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July 30, 2005
National League West
Here's something I've not seen before, although I'm sure it's happened. With the slumping Padres, the entire National League West is below .500.
Posted by John at 09:35 PM | Comments (2)
Lynn North Shore Spirit
One more ballpark checked off last night on what now seems like a quest to visit every pro-baseball stadium within a reasonable drive of Boston before the end of the summer. I know that for some readers this might seem like trying to buy gas at every Texaco in the area, but I enjoy it. Anway, if I'm not mistaken, this is the third time this season I've seen the hapless Elmira Pioneers (my former home team from my Ithaca/Cornell U days) get their clocks cleaned. Last night: Lynn 9, Elmira 3, although 14-12 on hits means L.O.B. and poor performance with RISP was the name of the game.
It's a very nice stadium. It's really a neighborhood park: there are about sixty apartments with views of the field from their balconies, not that anyone was watching, but....
The obligatory Italian sausage with peppers and onions went straight from the grill to the bun and my hand, and the beer selection at least included Sam Adams (hear that Woostah?).
Still to go: Nashua, Manchester, Portland. Pittsfield and Troy are too far away, but if I had a couple of more weeks....
Posted by John at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
Mondovino
Ok, most people liked this documentary on the global wine business, and I expected to but didn't. I guess this is the new style of documentary filmmaking: hand-held, whimsical cinematography; impressionistic and understated but insinuating interpretation. Not everyone can pull it off. This film is tedious and mainly incoherent, visually and narratively. It's always fun to watch rich people and corporate lakeys lying and saying outrageously stupid things on camera, but I didn't learn anything new about wine and precious little new about the industry -- and I really love wine and have a good general base of knowledge. It's a great film for dog-lovers, though; the cameraperson seems to have a fixation.
Posted by John at 03:47 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
White Mountains weekend
Saturday morning I headed up 93 to the White Mountains. The White Mountain trails are not known for switchbacks, so I 'profened up the knees considerably in preparation. On the trail by 10:40, it took me two hours exactly to get to the 4,802 ft. summit of Mt. Moosilauke, the most westerly of the over-4,000 feet peaks, not bad for 4.2 miles with 3300 feet of elevation gain.
I took the Glencliff Trail/Carriage Road route (the AT) to the treeless summit. (The route offers a nice mile across the top above timberline).
It was partly sunny but with pretty long views over to Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Washington in the distance to the northeast, Vermont to the west. After lunch and some pictures in the cold wind, I headed down the Benton Trail, 4 miles to the Tunnel Brook Rd. trailhead. A mile up the road from that I caught the Tunnel Brook Trail, 6 miles or so (plus another .3 miles on the road at the other end) back to my car. This was sweet 14-mile loop. The last leg rolled gently up and down -- perfect to stretch out the quads and hamstrings after the steep ascent and descent. This goregous little trail had no one on it, and few footprints even. It follows streams and beaver ponds. I saw several garter snakes, a large tree frog, a rabbit, and the same white-throated sparrow that I had heard near the summit (doesn't he know about climatic zones?). Oven-birds in the deep woods, especially late in the afternoon. Signs of moose and beaver, but none in the flesh.
Back in the car, I cut across the North-South Rd. to the Wildowood Forest Service campground off NH 112, where, on a Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in mid-summer, there were still a few spots left, but not for long. It's a nice little campground, although a little noisy this weekend. Logging trucks cruise NH 112 just a few hundred yards away, the campground "hosts'" car alarm went off a few times around 10:00. The campground has one isolated spot that would be a good grab next time. I had dinner and a few beers at the Truant Tavern in North Woodstock, then read in the hammock until sleep and too many moths flying at the headlamp drove me into the tent. The chilly night was a nice respite from Boston's recent swelter. The next morning I saw a fox and weasel on the road.
Moosilauke was a warmup for Sunday, when I charged up the Airline Trail to the Mt. Adams summit (5799') over in the Presidentials. Four miles, 4400 feet gain: rated at four hours, I made it in three flat, on the summit by 11:40 after a departure of 8:35. LOTS of company on these trails, of course! (A nice couple from the area I ran into just below the summit recommended the Bondcliff trail in the Pemigawasset Wilderness. Said it gets you up above timberline for a good long time. Next New Hampshire trip, maybe, whenever that will be....Another couple, these with a smallish, very enthusiastic puppy, said it was their fourteenth 4,000 footer since April, together with the dog!) Hardly a cloud in the sky, just like my last Presidentials hike, Mt. Jefferson/Great Gulf Wilderness with Leda back in 1998. Stupendously long views all around, and a great view up over Jefferson to Washington.
As I headed off the south side of the boulder pile at the summit, I dropped down on (almost literally) a group of ten people on a south-facing ledge, eyes closed, hands raised, softly chanting a mantra of some kind while a leader with a slight, possibly fake British accent of some flavor went on about God the Creator and salvation and some other vaguely Christian stuff. Charismatic Catholics? Unitarians on drugs? Don't know, but I'm almost positive I heard him say "blessed are the cheesemakers." Some other guy was non-chalantly eating his lunch just off to the side, and we shared a bemused look as I clambered past them. Possibly the strangest sight I've experienced in the mountains. I dropped down and across to little Star Lake, and then over to the AMC Madison hut just below the pass to fill the water bottle and watch the hippie girls make soup for a few minutes (ah, college...). Then a quick scramble up Mt. Madison (5366') for my third 4,000 footer in two days. Down the Watson Path, which was most unpleasant. Very steep, even down into timber, and poorly maintained. It did give me a quick look at Duck Falls -- not worth it! Then to Valley Way, which was lovely, curving a little down through sunny, south-facing broadleaf forest, and over to the Brookbank Trail (it's an L.A. cloverleaf of FS/AMC/RMC trails on this side!) to pass several really nice waterfalls. Took a splashbath and soaked the feet in the stream in the sun of the powerline cut, and then to the car. 'Bout ten miles or so, the whole loop, back by 4:20. My thighs were jelly by the end.
Steak and roasted vegies on the grill, followed by a brief walk in the darkening woods around the lake down the road to look for moose. I didn't find any, but I did have a nice crepuscular chat with a guy revisiting some spots from his 1978 AT hike. He started in Georgia in mid-March, took two separate weeks off for family things, and finished by July 14 or so. Pretty good pace!
I hit the sack early and slept in an hour past (and apparently through) the 6:00 alarm. Before returning to Cambridge, I headed north to check out the intriguing Connecticut Lakes my eyes have always been drawn to on the map, way up at the northern tip of New Hampshire. It was a rainy morning, and the misty mountains gradually gave way to rolling, thick north woods. The lakes look nice, and there are beautiful mountains to the east. Decent state park camping at Lake Francis (some walk-in sites that look nice) and lots of cabins for rent in the area. Colerook, right on the Connecticut River and a couple of miles south of the Vermont/Canada triple border, is the nearest real town. As I sat in my car in the rain looking out over Second Connecticut Lake at a deserted boat launch, by myself and five miles from the Canadian border, I was amazed that some anti-terrorist or anti-drug squad didn't come crashing down through the trees to see what I was up to. Maybe they did check me out with binoculars :-). I also had a look at the Balsams Wilderness ski resort on the way back: beautiful hotel, no sign of the apparently amazing nordic area (95 km of trails). The alpine slopes look a little tame (but it IS cheap!). Back along the Androscogin River. Nice state park camping right along the river's edge, and I'm sure there are great canoe trips that head out of there into Maine. Made the perennial mistake of North Conway, but the Kangamagus Highway was beautiful, especially now that the sun was out full.
Drive times straight to Second Connecticut Lake from Boston would be 4 hours, 3:15 from Manchester, a little less from either to the Balsams.
(Some pictures to follow...)
Posted by John at 11:55 PM | Comments (2)
July 20, 2005
Lowell Spinners
Another New England minor league ballpark checked off this summer. Up to Lowell (New York-Penn League, A) tonight with Dan and Henrik, a Hungarian friend. I always enjoy trying to explain baseball to foreigners! It was a great game for it, actually, with lot of errors and should-have-been errors, and so forth. It's a nice park, right near downtown and the river and in the shadow of some of Lowell's ancienttextile mills. Best name: Yahmed Yema. Top prospect: Jacoby Ellsbury. The one everyone was there to see: Gabe Kapler, back from Japan (Yomiuri Giants) and DH-ing tonight. Final score: 7-1 over Batavia. Dan told me about the Jack Kerouac bobble-head promotion there a two years ago. Sorry I missed that!
Here's Gabe striking out, but (added 7/30) he made it back to Fenway on Saturday:
Posted by John at 11:34 PM | Comments (1)
Shelby Lynne
Back to the Paradise this past weekend to see Shelby Lynne (July 17). It was a very good show, though, for someone who in interviews says she lives for performing, I thought she was a little uneasy on stage. Her band, the geekiest-lookest threesome ever to come out of Mississippi I'm sure, was really good. The hard rock dobro stylings were a revelation for any fan of that instrument. The highlight of the night for me was a cover of the Stones' "Dead Flowers". I also really like her new tune "Where Am I Now?," off the new album, Suit Yourself.
The crowd mystified me a little. Librarian-ish women and forty- and fifty-something single men. The presence of the latter was explained when a few minutes on Google revealed the Shelby has developed a large gay following.
Posted by John at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2005
Kafka in the Condos
Our latest Communication to our esteemed Board of Directors. I guess the idea that someone would not have a car in CA is just too much for them.
July 12, 2005
... Homeowners Association Board of Directors
[snip]Dear Board members:
I just learned of Karen's recommendation on July 12, 2005, that we be fined for failure to turn in a parking form. This is absurd. I am trying very hard not to take this suggestion as personal harassment and dishonesty. I will try to see it as merely managerial incompetence and a very bad memory.We have had two interactions with the Association about the parking form. The first was last September when we moved in. We told Karen that we did not have a car and would not have one on the property until the end of this summer. She issued us a sticker, which we have used on the occasional rental car. She told us that there was no point in filling out a form until we had a car of own that we would be parking on the property but that when we moved our car to Pomona and registered it in California we would have to fill one out.
The issue came up again at the May Board meeting, when a representative from the security firm was there to talk about parking issues. My wife, Leda, was present at the meeting and reminded Karen and the Board that we would not have a car at "Partridge Patch Condos" until the end of the summer. Leda says the response was a little vague, but that the answer was that you would be figuring out what should happen in a case like this. Surely the minutes reflect this. No further decision on this portentous issue has been forthcoming.
I have written to Karen and asked her to mail or fax me a form (I am out of state for the summer) if a signed blank form will make her happy.
I also understand that we will be receiving a letter officially asking us to submit a review request for our garage shelves. We have already indicated, verbally and in writing, that we intend to do so. The Board is aware, I hope, that we are both away for the summer (we left a day or two after the inspection by the Board's visiting committee) and will only be able to submit something when we return in late August.
We feel that we are off to a rocky start with this Board and with Karen, and we sincerely hope that future interactions will not require the assistance of our attorney.
Yours,
Posted by John at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
Crossing the street in Cambridge
Lots of people ask me, "John, how do mamage to get across the streets in Cambridge"? Cambridge drivers, of course, see pedestrians as so many tin cans to flatten. Here's my strategy:
First of all, no one is going to stop for you in a crosswalk if you stay on the curb like so many timid souls do. The "state law stop for pedestrians" signs could be dripping blood, and it wouldn't phase them. The trick is to make a quick and confident first stride off the curb, furtively making sure that the driver sees you and will actually stop but -- and this is the most important part -- without letting them see you seeing them. Only when you're sure that they will stop can you look at them so they don't think you're totally crazy. Secondly, and this is controversial, you must never wave thanks. They're required by law to stop, of course, so they're not doing you any favors. If you thank them, as do many unthinking pedestrians, you introduce in their minds the pernicious notion that they were doing you a favor, and the next time they approach a crosswalk with a doubt as to whether to hit the gas or the brake, you don't want them thinking, "I already did my favor for today." It might just be me in the crosswalk, looking out of the corner of my eye!
Posted by John at 12:07 AM | Comments (2)
July 12, 2005
The Four Feathers
Here's a movie so unmemorable that it wasn't until forty minutes into it tonight that I realized that I'd seen it before, and it's only from 2002. With the first plot twist, I was thinking that maybe I'd read the novel or seen an earlier version of the film. But no! I have a lousy memory, but I rarely forget a film. This one is ghastly. I don't know how it got on my Netflix list.
Posted by John at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2005
The end of a great bar
I discovered this week that one of my favorite Cambridge bars has closed, the Plough and Stars. I walked in for lunch the other day and found the sad owner, George, closing things up. He thinks it will re-open soon but probably not with him. This was a great bar, and just two blocks from home. Great music, nice folks.
Posted by John at 09:05 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2005
Worcester Tornadoes
Hoping to see games in all the Boston area ballparks this summer, I headed out to Worcester tonight to see a game against New Haven (Can-Am League, Independent). They use the Holy Cross ballpark, not a thing of great beauty. Clunky aluminum granstand, view of the freeway. As usual, I paid for an expensive seat that I never sat in, roaming the ballpark instead. Worst beer I've had to buy in years (Budweiser) and the worst hot dogs and sausages ever -- cold soggy things wrapped in aluminum foil for god knows how long. I told the cashier they needed better beer, and she gave me this look like I was crazy not to love Bud. I wanted to say that there was this beer revolution in America twenty years ago and Worcester will catch up to it sooner or later. The crowd was quite into the game, following it closely, even when the City of Worcester's rather impressive early 4th fireworks show started going off over the right field horizon. I was surprised at the number of California-style, 5th inning-arrivals, though. Worcester-ites are very white and doughy, if the crowd at the game was representative. Sort of Nebraska in Massachusetts. Long lines at the fried dough stand, and it showed :-0.
The officiating was awful (and I don't often complain about that). The home plate and first base umps made egregious calls. The third base ump, hugely fat and looking past middle-aged, labored out to the field every time a man got on, making me glad for the ambulance I saw standing by on the way in. Good guys, leading their division, won 3-1. Decent pitching, lots of good hits, plenty of Little League moments in the infield, shallow outfield (the lights don't illuminate very high and many popups were lost in the darkness), and on the base paths. The Worcester catcher looks like he has it all together, though: Yohanny Valera, a veteran who had his cup of coffee with the Expos for two weeks in 1999 before dropping back down and knocking around the minors.
I had planned on going up to Lowell tonight to see the Spinners, but I learned at the last minute that it was a salute-the-troops night there, with the team dressing in camouflage uniforms. More jingo than I could take, so I headed west instead. The Tornadoes, by the way, are named for the big T4 1953 twister that killed 94 people. Worcester is also the home of Robert Goddard, "father of the space program," as I learned from a sign on 1-290.
I'm excited for Monday's start for Oil Can Boyd down in Brockton. It will be my third Brockton Rox game. I saw him pitch there with Stefan last weekend. I really love that ballpark, and it's fun to reconnect with an ancestral home!
Posted by John at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)