Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
2008 Spring Training Day 3
For years, Wallen and I have run together on this and other trips. Leaving Jack at the pool with Bob and Bill, Wallen and I had a solid morning run. We ran around the outside of the ASU Campus, up to the top of Hayden Butte, along the shore of Tempe Town Lake and back up Rural Road to the hotel. In total, we covered just shy of 5 miles in 49 minutes including walking the last part of the climb to Hayden Butte.
After a quick bit to eat, we headed to the Peoria Sports Complex to see the Mariners play the Rangers. It is about a 45 minute drive from where we are staying. The Rangers won by a score of 8 to 5.
After the dinner, we headed to Doug and Sue's for dinner. They live in Glendale about ten miles from the Peoria ball park and invited everyone over for a barbecue after the game. Wallen and I played rugby with Doug in college. Although I have seen Doug a number of times over the years, I have not seen his wife Sue in more than 25 years.
They have a beautiful home along a golf course. While Jack and Pete went fishing with a neighbor, we hung out in the backyard. The temperature was perfect; the weather is one of the reasons that I continue to make the trip to Spring Training.
We finished the evening watching the NCAA basketball tournament and then the last half of the Suns versus Rockets. By the time, we drove back to the hotel and I got Jack to bed it was late...
After a quick bit to eat, we headed to the Peoria Sports Complex to see the Mariners play the Rangers. It is about a 45 minute drive from where we are staying. The Rangers won by a score of 8 to 5.
After the dinner, we headed to Doug and Sue's for dinner. They live in Glendale about ten miles from the Peoria ball park and invited everyone over for a barbecue after the game. Wallen and I played rugby with Doug in college. Although I have seen Doug a number of times over the years, I have not seen his wife Sue in more than 25 years.
They have a beautiful home along a golf course. While Jack and Pete went fishing with a neighbor, we hung out in the backyard. The temperature was perfect; the weather is one of the reasons that I continue to make the trip to Spring Training.
We finished the evening watching the NCAA basketball tournament and then the last half of the Suns versus Rockets. By the time, we drove back to the hotel and I got Jack to bed it was late...
Friday, March 21, 2008
2008 Spring Training Day 2
When we were at Spring Training last year, I started pushing the idea of a day trip to Tucson. The idea caught on and we ended up getting tickets to see the Diamondbacks versus the Dodgers at Tucson Electric Park for Friday. It is about a two hour drive south from Phoenix to Tuscon.
Jack and I took off early ahead of the group. We took a side trip to the San Xavier del Bac Mission. This historic Spanish Catholic mission is located about 10 miles south of Tucson. It was mentioned in the book Death comes to the Archbishop that I read last summer and was part of the Santa Fe Diocese in the 1850s.
Jack and I toured the church and then climbed the hill near the the mission. At the top, there was a roadrunner about five feet from us. It stood and watched us for a long time before gliding away. Jack got the biggest kick out of seeing the roadrunner and talked about it the rest of the day.
After the mission, we met up with everyone at the park. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Randy Johnson was pitching for the Diamonds. The Diamondbacks rallied to win the game by the score of 8 to 7.
Much to Jack's delight, I ended up catching a t-shirt that was thrown in the stands. We were sitting down the first base line in prime foul ball country. Towards the end of the game, a ball was fouled off straight at us. Wallen dived out of the way and it slammed into the seat that he was in.
We headed back to the Phoenix and finished the evening walking to Three Margaritas for dinner.
Jack and I took off early ahead of the group. We took a side trip to the San Xavier del Bac Mission. This historic Spanish Catholic mission is located about 10 miles south of Tucson. It was mentioned in the book Death comes to the Archbishop that I read last summer and was part of the Santa Fe Diocese in the 1850s.
Jack and I toured the church and then climbed the hill near the the mission. At the top, there was a roadrunner about five feet from us. It stood and watched us for a long time before gliding away. Jack got the biggest kick out of seeing the roadrunner and talked about it the rest of the day.
After the mission, we met up with everyone at the park. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Randy Johnson was pitching for the Diamonds. The Diamondbacks rallied to win the game by the score of 8 to 7.
Much to Jack's delight, I ended up catching a t-shirt that was thrown in the stands. We were sitting down the first base line in prime foul ball country. Towards the end of the game, a ball was fouled off straight at us. Wallen dived out of the way and it slammed into the seat that he was in.
We headed back to the Phoenix and finished the evening walking to Three Margaritas for dinner.
San Xavier del Bac Mission
National Register of Historic Places #1966000191
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This historic place is located at 1950 West San Xavier Road in the city of Tucson in the county of Pima, Arizona. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 32° 06.413 W 111° 00.477.
You can log your vist to this site at waymarking.com.
Mission San Xavier del Bac was founded by the Jesuit missionary, Fr. Euseblo Kino in 1692. It formed the extreme northern thrust of Nueva Espana.
The present structure is the third, perhaps the fourth, church on the site. Consecrated by Franciscans, it was begun in 1783 and completed in 1797. One of the finest Spanish Colonial churches in the country, it is a graceful blend of Moorish, Byzantine and late Mexican Renaissance architecture.
After more than two hundred years, San Xavier del Bac Mission is a fully functioning parish church within the Diocese of Tucson.
View Larger Map
Pima County Arizona Historic Places
Pima County, Arizona
{GPS Coordinates of Site Location}
1966000191 San Xavier del Bac Mission - [map] - {32.106889,-111.007953}
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring Training 2008 Day 1
For the third year in a row, Jack and I headed to Spring Training in Arizona. Previously, we have done it as a three day, two night sprint: flying in early in the morning; watching a game later in the day; watching a second game on day two; watching a third game on day three; and, then flying home after the third game. I decided this year to make it a more relaxed trip. We are still going to see three games, but we are going to spent five days and four nights.
Jack and I caught a mid day flight from Sacramento to Phoenix. Although a little late taking off, it was an uneventful trip. We met Wallen at the rental car terminal, picked up the rental car and headed to the hotel. The entertainment for the afternoon was Wallen getting mad at me for following the GPS to the hotel, rather than listening to his directions. The GPS dropped us right into rush hour traffic.
After checking into the hotel, the group gathered in one of the rooms to watch the NCAA tournament. This year's group includes Wallen, his brother Bob, his brother Bill, his niece Jenny, Dennis, Palmer, Ward, Jack and I. Doug, a friend of Wallen's and mine from college who lives in Phoenix, and his friend Bob have also become a regular part of the group over the last couple of years. They typically join us for a couple of evenings and at least one of the games.
We finished up the night walking to the Four Peaks Brewery for dinner.
Jack and I caught a mid day flight from Sacramento to Phoenix. Although a little late taking off, it was an uneventful trip. We met Wallen at the rental car terminal, picked up the rental car and headed to the hotel. The entertainment for the afternoon was Wallen getting mad at me for following the GPS to the hotel, rather than listening to his directions. The GPS dropped us right into rush hour traffic.
After checking into the hotel, the group gathered in one of the rooms to watch the NCAA tournament. This year's group includes Wallen, his brother Bob, his brother Bill, his niece Jenny, Dennis, Palmer, Ward, Jack and I. Doug, a friend of Wallen's and mine from college who lives in Phoenix, and his friend Bob have also become a regular part of the group over the last couple of years. They typically join us for a couple of evenings and at least one of the games.
We finished up the night walking to the Four Peaks Brewery for dinner.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
back from the Microsoft Briefing Center
We spent a second long day at the Microsoft Executive Briefing Center in Redmond. The agenda included: Microsoft Technology Roadmap; Office 2007 System and Business Process Integration; Connecting Organizations; Software Assurance Value Briefing; Unified Communications Overview; Microsoft’s Virtualization Overview; Enterprise Client Access License; and a tour of The Microsoft Center for Information.
We had a late flight back to Sacramento. After loading us on the plane, they found a problem with the back-up altimeter. They eventually decided to board us on another plane. By the time I got home, it was after 1:00 a.m.
I am still working to try and identify some key things from the briefing that I can incorporate into my world view.
We had a late flight back to Sacramento. After loading us on the plane, they found a problem with the back-up altimeter. They eventually decided to board us on another plane. By the time I got home, it was after 1:00 a.m.
I am still working to try and identify some key things from the briefing that I can incorporate into my world view.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
to the Microsoft Executive Briefing Center
Randy, Steve, Matthew, Brian, Lew, Kristen and I traveled to Redmond to meet with Microsoft at their Executive Briefing Center. The agenda for the afternoon included Microsoft in Health and Microsoft's Provider Industry Solutions Focus. After a quick trip to the Microsoft store, the presentations continued over dinner. One of the MD's working for Microsoft outlined some of their vision of the future and talked about their heatlh care products.
When I attend these types of vendor briefings, I try to find one nugget of information that I can incorporate into my thinking. Sitting here at the end of the day, I am struggling to find that nugget in today's presentations.
When I attend these types of vendor briefings, I try to find one nugget of information that I can incorporate into my thinking. Sitting here at the end of the day, I am struggling to find that nugget in today's presentations.
Monday, March 17, 2008
California Historical Landmark #812
You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
2008 Kings versus Raptors
Jack and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Toronto Raptors basketball game. Although they tried to give the game away, the Kings edged the Raptors by the score of 106 to 100.
With the Kings leading 48 to 33 with 4:22 left in the 2nd quarter, the Raptors went on a 16 to 5 run to close the gap to 53 to 48 at half-time. The Kings fell behind by the score of 56 to 55 with 8:48 to go in the third quarter. It was pretty close the rest of the game. The Kings would open a small lead and the Raptors would climb back into the game. With 0:22 left in the game, the Kings led by the score of 99 to 96.
Kevin Martin scored 32 points on 9 for 21 from the field and 2 for 3 from three point range. Artest had 19 points on 8 for 15 from the field, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
We were dissappointed that Chris Bosh did not play for the Raptors. He is out with a knee injury.
Although the attendance was announced at 13,963, it had to be one of the smallest crowds I have seen in Arco Arena in 20 plus years. My guess is that the actual number of people in the stands was less than 10,000.
With the Kings leading 48 to 33 with 4:22 left in the 2nd quarter, the Raptors went on a 16 to 5 run to close the gap to 53 to 48 at half-time. The Kings fell behind by the score of 56 to 55 with 8:48 to go in the third quarter. It was pretty close the rest of the game. The Kings would open a small lead and the Raptors would climb back into the game. With 0:22 left in the game, the Kings led by the score of 99 to 96.
Kevin Martin scored 32 points on 9 for 21 from the field and 2 for 3 from three point range. Artest had 19 points on 8 for 15 from the field, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.
We were dissappointed that Chris Bosh did not play for the Raptors. He is out with a knee injury.
Although the attendance was announced at 13,963, it had to be one of the smallest crowds I have seen in Arco Arena in 20 plus years. My guess is that the actual number of people in the stands was less than 10,000.
California Capital Airshow
Jack and I went with Phil and Tim to the California Capital Airshow. We spent a couple of hours wandering through the statics displays, watching some of the aerial performances and getting something to eat.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
A Movie and Dinner
Leaving Jack with a sitter, we went out on a date. Looking for a light comedy, Sharon picked Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day at the Tower Theater. Sharon did not think much of the movie. About half way through, she started complaining about how slow the movie was. As we were leaving, Sharon said "well that was a wasted hour and a half." She rated it 4 1/2 on a scale of 10. Given how few movies we see in the theater, we clearly could have made a better choice.
We made a better choice for dinner. We went to the Maritime Seafood & Grill in Carmichael. Set in an odd location in a strip mall on Fair Oaks, we enjoyed the dinner and the atmosphere. Coupled with a nice bottle of Williamette Pinot Noir, Sharon had rabbit, while I had duck. This is definitely some place where we would return and recommend to others.
We made a better choice for dinner. We went to the Maritime Seafood & Grill in Carmichael. Set in an odd location in a strip mall on Fair Oaks, we enjoyed the dinner and the atmosphere. Coupled with a nice bottle of Williamette Pinot Noir, Sharon had rabbit, while I had duck. This is definitely some place where we would return and recommend to others.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Blue Angels
My lunchtime run follows a bike path around the east side of the Mather Airport.
With the Capitol Airshow this weekend, the Blue Angels were out practicing their maneuvers back and forth over the base while I was running on both Thursday and Friday; I had a great view. Several times, they came back over base as a group right on top of me.
Last year, I saw the Thunderbirds practicing. To my untrained eye, the Blue Angels were much more impressive. They were flying together in much tighter formations and several of their passes included formations with two of the fighters inverted.
According to Wikipedia, 262 pilots have flown in the Blue Angels since their inception. 26 Blue Angels pilots have been killed in air show or training accidents giving the job a 10% fatality rate!
With the Capitol Airshow this weekend, the Blue Angels were out practicing their maneuvers back and forth over the base while I was running on both Thursday and Friday; I had a great view. Several times, they came back over base as a group right on top of me.
Last year, I saw the Thunderbirds practicing. To my untrained eye, the Blue Angels were much more impressive. They were flying together in much tighter formations and several of their passes included formations with two of the fighters inverted.
According to Wikipedia, 262 pilots have flown in the Blue Angels since their inception. 26 Blue Angels pilots have been killed in air show or training accidents giving the job a 10% fatality rate!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)