2022 Sea Ranch - Day #2

The plan for the day was playing golf. Originally, we planned to play on Sunday. With gale force winds forecasted for Sunday afternoon, we switched the tee time to Saturday as we were driving over on Friday.

After a quick light breakfast, we drove to the Sea Ranch Lodge and bought a couple of sandwiches. From there, we headed to the golf course. We were surprised to find that they have opened a cafe at the golf course. The lodge and the golf course are under new management. At the turn, we ended up talking to the new manager of the golf course.

Teeing off at 9:30 am, I started off horribly, but then settled down. I birdied the par four fourth hole; I can't remember the last time I actually birdied a hole. I bogeyed the par five six which has haunted me in the past. I hit safely with a six iron to the front right of the green on the par three eighth over the gully. I hit safely to the right front of the green on the par three seventeenth with a seven iron. I ended up with a very liberally scored 104. The scorecard is here.

Sharon and I had the course to ourselves for most of the day. A single came up behind us on the back nine. We let him pass on thirteen. We were done by 1:30 pm.


Back at the rental, I spent some time in the hot tub. Unlike most Sea Ranch properties, the hot tub is enclosed in a glass solarium.

Sharon made a dinner reservation at the Sea Ranch Lodge. We went early and had a drink at the bar. The place was packed. We are both glad to see the lodge open again.

For an appetizer, we split a halibut ceviche. She had black cod for an entree, while I had a lamb loin and shank dish. The food was very good. We are planning to go back with the Larkins on Friday.

We finished the night watching Marry Me on the AppleTV.

2022 Sea Ranch - Day #1

For the ninth time in twelve years ['20, '19, '18, '17, '16, '14, '13 and '11], we are spending time at Sea Ranch in the winter. We had reservations in January 2020, but Sonoma County closed down as part of a surge in the pandemic and our reservation was cancelled.

We rolled from Carmichael about 8:20 am. We dropped Tiber at Best Friends. Due to a major accident at the junction of highways 29 and 12, waze routed us from 80 to 37 to 121 to 12.

I made reservations at La Rochelle Winery for a tasting. Maggie is now the marketing director there. We met Maggie years ago at Donum, followed her to Three Sticks and then to La Rochelle. I was a nice intimate relaxed tasting.

After the tasting, we stopped at the Glen Ellen Market for sandwiches. Leaving Glen Ellen, we made a tactical error. Waze offered a "quicker" route by going up Highway 101 and taking the Stewards Point Skaggs Springs Road rather than Highway 1 up the coast. Figuring that we were open to something different, we decided to give it a try. Never again. It was a very slow winding road. I think that Morgan actually came this way in the summer of 2020.

Picking up the key in Gualala, we were in the house before 5 pm. We are spending nine nights at Monette. We have never stayed at this house before. After we unloaded the Volvo, we walked south along the bluffs towards the lodge. We got back to the house just in time to enjoy the sunset.

Sharon made some snapper, rice and a caesar salad for dinner. We finished the night watching episode one and two of season four of the The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Adventist Health Earns 2021 Digital Health Award

Adventist Health has earned 2021 CHIME Digital Health Most Wired recognition as a certified level 9. The CHIME Digital Health Most Wired program conducts an annual survey to assess how effectively healthcare organizations apply core and advanced technologies into their clinical and business programs to improve health and care in their communities.

Adventist Health has been honored seven times with the CHIME Digital Health Most Wired award and this year marks the third year in a row [2019, 2020] with this prestigious honor. “I am so proud of our IT team for their brilliant work which exceeded expectations,” says Tyler Whetstine, chief information officer at Adventist Health. “Digital engagement with our patients is a top priority as we focus on access to care and improving the health and well-being of our communities.”

Adventist Health scored a certified level 9 in both the acute and ambulatory categories. Each participating organization received a customized benchmarking report, an overall score and scores for individual levels in eight segments. Adventist Health’s areas of greatest improvement include:

• Analytics/data management: An increase of 35.3 percentage points. Our individual score in this area was 10. Our ability to embed predictive analytics in clinical workflows, as well as quality reporting are key components of this measure.
• Interoperability/population health: An increase of 7.4 percentage points. Our individual score in this area was 10. Our ability to share data across external entities, with disease registries, as well as internally across our systems for care management, revenue cycle management and patient engagement are key components of this measure.

A total of 36,674 organizations were represented in the 2021 Digital Health Most Wired program, which includes four separate surveys: acute, ambulatory, long-term care and international acute. The surveys assessed the adoption, integration and impact of technologies in healthcare organizations at all stages of development, from early development to industry leading.

California Historical Landmark #88

While we were in San Francisco in December, I did a walkabout and found eight different California Historical Markers, including: #88 Niantic Hotel; #90 Fort Gunnybags; #462 Site of First Jewish Religious Services in San Francisco; #408 Site of the the first Meeting of Freemasons held in California; #453 Lucas, Turner & Co. Bank; #192 El Dorado, Park House and Dennison's Exchange; #500 Site of the Eastern Terminus of Clay Street Hill Railroad; and, #119 PORTSMOUTH PLAZA.

Niantic Hotel
California State Historical Landmark #88
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 524 Clay Street, San Francisco, California. There are 48 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 37° 47' 41.3" N 122° 24' 06.2" W.

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


The emigrant ship Niantic stood on this spot in the early days "when the water came up to Montgomery Street." Converted to other uses, it was covered with a shingle roof with offices and stores on the deck, at the level of which was constructed a wide balcony surmounted by a veranda. The hull was divided into warehouses entered by doorways on the sides.

The fire of May 3, 1851 destroyed all but the submerged hulk, which later was utilized as the foundation for the Niantic Hotel, a famous hostelry that stood until 1872.

Ocean Course at Hokuala Scorecard

My scorecard from Day 4 of our trip to Kauai to celebrate Sharon's birthday and retirement.

I really enjoyed this round of golf!

Valentine's Day 2022

Sharon spent the day hiking at Cronan Ranch with Holly.

In the late afternoon, Sharon and I picked up a Valentine's Day Take n Bake Dinner for 2 from Matteos. It included:

• Louisiana Dungeness Crabcakes;
• Petite Filet Mignon Wellingtons;
• Caesar Salad;
• 14 Hour Braised Boneless Angus Short Ribs;
• Pan Roasted Ora King Salmon Filet with Lemon Garlic Butter, and;
• Basque Style Burnt Caramel Cheesecake.

We exchanged gifts during dinner. I got Sharon a butterfly neckless from Julie Vos and a charger for her iPad. She got me an Apple Watch band.

Sharon and Holly at Cronan Ranch

Super Bowl LVI

Sunday morning, Sharon and I wandered down to Greg and Michele's house. We played pickleball with a group of couples from the neighborhood, including Jim and Debi, Brad and Heidi and Greg and Michele. With the weather in the 70s, it was beautiful morning.
When we had brunch with Lee, Daniel and Morgan last weekend, we talked about keeping Lee on Sunday afternoon. Daniel dropped Lee off about 12:15 pm. I took Lee back to the house and put him down for nap.

Lee, Sharon and I watched the Super Bowl together. With the Cincinnati Bengals leading by the score of 20 to 17 late in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Rams drove 79 yards and scored with 1:25 left in the game to win by the score 23 to 20. My Super Bowl bets included:

• Cooper Kupp will have 100 or more receiving yards and Rams win (Kupp ended up with 92 yards.)
• Cooper Kupp will have over 108.5 Receiving Yards And Odell Beckham Jr. will have over 60.5 yards (Beckham was hurt in the second quarter and ended up with 52 yards)
• ✔ Matthew Stafford - Interceptions - Over 0.5 (Stafford threw two interceptions.)
• ✔ Total Game Sacks - Over 5.5 (There were nine sacks.)
• Super Bowl 56 MVP - Joe Burrow (I used some free money from the book on this bet.)
• Longest Fg 47.5 Yards (The longest field goal was 41 yards.)

Sharon made vegetarian chili for dinner.

Nature of Love

Looking for a nature-night out with that special someone? Ever wonder how other species find love? Join us for an evening of drinks, appetizers, and a hike through the Nature Study Area. On a sunset stroll, you'll learn fun facts about the interesting, bizarre and romantic mating behaviors of a variety of different animals. Must be 21+

Saturday evening, Sharon and I went to the Nature of Love event at the Effie Yeah Nature Center. It was a bust and a disappointment.

When we got home, we started to watch the Tragedy of Mcbeth with Denzel Washington. Sharon bailed after about 10 minutes. I am going to try to wade through it sometime in the future.

Jack is off

Sharon took Jack to the airport on Friday morning. He caught an 11 am United flight from Sacramento to Chicago and then a flight from Chicago to National Airport in Washington DC.

Getting off the plane in DC, Jack called to say that newly acquired Kings guard Donte Divincenzo was in first class on the flight from Chicago to DC. He said that a couple of Kings employees were also on the flight from Sacramento to Chicago. The Kings are playing the Wizards in DC on Saturday night.

SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity

Thursday evening, I attended the Sacramento CIO/CTO Roundtable at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity. We got a tour of the museum, a brief show in the UC Davis Multiverse Theater (planetarium) and finished with a panel discussion of End Point Management and Security risks for 2022.

I was very impressed with the facility. We need to take Lee there before school gets out for the summer!

Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail Hike

A map of our Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail hike on Day 8 of our Lihue trip for Sharon's birthday and retirement.

2022 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture
   ✔ Belfast
   ✔ CODA - winner
   ✔ Don’t Look Up
   ✔ Drive My Car
   ✔ Dune
   ✔ King Richard
   ✔ Licorice Pizza
   ✔ Nightmare Alley
   ✔ The Power of the Dog
   ✔ West Side Story

Best Actor
   ✔ Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos
   ✔ Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog
    Andrew Garfield - Tick, Tick … Boom!
   ✔ Will Smith - King Richard - winner
   ✔ Denzel Washington - The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress
   ✔ Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye - winner
   ✔ Olivia Colman - The Lost Daughter
    Penélope Cruz - Parallel Mothers
   ✔ Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos
   ✔ Kristen Stewart - Spencer

Best Supporting Actor
   ✔ Ciarán Hinds - Belfast
   ✔ Troy Kotsur - CODA - winner
   ✔ Jesse Plemons - The Power of the Dog
   ✔ JK Simmons - Being the Ricardos
   ✔ Kodi Smit-McPhee - The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress
   ✔ Jessie Buckley - The Lost Daughter
   ✔ Ariana DeBose - West Side Story - winner
   ✔ Judi Dench - Belfast
   ✔ Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog
   ✔ Aunjanue Lewis - King Richard

Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
   ✔ Belfast (Kenneth Branagh) - winner
   ✔ Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay & David Sirota)
   ✔ Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)
   ✔ King Richard
    The Worst Person in the World

Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
   ✔ CODA (Sian Heder) - winner
   ✔ Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe)
   ✔ Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve)
   ✔ The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
   ✔ The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)

More Oscar Nominations

Roseville Reopening Day 1

After 696 days of working from home, we are reopening our Roseville Headquarters today. It is going to be a very different world. Wandering through the five story building in the late morning, there were probably roughly hundred people on site; the building can hold 1,300. With so many employees now marked as remote or hybrid, I don't think that the building will ever "feel" the same as it did two years ago.

Sunday Brunch Adventure with Lee

Lee, Morgan, Daniel, Sharon and I had brunch at Butter & Bacon. I had a cali burrito [egg, avocado, spinach, mushrooms, jalapeno, potato, onion, spicy aioli, pasilla crema], while Sharon had avocado toast [toasted pugliese, avocado, chorizo, cotija, pickled onion, poached egg. served with fruit or potato].

The Lost Daughter

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched The Lost Daughter. This is part of our continuing quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. The Goldderby website has Olivia Colman's role in the film as one of the leading contenders for the Best Actress Oscar. The film might also be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Lost Daughter is a psychological drama written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her feature directorial debut. It is based on the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante.

The film stars Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ed Harris. Jessie Buckley plays Olivia Colman's character at a younger age in flashback scenes.

Colman portrays a college professor on holiday in Italy. Her obsession with a woman, her daughter and a doll prompts memories of her early motherhood.

When it ended, Sharon said "I am not quite sure what to think." Although literally thirty-five minutes shorter than House of Gucci, the movie felt long. I give it a lukewarm thumbs up. Colman and Buckley's performances are very good. I am still rolling the ambiguous ending around in my head...

House of Gucci

Friday night, Sharon and I watched House of Gucci. This is part of our quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. Last fall, it was high of the list of films likely to be nominated for Best Picture. Over the last couple of months, its odds of winning Best Picture have fallen sharply on Goldderby.

House of Gucci is a biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott. It is based on the 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden.

The movie stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver with supporting roles by Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. For her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani, Gaga received nominations for the BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.

The film follows Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Their romance transforms into a fight for control of the Italian fashion brand Gucci.

Although it is long (two hours and thirty-eight minutes), both Sharon and I enjoyed the movie. I was particularly intrigued by the fact that it is based on a true story. Lady Gaga's performance is very good. I would bet that she is nominated for Best Actress. Although the film has received mixed reviews from critics, I still think there is a chance that it could get a Best Picture nomination.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

My book for January was Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. I finished it on the plane on the way to Lihue. Sharon read the book years ago and enjoyed it. It is also on Bill Simmon's list of the best sports books.

Open: An Autobiography is a memoir written by former professional tennis player Andre Agassi with assistance from J. R. Moehringer. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was published on November 9, 2009 when Agassi was thirty-nine years old.

Throughout the book, Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, details his challenging childhood under the supervision of a demanding father and prolonged struggles with the physical and psychological tolls of professional tennis. Agassi repeatedly talks about how much he hated tennis.

This is a very good book. I was fascinated by Agassi's childhood and his time at a tennis academy in Florida as a teenager. Some of the middle of the book is a little repetitious as Agassi describes tournaments and matches. The later parts of the book looking at his relationship and marriage with Brook Shields followed by his courtship of and marriage to Steffi Graff are worth reading.

I was particularly struck by how unhappy Agassi seemed for large parts of his life. I made me think about my life. I have always been very comfortable in my own skin. I have had my share of personal and professional struggles, but never hated what I was doing. I like who I am and where I have been...

Sleeping Giant Hike

A map of our Sleeping Giant Hike on Day 6 of our Lihue trip for Sharon's birthday and retirement.

Adven/tist's chief strategy officer resigns amid restructuring

Adven/tist's chief strategy officer resigns amid restructuring

Adven/tist Health shuffled its senior leadership team to further support its employees, mission and 2030 transformation strategy, and its president and chief strategy officer resigned, the Roseville, Calif.-based health system said Jan. 28.

Adven/tist Health announced three leadership changes:

1. Todd Hofheins will serve as COO of Adven/tist Health. Mr. Hofheins became CFO of Adven/tist Health in 2020 after serving as executive vice president and CFO of Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners.

2. John Beaman is the new CFO of Adven/tist Health, a $5 billion corporation. Before this role, Mr. Beaman was chief business and people officer of Adven/tist Health. Mr. Beaman also previously served as vice president and senior financial officer for Adven/tist Health and CFO of Adven/tist Health hospitals in Bakersfield and Simi Valley, Calif.

3. Bill Wing, president and chief strategy officer of Adven/tist Health, is stepping down. Mr. Wing played a significant part in developing Adven/tist Health's 2030 strategy, which is focused on the health system transitioning from a solely hospital-centered organization to a health company, the health system said. Adven/tist Health also credited him with playing a key role in acquiring community health research company Blue Zones and accelerating the launch of the health system's "hospital-at-home" initiative in 2020.

Apple Watch Series 7

Six years ago, Sharon bought me an Apple Watch for Father's Day. Although I had never worn a watch before, it quickly become a key part of my life. I am literally never without it.

I upgraded to a Series 3 four years ago and to a Series 5 two years ago.

Last Thursday while we were in Hawaii, my watch started acting flaky. It kept trying to turn itself off and the buttons were inconsistent. I wore it on Friday and Saturday, but it was almost useless. The experience reenforced how much the watch is part of my everyday workflows, including tracking exercise, sleep and health. It is a window into my phone for text messages, emails and other notifications.

Late Saturday night after we got home, I ordered an Apple Watch Series 7. I was delivered about noon on Sunday.

It's really, really, really over...

Sharon went into the Rocklin F@rm Credit West Office to drop off her laptop and fob. She got a few cards and miscellaneous gifts.

Afterwards, Sharon had a long lunch with Jeana. Walking in the door after lunch, she said "it's really, really, really over!"

2022 NFL NFC Championship Game - 49ers versus Rams

Jack, Sharon and I watched the San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL NFC Championship game. Leading 17 to 7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the 49ers lost the game by the score of 20 to 17.

It has been a fun month. I enjoyed watching the 49ers beat the Rams in the last game of the season to make the playoffs, Dallas on wildcard weekend and then the Packers last weekend.

It will be interesting to see what the 49ers do with Jimmy Garoppolo. It looks like he has one more year remaining on his contract with the 49ers.

2022 Lihue - Day #9

Up early, Sharon and I finished packing and loaded the car. We had a quick breakfast and cleaned out the condo.

Heading to the airport, I dropped Sharon at the curb with the luggage. Dropping the Hertz rental car, I walked back to the terminal.

We were scheduled to take a 10:35 am Hawaiian Air flight to Honolulu. Our plane didn't show up until just about the time we were suppose to depart. We ended up leaving about 11:10 am.

Walking off the flight in Honolulu, we grabbed some food and went through the agricultural inspection again. Just as we walked up to the gate, they called our boarding group.

We had seats 17C and 17D in economy plus on a Hawaiian Air Airbus 330. We were in the middle section of a 2-4-2 configuration. The seat next to Sharon was empty. Scheduled to depart at 12:55 pm, the flight pulled away from the gate about 1:00 pm.

Sharon spent the flight watching a couple of episodes of Little Fires Everywhere, while I read my book [Station Eleven] and listened to a Bill Simmons podcast. The five hour flight went quickly.

We were on the ground just after 8:00 pm. It took almost an hour to get all of our luggage. The golf clubs came off last on the oversize luggage belt.

Jack picked us up at the curb. We were home about 9:30 pm.

It was a great celebration of Sharon's birthday and her retirement!

One footnote. I don't have the best body image, i.e. how I think and feel about myself physically, and how I believe others see me. I have a mental picture of myself as a fat kid. Hanging out at the pool at the Marriott and having lunch at the pool at the Grand Hyatt, I was shocked at how out of shape the majority of the people were. Obviously, this is a different sample, but yikes people are fat. It made me feel pretty good about my shape...

2022 Lihue - Day #8

Up early, I took the Holly and Van to the airport about 6:15 am. After two plus weeks on Oahu, Maui and Kauai, they are flying home.

After I got back from the airport, I walked down to the ABC Store for some eggs and water. Sharon and I had a leisurely breakfast in the condo.

The Gainsleys were changing rooms. Checking out by 10 am, they left their luggage with the bell stand and walked up to the condo.

The plan for the day was a hike in Poipu. Looking in AllTrails, I suggested that we hike the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail from Shipwreck Beach to Punahoa Point. This was a hike that the Gainsleys hadn't done before.

We ended up hiking about four miles in about two hours. There was some great views of the ocean along the bluffs. Part of the hike walks along the Poipu Bay Golf Course. We saw whale spouts and a sea turtle. A map is here.

Afterwards, the four of us had lunch at the Captain's Bar at the Grand Hyatt. I had a Ahi poke bowl, while Sharon had fish tacos..

Heading back to Lihue, the Gainsleys went back to the Marriott to switch rooms. Sharon and I took a nap. Afterwards, we started packing up the condo.

Eventually, Sharon and I wandered over to the Marriott to check out the Gainsley's room. From there, the four of us headed to Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i. We had dinner at the bar. Sharon and I spilt a Kale Caesar, Kalbi Lamb and Jasmine Rice.

At the end of the night, we said goodbye to the Gainsleys. We are ending back tomorrow, while they are staying another week!

2022 Lihue - Day #7

This is destined to be known as the vacation with lots of golf. For the third out of four days, Holly, Van, Donna, Kevin and I played golf. When we hit balls at the range on Saturday, Holly made two tee times at the Wailua Manicipal Golf Course for Thursday.

We started the day with breakfast at the Noka Grill. This was the only morning that we didn't make breakfast at the condo. I had a breakfast sandwich [egg, cheese, bacon, spam, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun].

Mixing things up, we split into two threesomes. I rode single with Kevin and Donna, while Sharon and Holly rode together with Van as a single.

Although I didn't score as well as Monday I had a much better time than I did on Tuesday. The course played pretty long. Although I was striking the ball pretty well at the beginning, my short game continues to be a struggle. I parred the par four fifth hole.

It was a long round. With a couple of slow groups in front of us, it took more than four hours and forty minutes to play eighteen. It was also the warmest day of the trip so far. After about thirteen holes, my concentration started to wander and I was ready to be done. I ended up carding a 118. The scorecard is here.

After golf, we headed to the Lava Lava Beach Club for a late dinner. Sharon and I had eaten at this restaurant on the Big Island. I had STRAIGHT UP BURGER [Angus Chuck, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cheddar]. Sharon was disappointed that they didn't have a fish sandwich.

Back at the condo, Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I wandered over to Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i for a nightcap. Holly and Van spent the time packing. They are leaving on Friday.

Holly, Sharon and I finished the night watching the first episode of the Gilded Age. The series has a number of references from the Vanderbilt book that both Sharon and I read.

2022 Lihue - Day #6

After two days of golf, Holly, Van, Kevin, Donna, Sharon and I switched gears and decided to hike on Wednesday. The Gainsleys suggested the east Sleeping Giant trail. Taking two cars, we got an early start in order to make sure that we could get a parking spot. We ended up hiking just over three miles with almost a thousand foot gain in elevation. The total time on the trail was just over two hours and twenty minutes. A map is here.

When we got back to the condo in the afternoon, we headed to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club again! Sharon and I spilt some fish tacos at the pool bar.

After a short nap in the afternoon, the six of us went to an early dinner at Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i. Although it was walking distance from the condo, the Gainsleys didn't know that it was there. We split an interesting appetizer: Signature Pupu Whole Fried ["Hawaiian Ehu", lime aloha shoyu, chili]. I had SESAME CRUSTED AHI [Local Yellowfin Tuna, Shiitake Jus, Jasmine Rice]. This was a very good meal; it will probably be the best meal of the trip.

Holly, Van, Sharon and I started to watch the The Glided Age on HBOMax, but gave up after ten minutes.

2022 Lihue - Day #6 at Hualani's Restaurant

2022 Lihue - Day #5

The plan for day was to play golf again. Holly, Van, Kevin, Donna, Sharon and I drove over to Poipu and played the Kiahua Golf Club. Sharon and I rode together and played with Donna and Kevin. Holly and Van were paired with a couple from Spokane.

I had a great time on Monday. I didn't have a great time on Tuesday. I played horribly. Interestingly, all four of us struggled.

Although I was striking the ball well, my chipping was horrible. On the second hole, I hit two nice shots to the front of the green and then hit my chip shot very thin. It flew way past the green. This put me in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day. Altough I feel like I have been doing better lately, my chipping woes conintued over the course of the round. I ended up carding a 122. The scorecard is here.

After golf, we had a late lunch at Keoki's Paradise. I had FISH TACOS [Cajun grilled, flour tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, shaved jalapeño, lemon remoulade, tortilla chips, fresh salsa].

When we got to the condo, we wandered back down to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club again. It was very nice to have access to the pool.

We finished the day having a late dinner at condo with the leftovers from Monday night.

2022 Lihue - Day #4

The plan for the today was golfing on the Ocean Course at Hokuala. The course is right next to the condo where we are staying.

After hitting the range, we teed off about 10:50 am. The split the group into two threesomes. We sent the girls off in the first threesome. Sharon rode with Holly. I rode with Kevin. A fourth-Tom-from Indiana joined the boys on the first tee.

I really enjoyed the day. I was striking the ball off the tee and in the fairways solidly. I parred two holes on the front nine. I ended up carding a fairly honest 111. The scorecard is here.

It was a beautiful course with a couple of holes along the ocean. The weather was perfect. After raining on us while we walked on Saturday and Sunday morning, it was clear day.

After golf, we all headed back to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club. It was great to cool off after golf.

The six of us finished the day with dinner at the condo. The chef that Sharon had arranged for her birthday had her assistant deliver the meal. The food was solid and there was a lot of it! The menu is here.

2022 Lihue - Day #3 - Celebrating Sharon's Birthday

For the second morning in a row, we did an early long walk with the Gainsleys and the Wongs. We covered about 4.5 miles.

After breakfast at the condo, we wandered over to the Marriott and got guest passes for the week. Sharon wanted to spend her birthday lounging at the pool and on the beach. This is something we never do.

The six of us [Donna, Kevin, Holly, Van, Sharon and I] spent the bulk of day at the pool. Off and on, different combinations would go for a dip in the pool.

At one point, Sharon and I wandered down to the beach and waded out into the ocean. It was a nice relaxing day. I really enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Wandering back to the condo, I watched the end of the Kansas City Chiefs verus Buffalo Bills AFC playoff game. In the last minute and fifty seconds, the teams scored 25 points, including three touchdowns, a two point conversion and a field goal. Mahomes drove the Chiefs 50 yards in the last 13 seconds for a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. Kansas City won in overtime by the score of 42 to 36.

Sharon had arranged for a chef to serve the group dinner at the condo. At the last minute, the chef called saying that she had food poisoning.

Scrambling to figure out what to do for dinner, we ended up going to Cafe Portfino. I had a pasta special with marlin, shrimp and mussles.

2022 Lihue - Day #2

Donna, Kevin, Holly, Van, Sharon and I started the day with a long morning walk. We walked along The Ocean Course at Hokuala to the Ninini Point Lighthouse. On the way back, we wandered through an old abandoned golf course near the airport. In total, we walked more than five miles. It rained off and on during the walk.

While the Gainsleys walked to the airport to pick up a car, Holly, Van, Sharon and I had a late breakfast at the condo. Afterwards, Sharon and I went shopping at Safeway.

In the early afternoon, the four of us drove to Wailua Falls. The double waterfall is known for rainbows and its place in the "Fantasy Island" opening credits. Sharon, Jack and I visited the falls when we were on Kauai in 2013.

On the way back, we stopped at the Wailua Golf Course and hit balls on the range. I felt good with my short and medium range irons, but not so much with my woods. It is going to be interesting to see how my knee holds up when we play on Monday and Tuesday. I twisted it badly the last time I played golf in December.

We got back to the condo just in time for the start of the San Francisco 49ers versus Green Bay Packers NFC playoff game. It was a very odd game. Essentially on the strength of their special teams play, the 49ers won the game by the score of 13 to 10.

Holly and Van made dinner at the condo for the six of us. It was a great dinner of steaks, ahi poke and vegetables. We all crashed fairly early.

2022 Lihue - Day #1

As part of Sharon's retirement and milestone birthday, we started planning a trip to Kauai last summer. We invited Holly and Van to join us. Additionally, it turns out the Gainsleys are in Kauai at the same time and our VRBO is very near their timeshare.

Sharon and I caught a 7:25 am Hawaiian flight from Sacramento to Honolulu. Sharon made a last minute decision to upgrade to first class. The plane was an Airbus 330 and the first class section was fanastic. There was more room than I have ever experienced in first class.

With a two hours layover in Honolulu, we caught a 1:00 pm flight to Kauai. We almost left Sharon's carryon behind... We were on the ground about 1:45 pm. Exiting the baggage claim, Holly and Van were waiting for us.

I caught the shuttle to Hertz and picked a rental car. With all of the luggage and golf clubs, it took two trips to get everyone to the VRBO.

The VRBO is very nice. Often a rental doesn't do justice to the pictures, this one might actually be nicer than the photos.

Holly and Van made a run to Costco for supplies. After they got back, the Gainsleys wandered down from their time share.

The six of us finished the night with a very late dinner at Dukes. I had the SAUTÉED MAC NUT & HERB CRUSTED FRESH FISH [Mahi-Mahi}.

Mayfly 2021

Last year was marked by several significant milestones.

Chincoteague Island • Mother's Day • Father's Day • SF Crosstown Trail • Adventures with Lee • 25th Wedding Anniversary • Five years as CTO • 21 Months Working from Home

You can find my previous Mayfly summaries here!

What is this?

Farewell and Thank You

From: Sharon
Subject: Farewell and Thank You
Date: January 19, 2022 at 9:29:20 AM PST

As most of you know I am retiring effective February 1, 2022. However, today is technically my last day at F@rm Credit West as I am out on AL beginning tomorrow until the 31st when I return to hand in the keys and turn out the lights. Today caps off nearly 12 years at FCW, and a 35 year career with the Farm Credit System, beginning as a law clerk for the Federal Land and Federal Intermediate Credit Banks of Sacramento in the summer of 1986.

If you are receiving this e-mail it is because you are one of the many people at Farm Credit who has had an impact on my time here, both on a personal and professional level. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and getting to know you. You have helped me grow as a person and as an attorney (every day is like getting a new law school exam fact pattern) and it has been my pleasure to provide you with my counsel and service.

I will truly miss you all and if you are ever inclined to reach out please do. I would love that.

Being the Ricardos

New Year's Eve, Jack, Sharon and I watched Being the Ricardos. This is part of our quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball currently has the third best odds on the Goldderby site to win the Best Actress Oscar. For her performance, Kidman won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Being the Ricardos is a biographical drama film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin [Trial of the Chicago Seven]. Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The cast includes J. K. Simmons as Fred Mertz and Nina Arianda as Ethel Mertz.

The film examines the relationship between I Love Lucy stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The film is told from three perspectives: interviews with the show's three lead writers: Jess Oppenheimer (who was also the show runner), Madelyn Pugh, and Bob Carroll; flashbacks; and preparations for a live taping in 1953.

I enjoyed the movie enough to recommend it. Sharon liked it more than I did. I would bet that the movie doesn't get nominated for Best Picture and that Kidman doesn't win Best Actress.

Belfast

Sunday night, Sharon and I watched Belfast. We are continuing our quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. Belfast currently has the second best odds on the Goldderby site to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Belfast was named one of the best films of 2021 by the National Board of Review. It tied with The Power of the Dog for a leading seven nominations at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama.

The film is a coming of age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, and newcomer Jude Hill.

The story centers on a young boy's childhood amidst the tumult of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s. The director Branagh described it as his "most personal film."

I was a little underwhelmed by the film. Unless you are very familar with the politics of Northern Ireland in the 1960s, it is a little confusing to figure out the different sides of the conflict. Told large from a child point of view, maybe that is part of the point. Sharon liked it even less. Based on some feedback from Sharon's brother Tom, we watched the film with subtitles. This was interesting because their was a lot of background dialogue that we would never have picked up. Although it wouldn't surprise me to see it nominated, I don't think that Belfast is goiing to win the Best Picture Oscar.

2022 San Francisco 49ers versus Dallas Cowboys

I rarely, if ever, sit and watch a whole football game real time. As part of a low-key birthday weekend, Jack, Sharon and I watched the San Francisco 49ers versus Dallas Cowboys National Football League wild card game. During the week, I tried to get Rod to bet me on the game, but was unsuccessful.

The 49ers held on to win the game by the score of 23 to 17. The 49ers won the game with a dominant defense, a strong rushing attack and a myriad Cowboys mistakes.

For the 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo was 16 for 25 for 172 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Elijah Mitchell was the leading rusher with 96 yards on 27 carries. Deebo Samuel added 72 yards on 10 carries! Brandon Aiyuk was the leading receiver with 66 yards on five receptions.

Sharon and I finished the night watching Belfast.

Celebrating My Birthday

After a low-key day, Tom, Jack, Sharon and I went to dinner at Allora to celebrate my birthday.

I had the five course tasting menu including:

• OYSTERS [HOUSE HOT SAUCE, LEMON, MIGNONETTE];
• ZUPPA DI GRANCHIO [DUNGENESS CRAB, POTATO, CAULIFLOWER, LEEK, SHERRY, LAVOSH];
• BUCATINI [DUNGENESS CRAB, UNI GARLIC CREAM, CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS, STEELHEAD ROE];
• PORK OSSO BUCO [RYE SPATZLE, CHESTNUT GREMOLATA, LACINATO KALE]; and,
• SPUMONI BOMBE [PISTACHIO, CHOCOLATE, AMARENA CHERRIES].

I enjoyed the dinner and the company very much.

For presents, Sharon gave me golf shoes and some peloton work out apparel. Tom got me a book on St Ignatuis of Loyola, while Jack and Drew gave me on Caravaggio book. [Note to self], I need to work on my listing of Caravaggio paintings that I have seen! I started this project, but haven't kept it up to date.

We finished the night watching Saturday Night Live hosted by Ariana DeBose [West Side Story] with musical guest the Bleachers.

Jack is back!

After spending the week in SoCal with Drew working on the Sound Bath business plan, Jack flew back to Sacramento. Catching a 6:35 pm Southwest light out of Burbank, he was on the ground in Sacramento at 7:55 pm. Sharon and I scooped him up at the curb.

Work from Home - Day 672 - Twenty-Two Months

Today marks twenty-two (22) months since we vacated our five story, 1,300 employee headquarters and haven’t been back since. What a strange journey it has been.

F@rm Credit West Retirement Lunch

While last year saw several significant milestones (pending Mayfly 2021 post), this year will see some monumentous life changes.

Sharon went into the office today for her annual performance evaluation and to do some turnover. Norma organized a retirement lunch for her.

Mirror Wall Studio

Song for 2021

Drew and Morgan are both accomplished musicians. The Soundtrack for My Life includes several of their songs. During the pandemic, one of Drews projects--Sound Bath--has taken off.

The song for 2021 is 417hz (Removing Negative Energy).

You can find the work in progress Soundtrack for My Life here!

What is this?

As a footnote, I have started falling asleep to one of Drew's Nature Sound Bath recordings: Sprinkle (Rain).

Brothers Heringer to SoCal

Drew and Jack took off for Southern California. Jack is going to spend the week with Drew at Mirror Wall Studio. As I have said before, I am really pleased with the way their relationship has blossomed over the last few years.

California Historical Landmark #90

While we were in San Francisco in December, I did a walkabout and found eight different California Historical Markers, including: #88 Niantic Hotel; #90 Fort Gunnybags; #462 Site of First Jewish Religious Services in San Francisco; #408 Site of the the first Meeting of Freemasons held in California; #453 Lucas, Turner & Co. Bank; #192 El Dorado, Park House and Dennison's Exchange; #500 Site of the Eastern Terminus of Clay Street Hill Railroad; and, #119 PORTSMOUTH PLAZA.

Fort Gunnybags
California State Historical Landmark #90
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 243 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California. There are 48 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 37° 47' 39.8" N 122° 23' 53.9" W.

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


This is the site of the headquarters of the Vigilance Committee of 1856. On June 21, 1856, Judge David S. Terry was arrested and confined in a cell. The committee, fearing that his friends might attempt to rescue him, decided to fortify the building with gunnysacks filled with sand.


The Sacramento Block was built in the 1850's as a warehouse. In 1856, the San Francisco Vigilance Committee made it their headquarters and arsenal and fortified it with gunnysacks.

The Vigilance Committee erected a scaffold in Davis Street near Fort Gunnybags and executed Brace and Heatherington (alternately, Hetherington) on July 29, 1856, for unrelated murders.

The Sacramento Block warehouse was a simple, two-story Classical Revival building built of brick and stucco. The firstd floor had casement doors and the second floor had tall casement windows. Although the Sacramento Block building was destroyed in the Great Earthquake and Fire, surviving warehouses in the nearby Northeast Waterfront Historic District are similar to the lost buidling.

Benham Falls

A map of our hike on the Benham Falls Trail on Day 13 of our 25th Wedding Anniversary Trip.

Christmas Ornament 2021

2021 marked the 27th Christmas that Sharon and I have celebrated together. I have bought Sharon an ornament for the tree every year since that first Christmas.

This year, I bought three ornaments: two ornaments during our trip to Chincoteague Island and one to commemorate our 25th Wedding Anniversary.

Adventures with Lee plus Catan

Drew and Jack spent the day babysitting Lee.

Afterwards, Drew joined us for dinner [rack of lamb] and spent the night.

Jack, Drew and I finished the day playing Catan. Drew won a close game.

New Year's Day Hike

A map and Relive from our hike on New Year's Day.

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A post shared by Mark Heringer (@heringermr)

Taking down the Christmas decorations

After I spent Sunday morning dragging the boxes back from the storage shed, Sharon took down most of the Christmas decorations over the course of the day. At the end of the day, Jack, Sharon and I made a big push to finish up packing everything up. We got the tree down and out of the house and all of the boxes back into the garage.

Miscellaneous plus Wallen

I spent the morning dragging the Christmas boxes back from the storage shed. Afterwards, I took down the Christmas lights in the front of house.

Jack, Sharon and Sharon's brother Tom went to the Crocker Art Gallery. They were interested in seeing the exhibition Monet to Matisse, Masterworks of French Impressionism from the Dixon Gallery and Gardens. They had fried chicken sandwiches for lunch at Bawk!

I finished the day heading over to Davis. Wallen is driving a car from Bremerton to Todos Santos and spent the second night of the trip with the Snipes. I got a chance to visit with Wallen, Snipes and Joy for a couple of hours.

New Year's Day 2022

After a lackluster New Year's Eve, we had a very nice New Year's Day. Drew and Carmen rolled up about 11 am. The five of us (Drew, Carmen, Jack, Sharon and I) plus Tiber headed to Bannister Park. We hiked from Bannister Park across the American River and into Old Fair Oaks for lunch. With the Fair Oaks Brew Pub closed, we had lunch at the Fair Oaks Coffee Shop & Deli.

We did the same hike last year on New Year's Eve. In total, we covered 4.3 miles in an hour and fifty minutes. A map and Relive of this year's hike is here. I was pleasantly surprised how well Tiber kept up with the group.

With Drew and Carmen spending the night, we invited Lee, Morgan and Daniel to join us for dinner. Sharon and I made cornflake chicken, scalloped potatoes and green beans for dinner. Morgan made a chocolate cake with ice cream.

It was very nice to see everyone. I love spending time with Lee.

Jack, Carmen and Drew finished the night playing Love Letters.