We went as a family to enjoy the lights and decorations and for a post-Christmas dinner at The Mission Inn.
Year: 2010
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Puppies
Recently, we got new puppies, both German Shepherds. They are so cute and so curious about everything.
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Christmas Eve Dinner
We just had Christmas Eve dinner on the top floor overlooking the city. It’s a good way to end the week and to start the weekend. We had fun cooking and eating. Here’s the menu:
APPETIZERS
Brie Topped with Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce
Caprese Salad in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infusd with Roasted Garlic
Aged Parmesan and Gouda
Crushed Black Olive Spread
Marinated Olives
Assorted CrackersSALAD
Spinach with Pear, Pine Nuts, Shaved Parmesan, and Cranberries Tossed in a Honey Lemon DressingSOUP OF THE DAY
MinestroneENTRÉES
Roasted Shoulder of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
Angelhair Pasta Wrapped in Grilled Eggplant Topped with Caramelized Onions in a White Wine Reduction SauceSIDES
Grilled Vegetables
Garlic Parsley Mashed PotatoesDESSERT
Spumoni with Butter-Glazed Pecans
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Winter Storm
In all the years that we’ve lived in this area, we have never had such torrential rains as this. Mountain View became like a roaring river, and I almost slid into it because of the slick mud along Allen Way. Mud flowed into many homes, most of which were on Huron and Lawton, and the worst off were the ones situated just downhill from the north-south arteries that channeled the mudflows.
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Black Canyon Paddle
We had a really good trip this past weekend. It’s my sixth time to the Black Canyon below Hoover Dam, and some people’s first time.
We arrived late Friday night after leaving from work. Brad arrived at the campsite first, and there were several more cars that came afterwards. Corey’s car pulled in around 2 am. The next morning, we packed up at the Hacienda Hotel and were dropped off at the base of Hoover Dam. After launching, we spent some time in the sauna cave and also at the waterfalls in the next canyon. After having lunch there on the sandbar, we paddled to Arizona Hot Springs, set up camp at White Rock Beach, and then went for a long soak.
Most of the time, the sky was overcast. Sunshine peaked through only on a few occasions, and that evening on the river, it sprinkled a little bit, mainly a few drops. After dinner, we sat around the fire while Rob and Chris gave us a special number O Come, O Come, Immanuel. Craig gave a nice message about God being with us and how he came to live among us. Then, the sky lit up with all the stars (and the lights from Vegas).
After a long breakfast and another drawn out soak, we pulled out of Arizona Hot Springs and paddled downriver. We made a lunch stop, where Brad cooked up some Johnnie cakes. Then, some of us took a tour of the catwalk before heading down to Willow Beach for our pickup. The last paddlecraft pulled in at 2:58 pm—two minutes ahead of the pickup time.
The group split up on the way back. Our car stopped by Chipotle for dinner.
On the river: great weather. Back home: pouring rain.
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Joshua Tree
This was a nice day trip, mainly to have a good time with friends while enjoying nature. While it was really hot during the day, it cooled off relatively quickly once the sun went down. Then, we had beautiful lighting from a full moon.
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New England
The trip to Boston was for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. After the meetings, I took an excursion with Hasan to New Hampshire through the White Mountains for a view of the fall color change. This weekend was basically peak season for some parts. Then, we traveled east through Portland, Maine, before heading down the coast back to Boston. For this trip to New England, the weekend trip was one of the highlights.
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Hong Kong and China
So it’s been almost three weeks of traveling. I left home Wednesday night, traveled through Hong Kong and China, came back home for a day’s layover, and then it was off to Boston on a red-eye. There was only enough time to get jet lagged, recover, and get jet lagged again. For this past week, it was sleeping and waking without any specific schedule, like being in no time zone in particular. Last night, things finally started to normalize.
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In China
This trip to China has been mainly about people, places and food.
I got some instruction on guqin playing from Liang Qiu while I was in Foshan. Then, I have been meeting up with mainly relatives that I have not seen for more than ten years. Most everyone remain the same, except for the then children, who are now grown.
The food has been good. Much of it is like home cooking. And after every meal, there are a lot of leftovers.
Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting another set of relatives.
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Hong Kong
The days are all blurred together because of the time change and the jet lag on this trip to Hong Kong and China.
Yesterday morning, which seemed like so long ago, I landed in Hong Kong. I haven’t been back since before the takeover in 1997. A lot has changed, obviously, but some parts are not much different. Much of the downtown layout is the same as when I remembered it. It’s good to see a lot of the relatives too, many of whom I haven’t seen for almost 20 years. I had a good time visiting, and there will be more of that.
Today, I crossed into China by bus. The immigration process took a very long time because they only had one line for “foreigners.” Now checked in to a hotel, I had dinner at this vegetarian restaurant, where they serve interesting things like vege-snails. I think I’ll go back tomorrow and try some other stuff.
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Landscaping
The pathways project is becoming more rewarding as many of its parts are taking shape. The project is going slowly though, since it’s mostly done piecemeal, an hour here and an hour there, mainly after work.
The first part was the path along the hillside along the south bank of the pond. Here, large boulders form retaining walls. I made stone steps and a small beach area. Then, a new path meanders through the area under the willow trees by the north bank. I placed plastic root barrier sheets around parts of each willow tree and the same for a birch tree. Then, a small gravel patio wedges up against a berm of bamboo which will hopefully become a tall hedge. Between this and the pond, sprinkler systems will irrigate a lawn, and the drainage basin will carry away excess runoff. I also ran drip lines to the bamboo, trees, and shrubs.
This evening, I did rough leveling of the patio area for the granite table and benches. Eventually, the bamboo hedge will provide midday and afternoon shade.
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San Bernardino Peak
A group of us climbed San Bernardino Peak from the trailhead near Angelus Oaks. The weather, of course, was beautiful. Views from the top were breathtaking, especially at the turn just below the survey monument. These pictures are courtesy of Rob Quigley and Adam Lorenzetti.
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Western Orthopaedic Association
I spent the last several days in Monterey for the Western Orthopaedic Association. It was a good meeting. Ryan presented our research project there.
After driving up Wednesday, I checked in and had dinner. The meetings started early the next morning, and most of each afternoon was free. On Thursday afternoon, I took a bike ride north along the nature trail over the dunes past Sand City. The WOA dinner was held in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was very nice. The next afternoon after the meetings, I went on a driving tour to Gilroy and back around through Santa Cruz. Then, we went out to Montrio Bistro for dinner after the WOA reception.
On Saturday, I drove down along Highway 1 and visited different scenic points by Big Sur. After meeting up with Brad and the rest of the crew, we hiked up to Buzzards Roost and then to Pfeiffer Falls. The kids really enjoyed this part. While the others returned first, I visited the historic Carmel Mission, stopped by Peet’s Coffee, and went out for a quick run. I made it in time for the gala.
The trip home was uneventful, except that I got a late start and was stuck in a little bit of traffic along the 5. It was still daylight, so I constructed another stone step by the pond. Tomorrow, it’s back to work.
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Pathway
I’ve started working on a different type of project. This time, it’s making gravel and flagstone paths around the pond.
Working on this is quite strenuous, especially when trying to wrestle boulders into place and making stair steps out of them. I set the flagstones in mortar, and then the spaces in between were filled with 3/8-inch gravel. I also made a gravel beach to serve as an area to feed koi. This south side took about a week to do, but it’s also the most complicated because of the elevation changes.
I sustained an injury to my left small finger while mixing mortar, hitting the shovel handle against the rim of the wheelbarrow with my finger smashed between. It now feels better after draining out the blood.
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Church Outing
We went with our church outing to Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, California. This is one of my favorite beaches, especially because of the nice lawn area above the stretch of soft sand. Even though we were just there a few weeks ago, this beach is always nice to visit.
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Summer Grill
A lot of friends came over to share garden produce. I made some lamb kebabs along with grilled vegetables from our garden, including eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. Some of the fresh herbs were also picked from our yard—rosemary, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves.
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Salt Creek Beach
A group of us went to Salt Creek Beach. The weather was gloomy, but that made for nice pictures. As always, the water is really cold. Anyways, we all had a good time.
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Northern California
I just got home from a trip to Northern California.
The first day was spent driving to Angwin, arriving quite late at night. The next day, we went with Auntie Plerm and Uncle Michael on different tours—The Castle, Sepay olive oil company, Budweiser factory, and Jelly Belly. After some shopping and dinner, we went to the Chun’s place.
Bryce, Kara, Alice, and I headed into the backcountry at Point Reyes National Seashore. The first day, we hiked from Bear Valley Ranger Station to Sky Camp. The next day took us down to the beach, where we arrived at Coast Camp shortly after noon. We napped away most of the afternoon. Saturday’s hike was along the bluffs above the coast. This was the longest day with about eight miles. Birds filled the meadow above Wildcat Camp. Being not so windy, this was the warmest of the nights. For the last day, we hiked out to our car back at the Bear Valley Ranger Station and drove back to Santa Rosa.
We had a good stay with the Chuns in Santa Rosa, recovering, cleaning, organizing, eating, sharing stories. The drive home was smooth except for the portion between the Grapevine and the 210 Interchange, where I-5 became like a parking lot. Anyways, it’s good to be home after an amazing week.
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Guqin Completion
Day 144, and I’m finally done with the guqin project. On one, I used modern steel/nylon strings, and on the other, I used silk strings. They sound very different, and I’m pleased with how both instruments turned out. Now, I have to try the pick-up system in the jiaoye guqin with the silk strings and hear how it sounds.
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Guqin adjustments
On the luoxia guqin, I carved some off the nut and lowered it so that the strings would be closer to the surface. This proved to be a good adjustment. Playing the instrument has been absolutely delightful. I refreshed my memory on some of my old repertoire. The first piece I played on it was 流水 (Flowing Water), as that was my goal when I first learned the piece this year. Other pieces I tried included 陽關三疊 (Farewell at Yang Pass), 梅花三弄 (Three Variations on the Plum Blossom), 平沙落雁 (Wild Geese Landing on Calm Sands).
In the meantime, I’m working on the jiaoye guqin. It’s almost done. After finishing the other instrument, I wanted to quickly wrap up the entire project, now that I’m so close to the end. I thought of not carving the small inscriptions on the second guqin, but I decided to just go ahead and do it. Like the first time, it was painstaking. I finished that today, and I’m glad I persevered.
The next steps in this guqin construction project is to complete the final sanding and polishing of the jiaoye guqin. Then, I need to make tuning cords for it and attach the strings.
For the luoxia guqin, I ended up using nylon-wound metal strings. For this second guqin, I’m thinking of trying out silk. The sound will be more delicate, but this instrument has a pick-up system embedded within.
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Tuning the guqin
I’m basically done!!!!! And the experiment with the compound radius worked out well. The main aim in making the new instruments was to try to eliminate string buzz, and indeed, it’s gone.
Making the tuning cords required some trial and error. I bought tread, and for this luoxia guqin, I mixed two colors—maroon and brown—to match the multi-toned color on the instrument itself. According to 與古齋琴譜 (Abiding with Antiquity Guqin Manual, 1855, tr. Binkley), red is vulgar. After trialing different combinations and twists, I settled making the first ply three feet long using 32 strands each of maroon and brown. Then, I put in 120 right-helical twists by attaching it to a drill and running it in reverse. Once it was doubled upon itself, the plies wound into a nice left-helical cord of 128 individual threads. I threaded these through the tuning pegs with the aid of some copper wire.
Bringing the instrument up to correct pitch proved to be a challenge, because tension in the string has to be maintained while wrapping it around the feet. On Thursday, while trying to put on a string while keeping tension, everything slipped, and the tension hurled the guqin toward my forehead, making a deep gash right in the middle. After several attempts, I came up with a device to wrap the strings; this I made out of an old piece of cherry baluster.
Playing on the new instrument was a delight. The nut ended up being a little high, so I took the strings off and carved away some of the jatoba wood. Once the finish dries, I’ll replace the strings.
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Inscribing the guqin
When I started this guqin project in February, I had no idea it would have taken this long. If I did, I most likely would have not embarked on it.
For much of last week, I took a break from working on the instruments, since I was in San Diego at the American Orthopaedic Association and the Council of Orthopaedic Residency Directors. The meeting was at a nice location—Hotel del Coronado, and I enjoyed some of the discussion on interesting topics.
Having had time to work on the luoxia guqin yesterday, I finished carving all the inscriptions on it and applied the final coat of finish. After some drying time, I will complete it by doing the final sanding. The pegs are done, and the only task left is to make tuning cords out of silk thread. Then, I can install strings and finally hear how it sounds.
Once that’s done, I still have to carve the jiaoye guqin inscriptions.
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Guqin naming
Progress in the guqin building project has been steady but slow. I had made and set the pearl inlay, and they all ended up looking very nice. Then, I applied many clear coats of finish. Also, I drilled holes for the tuning cords. This all took place last week.
I have been apprehensive about doing the final carving. First, I wanted to compose the best names for the instruments—appropriate for each instrument while matching the others. For the guqin with the shape known as 落霞 (luoxia, descending crimson clouds), I settled on 秋水長天 (Autumn Water with Broad Sky, which refers to the colorful horizon of sky and water). This alludes to the phrase 落霞與孤鶩齊飛，秋水共長天一色 by 王勃. For the guqin shaped as a banana leaf (蕉葉, jiaoye), I named it 夜雨芭山 (Evening Rain on Banana Mountain). This includes a play on words of the poem 夜雨寄北 by 李商隱: 君問歸期未有期，巴山夜雨漲秋池。何當共剪西窗燭，卻話巴山夜雨時。 The poet refers to 巴 (wish); this is a homophone to 芭 (banana).
After obsessing about the wording and finally settling on something suitable, I started carving today. It’s much more time consuming that I thought. So, progress is slow but steady.
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South Fork Trail
Starting from the South Fork trailhead in the San Bernardino National Forest, a group of us hiked up passed the meadow and up to the avalanche area. After that, we turned around and headed back down the mountain.
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School of Medicine Graduation
Commencement this year, like most years, took place on a sweltering spring morning. It was great to see the students graduate after having accomplished so much through school. Scott Nelson was the honored alumnus of the year, and Lenny Werner gave the commencement address.
