Hello Beta

How many strolls along the surf line have I taken in my life? Hundreds and hundreds. And how many shipwrecks have I come upon? None . . . until this Labor Day . . . when the remains of the British schooner Beta appeared in the waves. The ship foundered in April 1886, while en route to Boston from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Three lives were lost, including two young sisters, ages 8 months and 3 years, who "were torn by the sea from the arms of their mother and drowned."

Golf Gods

Last summer, after too long a hiatus, I began regularly tormenting myself on the golf course again. The only good thing about my game was the company I kept while watching my ball fly off course (literally, sometimes): two actuaries and my son. We've had a lot of fun chasing par over the past two summers. Unfortunately, good things do apparently have to end. Rob (one of my favorite actuaries of all time!) is moving to Atlanta this fall. The game will simply not be the same without him. The group portrait above was taken at the conclusion of our final round together: September 5, 2009. A bittersweet day indeed. Sanjay, Drew, and I will miss you, man.