Best Books of 2020.

I am always looking for a good book to read.  At the end of each year, writers and reviewers list their top 10 or 20 books.  I also like to compare the books I have read with the top 10 or 20 lists. This year I found my favorite book of fiction on most lists.  That book was "Deacon King Kong" by James McBride.

It tells the story of an old church deacon known as Sportcoat who shuffles into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and, in front of everybody, shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range.

The reasons for the shooting and the resulting consequences are the heart of Deacon King Kong. James McBride brings to life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the African-American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, the white neighbors, the local cops assigned to investigate, the members of the Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was deacon, the neighborhood’s Italian mobsters, and Sportcoat himself.

Some of my other favorite books that made several lists include the following:

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of longing and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque novel, at its heart it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.

In 1580’s England, during the Black Plague a young Latin tutor falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman in this “exceptional historical novel” 
Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.

 The First Week of 2021 After The Year That Was Like No Other.

2020 was a unique year.  It had 29 days in February, 300 days in March, and 5 years in April.  In 2020, the corona virus took over the world, and the world slowed down and came to a stop in some places.  In some sectors the world raced to meet the onslaught of Covid-19.  People died, more than 370,000 in the United States. The complete and abject failure of the President was on display for the world to see.  However, his failure to even try to control the spread of this disease cost people their lives, and for that he can’t be forgiven.  

The election in November restored some hope for the country because this corrupt, racist, lying administration was defeated.  However, this hope was tempered by the failure of the Democrats to take back the Senate from the Republican stronghold. Trump and his allies in Congress and the right-wing media started a campaign before the November election to say if he lost the election, then the election was rigged.  Once he lost the election, he unleashed a no-holds-barred effort to discredit the election results and to have them changed.  After 70 court challenges and recounts in different states (3 in Georgia alone) the results remained the same.  What could a narcissistic president do now to remain in power?

The two Senate seats from Georgia were still in play.  The State of Georgia has a law that requires candidate to receive 50.1% vote to win an election. This would insure that minority candidates couldn’t win in a 3 way race by splitting the vote and capturing the seat with less than 50% of the vote. Through the Herculean efforts of Stacy Abrams to register black voters and to get them to the polls, the State of Georgia voted for the Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden.  The question yet to be answered was:  could Stacey Abrams and others get the voters in Georgia to elect a Black Minister, Raphael Warnock, and a Jew, John Ossff to represent them in the US Senate.

While Trump was raising money to fund his effort to destroy the most secure election in the history of the United States, other money was pouring in to Georgia to influence the voters in this election.  The Democrats had two qualified and honest men running for these seats, the Republicans on the other hand had two people who used insider information to buy and sell stock to stuff their bank accounts. Both President-Elect Biden and loser Trump visited Georgia to campaign on behalf of their candidates.  Trump talked about how the election was stolen from him and to wait for January 6 when it would show he won.

Everyone was eager to ring in the New Year 2021.  Just like all the holidays in 2020, we rang in the New Year within our “family” pod.  A vaccine for the virus was approved in December 2020, and health care workers started to be vaccinated. Yes, a new strain of the virus was discovered in England, but a new President offered a new opportunity for handling the response to the virus in a fact based and efficient manner.  There was a glimmer of hope that we might get back to a sense of normalcy.   We knew the Georgia Senate election was on Tuesday, January 5, and the Congress would accept the electoral results of the state on Wednesday, January 6.  Welcome the year 2021.

The elections results from Georgia were not final until the Wednesday morning when Congress would accept the Presidential electoral results. Just as many of us were cheering the unbelievable feat of having a Southern “red” state elect two Democratic senators, the news broke that the Trump supporters, the white supremacy groups, the

proud boys and other right wing radicals stormed the  halls of the Capitol.  The Capitola had not been invaded since the War of 1812. No need to ask how this could happen now.  It happened because Trump called upon his followers to do it, this was his January 6 surprise.  It happened because the Republicans in Congress supported false claims about the election results; it happened because people are racist and believe right wing media lies.  I happened for these and so many other reasons.

So ends the first week of 2021, the year we were all waiting for.

The Christmas tree was smaller, the guests were fewer, the time  together outside was shorter, the presents were fewer, and the dinner choices were selective, but this didn't stop us from having a wonderful Christmas this year.  The lame-duck wacky president, and the corona virus tried to rob us of our holiday joy, but we found a way to share our love for one another, and enjoy our smaller, fewer, shorter, selective holiday season.

 

Christmas in Costa Rica!

The weather was great, and it was a treat to have everyone around, including the college students.  Even the unfortunate event of having the McKenna Family arrive a day late due to American Airlines problems, could not dampen our spirits.

The people in Costa Rica are so warm and friendly, and they wanted to make our stay in their country memorable.  They accomplished their goal.  We saw colorful birds, animals, frogs,  iguanas, bats and caymans.  Just to name a few living things.

The family took hikes and boat rides in the rain forest to see the wonders of nature.  Some went scuba diving while others went snorkeling or surfing.  A stop along the way for a zip-line ride was a fun adventure, and horse back riding on the beach at sunset was picture perfect.

The time went all too fast, but everyone got pictures to help them recall the Christmas we spent in Costa Rica in 2013.

The blue jeans frog, the winking owl, and the large toucan are just a few of the wonderful photographic memories.

It's Friday the 13 and time to start counting all they things that go wrong today -- or is it.  Lucky is what lucky does, as my dad used to say.  He was born on May 13 and my Aunt was born on September 13, and invariably one of their birthdays seemed to fall on a Friday. They both said it was their lucky day. As a truck driver, my father picked truck number 13 as his, even though there was no competition for it.
I am someone who admits to being superstitious, what else can explain the 49ers loss in the Superbowl last year.  If I had just made that last toss in the waste can they would have won.  I have to overcome these feelings to make this Friday the 13 a good day.  Then I recalled it rained on my wedding day over 52 years ago, and my dad said, "rain always brings me luck."  And it did bring me "luck." So, for my dad I will celebrate Friday the 13 and decide on my own what brings me luck -- it can even rain tomorrow.

JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING, WHAT A GREAT SHOW!

Over 16,000 of us went to the HP Pavilion in San Jose to hear James Taylor and Carole King in concert. From the moment they entered the stage until 2 1/2 hours later the audience was with them in the present while remembering all the songs of the past. Their back-up musicians and singers had been with the for awhile so it seemed to move smoothly and joyfully. I didn't realize the audience was singing along to all the songs until I recorded "You've Got a Friend" on my iphone and could hear the background support.

I always considered Carole King more of the rocker and James Taylor more of the folk musician, and they displayed these styles and more. Carol showed her rocking style with "Smackwater Jack," "I Feel the Earth Move," and "Natural Woman." James displayed his quieter side with "Fire and Rain," "Walking Man," and "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

James Taylor then rocked it a bit with "Mexico" and "Shower The People." Carole King slowed it down with "It's Too Late" and "Will You Still Love Me tomorrow." The show was a perfect balance of songs and tempos.

The audience brought them back for three encores, and I could have listened to them for another hour, but we were happy just to see and hear these artists for the time we had.

Stevens Creek Trail, Mountain View, CA

Hats off, or bicycle helmets off, to the The City of Mountain View!  The City Council and staff  should be congratulated for their work on making the Stevens Creek Trail a reality.  Three of us rode our bikes from our home to the trail head at El Camino Real then onto Shoreline Park at San Francisco Bay.  We stopped for lunch and then headed back home.  The trail provides users multiple experiences through woodlands, tidal marshes and neighborhood parks. 

Stevens Creek is named after Captain Elisha Stephens one of the early settlers of Cupertino.

My favorite story about Stephens is that he moved West to get away from the growing population in the Mid-West.  However, soon others had the same idea.  When a neighbor moved to within 8 miles of Stephens ranch, he said the place was getting too crowded.  So he headed north into an unpopulated area of California.  

The creek that was named after Stevens begins on the flanks of Black Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and flows through Stevens Canyon and the cities of Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Mountain View on its way to the San Francisco Bay.  The total length of Stevens Creek is more than 20 miles.

The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail is a local community group whose goal is to raise community awareness and support for the completion of a trail in the Stevens Creek Corridor. You can visit their website to get more information on the trail:  www.stevenscreek trail.org   Thanks to the City of Mountain View and the Friends of the trail for providing such a benefit to the larger community.

Trail Spotting

On the trail this morning, I spotted a 4 foot long California King Snake, pictured on the left.  My jogging partner carries a small camera in his backpack, so we can capture such "kodak moments."

The Kingsnake derives its name form the its habit of eating other snakes, and it is immune to viper venom.  Although, it is a gentle snake, it did hiss and vibrate it tail when we approached. 

He really was a beauty, black with cream stripes!

Family Stories

In listening to Doris Kerns Goodwin remarks the other day, she noted that, "History at its best is about telling stories, stories about people who lived before, about events in the past that create the contours of the present." 

This comment reminded me of one our family's favorite stories about our father.  As an eyewitness to the story, I can retell it like it happened yesterday, when in reality it occurred over 50 years ago.

My father, his brother, and two friends played golf every Saturday morning at the local public golf course.  The tee time was determined on a "first come first serve basis."   To be one of the first foursomes to tee off each Saturday, one golfer would line up 4 golf bags in front of the clubhouse early in the morning.  With each person taking a turn, this would mean you would have to get up early only once a month to put the golf bags in line.  Since our house was closest to the gold course, each player would bring or leave his clubs in our garage for pick up and delivery to the golf course.   Then early Saturday morning the assigned golfer would come to our house, lift up the garage door, pick up the bags, and take them to the golf course to be put in line.  

This early morning Saturday ritual went on for well over a decade when one weekend morning our local Township Police noticed someone opening our garage door and removing four sets of golf clubs, putting them into the back of his car and driving off.  They decide to follow the culprit for several miles and also call for backup.   They finally stop the burglar and demand to know what he was up to.  He explains that he is, Bernie Waters, a friend of my father's and is on his way to put the golf bags in line to get an early tee time.  A likely story!  So they send the backup policeman to our home to check out Bernie's alibi.

The door bell rings at our house at 4:30 am, scaring and awakening our family.  My father makes it to the front door first.   I hear my dad responding, "Yeah, I know a Bernie Waters."  Then realizing that Bernie is being detained by the police, my father asks somewhat impatiently, "You mean you have kept him from putting the golf bags in line."  The policeman who was much larger than my father and carrying a gun, begins to explain that they had to follow up on what appeared to be a residential burglary.  My father wasn't hearing a word of this explanation.  In no uncertain terms, my father lets the policeman know that if they didn't let Bernie go right now, they would miss their tee time and he was none to happy about that!  Fortunately for Bernie and the Saturday golf game, he was immediately released from police custody.

I wonder how the police wrote up that report!

Fox News

If you are anticipating a richly deserved criticism of Fox News -- which usually presents the news in unfair and unbalanced manner, don't read any further.  I will save that for another time.

The fox news today is that I saw a fox while jogging in the Open Space Preserve  today.  I haven't seen a fox in years, and it was a delight to see him on the trail this unusually hot morning.

He saw me, but seemed confused about whether I was a threat or not.  As I slowed to a walk on the down hill slope, he moved off into the bushes but apparently didn't want to go over the steep slope.  So he waited for me to pass before resuming his place on the trail.

With the warm weather and water far down in the valley, I wonder if this will drive other creatures in search of water onto these well traveled trails. 

Baggage Claim

While traveling during the past two weeks,  I saw a news story on CNN International that American Airlines would charge $15 to check your first bag and each additional bag would be an added cost.  Oh, please!  May the American management team who thought up that cockamamy idea perpetually lose their luggage.  Do these people ever fly coach class?  Have they even been on a plane recently?  Well, I have.  People carry on more bags than are allowed and bags are larger than allowed.  Charging a fee to check bags would only exacerbate the carry on luggage problems.

I understand that fuel costs are rising and the airlines are looking for ways to stay profitable, but charging a fee that will only make the experience of the passengers more unpleasant doesn't seem to be the answer. However, this seems to be the modus operandi of the industry.  

Last winter airlines left passengers stranded due to cancelled flights, and forced others to wait in crowded planes for 12 hours or more with broken toilets.  Congress considered passing a Passenger Bill of Rights in response to this service debacle.  The airline industry dodged that bullet, but it needs a whole new way of thinking about the service it provides and the way to make it both safe and reasonably pleasant.  Frequent flyer programs that never have available seats, long lines for check-in and security checks, overbooked or cancelled flights, equipment that is broken, crowded conditions, and surly service staff are complaints one hears frequently while traveling by plane.  It's time to look at a few more things besides fuel costs and charges.

Costa Rica '08

The pictures were taken in Lapa Rios, Tortuguero, and Manuel Antonio,

 Costa Rica during the last week of March, 2008