REGISTER BEFORE OCTOBER 1st FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL BOBBERBALL TOURNAMENT- 1st PLACE WINS A TROPHY AND CASH PRIZE!!!

Go to the WBA's official blog for more information about Bobberball and how to register for the tournament!

TRAVELING IN COMPANY

Mark Twain, congratulating a friend on his engagement-

Dear Father Fitz-Simon,

Marriage- yes, it is the supreme felicity of life, I concede it, And it is also the supreme tragedy of life. The deeper the love, the surer the tragedy. And the more disconsolating when it comes.

And so I congratulate you. Not perfunctorily, lukewarmly, but with a fervency and a fire that no word in the dictionary is strong enough to convey. And in the same breath and with the same depth and sincerity I grieve for you. Not for both of you and not for the one that shall go first, but for the one who is fated to be left behind. For that one there is no recompense- for that one no recompense is possible.

There are times- thousands of times- when i can expose the half of my mind and conceal the other half but in the matter of tragedy of marriage I feel too deeply for that, and I have to bleed it all out or shut it all in. And so you must consider what I have been through, and am passing through and be charitable with me. Make the most of the sunshine. And I hope it will last long- ever so long.

I do really want to be present; yet for friendship's sake and because I honor you so, I would be there if I could.

Most sincerely your friend,
S.L. Clemens


The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Church in Corinth-

Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think it is good for you to remain as you are... But those who marry will face many troubles in this life and I want to spare you this. What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as though they had none...I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs- how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world- how he can please his wife- and his interests are divided.

SOON TO BE DETHRONED

Poor baby Jack!

STEVE MAXON

Down through the years many men have found themselves unemployed and riding the rails, but few have embraced the experience with as much bonhommie as my good friend, Steve Maxon. Steve, who is a lawyer in New York State recently came to the end of a two year job commitment with a courthouse in Rochester, NY, and decided to box the compass by riding the train around the U.S.A for 15 days. Sarah and I were honored that he chose L.A. for one of his two-day stops so that he could come visit us.

Steve got in late on Friday night, and we spent a lazy Saturday walking around Idyllwild, swimming, hanging out and playing Bobberball. The local library was holding a book sale and Steve was in need of some reading material for his marathon train ride between L.A. and New Orleans. Steve purchased the following at the Idyllwild Library's book sale:

The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith

Democracy in America by Alexis de Toqueville

1984 by George Orwell

The House of the Dead by Dostoyevsky

Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka

Dianetics: The Modern Science of mental Health by L.Ron Hubbard (a gift for Tom)

American Moments by Charles Kuralts

When Character was King a Story of Ronald Reagan by Peggy Noonan

The Book of Guys by Garrison Keillor

The Complete sketches and Tales of Mark Twain

After hitting the book sale we sauntered over to the Greek Place restaurant where we enjoyed coca colas and fresh pita bread under the pines before returning back to the house.

Steve is an excellent Bobberball player. He successfully defeated me 4-3 in a best of 7 tournament.

I won the game of Settlers of catan that evening though.

This morning the Hobo gathered his things and returned to his wandering life.

FOR ALL OF YOU ITCHING FOR THE LATEST NEWS ON OUR BABY...

As of 10:00 pm (pacific time), Friday night, labor has not yet begun. Sarah and I went down to the hospital in Indio this morning for another non-stress test, and the baby was doing great. If we don't go into labor over the weekend we have another doctor's appointment on Monday. I think he's waiting for Grandma and Grandpa Tate to be there.

I don't know why, but I couldn't muster a straight face for this photo-op.

The hospital in Indio uses a different ultrasound gel than Desert Regional. I frankly miss the aquasonic brand.

MY SLUMBERING KIDS AT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT

MY FIRST RATTLESNAKE SIGHTING OF THE SUMMER

Bowden and I were making our way home following a hike along the camp's nature trail when we found this little rattler near the stream in the north end of camp. This was my first rattlesnake of the summer, although Keith has already encountered a few. This one was only a baby and had just 2-3 rattles on the end of its tail.

STORY DEVELOPING...

According to the AP, Prince was forced to flee the Kingdom of Pop earlier today as fighting broke out between rival factions attempting to capitalize on the power vacuum created by the death of late monarch, Michael Jackson. Prince was forced to seek exile in Country after being denied entry into Rock & Roll, Jazz, and the city state of Ska.

KICK- INSTALLMENT #21

Kick Tomwright lowered himself down over the cliff, and sloshed through the flooded woods toward the open water of the lake. A higglety-pigglety assortment of driftwood and washed-up trash clogged the stream’s main channel and formed a rough berm that blocked the waves on the open lake from penetrating the hushed stillness of the flooded woods. The ankle deep water, steeped a reddish brown, was stagnant and undisturbed beneath the dead and dying trees. The only sound apart from Kick’s labored breathing and the whining of mosquitoes was the squish, suck and splash of his boots as he made faltering progress toward the lake.

He felt horribly weak- as though his bones were made of marshmallows. His head was throbbing, and he was beginning to feel violently nauseous again. He was forced to stop every few steps to collect himself and find the will to continue on. He finally stumbled out onto a rocky strand between the flooded woods and the lake, and there he allowed himself to lie down.

The next thing he knew he was being roughly dragged into the bed of a pickup truck. Glancing around he immediately recognized the place as the Lavallee Landing, and standing next to the truck, he recognized the face of Janice Smith.

Then he faded to black.

I'M NOT SURE WHAT SHE'S UP TO, BUT I STAND WITH GOVERNOR PALIN.

THE WATER TREES OF JOGUES VALLEY CONTINUED...

It is estimated that at the time of its discovery in 1834, the Jogues Valley was home to at least a dozen unique species of animals including the pygmy cliff snake, the great blonde bat, and the lesser dunfour lizard. Today one of the few remaining mammals unique to the valley is the bowl rat. The bowl rat was first described to science by the French naturalist, Antoine Basleaux, in 1835. Light tan in color and measuring approximately eight inches from the base of its rear quarters to the tip of its nose, the bowl rat is so named because of its habit of collecting water by lying on its back beneath the dripping branches of the water trees. By forming a crude bowl with its soft belly the bowl rat is able to collect a reservoir of water which it then laps up with its tongue, which is more than three times longer than any other rat species. Bowl rats are very social animals which, in Basleaux's day, lived in subterranean colonies of approximately 50 to 125 animals. Today their colonies are less populous, averaging between 10-25 animals. Bowl rats retreat underground during the heat of the day, and are most active at dusk. Although primarily an insectivore, the bowl rat has also learned to include household trash and human food in its diet. Today, the bowl rat has been pushed to the edge of extinction through deliberate attempts to eradicate them as well as through introduced pests such as the common household cat. It is estimated that in 1834 there may have been as many as 5,000-8,000 bowl rats living in the Jogues Valley. Today fewer than 400 are thought to remain. A breeding program through the San Diego Wild Animal Park in Southern California has enjoyed enormous success in building a captive population of bowl rats, which today numbers more than 200 animals.

THUNDERSTORM ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN

My old college buddy (who is also firmly ensconced among the list of my current buddies), Steve Maxon, recently traveled to the Tate family manse on Lake Champlain to visit my brother Job. He captured this brief video of a summer thunderstorm looking out over the lake from the front porch. The advantages of Southern California's climate are undeniable and numerous, but sometimes I miss weather like this.

I saw two yellow raincoats
In the soggy dripping woods,
Coming down a puddled path,
Two yellow dipping hoods.
The sudden splash of color
In that world of brown and green
Reminded me of birds
In pictures I had seen,
Birds with brilliant feathers
In jungles dimly lit,
Like the woods were a canvas
And the raincoats- paint on it.

***

I want to walk through a soggy place,
A shady place where water flows,
Where mist in the air dampens my face,
And dew on the grass my clothes.

THE CHORUS TO A SONG AS YET UNWRITTEN

"A lean hill-billy and a small town flirt,
Walkin' down the street, feet slappin' in the dirt-
Homespun britches and a store-bought skirt."

I built me dis here robot.
It's better'n one dat's sto-bought.

BEST LAUGH I'VE HAD IN A WHILE!

My Mom told me about this recording of a man having a little fun with a telemarketer and I wanted to share it with you guys. Pardon the language.

CHECK OUT TOM PING'S FIRST TELEVISION APPEARANCE OVER...

...on his blog.

THE HAIR OF THE DOG

Gerald "The Ox" Nelson looked through the shattered windshield of his Mom's 1998 Ford Taurus. Beyond the spiderweb pattern radiating outward from the bloody spot where his own head had struck the windshield he could see the crumpled, smoking hood wrapped around a telephone pole. Through his ringing ears he heard a voice from somewhere to his left saying "...1540 Kennedy," and "...I think he's drunk."

Still shaky and definitely drunk Gerald reached into the back seat where he found the remains of a twelve pack scattered on the floorboards. In his shaky, blood-stained hands he gathered four beers before exiting the vehicle. He slumped down onto the street with his back against the car and very deliberately set the four beers in a row in front of him. Glaring defiantly at the growing crowd of onlookers he yelled, "YOU WATCHING?!?!"

Assured he had their undivided attention, Gerald pulled himself up, selected a beer and drank it all in one smooth gulp, a feat he had learned in college. Then, tossing the empty onto the lawn behind him, he quickly chugged a second and a third. After the third beer he stopped momentarily. He felt a little queasy like he might vomit, but the distant sound of sirens gave him the necessary motivation to master his rebellious stomach and force down the fourth beer.

Moments later, an ambulance and a cruiser, rolled up to the scene.

The trooper, a serious looking young man, asked him, "How much have you had to drink tonight?" Speaking over the blaring sirens of an approaching fire engine, Gerald yelled, "I've had four since the accident."

The trooper looked skeptical, and the OX looked triumphant- a look that said without words, "prove it!"

MY SHOES- #10 & #11

So today, while I was down in the desert, I saw a man mugging an elderly woman. Of course, I ran to her assistance, and as I was running I noticed these flip-flops for sale. So I bought them for $12.99. We'll see how long these last!

Prior to beginning the police academy I received a letter from the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, which stated among other things that I would need to bring four different types of footwear with me to the academy. I would need a pair of new running shoes, a pair of department issued police boots, one pair of flip-flops for wearing in the shower (yes, they made us wear flip-flops in the shower) and a second pair of black boots for team building exercises. I had running shoes, police boots and flip-flops, but a week before the start of the academy found me in a local shoe store purchasing these boots for team building exercises. They are currently third on the depth chart behind the flip-flops featured above and my old police boots.

I don't really like them because whenever I take them off the pad bunches up. I hate that. I'm also not terribly keen on steel-toed boots. With the recent demise of almost all of my go-to footwear they have been seeing increased use though.

TODAY IS OUR DUE DATE!!!

MY SHOES UPDATE- They're droppin' like flies!!!

On Saturday I was lifeguarding here at Camp Maranatha when I noticed that a little girl was drowning in the deep end. She was going under so I jumped in and as I hit the water the strap on my beloved flip-flops gave out and separated from the rest of the sandal. That means that my choice of footwear is restricted now to two pairs of boots, one of which has never been featured on "my shoes." That will be coming soon.