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Mesa Verde, Bisti, Albuquerque, and Taos
Puebloan Country We are now in Puebloan country. Leaving Durango, we snake up the highway to the top of Mesa Verde. From the road leading up to it, this place emphatically punches the clear blue sky. As I drive up, I wonder how there would be enough water to sustain a civilization. Because of the…
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Aspen, Crested Butte, and Durango
Leadville to Aspen Riding a train through the Rockies has been a much talked about highlight for this trip. Earlier in the summer, Vacation Bible School’s Rocky Railway theme song “Your Power Will Pull Us Through” echoed in our household. The opportunity was perfect to end our summer with a trip through these mountains. Leaving…
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Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Avon
Traveling during the pandemic Plans might have to be cancelled, and with the pandemic surge over the summer, I started a list of each hotel’s latest date to cancel without paying for the first night. We stood ready to cancel this trip. Then five days before our departure, we decided to just stick with it.…
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Santa Monica
We had been locked down for too long. Going stir-crazy, we book a hotel in Santa Monica and head there to spend time at the beach. This is sort of a test trip for our upcoming vacation in Colorado and New Mexico. The wagon proved to be handy, since it was a walk down the…
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Camping by Big Bear Lake
After baking a sourdough boule for our lunch picnic, we drive up to Big Bear Lake’s Serrano Campground. We have several goals in mind: get the kids outdoors, escape the valley heat, and see Jupiter and Saturn while they are near opposition. The 130 mm reflector telescope had just arrived, and this makes it a…
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Comet NEOWISE
Here’s the comet taken from our rooftop, overlooking Loma Linda University Medical Center’s new towers.
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Spring and Summer Garden
It’s a sunny February. We’ve been talking about a vegetable and cut flower garden. Starting with seeds and peat starter trays, Daphney and I plant for our spring and vegetable garden. Soon, we watch our work pay off: Asian greens, cilantro, chives, basil, beets, dill, sage, poppies, nasturtiums, marigolds, and much more. Yan’s favorites are…
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Visiting Sequoia National Park
Last time we were up this way, an early winter storm thwarted our visit to the giant sequoia trees. The road was open up just beyond Sequoia National Park’s Foothill Visitor Center. This time, it’s the novel coronavirus that nearly caused this trip to be cancelled. We had originally scheduled it for earlier in the…
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Building a Playhouse
Two days after California’s statewide shelter-in-place order, I embark on a coronavirus home project. Little did I know that Lowe’s and Home Depot would see surges in their sales; everyone is doing the same thing. Earlier, Yan and I had perused many designs and plans. We settled on a design by Rogue Engineer, with modifications.…
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Cottonwood Campground in Joshua Tree National Park
Our original plan was to leave early Saturday morning, early enough to secure a campsite at one of the first-come-first-served campgrounds in Joshua Tree. Because of coronavirus, the park had decided to remove reservations for all campgrounds. Having debated about camping at Black Rock, we decided to go deeper into the park. By this time,…
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Daphney’s Fourth Birthday
Daphney gets an extended celebration of her fourth birthday, with events spanning the entire week and both weekends. The coronavirus shelter-at-home order gives us plenty of excuses to make this birthday extra memorable. We surprise her with the special gift book, Fables of Ancient China, compiled just for her. And Auntie Alice surprises her with…
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Fables of Ancient China
Another project during the coronavirus shelter-in-place order is creating a storybook as a gift to Daphney on her fourth birthday. Years ago, I bought a book of 100 Chinese Fables from a bookstore in Hong Kong. After picking out some of the stories that are fitting for a four-year-old, I illustrated to the text. The…
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Jayden’s Dedication Weekend
We are so blessed to have Jayden dedicated by Pastor Shawna Campbell at the University Church this weekend.
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Family Portrait in Hanfu
Yan ordered hanfu from China, but we couldn’t find one that fits Jayden. I used a pattern I found online to make one that fits him.
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Impromptu Camping in Joshua Tree
Nearly every day for the last two months, Daphney had been asking about camping—not just any camping, but specifically in Joshua Tree, or where there are foxes (Santa Cruz Island). The other request is to have a campfire, both in the evening and the following morning. That rules out the Santa Cruz site. Now that…
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Jayden’s First Birthday Party
We’re all gathered at Fairmount Park in Riverside. The theme is fishing! There are fishing poles, nets, and games. We have fish tacos, and Auntie Alice and Auntie Susan made tower of cupcakes. Except for the Santa Ana winds at the end of the party, it was a perfect day to celebrate!
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Jayden Turns One
Today, our baby Jayden turns one! We’ve been so blessed by the smiles, giggles, laughter, and cuteness. And in this one year, we’ve done so much together. We first camped at Joshua Tree. Then, we celebrated the first 100 days. Soon, Chinese New Year came around. Altogether, we spent six nights camping and one night…
