AstroTurf football field for small rural high school

Yes, little Golden Sierra High School (600 students) of Garden Valley, California, now has a synthetic grass football field. I suppose the reason it was installed was that it will save a lot of money on watering and maintenance. I think it's only the second high school in El Dorado County to have such a field.

First they laid down the mat with the fake grass and then they spread loads and loads of ground rubber (from old tires) and sand on top of it to hold it down.
Then they spray-painted the yard lines on it.
It looks beautiful...
...but it smells like tires...like the smell inside a car dealership where they have some brand new cars on display.
...and when it's 106 degrees out, it's as hot as a hot mug of tea on your bare feet. There won't be any moms bringing their barefoot kids out to play on this grassy field on a summer afternoon!

Happy Fourth of July

Two hundred thirty three years ago today, on July 4, 1776, our forefathers in the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights, including a right of revolution. Having served its original purpose in announcing independence, the text of the Declaration was initially ignored after the American Revolution. Its stature grew over the years, particularly the second sentence, a sweeping statement of human rights:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
(Wikipedia)

Today we celebrate this day, the birth of liberty, with parades, picnics, barbecues, music and fireworks. Jerry and I will be spending the day with his brother's family in Escalon...always great food and great company.

From one year ago:
59th Army Band of the California Army National Guard marching in the parade down Mt Herman Road...Jerry is 2nd from the right in the front row (trombones).
After the parade there was a great concert in Sky Park of Scotts Valley. The 59th Army Band of the California Army National Guard is superb---excellent musicians! Above: Jerry warming up his bass trombone before the concert Above: California Army National Guard 59th Army Band in concert at Sky Park in Scotts Valley, CA Here I am enjoying a wonderful concert on a nice hot 4th of July.

Have a glorious Fourth with friends and family!

Vienna Waltz - 55 word story

Summer 1971 - I was leading a bicycle tour of central Europe. We met up in Vienna with another tour group, whose leader, Horace, I knew, and met his friend, Scott.
December 1971, Davis, California - Christmas party at Horace’s apartment -
“Scott! I haven’t seen you since Vienna!”

I’d always wanted to say that.

Driving east from Sacramento on Highway 50

See spectacular skies at Skywatch Friday.

Pork Loin with Mint and Rosemary

It's the hot season (well not as hot as Niger's hot season, but it's been 106 here), so it's time to barbecue! Last year I tried out BBQing a marinated pork loin stuffed with sprigs of lavender and mint and it tasted great. This year I decided to try it stuffed with rosemary and mint, since both of those grow at our house.

So I marinated a 4-pound pork loin (except for the outer fat layer, it's a very lean cut of meat) overnight with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, pepper and carraway seeds. Then I split it lengthwise...
...and spread a bit of the cooked marinade on the insides and laid sprigs of rosemary and mint on one half..

...and tied it all together with more sprigs of mint and rosemary.

I put it on the hot charcoal grill (charcoal briquets give such a better flavor than a gas grill), using the indirect method.


I covered the BBQ and left the dampers wide open for 15 minutes and then closed the dampers nearly all the way and continued cooking it for 1 hour 45 minutes
The outer sprigs of mint and rosemary get somewhat charred, but they still give good flavor. I pulled off all the sprigs, leaving a few stray leaves behind...
...sliced it up and poured the cooked marinade over it. It was very tender and flavorful. Amazingly, the mint and rosemary blended well together.
It was scrumptious with a baked potato
...and broccoli.

How hot was Garden Valley on Monday?

Chinatown - San Francisco

Last Friday we rode with our friends, Dirk and Jeanne, to San Francisco for a wedding on Saturday. We wanted to go a day early in order to do some sight-seeing and have fun with our friends. The bride, Melissa, whom I’ve known since she was 10 months old, had reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel Nikko near Union Square. It’s owned by a Japanese company, so it has a very elegant Japanese flair to it.
The sink in our bathroom looked like a big porcelain bowl sitting on the black marble counter…all black and white and muted elegance.
This is the view of San Francisco from our room on the 15th floor. I hoped and prayed there would be no earthquake that night.
After getting settled in our rooms, we went in search of a reasonably-priced restaurant, and we found it at O'Doul's Pub.
It was cafeteria-style with good home-style cooking.
After dinner that evening, we took a stroll to Union Square in search of some new swimming trunks for Dirk. Here’s a view of Union Square showing some of the palm trees and tall buildings surrounding it.
And here it is, the temple of consumerism, Macy’s department store.
Another view of Union Square
The Niemann-Marcus building, a department store of glass and steel.
Another view of Macy’s with colorful flags waving in the breeze

At last Jeanne found a pair of swimming trunks (at Macy's) that Dirk liked, so we returned to the hotel and then changed into swimsuits and swam in the pool and sat in the nice hot spa. It was very relaxing and we chatted with other guests using the pool and spa. One couple was from Ireland.

The next morning after breakfast we headed off to see Chinatown.


We stopped along the way to check out the Ritz-Carlton Hotel…very fancy! This is the lobby. Now you can see where the word ritzy comes from.
This is a garden area where weddings are held at the Ritz-Carlton. Jerry's relaxing on a bench after our steep uphill walk. The streets of SF are VERY STEEP!
I’m standing on a riser in a wedding tent in the look at me pose.
Outside of the Ritz-Carlton...It looks like a grecian-style courthouse in the front.
Jerry by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel sign...we're such tourists!
I’m on a steep street approaching Grant Avenue, the main shopping street of Chinatown.
Looking down Grant Avenue
Colorful shops

We heard a band playing hymns, and walked toward the sound and saw this 33rd Street Mortuary Band marching and playing old hymns, going down Grant Avenue. It was a funeral procession with about 20 cars involved in it.




Family members hold up a portrait of the deceased, the frame decorated with flowers and ribbons.




A view of the TransAmerica building

We went into several of the shops and I bought a short kimono, called a Happy Coat.
We went into a tea shop and I tasted several different kinds of tea...all interesting, but I didn't want to spend twenty dollars for four ounces of tea.

They had some interesting names for their teas, such as Blue People and Ginseng Iron Goddess. That last one sounds like a good fake name for a blogger.
Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil bronze monkeys on a bench on Grant Avenue
Busy shoppers looking for deals in Chinatown
A sparkling light, sculpture and furniture store on Grant Avenue
This sculpture reminded me of reading to my three boys when they were young.
The Levi's building, another temple of consumerism. That cynical comment belies the fact that I am all for capitalism.
Back at the hotel, I tried on my new Happy Coat and I was happy with it---it’s very comfortable and I love the colors.

Our little mini-vacation to San Francisco was fun, especially since we were there with friends. Hope you enjoyed the mini-tour of Chinatown.

See interesting places around the world at My World Tuesday.