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Jack’s Kingdom | |||||
| you’re home 7/9/2024 | ||||||
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This is in opinions but I refuse to contribute to PBS station KQED because they run more than twice as many pledge breaks as other PBS stations. During holiday prime time several years ago, they extended each hour’s programming by five minutes. That added time allows them to request money for programs. They have not done this for a few years. In December 2020, they extend some shows by 15 minutes with previews and request for money. Currently, they show older programs with pledge breaks occasionally. Even with their $72 Million Dollars windfall, KRCB channel 22 transmits low power VHF from Sutro Tower in San Francisco 40 miles away versus the high power UHF 73 miles in Sonoma County. The signal is weaker now even with reusing a VHF antenna. Not only that, it drops occasionally for extended periods for no apparent reason. 3rd quarter 2024 Wow! There have been a lot of upsets at Wimbledon. Still on the books for late August are 12 days on Kauai. It has been pushed back a couple of weeks and may be resheduled to May 2025. 2nd quarter 2024
Took a mini vacation with overnight stays in Oakhurst and Madera. Talked with an astrophotographer who was selling prints at the Mountain Artisans Market in Fresno Flats Historic Village and Park. A plaque set in stone, marking the Geographic Center of California was stolen. The town of Raymond had its annual parade. The Flag Barn east of Madera has some fading paint. We viewed the California Korean War Veterans Memorial at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery and walked through the pristine grounds. Last stop before returning home was Casa de Fruta. When last visited the two lane road traveled right by its buildings before the early 1990’s. This was also noted when we bumped into the Fremont High School music teacher. Yes, small world. 1st quarter 2024 Nice to watch a very evenly finals tennis match at the 2024 Australian Open. Three seed, Jannik Sinner, down 2 sets, came back to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 against #4 Danill Medvedev. With Southwest Air having a big sale, we redeemed some points and are flying into Omaha to attend Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting. Afterward, three weeks in May to enjoy the center of the country and then flying back from St. Louis.
4th quarter 2023
3rd quarter 2023 Driving from Boston, after a day and a half at Acadia National Park, we headed straight for North Sydney, Nova Scotia to catch a 7 hour car ferry to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. Highlights:
We are off on a 3 week vacation to Maine and Canadian provinces. Flying into Boston and leaving for Acadia National Park, Roosevelt Campobello International Park in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, car ferry to and from Newfoundland, Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Deciding to spend most of the time in these provinces, Quebec City and Montreal were visited in 1992 and will not be in the intinerary. On a suggestion of ”You and I are getting old. Go to Newfoundland and Labrador”, we are spending 16 days there out of 22.
2nd quarter 2023 The Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2 in the second round playoffs. 4th quarter 2022 Tough decision to make regarding 2000 Honda Odyssey was to put in back into service. Had timing belt and water pump replaced, got new Michelin X Tour A/S T+H tires and hopefully the powertrain will last another few years. It is still quite a nice people and cargo hauler. Will Dusty Baker win his first World Series as a manager? I hope so. Go Astros! Yes, he did! 3rd quarter 2022 We spent 18 days in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware with the last week in Washington D.C.
Hiked on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park and drove through the Meems Bottom Covered Bridge west of the park.
2st quarter 2022 The Warriors, who beat the Mavericks for the Western Conference Championship, now go to the finals for the sixth time in eight years. And they are 6-0 in Conference Finals. Stephen Curry is the first recipient of the Magic Johnson MVP of the series. And listen to the spoiled billionaire whine! No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit to win in the NBA playoffs. Golden State is looking good for Tuesday’s game against Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors also set a record of 26 consecutive series with at least one road win. Even with 17 turnovers (3 times that of Memphis), Golden State soundly beat Memphis to go to the Western Conference Finals. In mid-August, we will be spending 2½ weeks around Virginia and surrounding states with the last week in Washington D.C. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets to advance to the next round. 1st quarter 2022 There were lots of honu - green sea turtles at Ho’okipa Beach and we explored some tidepools at low tide. Quite a few upsets this past weekend and the 49er’s let the game slip away. What exciting playoff games. The 49er’s and Jimmy Garoppolo are in. The Packers and Aaron Rodgers are out! 4th quarter 2021 3rd quarter 2021 As we headed out, heavy rains came and went, giving nice vistas and photos. We got to view the Exit Glacier northwest of Seward. The next morning, we saw a sea otter, Dall’s porpoise, humpback whale, Stellar sea lions, harbor seals, and the horned puffins were a big surprise of the Kenai Fjords boat trip - something missed in the Ireland trip. Stopped by the Kenai Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, prior to staying overnight in Kenai. Some places we visited and things we did:
2nd quarter 2021 From a canceled Maui trip in August 2020 to an Alaska trip with Delta rewards of 16,000 points for two, we are spending 10 days around Anchorage, Seward, Homer, Denali, and Fairbanks during the first part of September. The Canon R6 has two lines of hot pixels after just 3 months of use. Canon had a quick 2 day turnaround with the sensor replaced and camera cleaned. 1st quarter 2021 Dose 2 of Pfizer vaccine was administered 3 weeks after. There was no wait as only people that got the first dose were admitted. Due to the 3 day Presidents’ Day weekend, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds had walk-in Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine openings one afternoon. Signed up, got there with only one person in front of me. A used Canon 24-105mm f4 RF lens was purchased. Taking delivery of a Canon R6 mirrorless camera with a used EF-RF converter - new ones have been back-ordered forever. Starting off, I will use my existing Canon, Tamron, and Tokina EF lenses. My first native lens will be a used Laowa 15mm f2 and then a used Meike 85mm f2.8 macro. The Sony A7III, Godox flash with controller, Metabones EF-E converter and most of my Sony and made for Sony FE and E lenses will be sold. 4th quarter 2020 Old antenna was put back up again. More Just the family went to aunt and uncle’s to harvest permissions again. Another round of eating and drying. Installed a wired camera security system based on the ONVIF open standard. More here Jocelyn and Patrick got married. Trump acts like a loser. He is a loser. 5 letter words - Trump, Pence, Jared, Atlas, fired, moron, idiot, loser, lying, unfit, clown, fraud, inept, chaos, tweet. 3rd quarter 2020 2nd quarter 2020 Major leak in Gaggia Tebe espresso machine is fixed. Text and pictures here. KRCB TV Channel 22 (PBS, Create TV) changed transmitter from Sonoma Mountain 73 miles away to Mt. Sutro in San Francisco 39 miles away. Not only that, but the frequency change from RF23 to RF5 requires swapping out the 8 bay UHF bowtie antenna to the old yagi VHF/UHF antenna. That's a lot of work, so we will see what signal can be obtained. What a big surprise that it works, but borderline. Atmospheric conditions will cause the signal to breakup more often. Here in Santa Clara County, it is once a week grocery shopping trips with masks, social distancing, limiting capacity, and sanitizers. COVID-19 has put limitations on many activities. 1st quarter 2020
Stay three nights at The Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park. We caught the Horsetail Fall firefall near the end of February, but it was subdued due to little rain and snow. Along with a couple of friends, we hiked to Mirror Lake, did other trails, talked, and ate well. We had great service and food at the Ahwahnee dining room for breakfast and dinner. Our waiter Marty was courteous and engaging. The fried chicken and meatloaf were excellent at the Yosemite Valley Base Camp Eatery - the old Food Court cafeteria. We participated in a couple of outdoor talks and activities with Ranger Jetta, who gave captivating talks. Leaving Yosemite, we detoured to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Returning home via the back roads through Mather, FR 1S02, Cherry Lake Road, and back to Highway 120 was a relaxing slow winding drive on newly paved roads. 
4th quarter 2019 Saw Pride and Prejudice at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. Persimmon picking will be at Nancy’s relatives. We will celebrate with a post picking dinner. 3rd quarter 2019 
2nd quarter 2019 Some sites and things we visited were Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs and Holei Sea Arch via the Chain of Craters Road. With the Thurston Lava Tube closed at Volcanoes NP, we wandered through Kaumana Caves near Hilo. Points of Interests: Kaloko-Honokohau NHP, Kealakekua Bay SHP, Pu'uhonua O Honaunau NHP, Greenwell Farms, Painted Church, Captain Cook Monument via trail, Manuka State Natural Area Reserve Rainbow Falls, Boiling Pots - Wailuku River SP, Pacific Tsunami Museum, Mokupapapa Discovery Center, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory and gardens, Panaewa Rainforest Zoo, Lyman Museum & Mission House Onomea Bay Trail, Waipi'o Valley, Anna Ranch Heritage Center, Pololu Trail, Lapakahi SHP, Pu'ukohola Heiau NHS, Hamakua Macadamia Nut Co., Puako Petroglyph Park, Anaeho'omalu Bay, Manta Rays at the Sheraton Kona Resort Eats: Shimaichi Sushi, Kona Grill House, Kaaloa's Super J's, Suisan Fish Market, Moon and Turtle, Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill Hilo, The Fish and the Hog, Noodle Club, Bamboo, Earl’s Waimea, Broke Da Mouth Grindz Highlights: Caught the Southwest inaugural flight from Kona to Honolulu. Celebration with snacks and music at airport. Talked with Andrew Watterson, EVP & Chief Revenue Officer of Southwest Air 1st quarter 2019 We enjoyed Cats at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. 4th quarter 2018 A bidet seat was installed on the master toilet. Since doing some work years back, it was relatively easy to run Romex from an outlet 8’ away to a new outlet behind the toilet via a vent pipe cutout. No added holes were needed in the subfloor, although I had to remove an ethernet cable to free up room. The entire family, along with relatives, harvested persimmons from uncle and aunt’s two trees. We found lopping a section with fruit and hopefully letting it fall onto a tarp is the best way to get to the ones out of reach. We also picked some apples and lemons. After this work, we had dim sum at New Port Restaurant. We dehydrated most of them. G3 and G#4 piano keys were slow to return so no sound was made on repeating notes. There was nothing obvious with felt to pin junctions. I placed a 60 watt light bulb below the action clamped to the middle pedal cable. Within a couple of hours, the problem was fixed. The middle C octave had slipped from the prior tuning, so it was retuned. 3rd quarter 2018 The next day, we walked the Freedom Trail. There was work on the park opposite Paul Revere’s house and plywood around his statue. We had some cannolis, spent 5 hours at the Museum of Fine Arts, and had Korean sandwiches at 9:30pm. Definitely not well planned. We went to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument and visited its museum. We toured the USS Constitution and had an expanded guided tour of the destroyer USS Cassin Young at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The Inner Harbor Ferry took us back near the Aquarium. Dinner was at Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant. After getting a rental car, we headed to Quincy for the Adams birthplace and the Old House at Peace field guided tour. It was followed by a visit to the JFK Presidential Library on the University of Massachusetts campus. We stayed at Marriott properties as Choice Hotels was generally more expensive. We started off at Concord, MA following the Revolutionary War Battlefields. After Minuteman National Historical Park, we saw the gravesites of Emerson, Alcott, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and others at Authors Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Continuing toward Lexington, we saw a musket being loaded and fired by a National Park Service Ranger. It produced a large cloud of smoke. We had dinner with friend Ron at Joe Fish in Andover. The next day, we visited Ron at home in New Hampshire, drove out to Gloucestor, Rockport, and Manchester-by-the-Sea. We had a lobster roll and clam chowder. Getting into New Bedford so late, we did takeout at Kentucky Fried Chicken. It was very good food with that flaky biscuit. After half a day at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, we went to an old textile mill to view A Spectacle in Motion, an 1848 1275’ painted panorama depicting a whaling voyage around the world. We lodged at Fall River, but chose the wrong restaurant to dine in. The T.A. Restaurant ran out of octopus stew, so I ordered the grilled version. It was very chewy, so not cooked properly. Onward to Newport, RI where we toured The Breakers, the summer cottage of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Marble House, William K. Vanderbilt. We stayed the evening at an Airbnb room in Watertown. We took our chances with Greyhound, arriving 80 minutes, but we got to see East Harlem, Upper East Side, through Central Park and then Midtown. Having navigated Boston, the New York subway was less challenging. We ate at Jeju Noodle Bar with Nancy’s brother and sisters. Four of us saw The Band’s Visit about an Egyptian Police band getting to the wrong destination in Israel. Breakfast was at Russ & Daughters, then to the World Trade Center, Wall Street, a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge, and generally exploring. Dinner was at ATLA, followed by Straight White Men. I explored Times Square and Rockefeller Center. The day started with breakfast at Tower Diner with friends. Then we split up at the US Open, seeing Sloane Stephens and then Rafael Nadel. We dined at The Loyal, where the octopus appetizer was tender. Four of us went to the Lincoln Center Theater to see My Fair Lady. The acoustics were excellent - even I could hear! We had dimsum and family style dishes at Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown and then went to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. The main exhibition was Georgia O’Keeffe’s Visions of Hawai`i flower paintings. The others went to the night session of the US Open. I had Taiwanese Beef Noodle in bone and marrow broth with tendon, tofu and century egg at Ho Foods. We had terrace seating at Celestine for breakfast with a view of the Manhattan Bridge. A few of us walked The High Line, through Greenwich Village and then to Momofuku Noodle Bar for fried chicken - one southern style and one Korean style with pancakes and crudité. Nancy and a sister saw Once on This Island. I took a stroll to the Guggenheim and through Central Park. We wound up visiting 4 of 5 New York City boroughs. On Labor Day, we flew Delta back from JFK to San Jose. I asked the gate agent about the boarding process. She later remembered me and swapped our seats to the exit row as a pregnant woman could not be seated there. San Jose had a piano and some teenagers were playing tunes on their day off. Jocelyn began teaching 6th grade at Weibel Elementary School in the Fremont Unified School District. 2nd quarter 2018 The San Jose Sharks swept the Anaheim Ducks to advance to round 2 of the playoffs. They were defeated by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. For the second consecutive year, The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in basketball. Nancy’s uncle Jim will turn 80 in a few months. We got together with family and friends for food and conversation. A lot of them got up and spoke of the fond remembrances of him. Chris is interning at UC Davis researching tomato breeding. It is ongoing. He will graduate in June 2019. 1st quarter 2018 This was our first visit since the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park was renovated a decade ago. From the domed four story tropical rainforest with its spiral walkway, to the theater style seating of the planetarium, aquarium, and natural history exhibits, to its Living Roof, everything fits. 4th quarter 2017 3rd quarter 2017 Chris and I went to the Boise National Forest and stayed at a dispersed campground east of Lowman at 44.0726N and 115.5104W, PDF 4300’ altitude on the Payette River. We used our C90 3.5" f/10 telescope to view the August 21 total eclipse with the other campers and an 80mm f6.25 refractor to take pictures and video. We had Baader AstroSolar film over both telescopes until totality. Upon removal, everyone was awestruck at multiple huge prominences, corona, and diamond ring. It was without question the trip of a lifetime to experience this. Returning home saw no major problems except for the 40 minute delay during evening repaving of 10 miles of Interstate 80 east of Fernley, Nevada. We stopped over in Davis and continued home the next morning. An SJAA member spent about 30 hours returning from Madras, Oregon to San Jose. Another person who was an hour northeast of us was delayed 2.5 hours due to wildfires. We were fortunate to have picked this location. 
This was our first camping trip in many years. We stayed in the Lost Claim Campground west of Yosemite and in Housekeeping Camp in Yosemite Valley. Full shuttles would not stop, parking lots closed early and would not reopen. Traffic detoured around renovations. Ranger Shelton Johnson showed his film Yosemite Through the Eyes of a Buffalo Solder followed by a Q&A session. The film was too self-centered on Johnson who directed, produced, starred in it and rather disappointing cinematography. However the Q&A session was rather enjoyable. 2nd quarter 2017 We took the streetcar to the Garden District for its many historic mansions - a daily pass was only $3. The Sculpture Garden in City Park has 64 works of art. We snacked on beignets and coffee. We went to Jazz in the Park close by in Louis Armstrong Park. Leaving the city, we went to the Jambalaya Festival in Gonzales. We picked up the best fast food at Billy’s Boudin and Cracklin. The haul included crawfish pie, boudin, and deep fried pork rinds. Robert Dafford painted many wall murals in Lafayette, so we found all but one. After one of the NPS rangers cooked up some Cajun food, we went across the street to a live broadcast of Rendez-Vous des Cajuns at the Liberty Center in Eunice, Louisiana. They broadcast the show on the radio. We explored the Mississippi River delta region and relaxed at the IP Casino Resort Spa. We spent hours in the spa with the jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room. We had Italian cuisine and even used a speciality espresso maker in the buffet. We marvelled at the many objects in Beauvoir - Jefferson Davis’ Home and Presidential Library in Biloxi, Mississippi. Returning to Houma, we learned our boat tour to Supreme Court Justice E.D. White's home was cancelled due to bad weather. LUMCON (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium) was the alternate destination. We learned about the delta and had views of the marshes, bays, and inlets from the 65’ high observation tower. We even saw an alligator in the pond. In Thibodaux, the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center ranger and I had a chat about the now perfect weather for boating. After viewing exhibits, we headed to E.D. White Historic Site where Herbert gave us a guided tour of the home and grounds. Off we go to White Castle. That is not the hamburger chain, but the town. On our final night, we stayed in the Boys Wing in Nottoway Plantation, the South's largest antebellum mansion. Our server at the Mansion Restaurant had lived in the Bay Area. The next morning, we had a breakfast buffett and tour. We got on an earlier connecting flight leaving Chicago and arrived in SFO before midnight. The car rental companies now have a $19 surcharge on SFO rentals to pay for the monorail and have reinstituted their one-way dropoff fee between Bay Area airports. The family and a brother-in-law saw Hamilton at the Orpheum in San Francisco on Father’s Day weekend. We prepared by reading Hamilton, The Revolution, watching Hamilton's America on PBS, and listened to the Broadway soundtrack. It was capped with Sri Lanken fusion food at 1601 Bar and Kitchen. We had to miss a wedding. 1st quarter 2017 We saw the Sharks lose to the St. Louis Blues at the Shark Tank. |
Rakuten Get $30 back. You get a percentage of your purchases back from Rakuten (formerly ebates) when you buy from online etailers or online for pickup at store. Even with infrequent purchases over the last few years, I have manage to get back more than $750. Year of the Dragon
In 2012, the Giants went through many elimination games against the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and then swept the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. It was a wild year. The Giants went through the 2010 postseason and bested the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Texas Rangers to win the World Series. This team of outcasts and misfits put its fans through torture during the last two months of the 2010 season. Their superb pitching, offense, and defense have certainly proved their critics wrong.
 Chris’ Cobra Lily won 1st Place in the BACPS Plant Show 2014  Chris' Nepenthes campanulata won 2nd Place in the 2016 BACPS Plant Show. Grown on limestone to mimic its habitat other stuff I don’t update the San Miguel Parent Association website anymore. If you don’t see a menu on the top, make sure that Java is turned on, refresh this page, hit F5, or reload home page Send me an email. |
In 2014, within a span of five years, the San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in the final seventh game of the World Series.
