Webfoot Wonders

A longtime follower of University of Oregon athletics, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of Duck basketball. So when evaluating this past season for the UO men’s and women’s teams, it’s clear that 2016-17 ranks as the best ever, with the men reaching the Final Four and the women attaining the Elite Eight of March Madness.

Having tracked the “Webfoots” since my youth (both parents attended the UO), I didn’t experience my first actual Duck basketball game until that serendipitous day -- February 14, 1974 -- when the Kamikaze Kids, led by former Penn State coach Dick Harter, shocked top-ranked UCLA, 56-51, at MacArthur Court in Eugene.

The only reason I witnessed this epic event? An ex-girlfriend offered me her ticket because she went home to Portland for the weekend. In those days, Duck basketball was a tough ticket. Students literally camped out the night before a game to watch Ronnie Lee and the Kamikaze Kids take on Bill Walton and the Mighty Bruins.

UCLA, coming off seven consecutive NCAA championships and two consecutive 30-0 seasons, was formidable. The Ducks, however, were a tenacious lot coached by Harter, an ex-Marine who vowed to “introduce defense to the Pac-8 and beat UCLA.” Under his direction, the Ducks would come to lead the league in floor burns.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, they had to play in a building packed with rabid fans who embraced the tenacious, gutsy play of the Ducks, which stoked the Mac Court faithful to greater, more intense levels of noise and taunting of opposing teams. One UCLA coach would dub the Pit Crew and other denizens of Mac Court as “deranged idiots.”

For me, that first game was an awakening; I became a true believer. Having since attended hundreds of games over the years, I've seen the men's and women's programs experience highs and lows, but both squads now appear to be on the verge of even more success on the national stage. Looks like the "quack attack" is back.

Fondue Boogaloo

Having explored northeastern Switzerland and the Jungfrau Region from our base in Zurich in 2012, we figured it was high time (pun intended) to visit the western end of the Confederation Helvetica on its borders with France and Italy. Since the Alps can be tricky weather-wise, we booked our sojourn to Geneva for August.

With headquarters in Zurich, we toured Rheinfall and Schaffhausen, the small country of Lichtenstein, the towns encircling Lake Zurich, and Lucerne and Interlaken en route to Jungfraujoch, the top of Europe. This summer, we’ll tour towns on Lake Geneva, such as Montreux and Lausanne, as well as Chamonix and Zermatt.

Much like Zurich afforded a handy base to explore the mountain villages of Lauterbrunnen, Gridelwald and Kleine Scheidegg (above), Geneva will provide our headquarters for exploring the Alps of western Switzerland and France, including Mt. Blanc (or Mt. Blanco on the Italian side) and The Matterhorn (below).

Our base: The Edelweiss Hotel, a three-star hotel is known for its exquisite cheese fondue. Conveniently located near transportation hubs and the shores of Lake Geneva, a boat tour will likely be in order. The highlight: an excursion to The Matterhorn, a massif that has captivated me since my first trip to Disneyland.

Tijuana Class

In remarks for his insightful UO SOJC presentation titled “Guitars, Artists, Culture,” my colleague Tom Wheeler, a former editor-in-chief for Guitar Player Magazine and free lancer for Rolling Stone, now journalism professor-cum-author, noted that the 60s were a uniquely eclectic time for popular music in America.

For example, he said, you could turn on your car radio at any moment and hear the quite diverse sounds of Chubby Checker, Percy Faith And His Orchestra, Helen Reddy, Elvis, Tony Bennett, The Beatles, Jimmy Dean, Marvin Gaye, The Who, the 5th Dimension and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, in no particular order.

As luck would have it, we caught the legendary Herb Alpert and his wife Lani Hall when they brought their own eclectic blend of jazz, world beat and American pop standards to The Shedd Institute in Eugene. Now 81, Alpert burst upon the music scene in the 60s with the pop confection known as “Spanish Flea.”

Now primarily a jazz musician, his most recent CD is called “Human Nature” and features his wife on vocals; Hall is the former vocalist for Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’66, another pop staple of the 60s. Alpert also founded A&M records, won nine Grammy Awards and his “Spanish Flea” became the theme music for “The Dating Game.”

The concert featured medleys focused on his popular hits and movie themes, along with cuts from dance grooves, electronic music and jazz tunes from his new CD. The concert vibrated with energy yet was very informal. In between sets, Alpert would reflect on his storied career, asking nobody in particular: “Do you have any questions?”

During one of his soliloquies, he referenced his most notable album cover from the early days: “Whipped Cream & Other Delights.” A friend told him: “Hey, I love that album cover.” “Have you listened to the music on the album?” Alpert asked, hoping for feedback. “Well, no,” came the reply. “But I will soon.”