A Few Words as Wednesday Slips Away

I thought I'd share a few of the photos of the Merced River I took when we visited Yosemite last month. The water level was so low in spots that we were able to walk out to the middle of the river. While standing there, I thought about what I would do if all the water that was supposed to be there suddenly came rushing back in. I envisioned a wave similar to the one Arwen summoned in Fellowship of the Ring (in the movie, not the book) to wash away the pursuing Dark Riders, watery horses and all. I wondered what I'd do and the answer seemed pretty clear. I'd say something profound (like "Good golly!"), attempt to run, trip over a rock and drown. Given the recent rise in deaths caused by elf-invoked waves, I consider myself lucky to have taken these shots and survived.

I saw my first Christmas tree of the year on Monday. It was in the window display of a store I passed while getting on the freeway in south San Jose. The tree was an unnatural shade of blue, as though somebody had wrapped the light strings around it too tightly and had cut off its air supply. I suspect the malls and early bird houses will begin their seasonal decorating this weekend.

I finally finished reading Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, the first book in his series of naval adventures featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. The historical setting and the camaraderie of the two main characters drew me into the story. Aubrey is unsophisticated and a man of action. Maturin is refined and a man of science. It would seem they would never get along, but through their mutual love of music and adventure, they quickly become friends. The book took longer than expected to read, not due to poor writing, but due to my own ignorance of nautical terminology. I constantly found myself wanting a dictionary and a diagram of a ship to know what and where things like the fo'c's'le, mizzen topsail and fore topmast studding sail were.

After an agonizing fourteen innings and five hours of play, the White Sox defeated the Astros last night. Houston has lost the first three games of the World Series, which means it could all be over tonight. It's almost a given that Chicago will clinch it, but it would be nice if Houston won just one game, if for no other reason than to avoid the sweep.

Today, I noticed Richard Bangs Adventures: Expedition Eiger on Yahoo!, which follows John Harlin III's attempt to ascend the Eigernordwand, one of the world's most difficult mountain climbs. What makes the quest compelling is the fact that Harlin's father, John Harlin II, a famous mountaineer, was killed attempting to climb the very same mountain nearly forty years ago. The whole expedition strikes me as an adventure National Geographic would typically sponsor and report, which is why I'm surprised that Yahoo! (in cooperation with MacGillivray Freeman Films) is providing the daily coverage.