Firm Handshake

A firm handshake is a sign of self-confidence.  Recognize that some cultures keep the handshake going for longer than others.  Texas has long handshakes while New York tends be fast.   

Be cognizant of how you shake a woman’s hand.  There are plenty of non-verbal clues on what to expect when shaking a woman’s hand.   

Japan is completely different – you must know the seniority of the person before engaging.  If you’re not first in shaking hands with the people you’re meeting, pay attention to their approach.  Some like to talk while holding your hand, others don’t.   

If you're nervous or you have sweaty palms, dry em off before engaging.  Sounds funny but no one likes to shake a sweaty hand.  

At all costs, avoid the fishy handshake as it speaks volumes about you.  Don’t forget to smile.

For more information, here is a great article on the topic.
http://saleshq.monster.com/careers/articles/3505-the-abcs-of-handshake-etiquette. 

Far Fewer Blue Hats

Older veterans wear their colors with pride. My grandfather was no exception. Wherever he went, you'd see him proudly wear his USS Iowa navy blue baseball hat along with the requisite American Flag, WW II and USN pins. His hat and the hats of 1000's of Navy Veterans are like the cover of a great book just waiting for you to turn the page. If asked about the USS Iowa, my grandfather would show you the biggest smile you've ever seen, his baby blue eyes would open wide and say 'she was a great ship'. If you were so inclined, he would tell you a story or two about how his service changed his life.

As I travel through airports around the country, I've noticed fewer blue hats. When spotted, I make a point to ask them about their ship, hear their story and thank them for their service. You would be amazed the details these men remember about their experience. Understandably so. The words they use to describe their experience and ship will turn any ordinary airport conversation into a glimpse into the past. I've talked with dozens of them through the years.

There is definitely a protocol in engaging. To break the ice, I usually say - when and where did you serve? Which battles, what theater, etc. They use Navy talk and refer to things like 'shakedown cruise', dogging the hatches and polywogs. Enlisted or Officers, they have the same pride. I've spoken to Navy guys from USS Enterprise, USS Missourri, USS Wisconsin and countless Destroyer ships I can't all remember.

I am a WWII history nut so I know many of the battles their ships served in and that is a great sense of pride for them. Sadly, I think many assume Joe Q. Public doesn't know and doesn't care about their service. We are all so grateful to those who served.

If you're in an airport, train station or really anywhere, talk to the guys in the blue hats. They wear them for a reason. Open the book and you will be amazed what you learn.

Shook it Like a Rag Doll

Hunting dogs are a one of God’s greatest gifts. Watching a short-hair point, a golden flush or a lab retrieve is to witness one of the oldest traditions in the sporting world. A well trained pooch is on a mission and nothing stops them. They’re single minded when in the field or blind. Of course they can occasionally get distracted by rabbits or songbirds but most of them just chase these critters for the fun of it and quickly get back to the task at hand – finding the bird.

I’ve had the chance to hunt over some of the best dogs in the world. I’ve hunted wild boar in Africa with Airedales, Jack Russell Terriers and Blue Tick Hounds. I’ve seen Labs retrieve downed Black Ducks in the frozen Great Bay of New Hampshire. I’ve hunted pheasants in South Dakota with Saks, a wonderful Chocolate Lab and Brittany Spaniels in California.

Here in the Northwest, German Short Hairs are the most common breed for hunting Chukkar, Quail and Pheasant. My good friend Jim Crafton who runs a guide service in Central Oregon has some of the best Short Hairs pointers west of the Mississippi. On any one occasion, we’ll hunt over six or eight of his pups. They’re hard working, loyal and have an excellent nose for the bird. This week I hunted over a mature English Setter named Ace. Well mannered, beautiful dog.


What all these dogs have in common is one thing – excellent training. Our lovely Black Lab, Shasta comes from a strong line of duck hunting dogs in Portland. Shasta has been in the field since she was seven months old so she’s not gun shy. She’s extremely intelligent but is a family dog first and foremost. Shasta is an ‘only child’ and is spoiled with countless squeak toys, balls and collars for all occasions. She’s is in decent physical condition and periodically I take her along into the field despite no formal training. She’s a Lab after all – I mean how hard can it be to find a bird with a nose that big.


We had a small group of five and four dogs – two hunting dogs and two pets. Shasta being in the pet category. Shasta followed Charlie, the Short Hair and Ace the Setter at a good clip. Periodically, they would hold their noses in the air and she looked at them like ‘what the hell are you doing’. Ace would lock up on a bird and in typical Lab fashion, Shasta would bumble along into the spot and flush the bird. I think the first couple scared the crap out of her. Made me laugh a mile away. There were plenty of birds and plenty of daylight so it wasn’t a big deal.

It was a typical December day in Central Oregon – temps in the mid-twenties, winds from the west and a fresh dusting of snow. The white blanket across the landscape made tracking our quarry interesting and fun. We saw quail tracks bunching up big coveys and pheasants running to avoid the dogs.

Round ten thirty, Shasta brushed up against a three foot sage brush and a loud flutter erupted with a pheasant airborne for the Eastern Cascades. I took a quick shot with my old Remington 870 which my grandfather gave me in 1976 and the big bird hit the turf. Shasta heads for the wounded pheasant and evaluates the situation. Like most downed birds, this one was winged and could still run. Shasta thought – ‘oh cool, I have a toy at home just like you..lets play’. She chased it down, put her big snoot round the bird and proceeded to shake it like a ragdoll. She shook it so hard I think she nearly flipped herself over. She thought she was being cute as she flipped the bird up in the air, picked up again and whipped her head left to right as to say ‘I got it and I’m gonna rip apart – just like my toy pheasant at home’.

I retrieved the mangled bird, scolded Shasta and laughed my ass off. She proceeded to do this several times throughout the course of the morning and provided a sense of entertainment for all those who witnessed this four year old puppy attempt to ‘retrieve’.

Note to self – never buy a dog toy that looks like a pheasant.

Never Trust Averages

On average, I’ve caught one Steelhead per year over the last six years. Oh, never mind the fact that I was zero for the first five years and caught six this year. You got that right, I was skunked for five straight years and finally hit the jackpot this year.

Last month, Todd Grigsby from Hyperion along with Todd Williver, Don Hundt and Bret Hodgert and I went Steelheading on the Lower Deschutes. We started just below Maupin at Macks Canyon and floated to the mouth of the Deschutes at the Columbia River. If you’ve never seen this part of the Northwest, it’s breathtaking.

Grigsby picked me up at the Portland airport and we headed over to Maupin to meet Williver. Don and Bret had floated down river that Thursday to find our preferred camp. Which camp you ask? One will never tell J. We arrived around 11pm and began loading our gear into Todd’s drift boat to ensure we would be the first boat down the river on Friday morning.

This weekend was a non jet boat weekend on the Deschutes but there were nearly 200 boaters passes for the weekend. 5am came early and we heard the trucks rush down the dirt road, we packed up our cots, threw our gear in the boat and started the journey to camp. Weather was perfect. Mid-70’s and overcast skies. Water temperature was warm but the river was pretty cloudy. Williver tried his hand at the river the night before with no luck.

We all agreed that we would push through and head down to camp. After a three-hour float, we arrived into camp before noon and it was all we could do to setup camp and get into the river as fast as possible. Don caught one fish the night before just outside camp.

Within 2 hours, Williver and I each had a 6lb Steelhead in the cooler. Amazing. Five years and zero fish – I was done. If I didn’t catch another fish, I would have been happy as a clam. Both fish were hatchery fish which means you can keep them. How do you determine if a fish is wild or hatchery? Very simple, hatchery fish from Oregon have their adipose fin shaved off when they are little. As you can see, these fish have no rear fin on their topside.

Fishing calmed down that Friday afternoon as the sun rose high in the late summer sky. Board games and card games were in order. Around 5:30, most were eyeballing a nap, and I was anxious to test the waters again. Williver brought along a 9’ one-man pontoon boat which was a perfect watercraft for reaching the schoal mid-river. It was quite a float rowing up into the fast water to land on the schoal at 10 knots per hour. Williver said to get to the top of the island and fish the seam back down to the rocks. Easier said than done. The water was ripping and was chest high. One lost footing and you were swimmin’. I pressed my way up river, got a good position and casted the nymphs into the seam. Within 5 minutes, I had the 2^nd Steeley on the line and was inching my way back to the island to land him. It was a nice hatchery fish about 26”. That’s the limit for keepers but I kept on fishing for the experience. Over the next 20 minutes, I hooked and landed three more Steelhead. Five fish in one day? I couldn’t believe it. I was feeling guilty so I rowed the pontoon back, but the fish had pushed through. Bret tried his hand at the seam but to no avail. Saturday morning, I hooked two and landed one wild fish.

By noon on Saturday, the fishing was completely done. After that time, no one person from our group touched or landed a Steelhead. The switch was flipped. The temperature of the river dropped and the skies parted making for a bluebird day .

This trip was a fishing experience of a lifetime. I’m very grateful to be able to pursue these awesome fish with such great friends.

Fishing in Cabo

Two hours out to the fishing ground from the Cabo Marina. We spend an hour catching Yellow Fin Tuna among the small herd of porpoises then it was off to find the big fish. Not 10 minutes later did we see a huge sailfish on the surface. The captain slowed down and the first mate casted a live bait fish on the line out towards the fish. Within seconds it was on the line and we were off the races. Omar asked 'Do you want to mount this?" Good question. Surprisingly, I passed. It was a 7 Foot Sailfish. It took us 20 minutes to get it up to the boat. Awesome!

Here is the largest of the three Yellow Fin Tunas. Suzanne and Parker had it for dinner that night and we packed the rest back to the California.

Trophies - A Collection of Memories

After four years of importing and planning, my African trophies arrived in Pleasanton by way of RCVL. Never heard of RCVL? They’re awesome and in fact their global headquarters is Pleasanton, California. RCVL stands for Rich Clayton Van Lines. After months of deliberation, I decided the best way to get my trophies from Iowa to California was, um, well, to drive them. Driving across country with nine African trophies in the back of a Penske Truck is a story for another time.

As neighbors and friends visit our home over the coming months they'll quickly realize (perhaps for the first time) that I’m a hunter. For those of you, see my earlier post on Why We Hunt. The obvious unstated question will be – Why would you want these dead animals in your house?

Why? Because they are a daily reminder of that once in a lifetime experience. Trophies remind you of your passion and the hunting experience. The weather, the people, the conditions, the angle, the obstacles, the distance, the terrain, and of course the animal and it’s surroundings.

Seeing these animals brought to life through excellent taxidermy from my cousin, Joe Meder puts the hunt in the present tense. You can see it all instantly. Hunting trophies (at least for me) aren’t for the record books or the collectible value, but for remembering the hunt and how truly blessed we are to have the opportunity to pursue these magnificent animals.

Yesterday, we hung the Buffalo, Gemsbuck and Waterbuck and I couldn’t help but drift away thinking about Africa as I looked at these beautiful pieces of art.

So when you come into our home, be prepared to hear at least one hunting story even if you think you've heard it already. It will be mostly true with a splash of embellishment just to make it interesting. With these great trophies, the subject is unavoidable. If you’re a PETA member looking for a donation, perhaps you keep walking and pretend you didn't ring our doorbell.

Another Great Moment

Last month Hunter decided to try out for Cheer Captain. Not surprisingly, it’s a rigorous process involving recommendation letters as well as making your case to an independent panel. It’s also not a surprise that Hunter was voted 8th Grade Cheer Captain. She put a lot of effort into her submission and it’s very rewarding to see her focus on achieving and accomplishing a goal. We now have a basketball court in our backyard just so she can practice her new cheers. The girls just returned from Cheer Camp where they got first place in two of the three competition categories. She modeled her new uniform and is excited to lead the Harvest Park Cheer Squad next fall. Go Patriots!

Seat 24D

So it's a routine flight from SFO to DFW, right? Not a chance. We pulled away from the gate after boarding and already there was a terrible stench coming from the rear lavatory. The kind that burns your nose hair. What did they eat?

It's a short flight, I have an important customer presentation to write and I need a cloths pin for my nose. I decide to close my eyes but shortly am awakened by Billy Bob in two seats over who's snoring so loud that the sound caught the flight attendents attention five rows back. This was a snore that could only be induced by severe amounts of alcohol. My first clue? Dark shades.

OK, I'm up, I'll just burn some time and do the USA Today Soduko puzzle..no now what? The toddlers were getting restless in the row in front of me. Mom was exhausted just getting them on the plane that she didn't have the energy to settle them down. Shrieks and food everywhere. Cute little red heads. Oddly the distraction was welcome compared to the snoring from the fat guy by the window.

Meanwhile across the aisle from me, a young college girl decided that the stench from rear of the plane was too much and puked all over herself. I'm happy to report, there was no collateral damage in 24D. I get up, get her some puke bags and advise the flight attendant. With a puke bag in her lap she's playing peek-a-boo with the baby in row 23.

Little Joey, son of Billy Bob is sitting next to me in the middle seat. Not sure what he had for breakfast but he lets a huge fart rip. You know the kind that makes your underwear vibrate. He smiles and execuses himself to go to the lavatory. Good luck buddy. I can't believe he made it back.

I swear this is a true story. I couldn't believe it. OK, we're 1 hour into this flight so I should get to my presentation. Oh - look at that, my laptop battery is dead. What a surprise. I resort to writing it the old fashioned way - pen and paper.

If you ever think business travel is extravagent, remember this story of Seat 24D.

Tracy 70 Mile Loop

Below is our 72 mile loop out to Tracy. 2.5 hours out and 4 hours back. We had a 20-30 mph headwind plus a 6% grade coming back. Ouch. My face is still soar.

Who's Your Crawdaddy II

Spring brings many things, but in Pleasanton it brings Crawfish...by the thousands. No they’re not from our creeks, arroyos or bay, they’re flown in fresh from the bayous of Louisiana for the annual Who’s Your Daddy Party.

Together with our great friend’s Paul & Paula Mezzetta we hosted our 2nd annual crawfish boil complete with Huge Ass Beers and Hurricanes. If you've never been to New Orleans, these are the basic food groups on Bourbon Street.

This years festivities brought a bit of excitement when Fedex delivered 70 of the 110 pounds of the little critters. Plan B – get more alcohol, no one will notice. Oh yeah and perhaps we just a few wings.

The 2nd Annual Who’s Your Crawdaddy Party was a huge success. There were plenty of repeat guests from last year but we also had a fair share of crawfish virgins. This year we had 65 friends and family and by the looks (and sound) of it, a grand time was had by all. There were Crawfish Races, Gambling and a small bit of drinking. Who will ever forget Sandra Oh’s shriek when she won the dice game? My hearing has never been the same.

Most guests knew very few people at the party but somehow they got know others quickly mounds of fresh boiled crawfish staring at them. Of course there are no directions on how to consume these little buggers. It’s hilarious to watch veterans teach virgins how to suck the head, twist the tail and pinch the meat. I mean really funny. I’d sure like to know who was demented person who went into the bayou, picked up one of these little crustaceans and said – yeah we can eat that.

Click here to see photos from the party. Thanks Sandy. No need to worry, I’ve sent this link to all your employers. Your HR department should be calling you shortly.

Thanks everyone for coming. We had an absolute blast. Counting the days to Who’s Your Crawdaddy III.

Engineers Wanted – Brown or Green

How lucky I am; lucky to be able to listen and learn from global business and political leaders first hand. I’ve heard Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State, Donald Feinstein, Reagan’s Chief Economic Advisor and today Matt Simmons of Simmons & Company International, a leading investment banking firm focused on the energy industry.

Mr. Simmons is considered the 'high priest' of peak oil, is a member of the Council on Foreign Affairs and has written many books on the subject. His views are very provocative. For example, he suggested 500 – 700 might be the fair price for a barrel of oil. Now that’s provocative given oil is at $39 per barrel this week and down more than 70% in the last six months. Why? Because 90% of global oil rigs are 29 years old and will require trillions to repair and replace over the coming decades. Here is his presentation on surviving the post oil peak.

Speaking extemporaneously from notes, Mr. Simmons addressed the250 participants of the 2009 Oracle Oil & Gas Summit in Houston. His presentation covered many subjects from the ‘Rust’ issue and asset aging issue to the poor cost estimation of exploration to the aging workforce. With kids not far from college, the last point caught my interest.

I am very aware of the aging US workforce and I’m sure if I attended a healthcare conference or a manufacturing conference I would hear the same remarks – the high volume of baby boomers retiring will leave a huge talent vacuum and put America in a difficult economic situation. The Oil & Gas and Energy industries problem is more severe than others. Oil & Gas is the largest single industry on the planet and ²/з of their workforce is planning to retire in the next 5 years. Their geophysicists and thermal engineers average age is 59. American universities are not producing nearly the replacement power of the older generation.

Every industry goes through peaks and valleys on talent. In the 1980’s there was a strong demand for more accountants. In the 90’s we were paying web developers $150,000 to write HTML code. The 2000’s were all about financial engineering and Wall Street was enticing all the best and the brightest from American universities. Each generation has its unique talent needs and some important US industries are getting left behind. Unfortunately, countries like China and India have a very different demographic makeup and they are prepared to fill this global shortage.

What kind of engineers does America need? Engineers to invent clean energy, engineers to figure out more efficient ways to produce oil, engineers to reduce carbon emissions. You name it, we need more engineers. I can’t believe I’m saying that. I predict pocket protectors will be in vogue in 2020. What is a major twist on the needs of engineers for the future is they need to deeply understand their scientific field and understand business/finance. Mr. Simmons iterated this point many times.

When posed the question about alternative energy, Mr. Simmons spoke eloquently about how little green energy contributes to the increasing global demand for energy. This wasn’t new information but here’s what he said. “Globally, oil usage is 85 million barrels per day. At best, clean tech energy sources can (in the future) produce the equivalent of 7,000 barrels per day. That's less that 1/10 of 1%. This would include wind, geothermal, ethanol and nuclear combined.” Personally he believes offshore wind generation has great potential and this is why he sponsored a project off the coast of Maine to explore.

Mr. Simmons perspective on what to do was commonsense. He believes energy conservation is critical to sustaining this global crisis. He believes we need to travel less and consume goods made closer to home. He believes the 230 million US passenger fleet will not be replaced over night and likely not in the next 30-50 years. On the future of battery technology he flippantly said the best we can do is double the lifespan of laptop batteries. Funny but expected from an Oil man.

With kids less than 10 years from entering the workforce, his message really struck home. My hope for Parker and Hunter is that they learn about the different facets of science and that one field or another sparks their interest. I’m not convinced high school ‘guidance counselors’ have a clue about how to channel interests into careers. We haven’t begun this process with Parker yet and I hope I’m wrong on this topic.

In the coming years ahead, the most we can do at this stage of their lives is to expose them to many different professions (particularly those in strong demand) and let fate take its course. Fortunately I’ve developed great professional and personal relationships with leaders in many industries and they’re a phone call away from visiting their shop and discussing their profession. Many would be delighted to talk to young people about their work.

Now more than ever before, high school students need to think more about their interests and careers as the global market for talent is extremely competitive and there are serious imbalances among professions and industries.

Friends Rendezvous in Cordoba

Many sports create friendships but the sport of hunting creates bonds that last a lifetime. Being outdoors and hunting with your friends is one of life’s greatest rewards. In the open spaces, all technology distractions and work issues are completely lost the moment you start hunting. What matters most is the hunting situation – the wind, the sun, the clouds and the presence of your quarry. It’s impossible to consider anything else. As my wife would say you’re just ‘being in the moment’.

Earlier this month, my business required me to travel to Brazil and Argentina. On a whim, I texted my good friend Todd Williver from Central Oregon to see if he could break away from teaching and go dove hunting in Cordoba. It was a long shot but a few minutes later, I got a reply…absolutely. We’ve talked for several years about the possibility of bird hunting in South America but the chances looked slim as we both have demanding schedules and he has toddlers.

No way, could this actually materialize? I had plenty of air miles so getting there wouldn’t be a problem for me and my mate. With less than two months to go, we began researching and I reached out to an outfitter I met at SCI in Reno called Los Gauchos. We both had a pretty tight agenda and could only hunt for the weekend. They came back with an outstanding package that wasn’t a budget buster and we would join up with two other hunting parties at Sierra Brava Lodge located about 100 kilometers north of Cordoba.

After meeting customers in Buenos Aires I met Todd at the Aeroparque to go to Cordoba. I had been on the road for business for a week and Todd had a 24 hour journey from Portland—we were both anxious to hunt and kick back in the Argentine countryside. On arrival into Cordoba, we were greeted by our new best friend and retired attorney, Topo Zsaravnik. Topo’s not his real name of course but that’s another story. Todd and I weren’t the only pasty white guys on the flight but Topo gave one good look at us and said…those boys must be my hunters. And we weren’t even wearing any camo!

Within minutes of pulling away from the Cordoba airport, we talked about the geography, the climate, the bird species and the hunting techniques and traditions. Topo is quite the world traveler so we traded stories about hunting and fishing in the US. Within the first hour Todd and I both knew this would be an experience of a lifetime. This isn’t the first time I’ve made new friends while hunting internationally, but with each trip, I’m convinced that hunting transcends all cultures and continents. This shared passion turns strangers into friends in no time and this trip was no exception.

We arrived in the evening and Topo made plans for a brief hunt before heading back to Sierra Brava. Two new friends – Martin and Sergio. They were to be our bird boys for the weekend. Clean shaven young men who we would later find out were amazing shots. Arriving at the lodge just after dusk, we were greeted by JJ Sala the owner and his friendly staff with a cold towel for our faces.

Sierra Brava is an exquisite lodge that has 100 years of history. It was JJ’s vision to restore the previous stage stop and create a spectacular hunting lodge with modern amenities but keeping the Old World feel. Champagne was served and Kenny Rodgers and Johnny Cash played in the background as we got acquainted with this unique piece of Argentine history.

Topo organized a spectacular Argentine meal complete with steak, Topo’s own homemade Chimichurri sauce and a caramel peach dessert. We had no idea he was an amazing cook. For dinner we were joined two lifetime friends from Casper Wyoming – Rick Kennerknecht and Colter Anderson. Rick and I talked Africa while Todd and Coulter swapped fly-fishing stories.

Rick had been to Argentina many times as he runs an outfitter called Global Sporting Safaris. Colter, like Todd and I were new to South America. With a great meal, everyone retired early for the evening to prepare for the high volume dove hunting the next day.

The four Texans arrived the next afternoon in time for a hot lunch served fresh in the field. Topo and his crew worked their magic and served a corn pie and two types of steaks that were mesquite grilled to perfection. Like Todd and I, the Texans had their share of stories and had hunted together for many years. After exchanging tales and taking a siesta we all headed back to the fields.

You’ve seen it all, right? You’ve hunted Pheasants in South Dakota, Chukkar in Oregon, Ducks on the Atlantic and Pacific Flyways, Quail in California and Guinea Fowl and Francolin in South Africa. Think again. You’ve seen nothing until you see Doves in Cordoba. The first two hours in the field are incomprehensible. Even if you’ve seen the videos and talked to the guides, being in a Dove blind when hundreds, literally hundreds, of Doves are flying by you is difficult to imagine. Martin, my bird boy, kept saying…left, right, up, behind, left. I was dizzy. Concentrate I said to myself. There were more shooting opportunities that morning than last hunting season in Oregon. It was picture perfect weather and not a cloud in the sky. Temps were in the 80-90’s with very little wind. What more could you ask for?


The morning tallied 360 birds for Todd and 34 for me. Todd had spied the 1000 Club Member board in the lodge the night before and was destined to achieve that on his first day. Not that we were keeping score, but I ended the day at 150 and Todd at 1002. Granted, Todd shot 2x the shells as I did.

As daylight faded, waves upon waves of doves flew over the sorghum fields and Coulter was fast on the crossers. Like Todd, Coulter joined the 1000 Club Member shooting over 1,500. A few cold beers in the field and we packed up on the truck and headed back to the lodge.

Our second day was equally as exciting and challenging. No one cared to honestly admit to how sore their shoulder was but I noticed many of us shot considerably fewer shells that day. The hunting situation was considerably different from the day before. On this occasion, we would hunt on a cattle ranch and corn fields that had been harvested. My shooting improved but nothing like that of Martin, my bird boy. He was taking some long crack shots I didn’t think were possible with a 20 gauge. All in all, the group shot 1000’s of birds with two of the Texans shooting 2,000 apiece.



Topo and JJ had arranged for some fine Argentine entertainment and dinner.
We’d grown fond of their cooking and our second night’s meal was a gastronomical delight complete with Argentine beef and fine wines. The folk music was very enjoyable and told the story of rural Argentina.

We all retired to a blazing campfire to share stories, kick back and smoke cigars. With the right group of friends, campfires can be magical. Everyone loves a great story and many that are shared and slightly embellished in this hunting ritual. This night, the air was crisp and the stories were tall. It was a full Harvest Moon and not a cloud in the sky. Orion, the hunter, along with the Southern Cross came into sight along the horizon.

Sunday morning brought colder temps and a low pressure system from the foothills of the Andes. As we packed our bags to head back to US, we reflected on the great hunting and exceptional experience of staying with JJ and Topo at the Sierra Brava Lodge. Hunting trips like these are irreplaceable. Beyond relaxing and great hunting, its times like these that provide you the unique opportunity to make new hunting partners and renew your friendship with your buddies.

Sao Paulo

In Sao Paulo this week for The Oracle Open World show. Just got in yesterday and the show begins tomorrow. The photo is from my remote office, eh I mean, hotel.

Shooting Rifles

Last week I took Parker and two friends to the rifle range. Parker is hooked on shooting and he’s quite good. OK, he's sitting on a stationary bench with a 20 power rifle scope but still it requires skill to consistently put holes on the paper. We’ve enjoyed taking Trevor and Jeremy and their dad, Robert trap shooting but this was the first time they went to a rifle range. Jeremy had experience shooting 22’s but nothing much bigger than that.

The Clayton Arsenal was equipped with a Browning 22magnum which was a rifle that my grandfather gave me when I was 11. We also brought two Winchesters, a 270 which is a mid-sized caliber and the elephant gun – the 375 H&H Model 70. This is no pea shooter. I brought this rifle to Africa in 2005 to shoot this buffalo.

We went to Chabot Gun Club which is an awesome outdoor rifle range. The day was perfect, we had three benches at the end of the 100 yard line and we had ample room to setup the spotting scope to track our progress. The boys proceeded to make good progress with the 22 and the 270 but there were no takers for the Elephant Gun.

Below is Trevor and Jeremy shooting the 270 Winchester

After I fired it twice, they had a chance to feel the percussion and the see the recoil. Parker went first and proceeded to put a hole through the X at 100 yards. Very impressive. What’s funny is that the recoil pushed the gun back straight to his right eye. Thank God for eye protection and a scope with a rubber cushion. It was hilarious watching teenagers fire a big game rifle. Jeremy went next, also put it within 2 inches of the X and Trevor put two more holes on the paper at 10 o’clock.

I’m truly blessed to have the opportunity to teach these great young men how to safely handle firearms and shoot properly. Just as I remember my first experience behind a rifle, I'm sure they will remember this for the rest of their lives. These are the lessons my grandfather taught me and so the tradition continues. Next up is to teach them the prone and sitting position. We’ll see how their steady nerves hold-up without the bench.

On Location with Hunter in Rome

Before it was politically correct, I’ve been taking my kids to work. Yes even before they created the official ‘bring your kids to work’ day. Parker once sat through an all-day marketing meeting when he was 14 months old. I forgot to change his diapers so at lunch I had to duck into the local shopping mall and buy him all new clothes. My colleagues from Pilot Software were impressed that I brought Parker a change of clothes. Hah.

Both Parker and Hunter have now seen first hand what dad does at work. Several years ago, I took Parker to London on an analyst tour, and this year, it was Hunter’s turn.

Our destination: Rome. Our pictures can be viewed here.

This business trip was focused on building customer loyalty and gathering the senior executives from our largest European customers to discuss how we can help them gain more value from the software they have already purchased from Oracle. We expected 50 and 17 attended. The global recession has cut back business travel significantly. The business meeting wasn’t great but the experience of exploring Rome with Hunter was phenomenal.

As Hunter was flying on a United Awards Ticket, we got to Rome the long way…through Washington DC. We arrived early Sunday morning and found our way to the hotel without any delay. We unpacked and went to the lobby to have breakfast in the hotel…European Breakfast that is. Capucine, a friend from Oracle France, and her boyfriend were about to begin exploring as we met them in the lobby. We decided to take a short breakfast with them and go together to the Vatican. We arrived at St. Peter’s square mid-day on Sunday.

The Cathedral was definitely a high point for Hunter. She was intrigued by all the statues of previous Pope’s. We decided to take the journey to the top of the dome and explore Rome from St. Peter’s cupola. From the lift, it was only 320 steps. My left knee remembers each and every one.

It was a partly cloudy morning in Rome with temps in the mid-50’s. We headed down to the main part of the Cathedral to find a large ceremony getting underway with 30+ important looking church officials processing into the center of the Church. We think they were all Cardinal’s but weren’t 100% certain. They looked important: lots of security and photographers.

The Vatican Museum was closed so we would have to do it another day. Together with Capucine and David, we walked back across the river past the Saint Angelo Castle to make our way over towards the Piazza Novena to have lunch. We found a great café on the square and ordered classic Roman Pizza as Hunter began to fade. I thought she was going to put her face right into the Italian pie. She made it through lunch…just barely. We headed back to the hotel so that Hunter could take a nap and I could begin preparations for our conference on Monday.

Day One, Part Two. Hunter joined the Oracle team for dinner on Sunday night which was located on the top of the Spanish Steps. In transit, we saw several street peddlers quickly pickup shop, sloop their wares over their shoulder and hustle up the Spanish Steps and vanish out of site. Rome police were obviously coming but nobody saw them. As expected, two hours later the peddlers had setup shop again on the Steps to hustle another tourist. Filmmakers occuppied the Spanish Steps that night and it was cool to see the action. Very entertaining.

Monday our business meeting started at 2pm and Hunter sat in the back while I moderated a discussion on risk management. The subject is obviously a hot topic now but unfortunately ½ of the customers spoke very little English. Five in fact only spoke Polish. My polish is minimal. Ted Bories, a close family friend was Polish and taught me: Na zdrowie. That means cheers. Oh well.

Hunter and I took a wonderful walk towards the Spanish Steps after our meeting on Monday evening. We found the shirtmaker, Dan of Roma and explored the shopping district a bit. Dinner was a classic four course Italian dinner with excellent mozzarella salad and of course tiramisu. Hunter was quickly becoming a connoisseur of tiramisu because I think she had it nearly everyday.

Tuesday our business meeting went until 2pm which gave Hunter time to work on homework. It is so awesome that she can do school work using online lessons that her teachers setup 6,000 miles away. Isn’t it great that she could explore another country and still keep up on schoolwork at the same time? The wonders of technology.

In the category of a strange coincidence, our neighbors from Pleasanton were in Rome the same week. Hunter and I joined Scott and Debbie Myers for a great dinner at a small café in the piazza by the Pantheon. We walked the streets and found a great gelato shop where we all indulged in some home made Italian ice cream. Late that evening we saw the Trevi Fountain. Magnificent. It was their 20th anniversary and they were headed to Florence tomorrow.

Wednesday was our first chance to explore and Hunter’s first choice was to check out the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. We had a great time walking through these ancient ruins. Being in the presence of these environments, it’s easy to visualize emperors hailing from Palatine Hill above the peasants. We saw doors on one building made of copper which were dated to 74 BC. Now that’s old, really old.

Walking up, down and around the forum, we were both exhausted. We covered many miles and countless flights of steps. More Motrin please. We had a great lunch near the Piazza Novena and headed over to the Mouth of Truth. The Mouth of Truth hangs in the lobby of the Santa Maria church built in 1632. A bit of history can be found

Parker's First Flight

It was a cool autumn morning in September with light air traffic and a low marine fog at the Livermore Municipal Airport. Parker was up at the crack of dawn to take his first flight in a Cessna Skyhawk with Bob, a friend from church. Pulling up to the fuel pumps, Bob maneuvered the Cessna towards the terminal while Parker and I watched from the observatory deck. After checking out the plane and refueling, Parker was geared up to go. Bob did his pre-flight checkup and Parker put on his headset. In a matter of a few minutes, I watched Parker fly away through the low cloud cover. I can only imagine the thrill Parker had while taking off in his first flight. It’s really exciting to watch your kids explore.

I'm very thankful for having mentors like Bob in our life. He is a very nice man and dedicates his time to flying people in need of healthcare on a volunteer basis. This is the organization that he belongs to: http://www.angelflight.org/.

Bob informed me that I could watch their flight on http://flightaware.com/. By punching in his tail number, 736KD, I could get real-time updates on the progress of their flight. You can be certain, I drove right home to check it out. How cool is that.

Parker and Bob flew with IFR to Paso Robles and stopped for brunch. Parker texted me that they landed. Of course, I knew that already. They flew on to Burbank to replace the oxygen in the plane as Bob is flying up to Oregon next week and needed to ensure he had sufficient coverage as they navigate around Mt. Shasta.

Parker returned home around 4 with a smile from ear to ear. He absolutely loved it. I’m quite sure that if Parker decides he wants to get a pilot’s license that he will achieve that goal. With diabetes you need to petition the FAA for a private license. Keep on exploring Parker!

Amador Freshman Off To Rough Start

With triple digit heat bearing down on the artificial turf in Oakley, Coach Murphy and the Amador Freshman faced the Freedom Falcons for the season opener. Team captains Clayton, Hoffman and Worsey joined Freedom at midfield for the coin toss. Amador’s kicking team led by Johns took the field. The Falcons fast paced offense took control of the ball with a heads-up style of football. Amador defense led by Comensque, Kim, Gum, Hildebrand, Naveres and Worsey each had tackles in the first quarter. That alone was not sufficient to stop the Freedom drive. First quarter ended 8-0 with Freedom scoring their 2 point conversion in a sweep around the right end.

From the Amador 36, going from right to left the Amador Offense took the field under the helm of quarterback Cummings. At running back, Graves gained 12 yards and Cummings 9 but a series of penalties and an incomplete pass to Wessel forced a turnover on downs at the Amador 46 leaving the Falcons with a short field.

The Amador defense shutdown the next possession by Freedom in a 4 yard sack by Naveres and a blocked punt at 4th and 14 on the 35 yard line. More offensive penalties and some mixups with the snap, the Dons were four and out.

Naverez chipped in with two more sacks and Tadevich counted one for good measure. The Falcon sweep appeared again and the tally at half-time was 20-0 Falcons. Offensive production was heavily tilted in favor of the Falcons with 162 yards to Amador’s 30.

“They’re physical but you can absolutely handle them. We need to take away the sweep, and play our game. Win the battle one play at a time”, said Coach Murphy at the half.

From left to right, the Amador kickoff return team took the field and Chun recieved the kick at the Amador 2 and catapulted to the 35 before being brought down by the Falcons. On 4th and 12 from the 46 Amador turned over the ball on an interception.

Fired up, the Amador defense hit the field again. They held the Falcon’s to 13 yards forcing a punt from the 48 yard line. In the second offensive drive of the half, Graves and Cummings each delivered 11 yards rushing. Closing the third quarter the score stood 20-0.

Chun, Graves and Hildebrand each chipped in for tackles on defense. Missed tackles in the red zone led to the final touchdown by Freedom putting the deficit at 28-0. Graves returned the kick 20 yards to the 40. At quarterback, Seals gained 6 yards on 2 carries. Another missed snap led to a 9 yard setback and Amador was forced to turnover possession to the Falcons at midfield.

Final score: Freedom, 28, Amador 0.

In 5th quarter action, Amador Freshman shined through. Clayton stopped an end around sweep at the 10 yard line and a tough d-line stand shutdown the Falcon offense. On offense, Gathier had an 18 yard carry and Jamaca chipped in with a sweep for 5 yards. With twins right, quarterback Hill hit Papageorge on the last play of the game for the first Amador touchdown.

Following the game, Coach Murphy concluded, “We just need to pull the all pieces together and it starts with drills.”