2023 Kings versus Warriors - Playoffs: West 1st Round, Game 7

Sunday morning, Larkin and I met at Foundations for a misoma. Afterwards, we wandered over to the Golden 1 Center for game seven of the first round of the NBA Playoffs: Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors. The Kings led the Warriors by the score of 58 to 56 at halftime. Powered by Stephen Curry, the Warriors pulled away in the third quarter and won by the score of 120 to 100.

Curry erupted for 50 points, the most points scored in a Game 7 in NBA history. His 38 shot attempts were the most he has had in an NBA game and his 22 points in the paint also were a career high. Curry was 20 for 38 from the field, 7 for 18 from three and 3 for 5 from the free throw line.

Domantas Sabonis was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 22 points on 10 for 16 from the field, 0 for 1 from three and 2 for 6 from the free throw line.

De'Aaron Fox struggled. He had 16 points on 5 for 19 from the field, 3 for 10 from three and 3 for 4 from the free throw line.

Larkin and I connected with Drew and Carmen before the game and at halftime. I ran into Bill Evans from work as I was getting a hotdog before the game.

I ended up sitting right next to a loud Warriors fan which marred the experience. I switched seats with Larkin at the end of the third quarter.

The Kings have five wins and three losses in games that I have seen in person during the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Larkins plus Training Hike plus Travel Fair and more

Saturday morning, we headed to Folsom. We dropped a car on Parkshore Drive and Larkin picked us up. We headed to their new house. The Larkins moved to Folsom last November.

After getting a chance to tour the new house, the four of us hiked back to Parkshore Drive along the Willow Creek Trail. I was very impressed with the trail; it didn't feel like you were in the middle of Folsom. We hiked 4.7 miles in just over an hour and a half.



We had dropped the car at the location for the Hands On Travel Vendor Travel Fair. The Larkins introduced us to Shawna Copeland and we have used her for a couple of trips. Although we didn't coordinate with them, the Gainsleys also showed up to the travel fair. Wandering through the fair, I got a couple of ideas for future trips!

From there, Sharon and I headed to Green Acres. We bought a load of plants. We spent the rest of day working on the back deck. We planted the plants, put down a new rug, dragged the summer pillows back from the storage shed and hung some lights along the deck railing. We are working to get the front and back of the house cleaned up for next weekend.

Sharon and Tom's 2023 San Francisco Adventure - Day #2

Sharon and Tom spent the morning wine tasting at Bouchine Vineyards. We have been wine club members there since 2010.

They had lunch in Yountville. Afterwards, they fought their way home in the Friday afternoon traffic. Working in the Napa Valley in 2015 and 2106, I hated this drive on Friday afternoons...

We finished the day watching the Sacramento Kings play the Golden State Warriors in game six of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Leading for most of the game, the Kings won by the score of 118 to 99. Game seven is in Sacramento on Sunday!.

Sharon and Tom's 2023 San Francisco Adventure - Day #1

Sargent and Spain

Churches, coastlines, gardens, royal palaces, dancing — vibrant works by John Singer Sargent (1856 – 1925) immerse you in the rich culture of Spain. This exhibition, in its exclusive West coast stop, is the first to explore the influence of Spanish culture on Sargent’s dynamic visual practice. Celebrated as the society portraitist of his era, Sargent influenced a generation of American painters. His captivation with Spain, which developed over the course of seven visits taken from 1879 to 1912, resulted in a remarkable body of work. The exhibition presents an array of Sargent’s dazzling oils, watercolors, and drawings, along with never-before-exhibited photographs, showcasing Spain’s people, architecture, and magnificent urban and rural landscapes.

Sharon and her brother Tom took off for San Francisco in the morning. They spent the day at the Legion of Honor touring the Sargent and Spain Exhibition. They had lunch at the museum.

They had dinner at The Morris. Dinner included half a smoked duck with root vegetables. Tom texted me "your wife has a super power that scopes out fantastic restaurants." I started saying this was Sharon's super power when we were on the cruise in Greece.

They spen the spent the night at the Lodge at the Presidio. Sharon and I stayed there when we hiked the SF Crosstown trail in 2021.

2023 Kings versus Warriors - Playoffs: West 1st Round, Game 5

Larkin, Drew, Sharon and I went to game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs: Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors. While I went to the game with Larkin, Drew took Sharon to the game. Drew, Sharon and I all got a chicken rice bowls from Ginger Star for dinner. While we were eating on the second floor, Kyle and Kelsey and Van Wong wandered by.

Going 8 for 12 from 3-point range in the first quarter, the Kings ran out to a 10 point lead. The Kings then went 2 for 21 from 3 over the final three quarters. Although they got within 1 point with 5 minutes to play [109-108], the Kings lost the game by the score of 123 to 116.

As you would expect, Stephen Curry was the high scorer for the Warriors. He had 31 points on 12 for 25 from the field, 2 for 10 from three and 5 for 6 from the free throw line.

De'Aaron Fox was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 24 points on 9 for 25 from the field, 3 for 10 from three and 3 for 3 from the free throw line.

At halftime, Larkin and I wandered up to the Sierra Nevada Draught House to connect with Drew and Sharon.

It was very cool to be in the building for game one and game five. Unfortunately, the game five experience was marred a little by a couple of very obnoxious warrior fans sitting around us. While I probably shouldn't have been, I was surprised at the number of Warriors at game five.

The Kings have five wins and two losses in games that I have seen in person during the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Fraunces Tavern

I walked by this historical marker several times while I was in Philadephia for the Army/Navy Game.

Fraunces Tavern
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This marker is located at 166 South 2nd Street (just West of Dock Street) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The GPS coordinates for this location are 39° 56' 47.1" N 75° 08' 41.5" W.

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


Here stood Fraunces Tavern, established by Samuel Fraunces after moving from New York where he had operated a famous tavern. He served as George Washington's chief cook, 1790-94, while the President lived in Philadelphia.

Twenty Years

Today marks twenty years that I have been writing in this space!

Although I have since added older entires, my first post was Shopping Colleges and Kindergartens.

2023 Petersen Shootout - Day #3

Up early, Larkin and I had breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. With the Kings playing the Warriors at 12:30 pm in the first round of the Western Conference NBA playoffs, the plan was an early start for home.

Jack, Drew and I rolled from the hotel about 9:10 am. With a ten minute stop in Placerville, we were back in Carmichael by 11:40 am [88 to 89 to 50].

I had a nice time. It was great to have our own foursome with Larkin, Drew and Jack. As I told the boys, the tournament has changed since Larkin and I started going. In the beginning, it felt much more intimate than it does now. There were some really interesting evenings in the suite in the first couple of years. The group has gotten so large that it feels chaotic and disjointed.

Sunday afternoon, Sharon, Drew, Jack and I watched the Kings versus the Warriors. The Warriors won the game by the score of 126 to 125. The seven game series is now tied at 2 to 2.

After the game, Drew and Jack headed back to the bay area.

2023 Petersen Shootout - Day #2

Up fairly early, Larkin and I had breakfast at Katie's Country Kitchen in the hotel. The package for the weekend included a $5.00 food voucher for use at the hotel. It took a while to get the boys up and moving.

Once they were up, We took them to the Genoa Bar. This is billed as Nevada' oldest thirst parlor. We ended up playing two games of pool. I have an interesting history with this bar...

The plan for the day was to play the Sunridge Golf Course. We have played this course twice in the past: 2014 and 2018. Rod started with a closet to the pin contest on the 19th hole. This was followed by a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. The format for the day was a shamble. Borja and his brother-in-law Scott were in the foursome behind us.


Again thanks to Jack's drives, I ended up with a liberally score 91. Last time we played this course as a shamble, I carded a 89. I felt like my putting was very solid on Saturday; I actually birded the first hole that we played.

By the time, we finished playing and got to the hotel it was 6:50 pm. The hosted bar was supposed to open at 7 pm with dinner at 7:45 pm. Getting cleaned up, we didn't get to the banquet room until about 7:15 pm.

With 68 people at the tournament this year, things were more than a little chaotic. They require that every first timer tell a joke; I was surprised at the number of new people. Larkin won $70 for the second place blind foursome.

Larkin and I wandered the casino for a little bit after dinner and visited with Borja. All four of us crashed early.

2023 Petersen Shootout - Day #1

For the eleventh time in fourteen years, Larkin and I played in the Petersen Shootout [2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, 2022]. We missed 2013 when Rod kept moving the date around and it finally landed on a weekend when Sharon, Jack and I were in H@waii. In 2015, Larkin wasn't available. I signed up with Borja as my wingman, but when he canceled at the last minute, I bailed. In 2020, the original dates for the tournament were cancelled due to the pandemic. Rod ended up having a taking a smaller group in late July, but both Larkin and I were uncomfortable with the idea. For the second year in a row, Jack and Drew went with us!

Jack and Drew spent Thursday night at our house. The three of us rolled from Carmichael about 7:30 am. We rolled up to the Toiyabe Golf Club just afer 10 am [80 to 395]. Larkin and I played this course as part of this tournament in 2019.


Jack, Drew, Larkin and I teed off about 10:54 pm. For the first time since Larkin and I have been playing the tournament, it was a shamble on both Friday and Saturday. Jack was crushing the ball off tee. I struggled a little early, but settled down in the later holes and was striking the ball pretty well. Thanks to Jack's tee shots, I ended up with an 89. This is probably the lowest shamble score that I have ever carded.
After golf, we headed to the Carson Valley Inn. We had dinner at the J.T. Basque Restaurant down street from the hotel. Larkin and I ate there in 2018. I had lamb shoulder with the family style meal.

Larkin and I made a quick stop at Rod's suite after dinner. We all ended up crashing fairly early.

Drew and Jack

Drew picked Jack up as he finished work in the city, swung by his apartment to pick up his golf clubs and headed to our house. They rolled into Carmichael just about midnight. Drew, Jack and I are spending a long weekend playing in a golf tournament in Nevada.

Volvo XC60 T8 - Day #1,634

On Monday, with 38,781 miles on the Volvo, I bought a new set of tires. I got a set of Michelin CrossClimate2s; they are an all-weather tire for year round use.

2023 Kings versus Warriors - Playoffs: West 1st Round, Game 2

Jack and Jason went to game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs: Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors. The Kings got the lead in the second quarter and held off several Warriors runs over the course of the game. The Kings won by the score of 112 to 106.

Stephen Curry was the high scorer for the Warriors. He had 28 points on 9 for 21 from the field and 7 for 8 from the free throw line, but only 3 for 13 from three.

De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both had 24 points for the Kings. Fox was 10 for 23 from the field, 2 for 10 from three and 2 for 2 from the free throw line. Sabonis was 8 for 12 from the field and 8 for 12 from the free throw line; he added nine rebounds.

The Kings shot 23% from three, 9 for 38!

Draymond Green was ejected with seven minutes to play for stomping on Sabonis.

I was shocked that trailing by 6 with 12 seconds to play that the Warriors didn't try to make the end of the game about free throws. That is, immediately fouling the Kings and then trying to make a three pointer after the foul shots.

Jack noted that "I get what it was like to be in the coliseum."

My 2022-2023 game log is here.

2023 Tulsa and Wichita - Day #8

Sharon wound her way home. She caught a 10 am Southwest flight from Tulsa to Las Vegas. After a short 45 minutes layover, Sharon boarded a 11:45 flight to Sacramento.

She was back in Sacramento about 1:20 pm. Jack picked her up.

2023 Tulsa and Wichita - Day #7

Mary left Tulsa and drove back to Wichita in the late morning. After going shopping in the afternoon, Sharon and Janie finished the day with dinner at the Mahogany Prime Steakhouse. Sharon had something that she said she had never had before: a Bone-In Filet Migon.

Jack is back

Jack and his roommate Jason took a late train from the Bay Area to Sacramento. I picked Jack up at the downtown Amtrak station at 9:15 pm. The two of them bought tickets to Monday night's game two of the NBA Western Conference first round series between the Kings and the Warriors.

2023 Kings versus Warriors - Playoffs: West 1st Round, Game 1

Almost 17 years ago, May 5, 2006, I was at Arco Arena for the Kings last playoff game, a loss to San Antonio. The Kings have been in Sacramento since 1985; this is the first time since then that the Kings and the Warriors have both been in the Playoffs in the same year!

Larkin and I went to game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs: Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors. We met at the Sheraton. This was a smart decision. The place was half empty. It was happy hour. We had a beer and some appetizers. In contrast, the area around the arena was crazy and packed with people! When we got to the arena, it took us about 20 minutes to get into the building.


The Kings trailed Golden State 61-55 at the half. Sacramento starters missed their first 15 attempts from 3-point range before De'Aaron Fox hit one late in the third quarter. The Warriors built the lead to 10 points in the third quarter before Sacramento ended the quarter on a 15-4 run fueled by 10 points from Trey Lyles to take a 91-90 lead into the fourth. The Kings held on to win by the score of 126 to 123. I really need to watch the last few minutes again; it was chaotic!

As you would expect, Steph Curry was the high scorer for the Warriors. He had 30 points on 11 for 20 from the field, 6 for 14 from three and 2 for 2 from the free throw line.

De'Aaron Fox was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 38 points on 13 for 27 from the field, 4 for 8 from three and 8 for 12 from the free throw line. Malik Monk came off the bench to score 32 points!

At halftime, we wandered up to the Sierra Nevada House. Drew, Kyle and Kelsey were also at the game.

It was a fantastic experience!

The Kings have five wins and one loss in games that I have seen in person during the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Outside Golden 1 before NBA West 1st Round, Game 1

Snipes

At the end of the day, I met Snipes at the Super Owl Brewery in Davis. They held his birthday party there last fall. The conversation included Troy, Ephesus, 1991, Time Travel, Parallel Universes and Monty Pyhton and the Holy Grail.

We wandered over to Lamppost Pizza for dinner. Joy joined us towards the end of the evening.

2023 Tulsa and Wichita - Day #4

Sharon and Mary drove from Wichita to Janie's house in Tulsa (Broken Arrow). It was about a three hour drive.

Sharon, Mary and Janie had dinner at Waters Edge Wineries & Bistro in downtown Broken Arrow. Mary and Sharon split a burger. Sharon said that her glass of California Rose was not good...

Sierra-at-Tahoe

Drew, Tomasin, Glenn and I spent the day skiing at Sierra-at-Tahoe. I haven't skiied since Tomasin, Glenn and I skiied at Shasta Ski Park in February of 2021.

Tomasin and Glenn met me at our house and I drove from there. We met Drew in the parking lot; he drove up by himself.

We skiied from about 10:30 am to 3:30 pm with a couple of breaks. I really enjoyed the day. My right knee held up pretty well. Drew has had a season pass to Sierra-at-Tahoe this year. He has skiied about eight times and is looking very strong.

Drew and I finished the day with dinner at Rey Aztec.

Jack is off

I dropped Jack at the train station in downtown Sacramento early Tuesday morning. He wound this way back to the city. It was great to be able to spend some time with him!

2023 Tulsa and Wichita - Day #1

Jack took Sharon to the airport in the late morning. She caught an early afternoon Southwest flight from Sacramento to Denver. From there, Sharon took another Southwest flight from Denver to Wichita. She was on the ground in Wichita before 8 pm.

Sharon is spending the next couple of days visiting Mary in Wichita. Later in the week, the two of them are going to drive to Tulsa to visit Janie.

Easter 2023

We spent the morning watching the Masters Golf Tournament. Sharon was rooting for Brooks Koepka. Leading by three strokes at the start of the fourth round, Koepka finished second four stokes behind Jon Rahm.

In the early afternoon, we headed to Sharon's brother Tom's house for Easter dinner. The group totaled 19, including: Tom, Kevin, Leah, Lydia, Amelia, Terry, Steve, Eric, Ashley, Erin, Cormac, Will, Tim, Kathy, Jim, Mary, Sharon, Jack and I.

Eric, Jim, Jack and I played bocce ball before dinner. I actually won the game.

We had a very nice meal outside. The dinner included a honey baked ham, lamb, au gratin potatoes, aspargus and slug salad.

Jack is back!

About 8 pm Saturday night, I rolled to San Francisco to pick up Jack. I was surprised at the amount of traffic. Jack got off work at 10 pm. After some adventures last time I picked him up at work, I scooped him up just off Market. After a quick stop at his apartment, we headed back. We were back in Carmichael just after midnight.

Another Hadrian's Wall Training Hike

Early Saturday morning, Sharon and I hiked from William Pond towards Sunrise Avenue along the American River. Like last weekend, except for a couple of short sections, we were never on the bike trail. We hike 6.5 miles in about two hours and fifteen minutes.

Our average pace was 20:49 per mile. With Sharon wanting to get back and see her favorite play, Brooks Koepka, playing in the Masters third round, we actually did a sub-twenty minute mile on the way back to the car.

2023 Kings versus Warriors

Friday night, Larkin and I met for an early dinner at Il Fornaio. I had TAGLIATELLE BOLOGNESE [egg pasta ribbons with traditional meat ragu & grana padano] for an entree.

Afterwards, we went to the Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors NBA basketball game. This was the last home game of the season. It was an odd game. It seemed like the majority of the fans were wearing Warriors gear and rooting loudly for the Warriors. It is going to be interesting to see the vibe at the first playoff game if the Kings host the Warriors.

With the Kings locked into the third seed in the Western Conference, they rested Fox, Sabonis, Huerter and Monk. Although it was close at halftime (Warriors leading 53 to 48), it felt like the Kings were never really in the game in the second half. The Warriors won going away by the score of 119 to 97.

Trey Lyles and Chimezie Metu were the leading scorers for the Kings with 15 points each. As a team, the Kings shot horribly; they were 38 of 98 (39%) from the field, 11 for 39 (28%) from three and 10 for 18 (56%) from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson was the leading scorer for the Warriors. He had 29 points on 11 for 19 from the field, 5 for 8 from three and 2 for 2 from the free throw line.

The Kings have four wins and one loss in games that I have seen in person during the 2022-2023 NBA season.

Throwback Thursday - 1994 - Western Farm Credit Bank

My hair and beard weren't always white!

James Tromp Heringer

With the recent passing away of one of my cousins, I stumbled across this obituary. This is one of my dad's brothers. Although he didn't pass away until 2009, I don't recall ever meeting him. This is a topic that I am going to explore in my book about 1991.

HERINGER, James Tromp In Sacramento, CA, died at his home on September 14, 2009. He was 89. Born January 4, 1920 in Clarksburg, he was the fifth son of Mabel (Holmes) and Stephen Heringer. Jim attended Clarksburg Grammar School and graduated from Clarksburg High School. His passion was baseball and he was the catcher of the division championship team in his senior year. He and his brother Lester also played on some local teams after college. He belonged to Kappa Sigma Fraternity at Oregon State University, Corvallis. On April 11, 1942 he married Katherine Ann Yoakum. They were married for 42 years. In the summer of 1942 he was drafted into the Army. He served in the European Theater in the Tenth Armored ''Tiger'' Division under the direction of General George S. Patton at the Battle of the Bulge. When he returned home in 1945 he joined his father, brothers and cousins in the Heringer farming operation which eventually spread over Sacramento, Yolo and Butte counties. He is survived by his five children and their spouses Jim Jr. (Ginny) of Pasadena, Helen Winter (Allen), of Leaburg, OR., Warren (Yadira) of Sacramento, Ralph (Linda) of Acampo, Donna Devlin (Charles) of Clarksburg, 8 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and 3 more on the way this year. Also survived by brother Lester (Marge) of Clarksburg. His parents and six of his brothers all preceded him in death. Jim served as a commissioner of the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department for many years. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He belonged to Ducks Unlimited which his father helped co-found in 1936. He was a member of the California Waterfowl, NRA and the Elks Lodge. He will be interred at the Franklin Cemetery. Services and interment are private. Remembrances may be sent to the California Waterfowl or Ducks Unlimited. Arrangements entrusted to Harry A. Nauman & Son Land Park Chapel.

Party Down - Season 2

Sunday night, Sharon and I finished watching season two of Party Down. We finished season one in March.

Party Down is a half-hour sitcom created and primarily written by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, and Paul Rudd. Season 2 of Party Down premiered on Starz on April 23, 2010.

It stars Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Lizzy Caplan and Megan Mullally. The season also features some interesting guest stars, including Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, and Steve Guttenberg.

The series follows a group of caterers in Los Angeles as they hope to make it in Hollywood. The sextet of aspiring Hollywood actors and writers work small-time catering gigs while hoping for their break.

I don't think that season two is quite as good as season one. I did enjoy Megan Mullally as a replacement for Jane Lynch in season two. I recommend both season one and two. We will definitely watch season three.

Catan with Jack and Drew

Sunday afternoon, Jack, Drew and I played Catan. We haven't played since last August when we played on Jack's birthday! Drew won the first two games, while Jack won the third.

Six Mile Hadrian's Wall Training HIke

For almost twenty years, I worked on American River Drive near Watt Avenue. I probably ran on the bike trail and the levees along the river at least a 1,000 times. I didn't realize that there was a horse/hiking trail that paralleled the bike trail.

Sunday morning, Sharon and I hiked from William Pond towards Watt Avenue along the American River. Except for a about a hundred yard section, we were never on the bike trail. We hike 6.6 miles in just over two and a half hours.

Starfield Vineyards with the Gainsleys

Sharon and I met the Gainsleys at Starfield Vineyards. Sharon and I tasted and had lunch there in January during her birthday weekend. We enjoyed it and thought it would be a nice place to bring friends.

We had a 12 pm tasting followed by a 1 pm lunch. Sharon had a Chicken Waldorf Salad for lunch, while I had the Croque Monsieur with Cream of Tomato soup.

After lunch, the four of us walked the nature trails. The vineyard has three miles of trails with a small lake and several ponds.