Little League Playoffs

Little League standings website

UPDATE ON 6/1/13: "BREWERS BEAT ASTROS IN A SHUTOUT 3-0 GAME TODAY. I SCORED IN 2 OF THE RUNS! OUR NEXT GAME IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP. TUNE IN NEXT SATURDAY!" - Nate

Nate's team, the Brewers, remains undefeated in the Little League playoffs. The last game was a nail-biter: two runs down in the last inning, the Brewers gained seven runs (with Nate bringing home two). The next game is against the Astros, the one team who hasn't lost an entire game all season long. Eeek!

Apple Valley Days

Julie dressed up for her school's 3rd grade "Apple Valley Days" where for one week they simulate a pioneer school, including chalk and slate in the classrooms.  So much for their new iPads in the classroom...

Snake necklace

 

A good day

On Saturday I went to Golden Gate Park for the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild competition, and I was surprised to walk away with a second place ribbon. I had entered my California Common steam beer named "Lucky 11", so called since I'm Gina let me bottle this beer all day on our 11th anniversary (lucky me). There were over 60 entries and many better brewers, so surprise is an understatement. Afterwards I rushed home just in time to see Nate hit his first ball and score to help his team win their first Little League playoff game, score 7-4. Good job, Nate!

Baseball + Window = not good

Our first, and hopefully only backyard baseball casualties: a hole in the office window and dent in the back of our iMac. Luckily the foul ball from Nate missed Gina, who was sitting at the other desk. Poor Julie erupted in tears after seeing the damage, and Nate kept saying "I'm so sorry!" until it finally evolved into "Am I going to have to pay for that?"

Mother's Day

 

 

I think it was a pretty good mother's day this year: kid's making bacon, home-picked flowers, heart-shaped scones, Gina's brother David over, a visit to Gina's mom, and eating fancy hamburgers outside in Berkeley. 

Sierra Nevada & Feather Falls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gina couragously volunteered to take over Little League pitch count duty and overall parenting duties for the couple of days I went to Chico with my friend Steve. We drove up early Monday morning to bike 10 miles up Bidwell park and then jump in the river (top picture). Afterwards we toured Sierra Nevada brewery. The next day we hiked another 10 miles through overgrown trails to Feather Falls to see the 6th tallest waterfalls in the US, one of the undiscovered hikes in the Sierra's (and then followed up with a chilly drip in the river…45 degrees, as shown on my hands, reversed). Unfortunately I must have also brushed up against a grove of poison oak as proven by the rash being nursed (not shown).