Year: 2011
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Starting the Gazebo
It’s been more than two years since the deck has been sitting empty. The pond was filled in late 2009, and having procrastinated, I finally took the time to design the gazebo. Today, the preliminary framing was done.
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Moonrise Viewing from the Pond
It has been several weeks since I last crawled underground into the plumbing system of the pond to clean out the leaves. Autumn and the strong winds blew a lot of debris into the pond, and it seemed like a good time to empty the leaf traps and flush out the biologic filters. This afternoon…
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Christmas Events
Several events this weekend helped usher in the holiday season. Last night, Roger and Donna Hadley opened their beautiful home for a Christmas meal, and afterwards, all of us were treated to a dramatic interpretation of It’s a Wonderful Life performed at the Lifehouse Theater as directed by Wayne Scott. The message blessed each of…
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Rustic Olive Bread
Last night, I put together ingredients for a nice loaf of bread—for today’s picnic lunch. It’s a slight modification of the wonderful Sullivan Street no-knead bread made popular by the New York Times. I reduced the recipe to two-thirds so that the bread would fit into my Pyrex glass covered pot. This is the recipe,…
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Thanksgiving Reunion
Relatives came into town several days ago to join us for Thanksgiving. My aunts and uncles—Julia and Wilmer and Nipa and Vincent—arrived from Smith River in the northwesternmost corner of California. Uncle Joe and his family, being local, drove over today, as did my cousins who could make it. My morning, though, started in a…
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ThankSharing 2011
This evening, Loma Linda University Medical Center presented an inspirational program of ThankSharing to celebrate our blessings and to reach out to our community. Ruthita Fike and Gerald Winslow opened the program with the welcome and prayer. Nicole Johnson, bestselling author, dramatized three messages for this evening’s event. In between, various musical groups shared uplifting…
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Fall Colors
Although fall started nearly two months ago, yesterday felt like the first day. The sun hid from view and caused a drop in the thermometer. I was indoors most of the day performing surgeries. Today, I have the chance to take the stroll outside. Patchy clouds meld together to form this impenetrable layer even though…
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Flat Max by the Pond
On this beautiful fall day, the irregular cloud layer obscures much of the sun’s rays, but I can still peek at the blue sky like looking through windows from within a marshmallow. Autumn colors against a background of mostly dark green brighten up this overcast day. I take Flat Max on a walk in the…
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Flat Max in the OR
Yesterday, I got a letter from my friend, Max, who sent himself in a flat form to spend some vacation time in California. His mom, Sarah, had called me last week and told me to expect the package in the mail, since this is part of Max’s school project. The kids had just finished reading…
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Orthopaedic Clinic Halloween Party
A lot of clinic staff dressed up for Halloween today, and there were a lot of characters that I didn’t recognize. Both clinic locations had potluck lunches, and there was also a costume contest. The highlight, of course, was the Riedel family—Barth, Daphne, and the three little ones all dressed up.
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Halloween Brain Pâté and Chips
For this year’s potluck at the clinic, I thought it would be a nice change to make a savory dish instead of dessert. First, I chopped up garlic and a quarter of an onion. Then, I sautéed it in butter. In the meantime, I heated up cream cheese, mayonnaise, milk, and cream of mushroom soup.…
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Olive and Wine Faire
This afternoon, we drove out to the Highland Springs Resort for their first annual Olive and Wine Faire. The main reason for going was to see how olive oil is made. They had a dry demonstration using The Cub olive oil press, which takes about 10 lbs of ground up olives to make around a…
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Lobo Group Camp
We just got back from a restful weekend retreat in the San Bernardino National Forest. I left Friday evening after work, and by the time I got on the freeway, it was already dark. Most of the group left in the afternoon and set up Lobo Group Camp off of Highway 38. I arrived just…
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Friends from Hangzhou
This evening, we had friends from Hangzhou over for dinner—from Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital as well as Hospital Number Two. The visitors had been here for two months, and most of them are leaving tomorrow morning to return home.
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Pine Springs Ranch
Loma Linda University School of Medicine just had a retreat at Pine Springs Ranch. A rainbow greeted our arrival as we turned onto Apple Canyon Road. Among the inspirational talks, Jon Paulien gave some food for thought regarding the value of education at Loma Linda. I had the role of being camp doctor, and thankfully,…
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South Lake to North Lake
The trip to the Eastern Sierras was nothing short of epic. Here a brief travelogue of the hike from South Lake to North Lake through Dusy Basin, Evolution Basin, Evolution Valley, and Piute Canyon. We traversed over 55 miles, hiking over three mountain passes—Bishop, Muir, and Piute Passes—with nearly 10,000 ft elevation gain and loss,…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 6
September 5 We had gone to bed when it was 40 degrees outside, and this morning, our breaths had condensed and froze to the tent wall. I am scraping ice off the silnylon using my towel. Outside, everything is frozen: my water container, my shoes, the tent. The first thing I do is to heat…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 5
September 4 This entire day will be all about climbing. It’s all uphill. After coffee and the usual breakfast, I take a few more pictures of the surrounding beauty. Then, we head up the trail toward Piute Pass. Brad and I are both glad that we had pushed a little further the day before. Our…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 4
September 3 We both slept very well. The night felt warmer, and we had very little tent condensation. Brad checks his thermometer, which reads 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It feels warmer. Anyways, I go on a private walk back along the creek, taking pictures along the way. I find an interesting tree whose bark had split…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 3
September 2 This day would be the longest. I wake up to a beautiful morning. The air is crisp, the mosquitoes are gone, and my tent held up to the wind. I had guyed out Brad’s side of the tent to give more lateral headroom to the A-frame profile, and he says that it’s better.…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 2
September 1 A dusting of frost covers nearly everything. I first notice this on the backpacks just outside the tent. My towel is frozen stiff. There is bad condensation inside the tent because it’s so cold outside. The cure, of course, is a nice helping of hot coffee. Starbucks Via. Being in charge of the…
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South Lake to North Lake: Day 1
August 31 The noontime sun beats down by the time we arrive at the trailhead. The first part of the trip takes us along the South Fork of Bishop Creek. Before reaching Long Lake, we pass a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, who are planning to spend their first night at Saddlerock Lake. We decide…
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South Lake to North Lake: Pretrip
On and before August 31 The sliding glass door at Clark’s once again opens and closes. I feel as if the checkers are looking at me, wondering why I am back. I had gotten the wrong package; there is no reason that Pad Thai should have fish sauce in it. I walk back in the…
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San Gorgonio Peak
This trip took me and our group of residents and medical students from the Vivian Creek trailhead to San Gorgonio Peak. […]
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Alice’s Birthday Party
On the weekend before Alice’s actual birthday, we had a group of friends over for an evening celebration. The menu, of course, was Thai food.
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Minnesota
The Musculoskeletal Infection Society meetings took place August 4 to 6 in Rochester. I took a driving tour up to the Boundary Waters for the weekend, spending Saturday night in the little town of Ely, exploring the many lakes of the area.