Archives March 13, 2008 Last week, I drove up to San Francisco to drop off the Living Orthopaedic Tree at the Moscone West Convention Center. I spent the rest of Monday visiting Golden Gate Park and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. The AAOS was a busy place. Tuesday was spent in the Practice Management Course, while the rest of the week was filled with meetings, lectures, and exhibition activities. I was surprised to get the recognition for the bonsai, and I called Joe Bowen (PGY-4 resident) to tell him that it was because he was the one who urged me to submit the piece in the first place. Also, I got to meet some amazing artists at the show. I was able to fit in some outdoor activities. On Friday morning, I visited Muir Woods. Then on Saturday, I drove up to Point Reyes National Seashore. I hiked Tomales Point trail and saw some Tule Elk. I also visited several remote beaches, the lighthouse, and hiked the Chimney Rock Trail, which wound its way at cliff's edge. The view was spectacular. On Sunday, I took the scenic route back to San Francisco with a detour to the Marin Headlands. Trip pictures are posted. February 7, 2008 Today is Chinese New Year! The 12-year cycle starts today, beginning with the year of the Rat—year number 4706, according to the traditional reconing. The main celebratory act today was the installation of the two stone lions. The whole process was quite complicated. It was only accomplished through much maneuvering with a fork lift and a tractor. After the whole process, the lions were christened with the eye-dotting ceremony. January 28, 2008 If there's such thing as a theme for the start of this year, it would be Water, in its various forms. The highlights of January involved snow. We had a great time in Mammoth—skiing, snowshoeing, and even making a little snowman. After the day of skiing, we took a trip down Benton Crossing at dusk and snowshoed to the Hilltop hotsprings. The water temperature was perfect. The most beautiful scenes came from Mono Lake, where steam and fog hovered close to the water's surface while rays from the dawning sun painted the sky and clouds a brilliant pink for a brief period before turning them blue, gold, and white. There were several days when torrential rains poured. After being parched for so long, the earth here needs it. The hills are beautifully green for a change, and I know it will be that way only briefly. Anyhow, the water is good for all the new tree plantings.