Waterfalls - here we come?

Woo-Hoo!  Weather prediction's improving...  Chilly nights in the tent - maybe we can bring the cats to snuggle??

Change of plans?

The current plan is to celebrate my 35th birthday this weekend @ Yosemite - camping on the Valley floor and enjoying the "moonbow" and waterfalls a la 2007.

The current plan may be changing given the recent weather reports... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Listening bird

This morning Mary practiced some new pieces she just got in her piano classes.  A little bird listened. The bird flitted around our tiny garden. Playing with the music.



Eventually, the bird moved to the chairs, where the piano-playing view was better.



Birds and piano music are a nice peaceful start to the Monday morning.

5 reasons that Giants game rocked!

Mary and I just got back from the Giants game today. Here are the top 5 reasons why that game rocked!



1) Beer and garlic fries.  This makes every Giants game worth going to, no matter what.  (Thanks Mary for getting them.)

2) Tim Lincecum.  Seriously, it is a privilege to watch that guy pitch. 10 strikeouts - all of them swinging - including his last 3 outs. (He also helped me lock up some categories for my troubled fantasy team.)

3) The weather. It was so bizarre. It really didn't feel like we were getting a game in today.  We hung out at the house all day, but then suddenly, it looked like a patch was going to open up so we headed out to the park.  The rain stopped - the game started - a little rain made us wonder if it could keep up.  But then the sun peeked out. Mary spotted a rainbow - it was glorious.  Remarkably, when Matt Diaz took the final swinging strike of the game (which as Mary pointed out was fitting because he got razzed for pausing the game to get his sunglasses delivered and then dropped a fly in the wind later), it looked like he ripped the sky open with his bat as the rain came pouring down just as the Giants won!

4) Those shots. Got to see Brian McCann hit a BIG shot into the SERIOUS wind of right field, where I (and the radio announcers, I later discovered) predicted no home run would head.  Lincecum obviously wasn't set yet - his only walk followed by his only mistake.  That's what only 10-minutes of warm-up will do. Got to see Jason Heyward hit his 3rd career home run - he has a lot more in him. Wow that kid is going to be something. Got to see Mark DeRosa continue that clutch hitting that made him so popular in Chicago and will make him popular here, too.

And then there was Panda. One of the things I did this year to get me more excited about the Giants was draft a hitter - so I took their best - Pablo Sandoval.  He made 3 clutch hits, all three leading to runs.  The first was a hustling 2-out triple, the second was the start of the 2-out rally DeRosa made count, and the third was a MAMMOTH shot into the wind.  It would have landed in McCovey Cove if not for the forcing wind driving right into the park ... POWER. He also hustles when it's time to get an out. He's the type of player that is going to help me get interested in this team. (Ironically, his monster day at the plate was too little, too late for my anemic fantasy team offense this week.)

5) The best life partner in the world. I am very lucky.

Poland

raindrops, originally uploaded by Cameron Maddux.

My heart goes out to Poland. What a heavy day for this world.