Friday Night at the Park

Up early to work in the newsroom at KQED all day; posted a bunch of stories. But once that was done, I got home, donned my Giants hat and got ready for an evening at the baseball stadium. If you've never been there, San Francisco's baseball park is one of the best in the land.

And if you have never discovered why baseball is this nation's greatest sport, well, you still really need to try and figure that out.

I've been working too hard and worrying too much lately, and I really, really needed to go to a baseball game. It was not the greatest of games (the Giants lost) but baseball features a long season (162 games before the playoffs) so there is still plenty of time for the World Series Champions to get back to where they belong.

The main pleasure was spending the time at the game with my delightful youngest son and his friend. They had fun watching the game, eating what is without doubt the best food available at any baseball park in America, discussing political issues, and arguing about a bunch of things.

Walking back to the car afterwards, we passed the old Rolling Stone headquarters and the current Wired headquarters along Third Street. Since both Dylan and Elizabeth appear to be taller than me (I'm in the process of shrinking), I thought a lot about the specialness of our youth and how much the future is theirs, and how I really must make sure to tell them about what history here touched me, so they can carry that forward if they care to.

Or they can just smile their beautiful smiles or smirk their beautiful smirks, be themselves, and hopefully make this world a better place.

BTW, Dylan's new haircut is due to Elizabeth's handy work -- the first buzz cut she ever gave anyone.  As a former long-haired anti-war protester from the '60s, I have no comment. But I do get it.

-30-

No News Thursday

Out across the Bay, through the eastern shore, up and over several mountain passes and into the fruitful Central Valley I drove today with my 18-year-old son. We finally reached our destination, meeting point really, at what has to be one of the more obscure Starbucks outlets in the little farming town of Escalon.

The farmers along this route have their summer stands, selling nectarines, peaches, onions, lavender, apricots, and tomatoes at this season of the year. A train rumbled past headed from south to north. The strong breezes waved through a corn field -- neck high even before July. The sky was blue and cloudless.

As we sat in the coffee shop, him with his bagel and frappuccino (having thrown away the whipped cream) and me with my salad, we talked. He knows I have been on-call at KQED for days now as we await the Supreme Court's decisions on Prop 8 and Doma. He is extremely sensitive to the civil rights aspects of these cases.

"How can anyone justify trying to keep people who obviously love each other apart?" he asked me.

As I looked at my first-team all-city athlete, muscular, tattooed, with a handsomeness that had the few young women in the place looking at him (he was oblivious), I felt filled with admiration for his values, his compassion, his empathy for other people.

He is himself in his first serious relationship, with a lovely young Latina woman.

Soon, his Mom showed up and they headed off, him at the wheel to Camp Mather, nestled in the shadow of the great Yosemite Valley.

I headed back here, to the cooler coast, also wondering what the highest court in the land will decide. It looks now we will find out next Monday or Thursday. As I am on-call both days at KQED, I will probably be in the thick of the news coverage when these decisions come down.

-30-

Backyard Wednesday

Father's Day

 My daughter Sarah Daisy posted this photo of the two of us from somewhere around 1981. I think we were at Sanibel at the time.

With my youngest away on a camping trip, my teenaged boys took over the Happy Father's Day responsibilities, and they've done a great job. Dylan cooked me breakfast (first time that has happened in many years!), which was very sweet of him.

Meanwhile, Aidan was out on the bus lines getting a card Julia made for me before leaving town and a present for me from his girlfriend, Zaira.

He also made me a card (yellow) in his distinctive artistic style, which Julia clearly decided to copy in her (blue) card.

The boys and I also did something else I rarely do -- we went to a movie: Star Trek, the latest version. What struck me, being as I almost never go to theaters any longer, were the trailers for upcoming movies -- almost every one was of the disaster/thriller/apocalyptic genre.

One of the only two that were not of that type was Anchorman 2.

While we were in the movie, Julia called me on the one public telephone from where she is camping and left me a message. I also heard from Laila and Peter, so that makes all six.

Now we're back home just in time for me to watch the Giants game.

All in all, one of the best Father's Days I can recall.

-30-