Partying with the Fantastic Four

As mentioned, the Fantastic Four took time out of their busy schedules to visit us, and we were thrilled to have them for 1.5 weeks!

You've got to admire their energy level and positive vibes. There was no downtime at all, and everyday was practically a party.

Marin Headlands:



Monterey (I have one photo of Dad dancing but I better not post it!): 



Sonoma:





Worthy of mention is our 3D2N trip to Yosemite. I had been there countless times with visitors, but it has got to be the prettiest this time round. The foggy weather on the first day made everything looked surreal. We literally drove through white fluff on some parts of the road, not being able to see beyond fifty feet of us. It was strangely enchanting.

On the second day, we experienced light snow at Glacier Point while having simple homemade salad lunch, cramped in our 7-seater. It was cold, even in May! 

We were finally blessed with good weather on the third day, as we attempted the moderate uphill hike to Vernal Fall footbridge. Trust me, the sign says 0.8 miles from Happy Isles but it took us eternity to get there because of the incline. We were all ready to kiss our knees goodbye after that. 

On my previous visits, I have always stayed at Tenaya Lodge down South. Slightly pricier but very comfortable. This time round, Gugu booked a 2-storey house at Groveland under Hotel Charlotte, which is about half an hour away on the West. 

The house itself is located within the Pine Mountain Lake Golf Course. It came with three bedrooms, two toilets, and a gigantic kitchen. Awesome because we were able to cook dinner, but bad for the neighbours because we made such a din!

 

The rest of the Fantastic Four's stay included outlet visits, silicon valley tours, and day trips to the city. We even went down to Santana Row to sit in Tesla's trunk, just for the fun of it. Those are proper child seats, but our butts are obviously too big for them!

Yes, the silly things we did!

It's been more than a week since Gugu and Gucheung went back to Hong Kong, and Dad and Mom departed for Toronto. I will be joining them in Edmonton, and then at Yellowstone. I look forward to continuing the fun, because family time is hard to come by when we stay in different countries.

I'd also like to put on record a big thanks to the Fantastic Four for sponsoring our travels for this trip. Grateful for all the treats - accommodation, car rentals, gas, food... I hope I can return the favour one day, when I go back and start working again.

Till then, stay tuned for more family updates in the next few weeks!



Updates before I snooze

Gosh. This blog has been put on the back burner for a hundred reasons. Some day I'm gonna look back and regret for not being more diligent in blogging about my life in USA.

Anyway, quick updates:

1) A SALE! Yay!

Ever since I took on that part-time job, I haven't been creating anything! I will make a point to get back at it after Chinese New Year. More unique items and original creations. Thanks for the encouragement, buyer from MA!

(Oh, and I bumped into a fellow Etsy seller at the post office. She was doing her first international mail and we chatted a little. It felt great to meet fellow craft lovers.)



(Post-script: Received positive feedback from buyer after shipping off the item. Very touched.... :))

2) WLXH 大驾光临, 又回家了。

I had so much fun this time round, mainly because there was no need to queue up to use the toilet and I had plenty of rest as a result. (Thanks Jo, for offering your house!) I did fall sick though - something that happens a lot when I have visitors. But I recovered quickly because the girls were quite understanding, and they went out to tour the city by themselves so that I could nap.

We also did something different this trip. We cycled at Yosemite and Napa Valley! The former was a leisure ride. It was so awesome because we had the whole valley to ourselves! Winter is apparently a lull period for Yosemite.

The latter tested our stamina and patience the most because it was a 14-mile (22-km) long ride. XH gave me a murderous look at the end of it, because I kept telling her: "Almost there! Almost there!" Whoops... Bad Grace! And I do admit it would be much prettier in spring/summer. In winter the vineyards are rather bare.

We also went to Big Sur for the first time. Love the sea view and the picturesque Bixby Bridge. Quite worth the 30-min drive from Monterey. The road was surprisingly easy to drive, so it's safe to bring my folks there in May.

[Note: Remind me not to commit the mistake of driving to Point Reyes with my parents again. My dad will disown me for driving too fast on the narrow winding roads, and for trying to plunge the car off the cliff. That is, according to him.]

Alright. That's all for now folks! Snooze time. Tomorrow is the eve of Chinese New Year and we have a guest!

Beautiful May. Visits to Vancouver and Yosemite!

May is a good month not only because the flowers are in full bloom, but Sis and OSH finally got off their busy work/baby schedule to visit us. I'm über happy!

Despite their short one-week visit, we managed to squeeze in two short trips - one to Vancouver to visit our distant relatives, and the other to Yosemite, a national park which I've always wanted to go. We were panting like mad with back-to-back flights/drives but it was all worth it. The scenery, the company... All made the trips extremely enjoyable. On the last day we even made an impromptu drive to Sterling Vineyard some two hours away, just to enjoy that last sip of wine under California skies.

Of course, food is a major feature in this trip since Sis and OSH could hardly eat a proper meal back home with baby Jovan around. Even after the sumptuous dinners in Vancouver, courtesy of our aunts and uncles, we didn't rest our stomachs but went straight for everything - down from cheesecakes to crabs. We even went back for seconds at The Boiling Crab and Nini's Coffee Shop which serves very tasty home-cooked American breakfast. I am so stuffed that I am undergoing a 3-day detox after they left.

Here are just some snapshots of our trip. The best are in my memory!

Vancouver's Fisherman's Wharf is smaller and cosier compared to SF

At Mount Elizabeth Park with our aunt

Check out the famous gas clock at gas town

Viva the gigantic Olympics fire

Had king crab at my uncle's restaurant. It was very, very yummy.

At Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge under crisp Canadian weather

We just had to try Tim Hortons, the local 'Starbucks'!

At Deep Cove, a tranquil little area by the bay

#whatcrazysistersdo

Took the ferry to Lonsdale Quay Market on our last day in Vancouver

Back in US. After driving for 4hrs, we finally caught a glimpse of the Upper Yosemite Fall behind us.

We checked in at Tenaya Lodge. We had dinner at a nearby pizza place and the portions are BIG!

After roaming around Curry Village & Mirror Lake in the morning, we headed to Glacier Point. The view was breath-taking.

At Napa. Squeezed a trip to Sterling Vineyard for the pair of wine lovers.

I say give that lady a bottle of SV reserve

The Boiling Crab sha-bang sauce was so good, we had to go back for seconds on their last night!

Nini's exudes old American charm with a comforting breakfast menu. They had to eat it once more before their noon departure.