Monday, September 30, 2019

154,184 steps

With 9.1 miles on the Peloton One bike and 34.3 miles running, I covered more than 140,000 steps last week. This is the eighth week in a row! Working to offset a horrible March, I am trying to pull my weekly running average close to 25 miles a week by the end of the year.

154,184 steps

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Shangri-la

Saturday night, Sharon and I went to dinner at a new restaurant called Shangri-la in old town Fair Oaks. It is still in a soft opening. We split Chioggia Beets [avocado cream, cotija, toasted sun over seeds], Duck Liver Tostadas [pickled plums, bourbon gastrique] and Zucchini Pappardelle [zucchini basil puree, smoked farmers cheese, 63 degree egg]. The food was good; we will definitely go back.

With the power going out briefly in the restaurant, there was thunder, lightning and a downpour. With everyone coming inside from the large patio area, it was extremely loud where we were sitting near the bar.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Davis Ranch

Saturday morning, Sharon and I made a pilgrimage to Davis Ranch to get fall decorations. We have gone there for a car load of stuff 14 of the last 16 years [2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018]. We didn't go to Davis Ranch in 2016 when the fall dinner party was held at Sea Ranch or in 2017 due to our fall trip to New England. One of my favorite pictures from those trips is here.

At Davis Ranch

Friday, September 27, 2019

Winchester Country Club

At Winchester Country ClubFriday morning, Sam Samms, Larkin and I played eighteen holes at the Winchester Country Club. I had never played this course before. The three of us played Del Paso Country Club almost exactly a year ago.

For the first time in several outings, I actually warmed up on the driving range. Partially as a result, I feel like I didn't struggle as much on the first few holes.

I ended up shooting a very liberally scored winter rules 108. I struggled with the greens; I three putted eight holes. Feeling like I was doing pretty well, holes ten, eleven and twelve kicked my butt.

With just the three of us and no one in front of us, we played fast. We were done in before three hours and 45 minutes. Afterwards, we had a leisurely lunch in the clubhouse.

I really enjoyed the day. Although I am not very good, I have been enjoying our golf outings over the last couple of months; this is the fourth time I have played in the last three months.


Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

My book for September was Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard. Janie mentioned this book when she, Sharon and I were having dinner. I have read two other books by the author, including Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President and River of Doubt. River of Doubt is one of my favorite books.

The book has four interlocking story lines. First, it provides an overview of Winston Churchill's early life. Second, the story looks at the history of the Boers in South Africa. Third, it follows the events of the second Boer war with the English; this war took place between October 1899 and May 1902. Finally, the book tells the story of Churchill's capture, internment as a prisoner of war and escape.

After slogging through a couple of books this year, I really enjoyed this book. It does an excellent job of weaving together all of the different storylines.

Monday, September 23, 2019

143,962 steps

With five miles walking, 14.5 miles on the Peloton One bike and 27.5 miles running, I covered more than 140,000 steps last week. This is the seventh week in a row!
Untitled143,962 steps

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season Two

Saturday night, Sharon and I finished watching season two of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The second season was released on December 5, 2018 and the third season is set to be released on December 6, 2019. We finished watching the first season early in September.

The show stars Rachel Bresnahan (Rachel in House of Cards) as Miriam "Midge" Maisel. Marin Hinkle (Judith on Two and a Half Men) and Tony Shalhoub (Wings and Monk) feature in supporting roles as her parents.

Bresnahan plays a housewife in New York City who discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy. The story line includes a recurring appearance by an actor playing the real life Lenny Bruce. The season two finale includes a recreation of Lenny Bruce's act from a 1959 Steve Allen show.

Sharon and I watched the 2019 Emmy Awards on Sunday night. Tony Shalhoub won the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series; it was his fourth Emmy (three for Monk). Alex Borstein won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series; Marin Hinkle was nominated in the same category. Rachel Bresnahan was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel nominated was Outstanding Comedy Series.

I previously said that season one was very good. I think that seasons two is even better.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

decorating for fall

With Drew and Shannon's wedding behind us, we have shifted gears to get ready for our annual fall dinner party. I spent Saturday dragging the Yakima box and a kayak to the storage shed and bringing back the fall decorations. The collection of fall decorations includes three large, one medium sized and three small storage boxes plus a variety of other items (pillows, ghosts, etc...)

Friday, September 20, 2019

Adventist Health honored with IT award

The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) is honoring Adventist Health with its 2019 CHIME Healthcare's Most Wired recognition as a certified level 8 organization. The Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

Adventist Health received this award at the healthcare delivery system level for all of its hospitals and clinics. More than 16,000 organizations were represented in the 2019 Most Wired program. Adventist Health scored in the 78th percentile. Healthcare systems with level 8 certification have deployed technologies and strategies to help them analyze their data and are starting to achieve meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes. Level 8 certification organizations also receive a quality award.

"Adventist Health is honored to be recognized with this distinguished award" says Matt Fink, chief information officer. "We strive to raise the standard of care through the adoption of technology and effective use of information management."

The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading. Adventist Health received scores in eight areas: infrastructure; security; business/disaster recovery; administrative/supply chain; analytics/data management; interoperability/population health; patient engagement; and clinical quality/safety.

Adventist Health will be recognized in the November issue of the Most Wired, Modern Healthcare special edition publication and at the CHIME19 Fall CIO Forum.

Monday, September 16, 2019

143,880 steps

For the sixth week in a row, I averaged more than 20,000 steps a day with 143,880 steps.

143,880 steps

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 4

Sharon made eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast. Afterwards, I walked from our VRBO back to Switzer Farm where the wedding party was staying. From the main parking lot on the property, you have to cross a bridge and walk through a barn to get to the house. On Friday morning, we hung a wide variety of pictures from all the families along one wall of the barn. It was a very cool space. I lingered, sipped my coffee and enjoyed the pictures.
Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 4Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 4
Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 4Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 4
After visiting with the wedding party, I wandered back to the rental. We backed up and headed back to the Switzer Farm about 11 am. We ended up spending about an hour hanging out with everyone as they scrambled to pack up and load out of the property.

Andrew and Shannon's Wedding - Day 4

Andrew and Shannon will be spending Sunday night at our VRBO. Shannon's uncles have the house next door.

We eventually rolled towards Carmichael just before noon. With two short stops, it took us 4 1/2 hours to get home.

At 7:15 pm, we took Jack back to the airport. He caught a 9:15 pm United flight from Sacramento to Newark and then a flight from Newark to National Airport in DC.

As I told Renteria in a text message:
fantastic wedding. gorgeous venue. beautiful weather. lots of love. Sharon and I were very immersed in the events over the course of the four days. I had a great group of friends there for Friday and Saturday nights: Tomasins, Wallens, Snipes, Larkins.
I will post more pictures, artifacts and observations over the next two weeks...

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 3

Sharon made an early breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast. Afterwards, for the second day in a row, I went out for an early morning run. I started north of Westport on Highway 1 for about a mile before I headed back to the Switzer Farm. Looping around the farm, I stopped and visited with the wedding party. By the time I got back to the house, I covered about 3 3/4 miles.

In the mid-morning, Sharon and I went back to the wedding venue to set up a few things. With some help from Kellen and Spencer, we got everything set up for the sparkler send off. We then drove down to the cliff where the actual wedding ceremony was going to take place. We pre-positioned a couple of tables, a pot and crystal vessels of water and sand. During the ceremony, they were going to pot a plant.

Back at the house, we got cleaned up. We headed back to the Switzer Farm about 1:45 pm. I ended up having to carry the plant for the potting ceremony down to the cliffs in my suit. As I was walking down, the fog started to roll in. Thankfully, it cleared back up in about 30 minutes and was beautiful for the rest of the day!

People started to show up about 2:30 pm. At one point, I wandered up to the house where Drew and a group were playing music in the front room. I bounced back and forth between the house and the barn for about an hour.

Sharon and I were part of the wedding procession walking down to the cliff from the house. As my sister Lee Ann posted, it was the longest walk to the altar ever.

It was a very nice wedding ceremony. Jack started it off with an e.e. cummings reading. The program for the ceremony is here.

We had an opportunity to be part of the family pictures. I am looking forward to getting a copy of the photo of Sharon, Jack, Drew, Shannon and I for the Christmas card.


I enjoyed the rest of evening immensely. Our table at dinner included the Wallens, Tomasins, Snipes, Larkins, my sister Lee Ann and her husband Dean and my sister Sharon. I wandered around the long farm table repeatedly to visit with everyone.

Shannon's mom and dad and the best man Spencer made nice speeches and toasts after dinner. I never did see them cut a cake...

Madi Sipes and her band played a long set followed by a DJ. I spent a while sitting and talking to Kyle late in the evening. The sparkler send off at the end of the evening was a success. It was after 11 pm by the time we drove back to the rental.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 2

Up early, I went out for a 2 3/4 mile run. I ran up to Switzer Farm and looped around the 20 acre property. With the wedding party staying on site, I stopped and visited. I ran through the very small town and then down on to the Westport Headlands beach before heading back to the house.

Back at the VRBO, I rallied Sharon and Jack. We went back to the Switzer Farm and had brunch with the wedding party.

Dropping Sharon and Jack back at the rental, I drove back to the wedding venue. I spent the morning and early afternoon helping get everything set up. I staged the wine for the Shandrewpalooz. From the main parking lot on the property, you have to cross a bridge and walk through a barn to get to the house. We hung a wide variety of pictures from all of the families along one wall of the barn. It was a very cool space.

Eventually, I headed back to the VRBO and got cleaned up. It was really nice to have the place so close to the wedding venue.

At 3:00 pm, every one got together for the rehearsal. It is about one-fifth of a mile walk from the house down to the spot on the cliffs where Andrew and Shannon are getting married. We walked through the ceremony.

The rehearsal dinner was on the front porch of the house. Sharon and I hosted the dinner. We supplied wine paired with each course. The menu is here. Drew's mom made a decision not to attend.


My toast for the rehearsal dinner was an epic fail. More on that in a future post.


After dinner, they invited all of the wedding guests to an evening of music that they billed as the Shandrewpalooz. Tomasins, Wallens, Snipes, Larkins and my sister Lee Ann and her husband Dean joined the festivities. I will admit to being over served...

Sharon, Jack and I wandered back to the rental after 10 pm. Sharon and Jack drove back, while I enjoyed the walk.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Andrew & Shannon's Wedding - Day 1

Up early, we loaded up the car. With all of the stuff that we are taking for the wedding, I bought some racks for the Volvo last Sunday and put on the Yakima box.

We rolled about 8:40 am. The plan for lunch was a wine and food pairing at the Goldeneye Winery in the Anderson Valley. With Jack's 21st birthday last month, this is the first time that we have taken him wine tasting.

We first stopped in the Anderson Valley with the Sanborns in January. Although it is off the beaten path, there are definitely some other stops that we would love to make in this area.

With a quick stop in Fort Bragg for some flowers, we rolled into Westport at 3:30 pm. We are spending three nights at a VRBO called Heart Song right on the ocean. I rented it right after Drew and Shannon decided on a venue.

We unpacked the car and got settled into the house. Sharon and I were both extremely pleased with the house. Set back about 75 feet over the cliffs, it has a wonderful view of the ocean.


After relaxing and enjoying the property, we headed over to Switzer Farm. This is the venue for the wedding. It is a restored 1884 Victorian farmhouse that sits atop 22 private oceanfront acres. We had a chance to visit with Drew and Shannon and the rest of the wedding party.


Eventually, we wandered back to the house and barbecued steaks for dinner. Jack and I finished the night watching Tampa Bay beat Carolina on Thursday Night Football.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Jack is back

Jack caught a nonstop United flight from Dulles to Sacramento. Scheduled to leave about 5 pm, it was delayed about 45 minutes. He landed about 8:40 pm. I scooped him up.

With Drew and Shannon's wedding on Saturday, it is going to be a crazy couple of days.

Monday, September 09, 2019

150,850 steps

With 150,000 weekly steps for the first time in three months, I topped 140,000 steps for the fifth week in a row!

150,850 steps

Sunday, September 08, 2019

Volvo XC60 T8 - Day 304

Commute to MarysvilleAs of August 28, I had owned the Volvo for ten months. I have driven 10,813 miles. I am averaging 1,081 miles per month.

The good. I am still loving the vehicle. Typically, when I get into the car, I plug in my iPhone. Using Carplay, I will start a podcast and put my destination into Waze. During July and August, I was working in Marysville. One of the days in August, Waze routed me back to Roseville and up Highway 65 to get to there. As I got closer to Marysville, it routed me off the freeway and through Olivehurst. It turned out that I missed two major accidents: one on Highway 99 and one on Highway 70! Needless to say, I love the Carplay integration.

The bad. For the second time in ten months, the car stopped charging on the supplied cable. I took the vehicle back to the dealer. Niello Volvo blamed me for mistreating the cable. I was very grumpy that they were accusing me. I worked very hard to be particularly careful with the second cable. The cable is a AeroVironment TurboCord. Interesting, some number of these cables supplied with the 2019 Volvo XC60s were recalled due to failed capacitors. I would love to find an electrical engineer to evaluate the cable...

bad AeroVironment TurboCord?

Saturday, September 07, 2019

Sparkler Send Off

After working out in the morning, Sharon and I spent the afternoon working to get a number of things organized for next weekend's celebration.

Friday, September 06, 2019

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season One

Last Saturday night, Sharon and I finished watching season one of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Season One premiered on March 17, 2017, on Prime Video.

The show stars Rachel Bresnahan (Rachel in House of Cards) as Miriam "Midge" Maisel. Marin Hinkle (Judith on Two and a Half Men) and Tony Shalhoub (Wings and Monk) feature in supporting roles as her parents. Bresnahan plays a housewife in 1958 New York City who discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy.

The series received critical acclaim and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2017 and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018. Additionally, Bresnahan won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2018 and two consecutive Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2018 and 2019.

Season one is very good. I recommend it. I heard a podcast talk recently about how hard it is to incorporate stand-up comedy into a movie or television series. This show nails it.

Thursday, September 05, 2019

Throwback Thursday - BIC Venturi Speakers - Spring 1976

In a somewhat bizarre sequence of events, I stumbled across this picture on the internet. Taken at Drew's Mirror Wall studios, I was stunned to see the two BIC Venturi speakers. I bought those speakers over forty years ago in the spring of 1976 during my freshman year at college.

Expressing my surprise to Drew that he still had them, he said that it was "meaningful to have them around because they were probably my first source of recorded music and they are handy bookends and speaker holders."

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

Wait Till Next Year by William Goldman and Mike Lupica

My book for August was Wait Till Next Year: The Story of a Season When What Should've Happened Didn't, and What Could've Gone Wrong Did by William Goldman and Mike Lupica. This was one of the books mentioned on The Sports Repodders Podcast in March.

William Goldman was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He first came to prominence in the 1950s as a novelist before turning to screenwriting. He won Academy Awards for his screenplays Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and All the President's Men (1976). His other works include his thriller novel Marathon Man and comedy/fantasy novel The Princess Bride, both of which he adapted for the film versions.

The book follows the year 1987 from the perspective of a New York Sports fan. It looks at the seasons of the Mets, Yankees, Knicks, Nets, Gaints and Jets with a little bit of Columbia University football thrown in. In 1986, the Mets had won the World Series beating the Red Sox, while the Giants had won their first Super Bowl against the Broncos in early 1987. The 1987 NFL season included a strike and the use of replacement players.

Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden feature prominently in stories. Golden was suspended for drug use at the beginning of the 1987 season. I saw a depressing documentary about Strawberry and Gooden several years ago.

I was luke warm about the book while I was reading it. Sitting and thinking about the book to write this, I appreciate it more than I thought.

Monday, September 02, 2019

140,458 steps

With a late Sunday night neighborhood walk with Tiber, I topped more than 140,000 steps for the fourth straight week.

140,458 steps