2020 Work From Sea Ranch - Day 4

I went for an early morning walk towards the ocean. Although we are east of Highway 1, we are only roughly 3/4s of mile from the bluff trail.

Afterwards, I dove into the work day. The Gainsleys headed back to Elk Grove about 9 am. I had debated just bringing my laptop, but at the last minute decided to bring everything: large monitor, keyboard, mouse, usb speaker and web camera. I am glad I did.

We took a break for lunch and drove into Gualala. We had lunch at Trinks Cafe. They have a very large lawn area in the back overlooking the ocean. I had a blackened chicken sandwich, while Sharon had a B B L T [Bacon, Blue Cheese, Tomato, Lettuce on a Sourdough Baguette].

At the end of the work day, Sharon and I hiked down to the bluff trail. We covered three miles in a little over an hour. The weather is gorgeous.

We finished the night with chicken, rice and salad for dinner. We watched most of The Eleventh Hour with Brian Williams. It is going to be an interesting two weeks before election day.

2020 Work From Sea Ranch - Day 3

After a quick breakfast, Kevin, Donna, Sharon and I took off for the Sea Ranch Golf Links. I was pretty happy with how I played; I had a very liberally scored 101.  I was striking the ball well and don't feel like I ever chunked the ball.  I struggled on the par five sixth and thirteenth holes.

Sharon played very well. Sharon had four pars on the front nine, including three pars in a row. She wants to play again at the end of the week.

After golf, I headed back to the house, while everyone else went into Gualala to shop for dinner. I spent the late afternoon in two meetings for work.

Just before dinner, we did a Zoom call with the Larkins. For the first time in almost twenty years, we are not going to host a fall dinner party this year. As a poor substitute, we did a fall dinner party Zoom cocktail hour.

For dinner, Kevin barbecued a couple of steaks. We had a nice dinner of steaks, baked potatoes and salad.

After dinner, we played three games of Unstable Unicorns. I won one game.

We finished a late night struggling with the hot tubs. I think Sharon may have pushed a clean button. Sharon and Kevin spent some time in the hot tub before we crashed...

2020 Work from Sea Ranch - Day 2

After some discussion, we settled on a long hike as the plan for the day. We hiked from the house to the San Andreas Fault Interpretive Trail. Sharon and I hiked to this spot via some different trails with Drew and Jack in August. We ended up covering 8.7 miles in just over three hours and 45 minutes. A map is here. We stopped for lunch on a bench in the middle of the San Andreas Fault Interpretive Trail.

Like August, we ran across a historical marker [Central Timber Production Zone] on the SAG Pond Trail that I am sure wasn't there a couple of years ago. They are adding new markers that are not on the map that I have.

After I ran a long work meeting, we headed into Gualala for an early dinner. The four of us had dinner on the deck at the Vue Kitchen. Sharon and I both had a halibut special. Sharon was disappointed in the meal; the fish was dry.

Back at the house, Sharon talked everyone into playing Unstable Unicorns. Kevin won!

Kevin and I finished the day in the hot tub. It was almost midnight by the time that I crashed.

2020 Work from Sea Ranch - Day 1

After the Sea Ranch trip in August, Sharon and I started talking about the idea that since we are working from home we could work from anywhere. We decided to book ten days back at Sea Ranch.

We rolled from the house about 9. We met the Gainsleys at Blue Farm Wine at about 10:35 am for an 11 am tasting. The owner of Blue Farm was the founder of Donum. The wine was very good.

After the tasting, the four of us stopped in Bogeta Bay at the Tides. We bought some oysters and smoked salmon. We ate a late lunch on the south deck. Sharon made muffuletta sandwiches for lunch.

We got to Gualala about 3:30 pm and picked up the keys to the house. We are spending ten days at Deerfield. The house is on the east side of Highway 1. We haven't stayed on this side of the highway in more than twenty years.

After doing a work Teams meeting, I did a quick loop around the area to explore. Sharon made a lasagna for dinner. The four of us finished the day in the hot tub. Everyone crashed fairly early.

32 Years Ago Today

Thirty-two years ago today, Drew and I met the Tomasin clan at Toomey Field in Davis. We watched Jim Tomasin play for the UC Davis Aggies in a 42 to 13 victory over Sonoma State.

Heading home to East View Drive, we laid down in front of the television and turned on Game 1 of the 1988 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics. In the bottom of the ninth, Kirk Gibson limped to the plate. Gibson hit a walk-off two run homer. As much as I hate the Dodgers, it is probably one of the greatest sports moments I have ever seen. Thankfully, it is the last time that the Dodgers have won the World Series.

Williams "Bill" Bartels

Bill was Becky Frame's sister's husband.

A life well lived is worthy of celebration. Family, friends & neighbors have suffered the loss of Bill Bartels whose life was unexpectedly cut short on August 15th at the age of 71. His overflowing heart just gave out.

Bill was born & raised in San Francisco to John & Bernice Bartels. Bill was an athlete at Lincoln High School & developed a lifelong love & appreciation of baseball. He was drafted by the Dodgers as a prospect, but chose to attend SFSU. He worked for the San Francisco Fire Department & retired as Captain after 30 years of service. His stories about his days in San Francisco are legend. He had a remarkable ability to weave fact with an impish sense of humor. This career allowed Bill the freedom to spend many afternoons with his daughters, helping with homework & supporting their many extracurricular activities.

Always good with words, retirement allowed Bill to read just about everything he could get his hands on. Crossword puzzles were a daily activity for Bill as well. Retirement also gave him the outlet of travel. A cruise, bus tour, flight or Disneyland with the grandkids, were all fair game. This travel life found its high point when he fulfilled his promise to kiss his wife Barbara under the Eiffel Tower for their anniversary. One of his favorite skills honed at the firehouse was cooking, therefore on most afternoons you would find Bill on the cooktop side of the kitchen counter preparing an evening meal while watching the Food Network. He also enjoyed his weekly cocktail hour with the neighbors, laced with stories & neighborhood news of the day.

Bill is survived by his wife of 44 years Barbara, his daughters Breana (John Abdilla), Kerry (Szabolcs Szerenyi), his sister Barbara (Pete Cerri) & his grandchildren Emese & Easton. They are the legacy of a life well lived.

Celebrating our 24th Wedding Anniversary

Typically, we try to take a trip to celebrate our anniversary. In this uncertain pandemic time, we decided to stay close to home and finish the day with dinner on the deck.

I picked up curbside takeout from Ruth Chris. We split a lettuce wedge salad, a baked potato and creamed spinach. Sharon had a filet, while I had a ribeye.

I am going to get her a new set of clubs as a present. She is getting me some golf clothes.

Given the trials of our blended family over the last three years, I have grown to appreciate Sharon more than ever. She has done a great job supporting Jack, Morgan and Lee and Drew and Shannon.

Celebrating Nooter's 65th Birthday!

Emailing with Barb on Sunday, I sent up a Zoom birthday get together for Nooter's 65th Birthday. The Davis Mafia turn out included: Moore; Wallen; Chabrier plus Karen; Gribi; Snipes; Hunter; and, Geselbracht. Nothing is more chaotic than an eleven person Zoom with Hunter.

Catan

I finished the day playing a couple of hours of Catan with Drew and Jack. Although I had a better showing in the long second game, Jack ended up winning both games.

More Adventures with Lee

View this post on Instagram

More Adventures with Lee

A post shared by Mark Heringer (@heringermr) on Oct 10, 2020 at 7:54pm PDT

While Morgan spent the day in class, Sharon and I babysat Lee. We finished the day barbecuing burgers and corn and having dinner on the deck with Lee, Morgan and Daniel.

Sharon and Tom's 2020 San Francisco Adventure - Day #2

After staying overnight in San Francisco, Sharon and her brother Tom spent the morning at the Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving exhibition at the De Young Museum. At the time of Frida Kahlo’s death in 1954, a treasure trove of the artist's highly personal items—including jewelry, clothing, and prosthetics—were locked away. 50 years later, these belongings were unsealed. This is the first west coast show of the collection.

After touring the exhibition, they hiked four miles in Golden Gate Park. They got a very late lunch from Lucinda's Deli.

It was almost 4 pm before they left the city and started home. Fighting the traffic, they were back in Carmichael about 7:30 pm.

Sharon and Tom's 2020 San Francisco Adventure - Day #1

Sharon and her brother Tom took off on Thursday morning for a couple of days in the City. On the way out of town, they stopped at Janie's house to celebrate her birthday.

Sharon and Tom had lunch at Scoma's in Sausalito.

They hiked a couple of miles on the San Francisco Crosstown trail. Apparently, they took a wrong turn. This is definitely someplace I want to go and explore.

Sharon and Tom had dinner at Zazie.

They are spending the night at the Seal Rock Inn.

Harris Pence Vice President Debate

Sharon and I watched all of the Harris Pence Vice President Debate. While not the shitshow that last week's presidential debate was, it was nevertheless dissappointing.

I have been a registered Republican for 45 years. I have a visceral dislike of Mike Pence. I do not like Mike Pence.

Morgan and Sharon at Sea Ranch

The Sea Ranch Design Concept

This is one of two newer historical markers that I came upon on my Tuesday morning run at Sea Ranch in September. I think that they must have been placed in the last two years.

The Sea Ranch Design Concept
Marker 1-29
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This marker is located on the Bluff Trail near the end of Brigantine Reach, Sea Ranch, California. The Sea Ranch Archives Committee has identified twenty-six historic sites scattered about The Sea Ranch. They have constructed trail markers with information explaining the significance of each place. They were placed as part of The Sea Ranch 50th anniversary being celebrated from Memorial Day 2014 to Memorial Day 2015. The GPS coordinates for this location are 38° 41' 10.5" N 123° 25' 53.5" W.


This meadow, the first planned for development at The Sea Ranch, has taken on "iconic" status. Integrated structures and landscape embody basic design concepts originated by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and the consultant team for the developer, Oceanic Properties, Inc. Houses are set at the meadow's edge near existing hedgerows for wind protection. Clustering homes maximizes the central meadow as common open space, allowing expansive views for each residence, not just those nearest the bluff. Hillside houses are inconspicuously sited at forest edge. The simple design of the houses reflects the influence of north coast vernacular architecture, and adapts to local climatic conditions. (1963-1965)

Fall Decorations

Annual Rebecca L. Frame Memorial Invitational Scottish Rules Bocce Ball Tournament

Sharon and I spent the afternoon at the 8th not-so-annual Bocce Ball tournament at Tom's house. I made it to the finals, but lost to Eric. It was a smaller group, including Tom, Erin, Eric, Ashley, Jim, Janie and another couple (Rositanis). Morgan and Lee showed up in the late afternoon.

Cancelled Golf plus Matteos

Larkin, Sharon and I were planning to plan golf at Ancil Hoffman on Friday afternoon. With the continuing poor air quality, we decided to punt.

Sharon and I finished the week with curbside take out from Matteos. We both had cheese burgers with a house salad. Eating dinner, we watched episode two of season four of Downton Abbey.

September 2020 Monthly Challenge in the Activity App

In September, I didn't achieve the monthly challenge in the Apple Activity App. The goal was 277.3 miles or 9.2 miles a day! I only covered 8.2 miles a day. Given how much I am working out on the Peloton bike, there is no way that I am going to run and walk more than 9 miles a day. I logged 153 miles in 12 workouts on the bike in September.

In May, the goal was 263.3 miles a day. I made the goal.

Hedgerow Houses

This is one of two newer historical markers that I came upon on my Tuesday morning run at Sea Ranch in September. I think that they must have been placed in the last two years.

Hedgerow Houses
Marker 1-28
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This marker is located on the Bluff Trail near the end of Black Point Reach, Sea Ranch, California. The Sea Ranch Archives Committee has identified twenty-six historic sites scattered about The Sea Ranch. They have constructed trail markers with information explaining the significance of each place. They were placed as part of The Sea Ranch 50th anniversary being celebrated from Memorial Day 2014 to Memorial Day 2015. The GPS coordinates for this location are 38° 41' 05.0" N 123° 25' 53.6" W.


Constructed as demonstration housing by Oceanic Properties, Inc., these five dwellings, plus Esherick's own home for a total of six, are grouped together and integrated into the cypress hedgerow. Their sloping roofs - some sod-covered, window placement, staggered siting, and slight adjustments in orientation to fit the land illustrate the strategies for buffering wind, maximizing sunlight and viewsheds, and preserving common open space. The first detached houses constructed, they helped set the high design standard for which The Sea Ranch is known.