We put Jack in a group lesson in the morning. Jack said that he enjoyed the group lesson more than the private lesson that he had last year because they got to play follow the leader. Sharon and I spent the morning exploring the runs; I had never skied at Soda Springs before.
After lunch, the fun began. Skiing with the three of us on the first run after lunch, Jack took off down the hill. He was skiing much more aggressively than he was when we saw him in the class. Jack was also skiing with more speed than control. In one of the first couple runs, he had so much speed at the bottom that I made a split second decision to cut him off and slide tackle him to keep him from plowing full speed into the lift line.
Originally, Sharon and I had thought that we would ski a few runs after lunch. We ended skiing solid the whole afternoon and stopping only when they shut down the lift. Jack got stronger and steadier as the afternoon wore on.
The weather for the whole day was great. It was sunny and clear. A storm had dropped some new snow on Saturday so the snow was perfect.
After packing up the truck, we made a quick stop at Rainbow Lodge for a snack. The traffic on the way home was slow. It started snowing about 6:00 p.m. It appeared that Caltrans was pacing the traffic to keep the speeds down to 30 to 40 mph. Additionally, there were a lot of trucks out spreading sand.
We stopped in Auburn and had dinner at Tio Pepe.
It was 8:45 p.m. by the time we got home. A long, but great, 14 hour day.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
2006 Basketball Game 5
Jack played in his fifth Little Dribbler Basketball game of the season. They played against St. James at the St. Joseph Hall. I helped referee the game.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Pasesano's
We had dinner at Paesano's in Elk Grove. For the second week in a row, we had dinner out at a new restaurant that was not particularly good. Although the salads and Jack's pizza were good, the entrees that Sharon and I had were both uninspired (and way too salty!). I am adding this restaurant to the list of places that I am not going to back to soon...
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Wolf Den Meeting #5
Jack and I went to the February Meeting of his Cub Scout Wolf Den. The boys made name tags for the upcoming Blue and Gold Dinner, worked on tying different kinds of knots and performed some gravity experiments.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
My Life 1997
Sharon and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary on Grand Cayman. We spent a week scuba diving.
All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
1997
click on the picture for a larger copy!
All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Valentine's Day 2006
Based on the buzz that it was generating, one of the shows that I started tivo'ing is The Office. Sunday night, we watched the Valentine's Day episode. Part of the story included one of the women in the office getting a number of deliveries during the course of the day including roses and a bear literally bigger than me.With Sharon working in an office more regularly for the first time in a number of years, I took the opportunity to have flowers delivered to her at work. Unfortunately, or fortunately from Sharon's perspective, I was unable to find anyone who would deliver a giant stuffed teddy bear!
Monday, February 13, 2006
More Snow
Residents of the Northeast were digging out Monday from a winter storm that dumped more than two feet of snow on some parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. In New York's Central Park, a record 26.9 inches of snow piled up Sunday.
Morgan got a chance to experience this storm first hand. She posted a photo album of great pictures of Sarah Lawrence College in the snow.
Morgan got a chance to experience this storm first hand. She posted a photo album of great pictures of Sarah Lawrence College in the snow.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Scientific American Podcast
The magazine Scientific American has launched a podcast. The first episode covers cloning, stem cell, research, and evolution.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Back from Monterey
Sharon and I got up and went down to the ocean. We both ran for about 35 minutes along the trail in Pacific Grove that runs along Monterey Bay.
After breakfast with the Hood's, we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jack had a wonderful time; he is a great age for this type of outing. He was particularly enamored with the sea otters and penguins. We ended up spending about three hours following Jack back and forth between the exhibits.
We had a late lunch at the Fish Hopper out over the water with a great view of the Bay.
We stopped back at the Hood's at a bit and then started home. Jack did not want to leave; He had such a good time that he wanted to stay another night.
After breakfast with the Hood's, we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jack had a wonderful time; he is a great age for this type of outing. He was particularly enamored with the sea otters and penguins. We ended up spending about three hours following Jack back and forth between the exhibits.
We had a late lunch at the Fish Hopper out over the water with a great view of the Bay.
We stopped back at the Hood's at a bit and then started home. Jack did not want to leave; He had such a good time that he wanted to stay another night.
Friday, February 10, 2006
2006 Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Sharon, Jack and I spent the day at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. We started off at the Pebble Beach Course, but quickly headed over to the Spyglass Hill Course. Most of the notable celebrities were playing at Spyglass.
We camped for most of the day around the 9th, 17th and 18th greens. The celebrities we saw play included: Craig T. Nelson; Rush Limbaugh; Tom Brady; Bill Murray; George Lopez; Andy Garcia; Donald Trump; Mark Wahlberg; Carson Daly; Justin Timberlake; Clay Walker; and Glen Fry. Sharon was very disappointed that Kevin Costner was not playing this year. Bill Murray and George Lopez are particularly fun to follow on the course; they are both very engaging with the crowd. In the last two years, I have yet to Rush Limbaugh actually play golf. Both times we have seen him, he has hit his tee shot out of bounds and walked the rest of the hole.
I especially enjoyed sitting on the 17th green. Players can not see the fairway landing area from the tee nor the elevated green surface from the fairway. The green has a nasty slope. Almost everyone was hitting their second shot short where the ball would roll back down off the front of the green.
The Pros that we saw included: Vijay Singh; Phil Michelson; Craig Stadler; and Jesper Jarnevik.
Although better than the drizzle of last year, the weather was not great. When we left the car in the morning, it was sunny. By the time we got to the golf courses, it was foggy. The previous day had seen record temperatures at the tournament, but we were cold and damp most of the day.
At the end of the day, we headed to Mark and Jeanie Hood's house in Pacific Grove. They made dinner, while the kids played. One of the traditions of this trip has become spending Friday night with the Hoods. The kids had a great time, including playing with insta-snow in the garage!
We camped for most of the day around the 9th, 17th and 18th greens. The celebrities we saw play included: Craig T. Nelson; Rush Limbaugh; Tom Brady; Bill Murray; George Lopez; Andy Garcia; Donald Trump; Mark Wahlberg; Carson Daly; Justin Timberlake; Clay Walker; and Glen Fry. Sharon was very disappointed that Kevin Costner was not playing this year. Bill Murray and George Lopez are particularly fun to follow on the course; they are both very engaging with the crowd. In the last two years, I have yet to Rush Limbaugh actually play golf. Both times we have seen him, he has hit his tee shot out of bounds and walked the rest of the hole.
I especially enjoyed sitting on the 17th green. Players can not see the fairway landing area from the tee nor the elevated green surface from the fairway. The green has a nasty slope. Almost everyone was hitting their second shot short where the ball would roll back down off the front of the green.
The Pros that we saw included: Vijay Singh; Phil Michelson; Craig Stadler; and Jesper Jarnevik.
Although better than the drizzle of last year, the weather was not great. When we left the car in the morning, it was sunny. By the time we got to the golf courses, it was foggy. The previous day had seen record temperatures at the tournament, but we were cold and damp most of the day.
At the end of the day, we headed to Mark and Jeanie Hood's house in Pacific Grove. They made dinner, while the kids played. One of the traditions of this trip has become spending Friday night with the Hoods. The kids had a great time, including playing with insta-snow in the garage!
Thursday, February 09, 2006
To Marina
Every year for last four years, Jack, Sharon and I have gone to the Pebble Beach Pro-am Golf Tournament on Friday. We got a little earlier start than last year and were in the room at the hotel in Marina by 7:30 p.m.. We are staying tonight at the Marina Dunes Resort.
We had a late dinner at the restaurant at the hotel, A. J. Spurs. Even by my standards, the food was medicore. I recommend finding somewhere else to eat!
After dinner, we sat on the balcony and watched the waves break on the beach in the dark.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
My Life 1996
Sharon and I were married in the fall of 1996. We spent our honeymoon exploring Italy for two plus weeks.
All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
1996
click on the picture for a larger copy!All of the My Life Photos can be found here.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
2006 Kings versus Grizzlies
Larkin and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Memphis Grizzlies basketball game. We sat in some seats down low in one of the end zones, while Matt and Madison Bell used the season tickets. Brad Miller hit two late 3-pointers to seal a 104 to 98 win for Kings.
This is definitely the best game that I have seen this season. The Kings had a 5 to 10 point lead for most of the game. Bobby Jackson single-handedly dragged Memphis back into the game in the fourth quarter. He hit a three pointer with 2:56 left to give Memphis a 95 to 92 lead.
Brad Miller then won the game for the Kings. Miller scored 10 of the Kings last 12 points. Miller hit a 16-foot jumper with 2:43 remaining, a 5-foot jumper with 2:03 remaining, a 25-foot three point jumper with 1:01 on the clock and finally a 25-foot three point jumper with 0:33 remaining.
It was Bobby Jackson's first game back to Arco Arena after being traded to Memphis in the off season. Jackson, who had only two points in the first half, made four 3-pointers after intermission and was the high scorer for either team with 24 points.
Kevin Martin was unconscious. He scored 22 points in 46 minutes. He was 7 for 8 from the field, including 4 for 5 from 3 point range. Martin was 4 for 4 from the free throw line.
This is definitely the best game that I have seen this season. The Kings had a 5 to 10 point lead for most of the game. Bobby Jackson single-handedly dragged Memphis back into the game in the fourth quarter. He hit a three pointer with 2:56 left to give Memphis a 95 to 92 lead.
Brad Miller then won the game for the Kings. Miller scored 10 of the Kings last 12 points. Miller hit a 16-foot jumper with 2:43 remaining, a 5-foot jumper with 2:03 remaining, a 25-foot three point jumper with 1:01 on the clock and finally a 25-foot three point jumper with 0:33 remaining.
It was Bobby Jackson's first game back to Arco Arena after being traded to Memphis in the off season. Jackson, who had only two points in the first half, made four 3-pointers after intermission and was the high scorer for either team with 24 points.
Kevin Martin was unconscious. He scored 22 points in 46 minutes. He was 7 for 8 from the field, including 4 for 5 from 3 point range. Martin was 4 for 4 from the free throw line.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Eleven Years!
Sharon and I had our first date eleven years ago this evening.
In honor of the occasion, I had some some flowers delivered to Sharon today. We were surprised to find that florist left them stuck in the corner of the fountain near the front door!
I also posted an e-mail that I wrote to Rob Nooter shortly after we had our first date.
In honor of the occasion, I had some some flowers delivered to Sharon today. We were surprised to find that florist left them stuck in the corner of the fountain near the front door!
I also posted an e-mail that I wrote to Rob Nooter shortly after we had our first date.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
2006 Kings versus Utah plus
After RCIA, Jack and I dashed to an odd 12:30 p.m. start for the Sacramento Kings versus Utah Jazz Basketball game. The Kings pulled away in the fourth quarter to win by a score of 96 to 78.
The Kings have 3 wins and 5 losses in games that I have seen this season. This is the first time I have seen them win at home in person since November 25, 2005.
This was the first game that I have seen Artest play in person. During the first half, I focused on watching Artest cover Utah Forward Andrei Kirilenko on defense. Kirilenko had 1 point at half-time. Even with a sore hip, Artest was all over Kirilenko. Kirilenko had 11 points in the second half, mostly while he was being covered by other Kings.
This is a much different Kings team than the past couple of years, particularly without Brad Miller playing. The Kings only had 3 assists in the first half. Rather than the passing and cutting team of the past few years, there was a lot of one on one basketball with players creating their own shots.
After the basketball game was over, we rushed home to catch the beginning of the Superbowl.
The Kings have 3 wins and 5 losses in games that I have seen this season. This is the first time I have seen them win at home in person since November 25, 2005.
This was the first game that I have seen Artest play in person. During the first half, I focused on watching Artest cover Utah Forward Andrei Kirilenko on defense. Kirilenko had 1 point at half-time. Even with a sore hip, Artest was all over Kirilenko. Kirilenko had 11 points in the second half, mostly while he was being covered by other Kings.
This is a much different Kings team than the past couple of years, particularly without Brad Miller playing. The Kings only had 3 assists in the first half. Rather than the passing and cutting team of the past few years, there was a lot of one on one basketball with players creating their own shots.
After the basketball game was over, we rushed home to catch the beginning of the Superbowl.
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