Morgan and Lee

Drew and Shannon [Shelter in Place - Day 79]

In the afternoon, Sharon, Jack, Drew, Shannon and I did a loop through the Effie Yeaw Nature Center.  We covered about 2.25 miles.

Drew and Shannon headed back to Southern California in the late afternoon.  Drew has been here almost three weeks.  Shannon has been here two weeks.  It was great to spend so much time with them! Drew and I were trying to figure out when the last time we spent three weeks together.  Based on a suggestion by Morgan right after we saw her and Lee in March, we are planning a family vacation at Sea Ranch in August.  I am looking forward to having everyone together then.

I am going to use the "Shelter in Place" tag until I go back to work in the office. We are now targeting June 2 to start moving people back into the building.

As part of the rhythm of the last ten weeks, we have been getting curbside takeout on Saturday nights (Matteo's, Rey Azteca, Piatti, Canon, Matteos, Mikuni, Zinfandel Grille, Mandarian). This Saturday night, we got take-out from the Rey Azteca again.

Sharon, Jack and I finished the night watching Part 1 of the Lance 30 for 30 documentary.

Teal Bend

Sharon and I played golf with the Gainsleys at Teal Bend. Sharon, Jack and I played there once before 15 years ago... It is really a beautiful course.

I ended up shooting a liberally scored 110. I have been trying recently to be more accurate in my scoring, but will admit to taking a few mulligans during this round. I really struggled on a couple of the par 5s. I continue to have a hard time keeping my head still.

We played with the Gainsleys earlier in May at Mather. We are planning to play again at Ancil Hoffman in June.

This is the sixth round of golf that Sharon has played in May! On the way home, she was talking about wanting to play once a week this summer.

Ancil Hoffman

Teeing off in the late afternoon, Sharon, Jack, Drew and Shannon played golf at Ancil Hoffman.  Sharon and Shannon played nine holes, while Drew and Jack were able to get in eighteen. This is the fifth time that Sharon has played in May!

Catan

Wednesday night after dinner, Drew, Shannon, Jack and I played Catan. Jack won.

Coral Princess

In early 2019, Sharon's brother Tom took a two week cruise around South America. Some friends took the same cruise in early March.  Luckily, they were part of a group of passengers that was able to get off the boat on March 19 in Buenos Aires.  The ship's odyssey over the next three weeks after they got off is amazing...


March 19, 2020 12:30PM PT

Coral Princess is currently docked in Buenos Aires, and has been cleared by Argentine customs as well as the Ministry of Health. However, Coral Princess has not yet been fully cleared by local immigration. As such, only guests holding an Argentinean passport and/or guests who have confirmed flights departing today (March 19) have been cleared to disembark.

Princess Cruises is working through diplomatic channels to get full clearance so all guests can depart over the next several days. As of this update, Coral Princess will remain alongside in Buenos Aires to accommodate guest’s departures in this evolving situation. Princess Cruises will also help rebook air travel for all guests as needed.

Given the fluid nature of the situation and limited availability of flights, we thank our guests and all those impacted for their continued patience and understanding. We will share additional information as it becomes available.

March 19, 2020 9:00PM PT

Princess Cruises confirms that Coral Princess was required to abruptly depart the port of Buenos Aires late on March 19, before all guests were disembarked. Argentine President, Alberto Fernandez, issued a decree at 8:00 pm local time that began at midnight. The decree would require the ship to remain in port for an indeterminate number of days, and no guests would have been permitted to disembark during that time. Therefore, the decision was made to leave port immediately.

Coral Princess is now sailing to Montevideo, Uruguay, where it will take delivery of supplies and fuel on March 20. We have been, and will continue to, seek permission to complete guest disembarkation there. Princess Cruises port operations is exploring all avenues, including diplomatic channels. Also, we are working with our shoreside teams on several options to disembark should there be any issues with Montevideo.

Internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with family. Updates will be made available as we obtain more information.

This is an unprecedented situation and we thank our guests for their continued patience and understanding. The safety, health and well-being of everyone on board remains our highest priority.

March 22, 2020 10:30AM PT

Princess Cruises can confirm that Coral Princess made a port call to Montevideo, Uruguay, on March 21 to take delivery of supplies and fuel. No guests were permitted to disembark. The ship continues to encounter difficulty disembarking their guests due to port closures and changing regulations, therefore Coral Princess set sail directly for Fort Lauderdale, which will take approximately 14 days. There are 1,024 guests onboard.

This is an unprecedented situation and the operations team at Princess continues to support the Captain and his crew to ensure everyone onboard returns home safely. The continued patience and understanding of the guests and their families is appreciated. The safety, health and well-being of everyone on board remains our highest priority.

Both Internet and guest stateroom telephone services remain complimentary so that guests may stay in touch with family.

March 23, 2020 6:30PM PT

Coral Princess is currently sailing a South America voyage and continues to encounter challenges disembarking guests due to port closures and changing regulations. In the continued effort to repatriate guests as quickly as possible, the ship will sail to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arriving March 24. Although Brazil has been closed to cruise ship traffic, we are working through diplomatic channels to obtain permission and have received positive responses.

Guests with confirmed homeward flight arrangements will be permitted to disembark and go directly to the airport. Regretfully, we do not anticipate that all guests will be able to disembark in Rio due to limited flight availability. From Rio, Coral Princess will sail to Fort Lauderdale as previously announced with a planned arrival on Sunday, April 5.

Guests who purchased flights through Princess will be automatically rebooked on flights. We recommend that guests with independent arrangements wait to rebook their flights until official confirmation from the port authorities is received. Independent guests will be able to claim reimbursement upon their return home as previously advised.

Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with family. Updates will be made available as we obtain more information.

This is an unprecedented situation and we thank our guests for their continued patience and understanding. The safety, health and well-being of everyone on board remains our highest priority.

March 30, 2020 3:00PM PT

Coral Princess is scheduled to arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados the evening of Tuesday, March 31. During the short time at the port, extra provisions will be brought onboard to keep all guests comfortable during the onward journey. No guests or crew will be permitted to disembark during this time.

Coral Princess will continue to proceed directly to Ft. Lauderdale, with an estimated arrival date of April 4. There remains no known risk of COVID-19 onboard.

Princess will continue to book flights for all guests. Due to limited flight availability, Coral Princess will remain alongside in Fort Lauderdale for two days to allow all guests to proceed directly from the ship to the airport.

Princess is also working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure smooth arrival into port. We are also in regular contact with multiple embassies and consulates.

Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with family.

March 24, 2020 5:45PM PT

Despite continued efforts from several consulates, Anvisa (the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency) has denied the disembarkation of Coral Princess guests, including those with confirmed outbound flights.

Coral Princess will proceed directly to Ft. Lauderdale, with no foreseen need for additional port calls. There remains no known risk of COVID-19 onboard.

Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with family. In this unprecedented situation, we thank our guests and their loved ones for their continued patience and understanding.

March 31, 2020 9:40AM PT

The medical center onboard Coral Princess has reported a higher-than-normal number of people presenting influenza-like symptoms.

Many have tested positive for regular influenza, however given the concern surrounding COVID-19 (coronavirus), and out of an abundance of caution, guests have been asked to self-isolate in their staterooms and all meals will now be delivered by room service. Crew will remain in their staterooms when not working.

Coral Princess is scheduled to arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados this evening - Tuesday, March 31. This is a service call only and no guests or crew will be permitted to go ashore during this time. Following her service call to Barbados, Coral Princess is currently scheduled to proceed directly to Ft. Lauderdale for disembarkation, with an estimated arrival date of April 4.

Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with family. The health, safety, and well-being of all guests and crew are our absolute priority.

April 2, 2020 5:30PM PT

In response to a reported small cluster of cases of respiratory illness and in an abundance of caution, Coral Princess proactively collected and sent 13 COVID-19 test samples to Barbados on March 31. We can confirm the results yielded 12 positive cases (7 guests and 5 crew).

Why is Coral Princess still sailing?

Coral Princess set sail on March 5 from San Antonio (Santiago) for a South America voyage which was scheduled to end in Buenos Aires on March 19. In response to the global spread of COVID-19, Princess Cruises announced a voluntary 60-day pause of operations on March 12, becoming one of the first companies in the leisure travel industry to take this proactive measure. The operational directive being to end each cruise as soon as possible while being able to assure guests the ability to continue their journey home by air travel safely and with certainty.

Following the pause of operations announcement, Coral Princess had planned to disembark in Buenos Aires on March 19 and March 20 as originally scheduled. This was the first available opportunity for disembarkation and a location from where guests had air travel booked. However, due to ongoing port closures and changing regulations, Coral Princess encountered challenges disembarking guests despite best efforts and additional complications with cancellation of air flights.

Princess continues to seek approvals through multiple diplomatic channels, and to work with local officials for disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Guests will continue to self-isolate in their staterooms, with all meals delivered by room service. Crew will remain in their staterooms when not working. There are 1,898 people onboard including 1,020 guests and 878 crew members. Both internet and guest stateroom telephone service remain complimentary so that guests can stay in touch with loved ones.

April 4, 2020

Two people have died aboard the Coral Princess, which docked in Port Miami Saturday morning and began to unload people shortly after.

April 5, 2020 1:08PM PT

Princess Cruises can confirm that guest disembarkation for Coral Princess at the Port of Miami began yesterday, April 4. Disembarkation will continue today limited to those departing on chartered flights arranged by Princess Cruises to California, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Overnight, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) communicated changes to their policy regarding post-disembarkation travel for cruise passengers, recommending no travel via commercial flights nor shared transportation with non-cruise guests. Princess Cruises continues to work tirelessly to adjust the repatriation plan to meet the new CDC requirements. This will unfortunately result in further delays in disembarkation and onward travel for many guests as we work through this complex, challenging and unfortunate situation. We express continued gratitude to our guests for their patience and understanding as we work to adapt to these new requirements.

All guests are being screened as directed by the CDC before disembarkation of the vessel. During disembarkation, and until they reach their homes, guests are required to wear a mask and practice social distancing measures.

Those with respiratory symptoms, or who are still recovering, will remain on board until medically cleared by the ship’s doctors. Further details on disembarkation will be shared once available.

April 6, 2020 2:48PM PT

Princess Cruises can confirm 545 guests disembarked Coral Princess yesterday, April 5 and a further 139 guests disembarked this morning. Meanwhile, 274 guests remain on board. Disembarkation continued today prioritizing those who departed on a chartered flight to Canada, in addition to chauffeured ground transportation for local Florida residents - all of which were arranged by Princess Cruises. Additional domestic charter flights are being coordinated and are scheduled to depart tomorrow, April 7. All guests requiring shoreside medical care have been disembarked and are being treated at a facility pre-arranged by Princess Cruises.

Princess continues to work with several federal, state and local authorities including the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Office of the Governor of Florida, the Florida Department of Health, the Office of the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, PortMiami, and others.

In order to protect the safety and welfare of our guests, as well as the population of other communities, authorities have dictated several requirements and protocols. We are required to follow these requisites without variance, and when they change, we must adjust our plans. We continue to work through the CDC’s updated recommendations regarding post-disembarkation travel for cruise passengers, which includes no travel via commercial flights nor shared air or ground transportation with non-cruise guests. We again must express our continued gratitude to our guests for their patience and understanding as we navigate the unique and complex logistics required to manage this situation.

April 7, 2020 9:19AM PT

Disembarkation will continue today with an additional nine domestic charter flights scheduled. All charters were arranged by Princess Cruises. Guests requiring shoreside medical care have been disembarked and are being treated at local and regional hospitals.

Following today’s disembarkation efforts, approximately 90 international guests will remain onboard given current international travel restrictions. Homeward travel arrangements will be made for these guests as soon as arrival clearance is obtained by each country.

April 8, 2020 3:00PM PT

Disembarkation efforts in Miami, Florida continue for Coral Princess guests with three additional charter flights scheduled for departure today. Pending government approvals, an additional four international charter flights to South America and Europe and one domestic charter flight are in-planning to depart on April 9. Our goal is to ensure all guests are repatriated to their home countries however, this is a complex process due to unique international travel restrictions which vary by country and require clearance for arrival by customs officials. We do not recommend that guests remain on the ship when it heads back to sea for marine operations and local authorities will not authorize the use of local hotels, making timely approvals for repatriation critical.

Princess Cruises would like to thank the leadership and operations team at PortMiami and the many responders who are supporting the effort to care for guests and crew while the disembarkation process nears its completion.

Currently, Princess Cruises is creating a crew repatriation plan for the global fleet. Until it is finalized and ready to action, all crew fleetwide will remain onboard in the care of Princess.

April 9, 2020 3:30PM PT

Disembarkation efforts in Miami, Florida continue for Coral Princess guests with five charter flights scheduled for departure today - one domestic charter flight and four international charter flights to South America and Europe.

Despite continued efforts through diplomatic channels, current travel restrictions by home countries will prevent homeward travel for 13 international guests, and local authorities will not authorize the use of local hotels. These guests will join the Coral Princess crew members for a self-imposed 14-day quarantine to monitor symptoms and to reduce the possibility of transmission if they became symptomatic. Additional Princess Cruises crew members will be boarding today to aid the quarantine.

Coral Princess is scheduled to depart PortMiami today at 5:30 PM ET.

Coral Princess departed March 5 from San Antonio (Santiago) for a South America voyage which was scheduled to end in Buenos Aires on March 19. In response to the global spread of COVID-19, Princess Cruises announced a voluntary 60-day pause of operations on March 12, becoming one of the first companies in the leisure travel industry to take this proactive measure. Coral Princess remained in service longer than previously expected, until arriving at the Port of Miami, due to a series of port closures, airline cancellations and other actions taken, which impacted the onward travel home of the guests and crew onboard.

Survivor: All Stars (Season 8)

Saturday night, Sharon, Jack, Drew, Shannon and I finished watching the last two episodes of Survivor: All Stars.

Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the American CBS reality television series Survivor. It was filmed from November 3, 2003, through December 11, 2003.  It premiered on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. 

It was filmed on the Pearl Islands of Panama.  For the first time, 18 returning competitors from the seven previous seasons played instead of the usual 16 new contestants.

The winner was Survivor: The Australian Outback castaway Amber Brkich.  She beat Survivor: Marquesas castaway Rob "Boston Rob" Mariano by a 4–3 jury vote. The two had been closely allied throughout the game.  At the live reunion show just before the votes were read, Brkich accepted a marriage proposal from Mariano.

After seeing Boston Rob and Amber on the current season of Survivor (Winners at War), we watched them in season seven of the Amazing Race and this season of Survivor.  Next, we will watch season 22 of Survivor (Redemption Island) that Boston Rob wins.

Memorial Day Bike Ride

In the late morning, Sharon, Shannon, Drew and I took off from the house for a bike ride. We took advantage of the fact that Sharon has three different bikes!

We wound our way through neighborhoods to William Pond. From there we rode east across the river on the American River Bike Trail to Hagan Community Park. On the way home, we looped into Ancil Hoffman Park. In total, we covered 11.6 miles in just under an hour and thirty minutes.

At some point this summer, Sharon and I will probably try to do a loop. From Hagan Community Park, we can continue east to the bike bridge at Sunrise and then head west on Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Memorial Day Weekend Barbecue

With Drew, Shannon and Jack here for an extended period, we decided to a do Memorial Day Weekend Barbecue on Sunday afternoon, Janie joined us.

After lounging on deck, we played a long game of Unstable Unicorns. Morgan had given Drew the game for Christmas. We ended up with no winner.

We finished night with a very late dinner of tri-tip, corn and asparagus. I barbecued everything on the grill.

Shelter in Place - Day 72

With things continuing to open up, I am going to use the "Shelter in Place" tag until I go back to work in the office. We are now targeting June 2 to start moving people back into the building.

In the early afternoon, Sharon, Drew, Shannon, Tiber and I did a loop around Ancil Hoffman Park. Sharon, Shannon and Drew took the Meadow Trail through Effie Yeaw, while Tiber skirted the edge of the nature perserve.

As part of the rhythm of the last ten weeks, we have been getting curbside takeout on Saturday nights (Matteo's, Rey Azteca, Piatti, Canon, Matteos, Mikuni, Zinfandel Grille). This Saturday night, we got take-out from the Mandarian.

We finishing the night watching the last two episodes of Survivor - All Stars.

Building a journal for the 91 Rugby World Cup Trip

I posted 1991 Rugby World Cup - Day 3.

Ancil Hoffman

Teeing off in the afternoon, Sharon, Jack, Drew and Shannon played eighteen holes at Ancil Hoffman.

Picnic in the Park

Sharon, Jack, Shannon, Drew, Tiber and I finished the day with a picnic in the park. Sharon has been talking about wanting to do this for some time.

We had a nice dinner of fried chicken, potato salad and apple salad.

Jack, Drew and I played an extended game of bocce ball. Drew narrowly edged out Jack for the win.

Sharon, Shannon and Drew finished the night watching Call Me by my Name.

Adventist Health’s Hospital@Home

Adventist Health’s Hospital@Home expands flexible bed capacity during COVID-19. Innovative approach offers insights on the virtual hospital of the future.

May 6, 2020 (ROSEVILLE, Calif.) – California’s early action – including the first statewide stay-at-home order in the U.S. – has helped to suppress what was initially anticipated to be a dramatic surge of COVID-19 patients. Now a new challenge is on the horizon, and preparations have shifted to the more likely scenario of micro-surges that could unpredictably impact communities.

To meet that new challenge, Adventist Health today announced an innovative plan to supplement acute care capacity by using virtual technology to safely treat hundreds of additional patients in their homes. In collaboration with Medically Home® and Huron, the health system will begin admitting patients to its first virtual hospital, Adventist Health Hospital@Home, on May 11.

“Adventist Health has been exploring this approach to help us transform care,” Adventist Health President Bill Wing says. “When the state initially projected dramatic shortages of inpatient beds and Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a call for all providers to expand capacity, Adventist Health seized the opportunity to deploy Adventist Health Hospital@Home powered by Medically Home® to meet the needs of the moment.”

While the anticipated surge has been delayed, Adventist Health Hospital@Home represents innovative thinking that will provide a flexible tool for managing waves of potential COVID-19 outbreaks in nine Adventist Health service areas over the next year. This new model also holds the promise of long-term improvements for patients and their care, since the virtual hospital model will reshape the way acute care is delivered to the system’s communities. Similar services piloted across the country have demonstrated improvements in safety and quality, including reduced readmissions, fall risk and length of stay. The services also will reduce capital and operating costs and enhance the flow of supplies. In addition, this care delivery model is anticipated to provide scalable access points to improve availability of care to communities.

In the immediate term, Adventist Health Hospital@Home will provide 150 beds. It harnesses virtual and telemedicine technologies, proven successful in hospitals for the last decade. Medically Home’s proprietary platform and proven model of care enables 24/7 virtual assessment and control from a remote telemedical command center, built and operationalized by Huron and staffed with Adventist Health doctors and nurses who have received advanced training with the new model.

“Adventist Health’s Hospital@Home virtual hospital delivers high-tech, complex hospital care to a patient’s home,” says Medically Home Chief Medical Officer Eliza Shulman, D.O., M.P.H. “Clinicians can infuse medications, perform X-rays and place central lines in the home. The technology platform enables physicians to provide care with the highest degree of compassion, and patients are more comfortable being treated at their homes.”

Adventist Health Hospital@Home will initiate three Medical Command Centers inside its current hospitals that will manage as many as 150 beds at homes in targeted service areas. Each service area will have Rapid Response Teams that will deploy to the patients at home when needed. These teams can accommodate a variety of clinical services, such as infusion, skilled nursing, lab, pharmacy, mobile imaging and nutrition, among others. Initial California service areas will include Bakersfield, Clear Lake, Glendale, Hanford, Los Angeles, Mendocino County and Simi Valley.

Wing describes the project as an important window into the future of healthcare. It is intended to answer many of the challenges of modern healthcare, spurred by today’s immediate need to quickly expand hospital capacity. “The virtual hospital has been a concept capturing the imagination of providers for the last several years. The technology exists and has been shown to be safer, more effective and less expensive than the same care in a hospital setting,” Wing says. More information about the virtual hospital is available at AdventistHealth.org/VirtualHospital.

About Adventist Health

Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii. Founded on Seventh-day Adventist heritage and values, Adventist Health provides care in hospitals, clinics, home care agencies, hospice agencies and joint-venture retirement centers in both rural and urban communities. Our compassionate and talented team of 36,000 includes associates, medical staff physicians, allied health professionals and volunteers driven in pursuit of one mission: living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. Together, we are transforming the American healthcare experience with an innovative, yet timeless, whole-person focus on physical, mental, spiritual and social healing.

About Huron

Huron is a global consultancy that collaborates with clients to drive strategic growth, ignite innovation and navigate constant change. Through a combination of strategy, expertise and creativity, we help clients accelerate operational, digital and cultural transformation, enabling the change they need to own their future. By embracing diverse perspectives, encouraging new ideas and challenging the status quo, we create sustainable results for the organizations we serve. Learn more at www.huronconsultinggroup.com.

About Medically Home Group

Medically Home Group is a technology-enabled services company that provides the clinical Intellectual Property, Technology Platform, Mission Control Telemedicine Command Center and acute rapid response clinical services that allows medical providers to safely shift advanced medical care from hospitals to patients’ homes. Through the company’s commitment to creating superior experiences and outcomes for patients, their families and healthcare stakeholders, Medically Home Group is leading the charge in innovation of the delivery of healthcare. For more information on Medically Home Group, please visit www.medicallyhome.com/.

Peruvian Chicken plus Lady Bird

With Drew and Shannon spending a couple of days with us, Sharon made a great dinner of Peruvian chicken, rice and green beans on Sunday night. Sharon, Drew, Shannon and Jack finished the day watching Lady Bird. I would guess that Sharon has now seen the movie at least five times...

Pioneer Express Trail Hike

Sharon and I have been trying to do a hike every month this year [January, February, March, April ]. Late Saturday morning, Sharon, Jack, Drew and I headed to Folsom Lake. Looking for something close to home, I picked out on a hike on a section of the Pioneer Express Trail.

Hiking from Beeks Bight, we headed northeast towards Rattlesnake Bar. With a stop for lunch along the lake, we ended up hiking 5.7 miles in two hours and thirty-six minutes. Using data from Runkeeper on my iPhone, I generated a map and a Google Earth view of the hike.

Although there was lots of poison oaks along the trail, there were very few people. We had one odd experience. An old dog came looping up the trail and went by without stopping. Her owners were five or ten minutes behind her. When Rattlesnake and Horseshoe Bars open up, we will probably come back and hike a couple of additional sections of this trail.

Shelter in Place - Day 65

Although things are starting to open up, I am probably going to continue to use the "Shelter in Place" tag until I go back to work in the office. We are talking about starting to move people back into the office on May 26.

Saturday morning, Sharon, Jack, Drew and I drove out to Folsom Lake. Placer County received approval last week to start reopening a number of businesses. As we drove down Douglas Boulevard, I was a little shocked at the number of businesses open and the number of people out and about...

The plan for the day was a hike. We hiked northeast along the lake from Beeks Bight towards Rattlesnake Bar. I ran this section of the Pioneer Express Trail when I did the American River 50. Maps and pictures from the hike are here.

Shannon flew up from Southern California late in the day. Drew picked her up at the airport. They joined us for a late dinner.

As part of the rhythm of the last nine weeks, we have been getting curbside takeout on Saturday nights (Matteo's, Rey Azteca, Piatti, Canon, Matteos, Mikuni). This Saturday night, we got curbside take-out from Zinfandel Grille.

We split appetizers of CRISPY CALAMARI [Lightly battered and fried calamari with house made cocktail sauce and lemon aïoli] and SEARED CAJUN AHI TUNA [Rare Ahi Tuna, mixed greens, ginger vinaigrette, tangy orange glaze and jalapeño]. For entrees, Sharon had GRILLED ALASKAN HALIBUT [Fresh Halibut with roast pepper basil butter on a creamy ragout of sweet yellow corn, zucchini, potato with chili oil]. Shannon and I had PAPPARDELLE [House made pappardelle with sautéed shrimp, Andouille sausage, Italian sausage, asparagus, bell pepper, and garlic in a rouille pesto cream sauce with toasted garlic bread and topped with fresh parmesan]. Jack had a ITALIAN MEAT TRIO pizza [pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage, red bell peppers, tomato sauce and mozzarella]. Drew had PASTA BOLOGNESE [Penne pasta in Bolognese sauce with ground filet mignon, pork, garlic, carrot, tomato, onion topped with ricotta and parmesan cheese].

Drew, Shannon, Sharon and I finished the night visiting and listening to the Soundtrack of My Life until after midnight.

Mather Golf Course

Sharon and I played golf with the Gainsleys at Mather on Friday afternoon. Unlike two weeks ago at Ancil Hoffman where it felt like I was struggling on every hole, I played pretty consistently. Admittedly, this is an easier course.

Social distancing is still in effect. Sharon and I each had our own golf course. At Mather, the cup on the green was raised up. All you had to do was hit the cup with the ball.

I ended up with a 105. Except for melting down on the 17th in the trees on the left side, I was striking the ball pretty well all day. Going away from the chipping style that I was trying to learn, my short game was marginally better. I only really had one chip that was a disaster.

I enjoyed the round immensely; we had a lot of fun. We will probably try to play Teal Bend with the Gainsleys in the next couple of weeks.

Throwback Thursday - Drew Pic 3 - April 2006

Survivor: Winners at War (Season 40)

Over the last few years, I have typically watched Survivor running on the treadmill on Wednesday nights while Sharon was at bootcamp. With Jack shifting back home in March, the three of us watched Survivor: Winners at War together. Drew joined us for the finale on Wednesday night.

Winners at War is the show's 40th season. I would guess that I have seen slightly less than half of the seasons. Sharon and I watched the first couple of seasons twenty years old, but drifted away from the show.

The season was filmed in May and June of 2019. It is the eighth consecutive season to be filmed in Fiji. It aired on CBS from February 12, 2020 until May 13, 2020.

Winners at War features twenty returning winners from past Survivor seasons competing for a $2 million prize. It is the thirteenth season to feature returning players and the fifth season to feature only returning players. The season featured the Edge of Extinction [a twist where voted-out players could opt to stay for a chance to return] and introduced fire tokens [a form of currency to buy rewards or advantages].

Tony Vlachos was named the winner by a 12–4–0 vote over Natalie Anderson and Michele Fitzgerald. Seeing Boston Rob and Amber on the show, we decided to go back and watch some of the other reality shows on which they appeared. We watched Boston Rob and Amber compete in season 7 of the Amazing Race. We are currently watching season 5 of Survivor [All-Stars] where they first met.

With the finale hosted from Jeff Probst's garage due to the pandemic, he said that Survivor will be back in the fall. It will be interesting to see how they accomplish that...

Ancil Hoffman

Late Tuesday afternoon, Sharon, Jack and Drew played eighteen holes at Ancil Hoffman. Sharon shot a 117, Jack carded a 118 and Drew had 122. It has been years since Drew picked up a golf club.

Drew

After visiting with Morgan and Lee for a few days and spending Mother's Day with his mom in the Carmel Valley, Drew showed up Monday afternoon.

Mother's Day 2020

It is an odd time. The pandemic and the resulting shelter in place orders have disrupted several plans. We should be going to Georgetown this coming week for Jack's graduation from college and then on to South Africa on vacation. The disarray and uncertainty are creating an increasing number of strains.

After a short morning walk with Tiber (it was chilly), I cooked Sharon breakfast. I made an asparagus, tomato and bacon omelette.

We have a roomba that we use downstairs; it is very effective. Sharon wanted to supplement this by getting a robot mop for Mother's Day. After doing some research, we punted on the idea. None of the robot mops seemed very effective. Instead, She settled on wanting a Bissel Crosswave. It was delivered on Sunday morning just as we were finishing breakfast.

In the afternoon, I went to OBO' to pick up a Beet Salad [pistachio, basil, parmesan, balsamic] and an Elderflower Gimlet [vodka, st-germain, elderflower syrup, lime, mint]. For dinner, Sharon picked out a veal piccata recipe. We went to Corti Bros on Saturday morning to get the veal. I made the veal piccata with angel hair pasta and green beans. In spite of my trepidation during the preparation, the meal seemed to be a big hit with both Jack and Sharon.

We finished the day watching two more episodes of season eight of Survivor.

Shelter in Place - Day 58

As part of the rhythm of the last eight weeks, we have been getting curbside takeout on Saturday nights (Matteo's, Rey Azteca, Piatti, Canon, Matteos). This Saturday night, we got curbside take-out from Mikuni.

We got two orders of Gyoza GYOZA [crispy or pan-seared chicken potstickers], a green salad, freaky edamame and a platter D. The platter D included Sea Steak, BBQ Albacore, Garlic Salmon, FAIR OAKS ROLL [Panko shrimp, avocado, sauce, masago, onion], BOB'S ROLL [Cream cheese, crab mix, panko shrimp, avocado, salmon, sauce, masago, onion], MICHI ROLL [Panko shrimp, cream cheese, crab mix, avocado, seared tuna, sauce, masago, onion] and SPICY TUNA ROLL [Spicy tuna, cucumber, sesame seeds].

We finished the day watching two episodes of season 8 of Survivor.

Amsterdam Puzzle

Over the last few weeks, Sharon and Jack have worked on a Amsterdam puzzle on the kitchen counter.

We visited Amsterdam in June of 2016.

Throwback Thursday - Mary and Sharon - October 13, 1996

Mary Franklin was the matron of honor at our wedding.

Shelter in Place - Day 55

Morgan's Birthday

Happy Birthday! Morgan

Morgan asked for a pair of toddler stools for her and Lee for her birthday.

Morgan and Lee

Lee

Kyle Robert Franklin

Mary Franklin is one of Sharon's oldest friends. She was the matron of honor at our wedding. Her husband passed away two weeks ago.

Kyle Robert Franklin passed away unexpectedly on April 21, 2020, after a short illness. He was 58 years old. He is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Chelsea, and son Chase. Kyle also leaves his mother Judith Franklin, his brother Brett (JoAnn) and numerous nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by his father Robert.

Kyle grew up in Tulare, attending Garden School and Tulare Union High School. He graduated from UC Davis, remaining in the Sacramento area (El Dorado Hills). He established a successful career as a financial planner.

Kyle's wife and children have always been the most important thing in his life. He was, however, a passionate fan of the San Francisco 49ers and the San Francisco Giants. Going to games was his favorite pastime. Kyle especially enjoyed taking an active roll in his children's activities, often volunteering his time and support.

He was a kind soul with a big heart, an all-around good man. Kyle will be sorely missed.

Because of the Corona virus Covid 19, services are not being allowed at this time. Condolences may be sent to 3558 Ridgeview Dr., El Dorado Hills, CA 95762 or 2817 E. Laura t. Visalia CA 93292.

Published in Visalia Times-Delta & Tulare Advance-Register from Apr. 30 to May 2, 2020

Escape from New York

Friday night, Sharon, Jack and I watched Escape from New York. Jack had listened to The Ringer Rewatchables podcast about the movie and wanted to see it.

The movie is a 1981 American science fiction action film co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter. It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton.

Set in 1997, Manhattan Island has been converted into the country's maximum-security prison. Air Force One is hijacked by terrorists and is purposely crashed in New York City. Ex-soldier and current federal prisoner Snake Plissken (Russell) is given just 24 hours to go in and rescue the president of the United States.

Considered a cult classic, it received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. I am going to back and listen to the podcast, but I don't recommend the film. There is an odd scene in the middle of the movie where it sounds like Russell is doing a Clint Eastwood impersonation.

Ancil Hoffman

Sharon, Jack and I played eighteen holes at Ancil Hoffman late Saturday afternoon. Teeing off at 4 pm, it took us four hours to play the round. We had nobody behind us on the front nine. When we got to the back nine, the course was empty. There was no one in front of us or behind us.

Due to the pandemic, they are giving everyone their own cart. I kind of enjoyed it.

I ended up shooting a 124. I was striking the ball off the tee pretty well, but my short game is a dumpster fire. When Sharon and I took a few lessons a couple of years ago, the instructor had me working on a different approach to chipping. At this point, I am completely adrift with my short game; I am not sure what to do. Combined with not putting very well, my score ballooned.

As we were returning the golf carts, they asked us where we came from. Apparently, there has been a lot of people coming to play from the bay area and Reno.

Although Jack hasn't played golf at all recently, he started to settle in a little on the back nine. Sharon continues to hit the ball very well off the tee. All in all, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

Shelter in Place - Day 50

As part of the rhythm of the last seven weeks, we have been getting curbside takeout on Saturday nights (Matteo's, Rey Azteca, Piatti, Canon). With plans to play golf late tomorrow afternoon, we decided to shift to Friday night this week.

We went back to Matteos. I had a Blackened Shrimp & Mango Salad [Avocado, Pickled Red Onions, Feta, Cherry Tomatoes over Chopped Romaine and Mixed Greens, Tossed in a Citrus Vinaigrette and Topped with Mango Salsa], while both Jack and Sharon had The Cheese Burger [Marin Sun Farms Ground Beef, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Pickles & Garlic Aioli. Choice of Cheddar, Blue Cheese or Swiss with French Fries].

Eating dinner, we started watching Escape from New York.