Author: The Nack Daddy

Yesterday, Hen (known as our Licensed Adventure Catalyst™, for reliably getting us out of the house & doing fun things) was inspired to suggest that we return to the USS Hornet up in Alameda.

We’d last visited it nearly seven years ago, bunking on board with Cub Scout pals—and seven years before that we’d dropped by for the boys’ first visit. It’s wild to see the passage of time (check out galleries from 2012 and 2019).

I love having a MiniMe who shares my loves of photography and arcane plane facts. Sunset ended up being the perfect time to capture some striking silhouettes—and props (heh) to Hen for spotting some puddles that provided us with great natural mirrors. Check our our gallery for all the shots.

PS—This time around, despite having just seen Dr. Strangelove for the first time, Hen did not do his best Slim Pickens impersonation. 😉

Amidst all the hubbub of the dudes’ senior & junior years, we’ve fallen behind in updating the ol’ Micronaxx—so let’s see about fixing that!

Finn has once again hit the ice, repping the Bells’ blue & white. Here are some pics from the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader.

We’ve long been intrigued by Donner Pass—named after the ill-fated (as in, cannibal) expedition that became stuck there, and which the transcontinental railroad was able to surmount through immense skill, effort, & will.

Hen’s buddy Peter had previously hiked the 3-mille trail that now runs where the original rails once lay, and on Saturday the three of us made the long drive (nearly all the way to Lake Tahoe!) to hike it ourselves.

As you can see in our gallery, we enjoyed the immense tunnels & snow sheds, popping out perodically to enjoy some spectacular views en route to the current railroad—which we caught in action!

And boom goes the dynamite! For the last what feels like forever, Hen has been dutifully squirreling away in the basement, building up an amazing Butch-and-Sundance-themed diorama to enter into the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off.

As you can see in this gallery, the plan really came together in a spectacular blaze of glory, re-enacting one of the movie’s famous train robbery scenes. Way to go, Henry—we’re so proud of your hard work and craftsmanship! (And as our friend Jodi just remarked, “There is no person more qualified to create a model train diorama!!!!” :-D)

PS—Mom adds, “OMG SO FREAKING OUTSTANDING!!!! Hen, I could not love this more!”

On Sunday we wrapped up Finn’s first season of hockey by celebrating with his teammates. Little did we know that he’d be honored by them as the “Most Inspirational” player of the year! It was great to see his courage and hard work recognized, as you can see in this little gallery of shots from the day. Way to go, kiddo!

On Thursday night we had the pleasure of walking around San Francisco’s North Beach area, getting a guided tour of the area’s rich design history from the preservationists at SF Neon.

From the famous City Lights bookstore to Golden Boy Pizza & beyond, we loved hearing the many stories behind the faded facades—and then getting out of the chilly SF night & into a cozy Italian restaurant. Check out our gallery to see the sights.

On Saturday, the whole fam (including Seamus) had the pleasure of heading over to Santa Cruz to meet up with Finn and help him get prepped for a super fun prom with the lovely Brianna.

Finn had gotten to spend the day on the beach with pals, and the rest of us transported his formalwear over the mountains to help him look sharp. As he headed off to the dance (at the historic Santa Cruz Boardwalk) with Brianna & her mom, the rest of us drove off to explore sunset in Capitola and Santa Cruz.

Check out our little gallery from the lovely evening.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the dudes (under some good-natured protest) over to Bellarmine’s annual “Bell Wars” (father/son tests of ironic-athletic skill). Finn utterly crushed us at the “high striker” strength test, and he got me on the first of our best-of-three arm wrestling contests—until I deployed devious mind games to prevail in the final two!

You can see some pics & videos in our gallery.

Now that I’ve finally gotten the blog train rolling, let’s keep the momentum going!

For the last three days of Bellarmine’s appropriately named Ski Week, I headed up to Tahoe with Finn & his pals Malachy and Leo (a teenaged human, not a beloved old stuffed lion). Our 48-hour whirlwind featured donut-shop refueling, ironic pogo stick acquisition, and way too much hip hop (“Not nearly enough” — Finn, probably :-)).

Finn hadn’t skied in two years, and prior to that he’d been out for lessons just twice as a tiny dude—first at age 5 and then at age 10. Thus I was genuinely impressed at the rapid progress he made over two days, as you can see in the video below & in our gallery.

Honestly it’s not that far to get up to Tahoe, so we’re hoping for many snowy returns!

Everybody needs a good wingman, and when it comes to celebrating the beauty of aviation, I’ve got a great one in Hen. Much as we’ve done the last couple of years, this month we first took in the air show in Salinas, featuring the USAF Thunderbirds…

…followed by the Blue Angels buzzing Alcatraz & the Golden Gate at Fleet Week in San Francisco.

In both cases we were treated to some jaw-dropping performances—from a hovering F-35 to choreographed walls of fire—from some of the best aviators in the world. Check ’em out:

• Thunderbirds gallery
• Blue Angels gallery

And thanks for the nice shootin’, MiniMe!