Blackbeard: The Birth of America

My book for July was Blackbeard: The Birth of America by Samuel Marquis. Snipes recommended the book when we were visiting Wallen in May.

The book is a historical fiction book by Samuel Marquis that aims to present a new perspective on the legendary pirate Edward Thache (or Teach), commonly known as Blackbeard. The central premise of the book is to challenge the popular image of Blackbeard as a ruthless, bloodthirsty villain. Instead, it portrays him as a more complex figure, a former British Navy seaman who became a privateer and then a pirate.

While a work of historical fiction, Marquis states he based the book on "reliable historical records and the latest research" to illuminate the true man behind the myth. It aims to separate fact from the "fog of legend, myth and propaganda" that has surrounded Blackbeard for centuries, much of which originated from biased contemporary accounts.

It suggests that he and his crew, many of whom were Jacobites, held anti-British sentiments against King George I and the British establishment. The book posits that pirate ships operated as democracies, and that the colonists in the New World, already developing an "American" identity, viewed pirates as heroic figures challenging British rule.

Initially, I was skeptical of the book. Even though it is historical fiction, I wasn't keen on the idea of so many imagined conversations and first person dialogues. By the end, I warmed to the book. I give it a solid "B" grade.
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During our trip to England and Scotland, there was lots of discussion about the Jacobites. We visited a number of Jacobite historical sites. Somehow I missed the fact the George I was really a German who spoke little or no English!?! When Queen Anne died without an heir, he became king.

At Cold Springs Golf and Country Club

Thursday afternoon, Holly, Van, Sharon and I played the Cold Springs Golf and Country Club. Over the last two and a half years, I have enjoyed playing a lot of different courses with Holly and Van. We teed off at 2:00 pm.

I had a Golftec lesson on Tuesday. I hit at the Ancil Hoffman driving range on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Warming up at Cold Springs, I felt like I was playing real progress with my swing. Unfortunately, I am struggling to translate this to the course.

Starting off ok, I quickly started to struggle. On the third hole, I hit my tee shot down the right side, but couldn't find the ball. I got very frustarted. It carried over on the next couple of holes. Combined with the fact that my left hip started brothering me, it was a long hot day.

I started to play better on the back nine. With a couple of nice one putts, I actually parred the par 4 13th hole and par 5 14th hole.

The four of us finished the day with dinner at the Independent Restaurant in Placerville. I had a Salmon Avocado Burger [6 oz. Fresh Premium Salmon Patty, Avocado, House-made Citrus Honey Dill Aioli, Lettuce, Red Onion, Tomato], while Sharon had a Classic Independence Burger [House-ground Patty, House-made Aioli, White Cheddar, Lettuce, Red Onion, Tomato]. For the second night in a row, Sharon was disappointed with her dinner...

Dinner with Carmen, Drew and Jack

In the afternoon, Sharon and I headed to Orinda. We spent some time visiting with Carmen, Drew and Jack at Drew and Carmen's house. Jack had taken BART over after work.

The five of us had an early dinner at the Social Bird Kitchen and Bar in Lafayette. Sharon and I ate there once before with Donna and Kevin in 2023 when we were housesitting for Drew and Carmen while they were on their honeymoon.

For starters, the five of us split oysters, marinated olives, DUROC PORK & VEAL MEATBALLS [Calabrian chile tomato sauce, parmesan, grilled bread] and AVOCADO BRUSCHETTA [Pickled sweet peppers, crispy red onions, sea salt].

For entrees, I had SLOW BRAISED BONELESS BEEF SHORT RIB [Organic polenta, mushroom ragout, green beans, burgundy sauce]. Jack and Drew had SNAKE RIVER FARMS WAGYU BURGER [Challah roll, lettuce, tomato, onion, housemade pickles & hand cut fries]. Carmen had LOCAL DIXON MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SLIDERS [Challah rolls, feta, cucumber yogurt sauce, tomato, arugula, hand cut fries]. Sharon had a halibut fish special. While my entree was good, Sharon said that her fish was dry and lifeless...

We finished the dinner with a couple of desserts: a blueberry-peach crumble tart and a bread pudding.

Sharon and I ended home from the restaurant. We were back in Carmichael a little after 8:30 pm.

It was really nice to spend some time with Carmen, Drew and Jack.

Golftec

With Sharon off hiking with Jeana and Holly at Hidden Falls, I had a Golftec lesson on Tuesday morning. We focused on having me warm up with a very staggered stance (right foot back) to get my right hip moving and to get my swing inside out. I am still swinging too much with my shoulders and not enough with my hips. I ended up htting for almost half an hour in the booth after my lesson was over.

Mustang of the Week - Heringer Harries Humboldt - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 4, 8 October 1953

MUSTANG OF THE WEEK - Heringer Harries Humboldt

   Dick Heringer, rugged right guard of the Cal Aggie squad, was selected as Player of the Week in the game against Humboldt State last Saturday night.
   "He was all over the field,” one observer commented, referring to his many key tackles and general all around defensive work. Dick showed the stamina and skill to play "both ways” for nearly the entire game.
   Coming from Clarksburg two years ago, where he established himself as a high school grid star, Dick is now showing evidence of a great potential. He has earned the starting spot at guard.
   Dick is 5’11”, weighs 195 pounds, and displays a love for the rough going of line play. Dick is a junior in the College of Agriculture, majoring in Agronomy. He is affiliated with the Calpha Fraternity.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Apple Watch Purchase History

• Ultra - May 2023
• Series 7 - February 2022
• Series 5 - March 2020
• Series 3 - May 2018
• Apple Watch - June 2016

My iPhone purchase history is here.

Apple Watch Series 10

While I was working to upgrade my iPhone, Sharon upgraded her Apple watch from a Series 7 to a Series 10. After she gave me my first Apple Watch for Father's Day in 2016, I gave her an Apple Watch for Mother's Day in 2017.

We ran into problems getting her watch set up. It kept asking for a password for an email address that she hasn't used in years. I had an epiphany at lunch on Saturday and we were able to finally it it set up.

iPhone 16 Pro

I have been carrying an iPhone 14 Pro since September of 2022. This is the longest that I have used that same phone since I left the Farm Credit Banks in July of 1998, 27 years ago. Like several of the my other iPhones, the Lightning connector stopped working long ago. The battery is failing. It has gotten to point where I have to recharge it a couple of times a day. With the trip to South Africa looming, I felt like it was time to replace it.

I ordered an iPhone 16 Pro online on Saturday morning. After doing some shopping at REI for safari clothes, we popped into the Apple store at the Galleria Mall to pick it up. Doing an iPhone to iPhone transfter on Saturday night, I was surprised how long it took to transfer everything. It took several hours. I was glad that I wasn't in a hurry like I was when I upgraded in September of 2022!

Africa Travelers Dinner

We had Kevin, Donna and Sharon's brother Tom for dinner. God willing, the five of us are going to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia in September. The purpose of the dinner was two fold: a chance for Donna and Kevin to meet Tom, and; to do some trip planning.

Donna and Kevin came early. With the temperature over 102, the four of us spent some time in the pool.

Before dinner, we served a gin and tonic with the Harris gin that Tom and I discovered on the Isle of Skye. We had barbecued chicken, asparagus and a farro salad.

Jurassic World Rebirth

Thursday evening, Sharon and I went to dinner with her brother Tom and nephew Eric at Matteo's Pizza and Bistro. Sharon had a lamb burger, while I had Al Fresco Sesame Seared Wild Ahi Tuna. My salad was not good...

After dinner, the four of us met Sharon's brother Tim and her nephew Kevin at the Cinemark Century Arden 14 and XD. The six of us saw Jurassic World Rebirth.

Jurassic World Rebirth is a science fiction action thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp. A standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion (2022), it is the fourth Jurassic World film and the seventh installment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise.

The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali (Green Book, Moonlight) , Jonathan Bailey (Wicked Part One), Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein.

In the movie, a pharmaceutical company recruits a team of experts to an abandoned, dinosaur-infested island to extract vital biomaterial for a new heart disease cure. Their mission becomes a struggle for survival when they encounter dangerous, often mutated, dinosaurs and must contend with a separate civilian family whose boating trip went awry. The group faces off against various prehistoric creatures, including a formidable "Distortus rex," as they attempt to escape the deadly island with the crucial samples.

I saw the first Jurassic Park movie during the summer of 1993. While we were at Lake Almanor, Devan dragged everyone to Susanville to see the movie. I don't think that I have seen any of the subsequent films. While Jurassic World Bebirth was entertaining, both Sharon and I thought it was mediocre. We enjoyed Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning more. Seeing this film doesn't motivate me to see any of the five previous films in the franchise that I missed.

The New Y0rk Times: 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

100 BEST MOVIES OF THE 21st CENTURY
[work in progress to update the list with the movies that we have seen...]

1. ✔ Parasite (Bong Joon Ho)
2. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
4. In the Mood For Love (Wong Kar Wai)
5. ✔ Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
6. No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen)
7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry)
8. ✔ Get Out (Jordan Peele)
9. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki)
10. ✔ The Social Network (David Fincher)
11. ✔ Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)
12. ✔ The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
13. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
14. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
15. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee)
17. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)
18. Y Tu Mama Tambien (Alfonso Cuaron)
19. Zodiac (David Fincher)
20. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)
21. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
22. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
23. Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
24. Her (Spike Jonze)
25. Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson)
26. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
27. Adaptation (Spike Jonze)
28. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
29. Arrival (Denis Villeneuve)
30. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola)
31. The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
32. Bridesmaids (Paul Feig)
33. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
34. WALL-E Andrew Stanton)
35. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard)
36. A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen)
37. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
38. Portrait of A Lady on Fire (Celine Sciamma)
39. Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig)
40. Yi Yi (Edward Yang)
41. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
42. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson)
43. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook)
44. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino)
45. Moneyball (Bennett Miller)
46. ROMA (Alfonso Cuaron)
47. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe)
48. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck)
49. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)
50. Up! ( Pete Docter)
51. 12 Years A Slave (Steve McQueen)
52. The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)
53. Borat (Larry Charles)
54. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro)
55. Inception (Christopher Nolan)
56. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
57. Best in Show (Christopher Guest)
58. Uncut Gems (Josh and Benny Safdie)
59. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
60. Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
61. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
62. Memento (Christopher Nolan)
63. Little Miss Sunshine (Dayton & Faris)
64. Gone Girl (David Fincher)
65. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)
66. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy)
67. TAR (Todd Field)
68. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
69. Under The Skin (Jonathan Glazer)
70. Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)
71. Ocean's Eleven (Steven Soderbergh)
72. Carol (Todd Haynes)
73. Ratatouille (Brad Bird)
74. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
75. Amour (Michael Haneke)
76. O Brother, Where Art Thou (Joel & Ethan Coen)
77. Everything Everywhere All At Once (The Daniels)
78. Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
79. Tree of Life (Terrence Malick)
80. Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
81. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky)
82. The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer)
83. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel & Ethan Coen)
84. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier)
85. Anchorman (Adam McKay)
86. Past Lives (Celine Song)
87. The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
88. The Gleaners and I (Agnes Varda)
89. Interstellar (Christopher Nolan)
90. Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)
91. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
92. Gladiator (Ridley Scott)
93. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
94. Minority Report (Steven Spielberg)
95. The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier)
96. Black Panther (Ryan Coogler)
97. Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
98. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
99. Memories of A Murder (Bong Joon-ho)
100. Superbad (Greg Motolla)

Sisters

Saturday night after having dinner with the kids and grandkids, Sharon and I watched Sisters on Hulu. Sharon had seen the movie on a New York Times list recently and wanted to watch it. We had watched it nine years ago...

Sisters is a 2015 comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Paula Pell. The film stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler with a supporting cast that includes a number of current and past Saturday Night Live performers plus John Cena and James Brolin.

The film tells the story of two adult sisters, Maura (Poehler) and Kate (Fey) Ellis, who are polar opposites. When their parents decide to sell their childhood home, the sisters are forced to reunite and clean out their old room. In a last ditch effort to relive their glory days, they decide to throw one final, epic house party for their former classmates.

When we watched it the first time, Sharon commented on how much she enjoyed the movie. She was not so enthusiastic this time. I don't recommend the movie.

Golf - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 28, 6 May 1954

GOLF
   April 23 Coach Vern Hickey’s golf team bowed to Sacramento State in a duel match by the score of 20-7.
   The best score turned by the Aggies was by Howard Bennet, who turned an 81. Dave Sale shot an 83 for the second best of the day.
   In the singles matches Sacramento stroked to win every one except for one in which Dick Heringer downed Gary Bonnine 2 1/2 - 1/2.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Baltic Norwegian Cruise

At the Fourth of July Celebration, I had a chance to catch up with Sharon's brother Tom about his Norwegian Cruise from June 14th to the 28th. He was on the Norwegian Dawn. Unlike the Gainsleys' recent Norwegian experience, Tom was fairly upbeat about his trip.

Sushi Adventure with Lee and Clem

Sharon and I had dinner with Lee, Clem, Morgan, Daniel and Drew at Shilla Teriyaki & Sushi Bar in Camino.

We finished the day watching Sisters. Although we had seen the movie before, Sharon saw it on a list and wanted to rewatch it...

2025 Frame Family Fourth of July

After playing golf at Ancil Hoffman, we headed to Sharon's brother Tim's house for a Frame Family 4th of July. The group totaled twenty-one, including: Sharon and I, Tom, Eric, Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia, Tim and Kathy, Will and Eileen, Erin, Cormac and Mave, Cromac's mother and her husband, Brun, Kim and Velta and Jim.

Tim barbecued burgers and hot dogs for dinner. We brought devil eggs.

We finished the night with a selection of fireworks in Kathy and Tim's cul-de-sac.

When we got home, we saw the last part of the second night of the Rancho Cordova fireworks display.

At Ancil Hoffman

Friday morning, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman with Jim and Debbie. Teeing off at 10:44 am, we walked the course.

After feeling good on the driving range on Thursday afternoon, I was very uneven on the range before the round. I had a rough first hole, but settled down. I feel like I am striking the ball more consistently. Although I was chippintg better after my lesson on Wednesday, I really struggled with my putting. Between the trees and the sand trap, I made a mess of the sixth hole. I ended up using one mulligan off the tee and no gallery losses. I played the whole round with one ball!

I enjoyed the round. I didn't get frustrated. I shot a liberally scored 58. Sharon said that she shot a 54.

Lunch with Larkin

Larkin and I met for lunch at the Fair Oaks Brew Pub.

Golftec

I had a Golftec lesson on Wednesday morning. We spent the session working on chipping. Several times in the last two rounds, I have made two solid shots to end up in the front of green on a par four, but then made an absolute mess with my chipping.

With no lesson after mine, we ended up working for almost hour. I need to keep the back swing short, hands back to the right pocket, my head and shoulders still and a slight sway in hips.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

What is this?

Mustang of the Week Heringer Harries Humboldt	Dick	California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 4, 8 October 1953
Golf	Dick	California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 28, 6 May 1954
Aggie of the Week	Dick	California Aggie, Volume 53, Number 5, 14 October 1954

A new project

For years, one of the projects that I wanted to undertake was to go to the UC Davis library and research the 1951, 1953 and 1954 Aggie football teams. I know that my dad played football for UC Davis in those years, but really don't know much esle.

In the last month, I stumbled on the fact that the California Aggie, the college newspaper, is now on-line. I have started to organize all of the articles that I can find that mention Dick Heringer. It turns out that he is mentioned in articles beyond the football team. Additionally, I have started to find a few articles that mention my mother, Joyce Abbott.

A work in progress index of this project is here.

Aggie of the Week - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 53, Number 5, 14 October 1954

Aggie of the Week

   The Aggie of the Week, this week, is Dick Heringer, veteran Aggie guard, who played an outstanding game, both offensively and defensively, in the Aggie win over Sac State Saturday.
   Dick got down fast under the Aggie punts and kickoffs and was almost always at the bottom of the pile.
   The Aggie of the Week is a 5’ 10”, 210 pound junior from Clarksburg. He has one year of varsity experience behind him and should have a lot of good football left in his big frame. It is a safe bet that Aggie rooters will see a lot more of Dick this season.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

A Psalm for the Wild-Built: A Monk and Robot Book

Looking for something lighter after slogging through the history of the Ottoman Empire, my book for June was A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I previously read her first four books: The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet [July 2017], A Closed and Common Orbit [April 2018] and The Record of a Spaceborn Few [January 2019] and The Galaxy, and the Ground Within [September 2021].

A Psalm for the Wild-Built has received several accolades, including Hugo Award for Best Novella (2022) and the Stonewall Book Award (2022). It was also a finalist for the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2021 and was long-listed as an NPR Best Book of the Year in 2021.

Dix, a disillusioned tea monk, feels a growing sense of discontent with their seemingly idyllic life, yearning for a purpose beyond serving tea to human settlements. They decide to leave their comfortable existence and venture into the wilderness, hoping to hear the "crickets" – a metaphorical call to a new, fulfilling path. During their journey, Dix unexpectedly encounters Mosscap, a robot, marking the first time humanity and robots have met in centuries. This chance meeting leads to a unique partnership as they embark on a journey together, each seeking to understand their place in a world where nature and technology have long been separated.

I have enjoyed Becky Chambers' books for their characters and world building. While I enjoyed this book, the philosophical amusing towards the end didn't ring true with my current state of mind. There is a sequel. I will probably read it.

Almost Famous

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched Almost Famous. It is #47 on the New York Times list of the 100 best films of the 21st century.

Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe. The film is semi-autobiographical, as Crowe himself was a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

It stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. We have seen a younger Frances McDormand in two movies in the last week; she was in Something's Gotta Give.

Almost Famous tells the story of William Miller (Fugit), a 15-year-old aspiring music journalist in the early 1970s. He lands a dream assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to tour with the up-and-coming rock band Stillwater. During his journey, William navigates the complexities of the rock and roll lifestyle, including the band's internal conflicts and his developing relationships, particularly with the groupie Penny Lane (Hudson). The film is a coming-of-age tale that explores themes of innocence lost, finding one's place, and the allure and disillusionment of the music industry.

At the 73rd Academy Awards, the movie won Best Original Screenplay (Cameron Crowe). Both Hudson and McDormand were nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film was nominated for Best Film Editing. At the Golden Globes, the film won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Hudson won Best Supporting Actress. It also won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

I have heard a lot about the film over the years, but had never seen it. Kate Hudson was 20 years old when the movie was filmed. Although she looks very young, Hudson had already done several movies. Both Sharon and I enjoyed Almost Famous. Sharon gave it an "8" out of "10". I recommend it.