Samantha got married to Adam this afternoon in the beautiful setting of Edward-Dean Museum and Gardens. Low clouds diffused the sunlight, and the whole place was gently lit. The actual ceremony was short and sweet. Afterwards, there were appetizers, an elegant buffet dinner, and dancing. It was nice to see…
Today, the Huntington Library held its exclusive preliminary viewing commemorating the Japanese Garden’s centennial year. The curator said that they don’t know the exact date of the anniversary, but it might as well be today. On the upper level of the garden, a new tea house and water feature adds…
This afternoon, I prepared and grilled some artichokes. Every since my first time having some grilled artichokes at the Rutherford Grill in Napa Valley, it’s been a favorite. Here’s the version with lemon thyme marinade. Cut artichokes in half, trim, and de-choke. Dip the artichoke halves in lemon juice mixed…
This trip was cancelled. It had been planned for several months, but because the government decided on a last minute paving job on the access road to the Hoover Dam launch site, they refunded all permits. I wrote everyone to give them other options, and Desert Adventures was graceful enough…
This past week, I was at Red Rock Canyon. The main reason for visiting was to attend the American Association for Hand Surgery, which was held at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa. The meeting started on Wednesday, and I went as an invited faculty member. Thursday afternoon was…
Since starting the framing process in late December, the gazebo is finally taking shape. The fanning rafters were a little tricky to design and calculate, but everything is coming along well.
It’s just before Christmas, and rack of lamb is perfect for the season. My parents brought home a rack for me to grill for them. I tried the sous vide method, adding garlic and herbs at the beginning of the cooking process. It happened that I also had to go…
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.
For lunch today, I had some leftover mushrooms and zucchini that I decided to put on the grill. And, there was a container of cooked quinoa as well; with this, I put together a pilaf. To season the zucchini, I combined olive oil, chopped garlic, black pepper, and salt; I…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
I made lunch for my parents today. First, I got some filet mignon from Stater Bros. I also cut up some zucchini and seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The onions were simply sliced and oiled. For the steak, I used pomegranate juice, Chilean Cabernet, coarse sea salt,…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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