At Darkhorse Golf Course

Although I got discouraged at Darkhorse last week, I had several really good holes. What a funny game...

2025 South Africa, Zimbabwe & Zambia - Day #AB - Mammal Checklist

Leopard Hills Mammal Checklist

Common Name	Sub-Type	Photo
Aardvark
Baboon	Chacma
Badger	Honey
Buffalo	Cape
Bushbaby	Lesser
	Greater
Bushbuck
Caracal
Cheetah
Civet	African
Duiker	Grey (Common)
Elephant	African
Genet	Large Spotted
	Small Spotted
Giraffe
Hare	Scrub
Hippopotamus
Hyaena	Spotted
Impala
Jackal	Side Striped
	Black Backed
Klipspringer
Kudu	Greater
Leopard
Lion
Mongoose	Banded
	Dwarf
	Slender
	White Tailed
	Water
Monkey	Vervet
Nyala
Otter	Cape Clawless
Pangolin
Porcupine
Reedbuck	Common
Rhinoceros	White
	Black
Squirrel	Tree
Steenbok
Warthog
Waterbuck
Wild Cat	African	got a glimpse in the dark; no picture
Wild Dog	African
Wildebeest	Blue
Zebra	Burchell's
Serval

Marie Antoinette

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 10, ‘Marie Antoinette’

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, one of the greatest blank checks this century, starring Kirsten Dunst. They explain why this was the official Sofia Coppola selection for the list, especially over Lost in Translation; highlight the specific decision not to include Antoinette’s infamous beheading; and discuss why this is a quintessential Kirsten Dunst performance.

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched Marie Antoinette. A blog post of The Big Picture's list of the 25 Best Movies of the Century is here.

Marie Antoinette is a 2006 film written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola. It is based on the 2001 biography Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, alongside an ensemble cast including Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne, Asia Argento, Molly Shannon, Shirley Henderson, Danny Huston, Steve Coogan, and Jamie Dornan in his film debut.

The movie offers a stylized, pastel-toned portrait of the young Austrian archduchess (Kirsten Dunst) who is sent to France at age fourteen to marry the future King Louis XVI. Feeling isolated within the rigid, gossipy constraints of the Versailles court, she copes with the pressure to produce an heir by indulging in extravagant fashion, endless parties, and quiet escapes. Set to a modern post-punk and synth-pop soundtrack, the movie focuses on her inner life and innocence rather than grand political history. It ends as an angry mob forces the royal family to abandon Versailles at the onset of the French Revolution.

Although the costumes and sets are amazing, I am frankly a little surprised that this movie made the Big Picture's list of the 25 Best Movies of the Century. It didn't make the New York Times list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century. I found the movie very slow in parts. I don't recommend it. I need to listen to their podcast about the movie to figure out why they liked it so much!

As an aside, the film did win the 2007 Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

The movie does reinforce my desire to go to the Palace of Versailles. The production was given unprecedented access to the Palace. Jack, Sharon and I visited Paris in 2006, but didn't visit Versailles. Sharon and Janie went to Versailles in September of 2015. God willing, Sharon and I will visit the Palace of Versailles in April of 2027.

The Demon of Unrest

My second book for August was The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson. Wallen mentioned the book while I was in Bremeraton in June. It fits nicely into my long term project to read books about all of the presidents.

In The Demon of Unrest, Erik Larson chronicles the chaotic five-month period between Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860 and the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861. The narrative centers on the escalating standoff over Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. It illustrates how political miscalculations, enflamed Southern pride, and deep national divisions drove the country toward catastrophe.

There are several things that I found particularly interesting. Seward initially thought that he was going to be the driving behind the Lincoln adminstration; I didn't get that perspective from other books like Teams of Rivals. More than other books, it seems like it took Lincoln some time to get his arms around everything.

I have read a lot about southern politics up through the LBJ adminstration. I still struggle with how the South felt it was their God given right to hold slaves.

Finally, I also read "The Worst President--The Story of James Buchanan" two years ago. As highlighted in Larson's book, Buchanan just didn't want to have to make any hard decisions...

I enjoyed the book. It is very readable. As I said when I read "The Splendid and the Vile," I enjoy Larson's writing style. [Note to self], texting with Wallen after I finished the book, he recommended Jon Meacham’s book on Lincoln, “And there was Light." He said it also carries the theme of Lincoln growing into that guy!

One footnote. Sharon and I visited Charleston and For Sumter in March of 2015.

Injury Riddled Mustangs Face Tough Chico Wildcats - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 2, 24 September 1953

AGGIES OPEN GRID SEASON AGAINST CHICO FRIDAY - Injury Riddled Mustangs Face Tough Chico Wildcats

   With two weeks of practice behind the squad, Head Coach of the Cal Aggies, Ted Forbes, announced that there were still a few rough spots to be ironed out before the opener with Chico this Saturday night. Forbes has had to make a number of shifts in positions due to the new substitution rule and early practice injuries. Ted Johnson, center last year, has been moved to right halfback along with Lou Hausmann, veteran end, who has been moved to the fullback position. In the line, Jim Tarke, last year’s tackle, has been moved to the guard slot, and Ross has been moved from tackle to center.
   Speedburner Jack Dickenson, last year’s first string halfback, is developing fast this year and should prove to be very important to the ’53 squad. Jim Naviaux, last year’s J.V. fullback, should turn out to be one of the year’s best backs. In the line, Bob Chilcott, 235-pound tackle and line backer, is expected to be the mainstay in the Aggie line.
   Don Donsing, end last year, has been moved to tackle where he is expected to greatly strengthen the squad.    Saturday night, September 26, the Aggies open against.a strong Chico team on the Chico field. Traditional rivalry will flare in this first of two encounters these two teams will face this yfear.

1953 CAL AGGIE VARSITY Back Row: Ken Crandall, Bill Bizzini, Duane Damron, Denny Mott, Jerry Henderson, Don Donsing, Gordon Blaine, Hal Griffith, Norm Mall, Bill Edgar, Stu Wynn, Jack Turk, Chuck Messick, Jim Wilson. Front Row: Paul Clary, Jim Tarke, Bob Maulhardt, Dick Heringer, Rich Raycraft, Jack Dickenson, Harold Leigh, Allan Deutsch, Mike Ettl, Don Swain. Kneeling are Coaches Ted Forbes and Will Lotter.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

The Valley Oak Tree - Silverado Resort

We have played the Silverado Golf courses three times in the last few years: March of 2022 with Holly and Van; April of 2025 with Donna and Kevin; and, March of 2026 with Jack. I have walked by this plaque each time. It is located on the 4th hole of the North Course at Silverado Resort.

The Valley Oak Tree

This tree believed to be one of the oldest in Napa County at over 300 years old. Its ancestors once covered the region's valley floors and gave the grasslands a park-life feel, partly due to the management style of the native people, who used the acorns for their protein nourishment. It is in the white oak family and the leaves have the beloved classic oak shape. This majestic native will send a root deep into the ground to find water. These graceful deciduous trees provide wonderful habitat and summer shade - straight and erect for the first decades and then more spreading with age, with limbs beautifully twisted.

The Big Bang Theory [rewatch]

Over the last year, Sharon and I have rewatched all 12 seasons of The Bang Theory. There were 279 episodes!

The series was created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It originally aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019.

The show originally centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), both physicists at the California Institute of Technology, who share an apartment; Penny (Kaley Cuoco [The Flight Attendant]), a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's similarly geeky and socially awkward friends and coworkers, aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg [Florence Foster Jenkins]) and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar). Over time, supporting characters were promoted to starring roles, including neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), microbiologist Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch), and comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman).

I really enjoyed rewatching the series. We had watched it when it originally aired. It was nice to have something short (20 plus minutes) to watch.

At Darkhorse Golf Club

Holly, Van, Sharon and I played Darkhorse Golf Club. To beat the heat, we teed off at 8:50 am. As usual, I rode with Van, while Sharon rode with Holly.

After feeling solid on the driving range, I made a mess of the round. I got very discouraged. I was very inconsistent. I would hit a good shot and then follow it with a bad shot.

I parred the par three 13th hole. I drove the green. My 36' putt hit the flag and stayed right on the lip. Holly said that she thought it would have dropped if the flag was out... On the par five 18th, I hit three great shots and was pin hit in the bunker on the left. I took me two shots to get out of the bunker. I then hit a nice chip and one putted for a double bogey. oy vey.

The four of us finished the day with a late lunch at the Rose Park Bistro. I had a CRAB and SALMON BURGER [Avocado, Chipotle Mayo, Brussels Sprout Cole Slaw], while Sharon had a ROSE PARK BEEF BURGER [Bourbon Bacon Jam, Aragula, Gruyere Cheese, Truffle Fries & Smoky Aioli].

Dinner with Jill and Mike

We had our neighbors Jill and Mike over for dinner on Sunday night. They have lived in the neighborhood since August of 2011 (about six month longer than us) and live in the original Deterding Ranch home.

Jill and Mike brought hors d'oeuvres and a apple crumble cake with ice cream for dessert. Sharon made a great dinner of stuffed cabbage, sliced tomatoes and olive bread.

Outlander - Season Three

Sharon and I finished watching season three of Outlander. We finished watching season one in August of 2024 and season two in August of 2025. We started season three last summer, but never went back to it after our trip to Africa. Instead, we started working our way through twelve seasons of The Big Bang!?!

Outlander is based on the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. It was developed by Ronald D. Moore. It stars Caitríona Balfe as Claire Randall and Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser. It is based on the book Voyager. Season three premiered on September 10, 2017, and ran for 13 episodes through December 10, 2017.

After twenty years of agonizing separation following the Battle of Culloden, Claire returns through the stones to reunite with Jamie in 18th-century Scotland. Their passionate reunion quickly turns into a globe-trotting adventure as they sail across the Atlantic to the Caribbean to rescue Jamie's kidnapped nephew, Young Ian.

I am very lukewarm on the series. I am not a fan of time travel. Now that Claire is a surgeon, there has to be regular graphic surgeries. With Sharon's urging, we have already started season four. There are five more seasons and sixty episodes. oy vey...

Sharon and Tom's Healdsburg Adventure 2026 - Day #2

After spending the night at the Hotel Healdsburg, Sharon and Tom had a medicore breakfast at the hotel. Checking out, they traveled to Forestville to meet with a client (Tom's sister-in-law's brother-in-laws' daughter).

Sharon and Tom had a wine tasting and a light lunch at Williamson Wines Yoakim Bridge Estate. Heading home after the tasting, they rolled up in Carmichael just after 7 pm.

1970 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture

• Midnight Cowboy
• Anne of the Thousand Days
• ✔ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Hello, Dolly!
• Z

Best Actor

• John Wayne – True Grit
• Richard Burton – Anne of the Thousand Days
• Dustin Hoffman – Midnight Cowboy
• Peter O'Toole – Goodbye, Mr. Chips
• Jon Voight – Midnight Cowboy

Best Actress

• Maggie Smith – The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
• Geneviève Bujold – Anne of the Thousand Days
• Jane Fonda – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Liza Minnelli – The Sterile Cuckoo
• Jean Simmons – The Happy Ending

Best Supporting Actor

• Gig Young – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Rupert Crosse – The Reivers
• Elliott Gould – Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
• Jack Nicholson – Easy Rider
• Anthony Quayle – Anne of the Thousand Days

Best Supporting Actress

• Goldie Hawn – Cactus Flower
• Catherine Burns – Last Summer
• Dyan Cannon – Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
• Sylvia Miles – Midnight Cowboy
• Susannah York – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Best Director

• John Schlesinger – Midnight Cowboy
• Costa-Gavras – Z
• ✔ George Roy Hill – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Arthur Penn – Alice's Restaurant
• Sydney Pollack – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Waldo Salt – Midnight Cowboy
• John Hale, Bridget Boland, and Richard Sokolove – Anne of the Thousand Days
• Morton Fine and David Friedkin – Goodbye, Columbus
• James Poe and Robert E. Thompson – They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
• Jorge Semprún and Costa-Gavras – Z

Best Original Screenplay

• ✔ William Goldman – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• Paul Mazursky and Larry Tucker – Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
• Terence Rattigan – Anne of the Thousand Days
• Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern – Easy Rider
• Luchino Visconti, Nicola Badalucco, and Enrico Medioli – The Damned

More Oscar Nominations

Pebble Beach and the Old Course at St. Andrews at Waymaker Brewing

With Sharon out of town and the temperatures reaching over 100, I played 36 holes of golf on the golf simulator at Waymaker Brewing. After warming up a little on a driving range, I played Pebble Beach and then the Old Course at St. Andrews. Overall, even when I felt like I had struck the ball cleanly, I wasn't getting the distance that I was expecting...

With lots of mulligans, I had a very liberally scored 105 at Pebble Beach and a 107 at the Old Course. I had legitimate pars on the par three 7th hole and the par four 16th hole at Pebble Beach. I got in trouble on the 8th and the 18th hitting balls in the ocean.

I started to wear down a little on the second eigthteen at St Andrews. The gorse bushes and the heavy rough at the old course are a problem...

Sharon and Tom's Healdsburg Adventure 2026 - Day #1

Thurday morning, Sharon and her brother Tom took off for a couple of days. They explored the Sonoma Botanical Garden and wine tasted at Gary Farrell Vineyards and Winery.

They are staying one night at the Hotel Healdsburg. They finished the day having dinner at the Dry Creek Kitchen.

Lunch with Snipes

On Wednesday, I met Snipes in Davis. We toured the house that Joy remodeled in North Davis where Keith and Lizette are living. Afterwards, we had lunch at MAYA’S Authentic Mexican Food. I had a two Enchiladas Combo Plate.

Three Years of Retirement

Three years ago today, we were at Lake Almanor. It marked my official retirement.

While there continues to be some challenges, I am really enjoying retirement.

Sharon and the life that we have built.
blessed to have the kids [Jack, Morgan and Daniel, Drew and Carmen] and
grandkids [ Lee, Clem, Dawson and #4 due in May] nearby.
friends.
TRAVEL.
golf.
my novella about 1991.
books.
movies.
control over my schedule.
a passion for working out...

Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump

My book for August is Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. I saw the authors interviewed on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and decided to read the book.

Written by veteran New York Times investigative reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, the book provides an inside look at the foreign and domestic political maneuvers during the first fifteen months of Donald Trump's second administration. The authors detail how the guardrails of Trump's first administration—such as traditional military leaders and legal advisors—were largely replaced by loyalists committed to executing executive directives.

I was disappointed by the book. While it is a well written summary of the first fifteen months of Trump's second term, there was very little that I hadn't heard or read about before.

There are a few nuggets. I didn't realize how entwined Charlie Kirk was with the Trump adminstration. He was very close to JD Vance. Kirk had moved his family to Florida to help interview staff for the new adminstration. The process used to establish the initial tariff levels seemed capricious; Trump was just pulling numbers of the air. Finally, the descriptions of the meetings held to decide to attack Iran in February were very disconcerting. Trump isn't willing to listen to everyone's feedback and challenge his own world view; he always thinks that he knows the answer.

Overall, I don't recommend the book.

I was raised in a large corporate farming family in rural Northern California. I still self identify as a Republican. I have read more than fifty books about American presidents. The books about the Trump presidencies are very disturbing. I previously documented my concerns about Trump's leadership here and here.

The Sheep Detectives

Saturday night, August 1, Sharon and I watched the Sheep Detectives on Amazon Prime. When we saw the Odyssey, Tom said that he liked The Sheep Detectives more than the Odyssey so we were curious about the movie.

The Sheep Detectives is a mystery comedy-drama film directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin. It is based on the 2005 novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.

The film features an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Nicholas Braun [Succession], Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, and Emma Thompson. The voices of sheep include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Chris O'Dowd, Regina Hall, Patrick Stewart, Bella Ramsey, and Brett Goldstein.

The movie follows a flock of sheep whose shepherd reads them murder mystery stories every night, unaware that they actually comprehend every word. When their beloved shepherd is mysteriously murdered, the sheep put their detective knowledge to work, stepping outside their meadow to investigate the human suspects and help solve the crime.

Although it is has gotten good reviews, both Sharon and I thought that The Sheep Detectives is not a good movie. We found it very slow. While it has been compared to Paddington which we watched with Lee on Thursday night, I found it mundane. I don't recommend it.

Dinner with Laura

Sharon met Laura for dinner at Mikuni's by the Oaks. They haven't gotten together since last Thanksgiving.

2027 Oscar Favorites

Ploymarket Oscars 2027: Best Picture Nominations
Kalshi Oscars 2027: Best Picture Winner

Gold Derby predictions as of July 31, 2024

The current Goldderby Predictions are here.

Best Picture
✔ 1. Project Hail Mary
✔ 2. The Odyssey
3. Digger
4. Wild Horse Nine
5. Dune: Part Three
6. La Bola Negra
7. Fjord
8. The Debut
9. Obsession
10. The Invite

Best Director
✔ 1. Christopher Nolan - The Odyssey
2. Alejandro G. Inarritu - Digger
3. Martin McDonagh - Wild Horse Nine
4. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo - La Bola Negra
5. Cristian Mungiu - Fjord
6. Denis Villeneuve - Dune: Part Three
✔ 7. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller - Project Hail Mary

Best Actor
1. Tom Cruise - Digger
2. John Malkovich - Wild Horse Nine
✔ 3. Ryan Gosling - Project Hail Mary
4. Sebastian Stan - Fjord
✔ 5. Matt Damon - The Odyssey

Best Actress
1. Julianne Moore - The Debut
2. Renate Reinsve - Fjord
3. Michelle Williams - A Place in Hell
4. Inde Navarrette - Obsession
5. Sandra Hüller - Fatherland
6. Mikey Madison - The Social Reckoning
7. Emily Blunt - Disclosure Day

Best Supporting Actor
1. Paul Giamatti - The Debut
2. John Goodman - Digger
3. Sam Rockwell - Wild Horse Nine
4. Steve Buscemi - Wild Horse Nine
5. Edward Norton - The Invite
✔ 6. John Leguizamo - The Odyssey
✔ 7. Colman Domingo - Michael
✔ 8. Robert Pattinson - The Odyssey

Best Supporting Actress
✔ 1. Anne Hathaway - The Odyssey
2. Penelope Cruz - La Bola Negra
3. Mariana Di Girolamo - Wild Horse Nine
4. Sandra Hüller - Digger
✔ 5. Samantha Morton - The Odyssey
6. Parker Posey - Wild Horse Nine

Best Adapted Screen Play
✔ 1. Project Hail Mary
2. La Bola Negra
3. The Invite
✔ 4. The Odyssey
5. The Social Reckoning

Best Original Screen Play
1. Wild Horse Nine
2. The Debut
3. Digger
4. Fjord
5. Obsession
6. Behemoth!

More Oscar Nominations

Overnight Adventure with Lee - Day #2

With Lee staying over night, our plan for the morning was hike around Ancil Hoffman Park. With stops at the river and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, we covered 3.4 miles in just under two hours.

As we were passing the par three 5th hole, a runner coming towards said that he had passed a couple of rattlesnakes. This caused quite a bit of discussion over the next mile.

I was very impressed with the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. They had a large room full of displays that I don't remember seeing before; a lot of stuffed animals displayed nicely.

Before and after lunch, Lee spent some time playing with the Thomas Trains.

I took him back to Pollack Pines about 1:00 pm and dropped him off at 2:00 pm. East of Placerville, there were a lot of people heading towards Tahoe. It was after 3:00 pm before I was home.

We had a great time with Lee! He is at a wonderful age. I feel blessed to have the kids and grandkids close by.