Dedicated to the One I Love

"Each night before you go to bed my baby

Whisper a little prayer for me my baby

And tell all the stars above

This is dedicated to the one I love"

("Dedicated to the One I Love" by the Shirelles)

We're in Houston for Thanksgiving with Dana and Jorge. We flew out with Megan and Ryan, who stayed through Tuesday. This past Sunday, Lori was dedicated (sort of like a baptism for those who don't ascribe to infant baptism) during the 9:30 worship service at Grace Presbyterian Church. Pastor Doug Ferguson, who performed Jorge and Dana's wedding ceremony, officiated the brief ceremony. If you've never heard Doug do this, you're missing something; he has a real gift. It was a wonderful time, so full of hope and promise... just like Lori herself. I'll post some photos of the ceremony soon.

I'm not going to even try to be unbiased here. Lori is a delight. Check out the photo at the right (Lori's sweet ride is an early Christmas present from Trudi and me). Unless she's really tired, hungry or needs changing, she's pretty much like this. Cheerful, inquisitive, cute as the dickens, and for a kid this tiny, really strong. She's 7 months old and already crawling around like crazy and pulling herself up to a standing position. That last comment is not so much a brag as it is bad news for Jorge and Dana, who will have their hands full as Lori gets into absolutely everything earlier than anticipated!

What's also been fun is to meet a lot of Dana and Jorge's friends. Great folks all around. Dana Jorge have a very special community of friends, that's for sure, and that is one of life's richest blessings.

More Than A Pet

"He danced for those at minstrel shows

and county fairs throughout the south.

He spoke through tears of 15 years

how his dog and him traveled about.

The dog up and died, he up and died.

After 20 years he still grieves."

This verse from the song "Mr. Bojangles" captures in the simplest language the deep and abiding love we have for our pets.

Dear friends of ours took their cat to the vet yesterday, and based on the bleak diagnosis, made the heart-wrenching decision to have him put down. My heart goes out to them. It reminded me of our own experience with our beloved yellow labrador retriever, Molly.

Molly was a special member of our family for nearly 15 years, which is a long time for a lab. The girls picked her out of the litter, or as they will tell you and photos prove, she picked them. From that moment on, Molly brought incalculable joy to our lives. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm, her goofy tricks and at times almost human mannerisms, the unconditional love and devotion she gave us... all of these endeared her to us and are etched forever in our memories.

Time eventually took its toll on our dear dog, and in January 2004, after discussing it with her vet, we decided that we had to have her put down. It was one of the toughest decisions we've ever had to make. I remember her last day as if it were yesterday. A little statue - a sleeping pup with angel wings - marks the place in our back yard where she is buried.

Molly has been gone for nearly five years, but to this day, when I walk in the house, I half expect her to greet me. When Trudi's doing the laundry, every now and then she swears she hears Molly sniffing at the side door.

Even now as I type these words, the emotions come flooding back. But time has made the loss easier, and has made our memories of her that much sweeter.

To our friends who've lost their feline companion: we understand, and we're with you.

Eating and Drinking on the Monterey Peninsula

As a follow-up to my earlier post, I thought I'd share some favorite places to eat and drink on the Monterey peninsula.

For a great mid-day experience, drive out to Carmel Valley and have lunch at Cafe Rustica (right). Fabulous soups, salads and sandwiches, and some truly awesome thin-crust brick oven pizzas. Try the "Lorraine" pizza: carmelized onions, bacon and gruyere. The "Flammekueche" pizza is also nice with diced proscuitto, onions, thyme and creme fraiche.

While you're out there, go wine tasting. Two nice wine tasting rooms are located just around the corner from Cafe Rustica: Georis and Talbott Vineyards. Georis makes some nice wines with a European touch (they have wine flights for $20 including a cheese plate). Talbott makes truly outstanding Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs that start at around $13 and go up from there. I've not tasted a bad wine there, just good, better and oh-my-gosh (priced accordingly, of course). A block or so away is Joullian Vineyards (left), which makes some nice wines, notably Zinfandels and Chardonnays.

For dinner, you have to try Passion Fish in Pacific Grove. Creative dishes (right) featuring sustainable seafood, slow-cooked meats and organic greens. The servers are friendly and very helpful in selecting dishes or wines. One nice feature: they barely mark up their wines, allowing you to enjoy a nice bottle of wine without breaking the bank. Bring your own bottle of wine and if you buy one of theirs, they'll waive the corkage fee. This is our favorite restaurant in the area.

You should also check out Montrio Bistro in Monterey. Like Passion Fish, it offers an elegant yet casual atmosphere, an award-winning menu and fine service. We didn't order main courses, but kept a steady stream of their "small bites" appetizers, things like pancetta wrapped prawns, lobster mac and cheese, and polenta with mushrooms.

If you like Greek food, you must try Epsilon in Monterey. We've been there several times and have enjoyed it immensely each time. Entrees in the $15-$20 range.

There are, of course, so many other places worth trying, but these will do for now.

A Far Away Place

Where do you go to recharge your batteries? Some people might just hang with friends. Others might hit the golf course or go on a long bike ride. Still others might get lost in a book or paint.

Whatever you do or wherever you go to unwind, I think the key is distance. You have to feel like you're in a place that's – at least emotionally – far removed from the day-to-day grind.

For Trudi and me that's Pacific Grove, the sleepy seaside village next to Monterey. The photo at the right is from April, when the PG waterfront is covered with a carpet of bright pink miniature iceplant flowing down to meet the rugged Pacific coast. For me it doesn't get more beautiful than this.

We're down here now with our buddy Kent Reed. It's about 100 miles door to door, but for us, it feels like a million miles away from the Bay Area. I guess the key for me is that when I'm in the Bay Area, I'm in "doing" mode. I do my job, I do my volunteer work, I'm doing stuff around the house, etc. When I'm here, I can just be.

The weather this weekend is simply unreal. 75 degrees in PG and not a cloud in the sky. It's even warmer inland in Carmel Valley, where we went wine tasting on Friday. I'll tell you more about the restaurants and wineries soon.

Giving the Gift of Respect

One of the formative experiences of my life happened in the middle of first grade, when we moved from Redwood City to Corcoran, a tiny farming town in the Central Valley, where I spent the rest of my youth. At that time, Redwood City was predominantly caucasian; Corcoran was about 50-50 caucasian and Hispanic. The hispanics made up the bulk of the farm labor force.

My first day of school was a bit of a culture shock. From a big city to a small town, from a homogeneous to a mixed culture. Guess who shunned the new kid. Guess who asked him to play at recess. It was the opposite of what I expected. That day and many days hence, I hung out with the Hispanic kids. Learned to play marbles out on our dirt playground. Saw how some of my new friends lived out in the projects. Oh, I eventually had plenty of friends from all racial groups, but as you can imagine, those first days shaped my world view.

Since then I've had little tolerance for separating people by race or economic bracket. I'm not patting myself on the back or anything, it's just that I've never found any group that had a corner on character. If anything, I think it takes more to maintain your nobility and self-respect when you're near the bottom of the economic ladder than the top.

My mother was my biggest role model. She started the girl scout troop in Corcoran, exposing so many girls in that "cow town" to new experiences and training in life. She frequently befriended kids from the projects, many of whom she met while substitute teaching, encouraging them to dream big. My wife, Trudi, is also one of my heroes here.

Every day presents us with countless opportunities to give the gift of respect to the people we meet, particularly to those who are marginalized in one way or another. I'm not trying to preach, just share how I see things. Have a great day.

X-Files Forever!

It's been a pretty heavy-duty week at work, so I'm in need of some escape. Let me tell you about one of our favorite escapes: The X-Files.

I know it's been off the air for a while -- aside from its long, long run on cable -- but Trudi and I missed it the first time around. Dana and Jorge turned us on to it a while ago when we were visiting in Houston, and we decided to Netflick it from Episode 1 through the very last episode.

We're wrapping up season 7 (out of 9). Like my son-in-law Ryan, I think I like the lighthearted, slightly quirky episodes the best. Here are a couple of my favorites...

"Post-Modern Prometheus" -- In this episode, Mulder and Scully visit a small town to investigate reports of miraculous pregnancies, and encounter a mad scientist who's been doing genetic experiments, along with a modern Frankenstein-like monster. Done in black and white, this campy episode is a send-up of classic horror movies. The ending sequence, with Cher's "Walking in Memphis" as background music, is a fine finish to a great episode.

"The Unnatural" -- This is one for baseball fans, particularly those who know a bit about the so-called Negro League that paralleled -- and from a quality-of-play perspective surpassed -- the white Major Leagues during the first half of the 20th century. Mulder follows up on a story about a baseball player in the 1940s who played for a minor league team in Roswell. There's something unusual about the ball player, and the truth behind his other-worldly skill comes out over the course of the episode.

"Hollywood, A.D." -- A hollywood writer and college friend of FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner shadows Mulder and Scully on a case involving a mysterious religious artifact: the Lazarus bowl. The end result is a totally silly FBI movie about Mulder and Scully starring Garry Shandling and Tia Leone in the title roles. My description doesn't do this one justice. Suffice to say that it appears that everybody had a really fun time filming this one.

We're just about to get into the last two seasons, in which new characters are brought in. We're definitely on a home stretch. I've Netflicked the new X-files movie. Can't wait 'til it's out!

One for the History Books

Wow! What an election night! Trudi and I spent the evening glued to the TV, taking it all in. Definitely one for the history books in so many ways.

I work with a lot of folks from outside the U.S., and they've been following this election as if it were their own. Probably because in many ways it is. Our influence in every aspect of the world scene is incalculable. U.S. conservatives are no doubt discouraged about last night's results, but let me tell you, the mood among my international colleagues is upbeat for the first time in years.

This morning I received an email from a friend in Germany. This morning he put up the Star-Spangled Banner, to brighten the gray autumn skies over his city and to show his solidarity with his American friends. He attached a song: Happy Days Are Here Again. I share his optimism.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, there is no doubt that a fresh wind is blowing in the U.S. and around the world. Pray that God's hand will continue to guide us.

Van the Man

My Halloween evening at the Bohemian Club (see my post from Nov. 1) inspired me to revisit my Van Morrison music collection. Van really is hard to categorize.

The music mega-database AllMusic.com describes him like this: "Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-sorcerer, Van Morrison is among popular music's true innovators, a restless seeker whose incantatory vocals and alchemical fusion of R&B, jazz, blues, and Celtic folk produced perhaps the most spiritually transcendent body of work in the rock & roll canon."

That's a good description of a musician who pretty much defies description. Intensely private, he listens only to his own musical muse. A lot of you are familiar with his hits, including party anthems "Gloria" ("G-L-O-R-I-A, Gloria!") and "Brown Eyed Girl." All great stuff.

But some of his more interesting music... and the stuff I've been enjoying a lot lately... comes from later in his career, as he explored his spiritual side. How about these lyrics...

"When will I ever learn to live in God, when will I ever learn? He gives me everything I need and more, when will I ever learn?" ("When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God")

"Like a full force gale, I was lifted up again. I was lifted up again by the Lord. No matter where I roam, I will find my way back home. I will always return to the Lord." ("Full Force Gale")

"Whenever God shines his light on me, opens up my eyes so I can see. When I look up in the darkest night, I know everythings going to be alright." ("Whenever God Shines His Light")

These lines are from three of his many songs that reflect a deep spirituality. I'd be willing to be that any one of the above songs would get a great reception at Menlo Park Presbyterian. Now, to be sure, while his lyrics appear orthodox, as I understand it, his faith is anything but. But my view is this: God's truth is God's truth, no matter who says it. And whatever Van's personal testimony, the spiritual truth in his songs are a reflection of the one true God.

I encourage you to check out Van's music, particularly the above songs.

Adventures in Bohemia

Trudi and I just spent a most unique Halloween evening at the Bohemian Club up in San Francisco. For those who may not be familiar with the Bohemian Club, it is a gentleman's club established in post-gold rush San Francisco for the purpose of fostering the arts. The club has attracted its share of the famous and influential, including politicians like Richard Nixon, moguls like William Randolph Hurst and entertainers like Merv Griffin. Throughout the year, members stage professional-level shows for the club, and occasionally guests as well. That's where Trudi and I came in.

The evening started with cocktails in the bar, which is on a scale that I've never experienced. Gigantic room, bigger than my house and a way-high ceiling. Finely appointed in lovely wood paneling. No expense spared. I don't have photos, so use your imagination (let is run free!).

After drinks (my usual Manhattan), we got a tour of the place. Oh my gosh. The library... wood paneling, paintings, books all the way up to the ceiling. Straight out of a Sherlock Holmes movie, and, like the bar, bigger than my house and taller, too.

Dinner was simply wonderful. Lamb as nice as I've ever had, and service equal to the cuisine. Terrific company. Met a very nice couple from Yountville who were guests of the Straders. Totally fun.

The Halloween night show featured the music of Van Morrison, and it was nothing short of fantastic. Our buddy John Hettel played bass, and friend Brett Strader was the musical director, which involved arranging the music, charting all of the scores, directing the orchestra and performing on piano. Whew! The emcee was (get this) actor and Bohemian Club member Malcolm McDowell, the star of "A Clockwork Orange" and countless other movies. His most recent role is Linderman on the TV show "Heroes." Even got to meet Malcolm after the show. Pretty cool.

There was dancing afterwards. One amusing incident: John Hettel and I were chatting while the band was playing. John walked away, and a woman standing nearby came up and asked me if John and I were gay. I made the mistake of saying "No." You know how just about every big party has one lady who tries to dance with every guy and ends up dancing just as happily with herself. That was her. Help? Trudi?

We got home way past the witching hour. Just a stellar night all around!