Robert’s brother Steve and niece Nora visited this week!  Robert kept the schedule packed, to much groaning of the family. Treasure hunting, bike ride across Golden Gate Bridge, ferry ride, Limontour Beach, Mexican Food, and sailing trip, among other adventures! Plus, Rory and Cadie took some swimming lessons . . . finally.

In contrast to yesterday’s post about Maryam Mirzakhani, here’s another story from the world of academia . ..

From the LA Times:

In USC’s lecture halls, labs and executive offices, Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito was a towering figure. The dean of the Keck School of Medicine was a renowned eye surgeon whose skill in the operating room was matched by a gift for attracting money and talent to the university.

There was another side to the Harvard-educated physician.

During his tenure as dean, Puliafito kept company with a circle of criminals and drug users who said he used methamphetamine and other drugs with them, a Los Angeles Times investigation found.

Read more here.

This just in from the The World Isn’t Already Fucked Up Enough Department

Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian mathematician who was the only woman ever to win a Fields Medal, the most prestigious honor in mathematics, died on Saturday. She was 40.

Read more here.

Yesterday was sailboat racing day. Robert and his friend Jakob spent the day preparing for, and then waiting for, the start of the Plastic Classic Regatta held by the Bayview Boat Club in San Francisco.  After a number of postponements, the regatta was eventually canceled due to lack of wind!  Robert and Jakob, aboard the only boat without an engine, managed to drift southward to somewhere near Brisbane before the committee boat finally called the race.  They could barely see the starting line!

Meanwhile, Rory spent the day at the Encinal Yacht Club in his first regatta representing the Richmond Yacht Club!  Woo hooo!  Crushed ’em.  Well, not exactly.  These were the big leagues.  But he hung in there.  Very impressive.

Robert and Rory are building a car, but don’t know of a race to join.  We’ll figure it out.

Weighted the car today.

Three cheers for the Marin County Free Library! Especially the Civic Center branch!

Children at the Pierce house are beaten for not understanding their lessons.

Robert believes it is important for citizens to have a direct experience watching and listening to the operation of government. Importantly, the federal government. He thinks it is undeniable that watching and listening to government workers doing their jobs gives one confidence that things are working better than they are portrayed in the popular media.

Here’s a link to the Oyez site, which provides a fantastic application for listing to oral arguments at the US Supreme Court.

There’s lots of cases to listen to.  Try it.

If you don’t know which one to chose, you might listen to one of the most important cases of the twenty-first century:

Bush v. Gore (Recount of votes in Presidential Election)

Roper v. Simmons (Execution of prisoners for crimes committed before age 18)

Van Orden v. Perry (Ten Commandments at statehouse)

District of Columbia v. Heller (Handgun ban in Washington DC)

Citizens United v. FEC (Regulation of electioneering communications)

Rory is back in sailing camp this summer. This time with his friends Andy and David!

Looking good.

Official analysis here.

The Pierces’ backpacking trip, planned for this week, was postponed due to too much snow in the Sierra.

Thus, we sailboat camped on the desolate shores of Tomales Bay . . .

After  leaving Inverness at about 4, due to some gusty winds we made a pitstop at Cypress Grove. Robert heated up some sweet beans and hot dogs for chow.  After a few nervous failed attempts, we shoved off at about 8:00, continued up the bay and  parked at Pelican North Beach where we fell right to sleep. Really, we washed ashore and woke up the next morning.

In the morning, we ate some oatmeal and took a walk up the hill to get a view of the bay and of Pierce Point Ranch. Then we jumped aboard trusty Sebake and sailed to Hog Island, where we walked on the beach for about 5 minutes. Mira would not let the family walk into the island proper because there was a sign saying that lots of birds nest there. Actually, as sign was not necessary as the birds are all in plain view, as was all their poop. Robert was happy to not venture too close.

We saw lots of pelicans, seals, and even a bald eagle we think.

We sailed down the bay and landed back at Inverness, where we ditched the boat and went home. Robert went back the next day and collected the boat.

Hope we can go back for some more camping some day.